Disclaimer: I do not own "Danny Phantom". All the characters you will read about are copyright to Nickelodeon.

> > > > > >

Technical Difficulties

> > > > > >

Chapter 7: The Wrong Idea

> > > > > >

Late into the night, as shops were wrapping up for the night, Danny scouted the town for last minute ghost patrol with a Fenton Thermos in his backpack. He told his parents he was going to hang out with Sam and Tucker, which he did up until ten minutes to ten. The Lunch Lady was still on the loose, and Danny knew how destructive she could be if not attended to. He didn't understand how the Lunch Lady hadn't even showed a blip on the radar all day. She was either planning big or not really planning, just waiting. During his flight above the town, he was talking to Sam on his cell phone.

"There was seriously something wrong with her today," Danny said to Sam. He was talking about Valerie and her strange behavior in class earlier in the morning.

"Apparently," Sam said, "she's been hunting ghosts so long, they just appear in front of her without explanation."

"It couldn't be that," Danny said. "She probably got a bad night's sleep. She fell asleep a lot. Or maybe..." Danny was cut off by his ghost sense. He knew what that could mean. "The Lunch Lady!"

"You're saying she went crazy in science class because of the Lunch Lady?" Sam asked, misunderstanding what she overheard. "There's not one ounce of ham in that plot, thank goodness."

"No, I mean I just detected the Lunch Lady," Danny said. "I'm just over the Nasty Burger."

"I told you that that was the first place you should've looked!" Sam reminded.

"Excuse me for thinking outside the box!" Danny argued while a mighty meaty burger flew out the window. "I gotta go. I have a ghost to catch." He hung up and flew through the restaurant's roof the battle and capture the Lunch Lady.

Unknown to Danny, he was being watched from atop another building. Valerie kept a close eye on him with a zoom feature in her visor. "It ends tonight," Valerie said to herself as she psyched herself up to finish Danny Phantom off once and for all.

Good things come to those who wait.

Irritated, Valerie said, "You come in at the most inappropriate times, you know that?"

I'm just saying.

"Saying what?"

See where the ghost boy goes next. You could learn of his hideout, or his attack pattern.

"I don't have time for that!" Valerie explained. "This has to be done now. I've gotta be back home in..." she observed her watch to see another minute tick by. "Six minutes! Dad'll only believe I'm with Danny for so long." She saw another mighty meaty burger fly out another window of the Nasty Burger.

Technically, you are. Isn't Danny the first name of that ghost kid?

"Do not mention that!" Valerie warned. "I refuse to call Phantom by his first name! ...Uh, not for that reason, or anything. I mean, it is that reason, but, you know, not in that way."

Pff. Feelings...

"What was that?" Valerie asked. Before she could get an explanation, there was a bright light within the Nasty Burger. Within seconds, it was gone, and Danny flew back out of the eatery with a smoking thermos in hand. He put the thermos in his backpack and looked at his wrist, likely for the time.

"I can make it there in time," he said as he flew away.

"...Make it where?" Valerie wondered. Where could Phantom need to be? And why does a ghost need a schedule?

Follow him.

The voice was practically taunting her. "I'll only see where he goes, and then it's straight back home," Valerie said as she jetted off, keeping her distance so Danny wouldn't catch on. The last thing Valerie wanted was for someone to get hurt for her carelessness, but then again, her father could still punish her for getting back late. The "trying to save people" excuse could only result to the "you could've been killed" counter. Maybe he was gonna attack a place that was already closed. Valerie can live with that on her back.

Three minutes passed and Valerie was still following Danny. She beginning to get irritated that Phantom may be leading her to nowhere and she'd get punished for nothing. It was then that a familiar building came into view. It was a brick building with a large metal station on the roof. Below the station was a neon sign that said "Fenton Works". It was Danny's house. Danny Fenton's house.

Normally, Valerie would just fly past the building and continue pursuit of the ghost boy, but it all changed when she saw him decend. She slowed down and hovered behind a tree, hiding herself in the leaves. The she watched as the ghost boy touched ground and approached the porch. Valerie gasped. The voice had been right. The ghost boy was targeting the ones she cared about, and Danny Fenton was first on the list.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Valerie shouted, darting towards Phantom without even thinking.

"Huh?" was all Danny could get out of his mouth before being victim of a high speed tackle. He was pulled a pretty long distance before he just phased through her, leaving Valerie flying nowhere. When she realized what happened, Valerie spun her board around to find Danny flying back to the Fenton house. Valerie made sure he didn't get too far by firing a beam from her wrist. She hit her target in a single shot, to which he hit the ground rolling. He got back up to look into the eyes of the rival he'd rather not have.

"Don't go near that house!" Valerie ordered.

"It isn't what it looks like!" Danny defended himelf, only to turn it worse. "...Well, it kinda was, but not in your sense. What did it look like to you?"

"Like you were trying to eliminate the Fenton Family, maybe?" Valerie said in an angry sarcastic tone.

"Bingo!" Danny said, giving Valerie a worse impression than he was getting at. He was zapped again by another beam. Valerie approached Danny while he was on one knee, recooperating. He corrected his previous statement, saying, "I meant that that wasn't what it was."

"Do I have to remind you," Valerie grabbed Danny's suit color, "that not all humans," she flew him high into the air and put her fist against his stomach, "are SAPS!" She fired another shot square into Danny's gut. Danny was sent flying. After he regained himself, Danny flew away from Valerie, having to further distance himself from his house. Valerie took this as a challenge and pursued.

