Conflict of Interests
Vlad peered out from behind the tinted glass of his limousine, hoping to snatch a glance of the beautiful Maddie, who was currently residing