With Valerie hot on his trail, Danny looked at his watch for the time. 9:59 PM. He had serious doubts he'd end this dogfight in time, but stopping it now would be a good start. "Don't you have someplace else to be?" Danny asked, figuring Valerie had an identical curfew.

"It'll all be worth it once you're destroyed!" Valerie aid firing another shot, which Danny just avoided. So much for plan A. Instead, he just kept flying until he found an alley with a dumpster near it. He flew down as fast as he could to get his plan to work just right.

After he touched down, he warned Valerie with, "I really don't wanna do this!" Valerie, always the persistant type, ignored Danny's warning and flew at him again. Having no choice, Danny took a deep breath and let out his most powerful form of attack: his Ghostly Wail. Danny screamed loudly, sending visable, powerful sound waves in Valerie's direction. The wail took Valerie completely by surprise as she found herself flying against a hurricanic force. She pushed herself harder and harder against the wail until her board became to stressed to continue. Valerie was thrown back so much a distance from that wail.

Danny, having drained all his energy in that one attack, reverted back to his human form and dropped to his knees. He looked around to find Valerie was gone, but he knew she wouldn't stay that way. He got back up on shaky legs to finds where that dumpster was and ran to it to hide inside. He peered through its lid to keep an eye out for the young huntress.

Valerie did indeed come back and scanned the area where she last found the ghost boy. She looked all over to not find him in sight. She was clearly angry, letting out a calming scream. She figured the ghost boy couldn't have gotten far and jetted somewhere else.

Danny saw it all. He popped his head out of the dumpster as she flew away. "I'm sorry," he quietly apologized, his head held low. He got out of the dumpster and headed home.

> > > > > >

Danny's walk home took longer than expected. He arrived home eight minutes past curfew, surely something that would get his parents mad. Upon reaching the doorstep, he took a deep breath and walked inside, expecting his punishment.

"10:08 PM," Jack said, "Danny comes back home." Danny found his dad sitting on the couch as if waiting for him. After writing down what just happened, Jack went over to his son with his notepad in hand. "Son, tell me what this is."

"Um," Danny was almost afraid to answer with Jack's tone of voice. "Your notepad?"

"Yes," Jack responded. "Now flip through it to see what I wrote down at 9:00 PM."

Danny flipped the pads many entries until he found the requested time. "Raided freezer for neopolitan ice cream?"

"Uh, the other one," Jack quickly said.

"Danny went out with friends," Danny read.

"Good. Now look through what happened at 10:00 PM. Does it say 'Danny comes back home'?"

"No, it doesn't."

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"You're gonna tell me anyway, aren't you?"

"Victory for the Jack-man!" Jack shouted in trimph rather than in scold. "You are grounded, mista!" Jack started doing a gyrating dance as if he had just scored a game-winning touchdown while chanting, "Uh-huh! That's right! Who's your daddy? I'm your daddy! To your room, now! Take a shower! 'Cause you smell bad!"

Not sure whether to pout or laugh histarically, Danny did as he was told and headed upstairs.

> > > > > >

Valerie was in so much trouble. She had been so preoccupied trying to find Phantom, she lost track of time. She was now ten minutes past her curfew.

She had finally arrived at her appartment building, choosing to get to the door by foot rather than just fly through her window. She entered the building after shifting to her regular attire.

After making it into her apartment, she saw her father sitting on the couch with an annoyed look on his face. "Ten minutes, Valerie," Damon said.

"Dad, let me explain," Valerie said, never even able to begin.

"I've been waiting here worried sick about you for ten minutes!" Damon shouted, getting up from his seat. "You weren't with Danny at all, were you?"

"I had more important-"

"You were out there trying to give me a heart attack by more ghost hunting!"

"But Dad-!"

"No buts!" Damon interupted. "You are grounded, young lady! And if I ever here about you hunting ghosts for the next week, don't thing I won't hesitate to extend that period! Go to your room!"

"But-"

"NOW!" Damon shouted, pointing to the door to her room. Valerie, on the verge of tears, did as she was told and headed to her room with her head hung low.

After Valerie closd the door to her room, it gave Damon time to calm down. He couldn't remember any time he was so angry, and with his own daughter nonetheless. Damon took his seat againand buried his face in his hands. He could only hope that Valerie was taking his outburst less than he was.

Meanwhile in her room, Valerie laid on her bed in a depressed heap. If only she had just ignored the voice and taken out Phantom at the Nasty Burger, all would've been well.

What did I tell you?

Valerie grew irritated by hearing that voice. "It's all your fault, you know," Valerie said, putting the blame on the voice. "If you'd have just let me do my thing..."

Think of it this way: I was right, wasn't I?

That horrible thought came into Valerie's mind again as she remembered Phantom at the Fenton's place. "No, that can't be it," Valerie said in a worried tone. "He probably just wanted to steal some of the Fenton's equitment, or trash their lab or something."

Keep telling yourself that. You know the reason. Do yourself a favor and remove him from your life. You know, to protect him.

"I can't do that," Valerie said almost immediately. "There's gotta be another way!" She was open for suggestions, but recieved none. "Tell me something!" Still nothing. "I'm not doing that you know!" After finishing yelling into open air, she calmed down and prepared herself for bed.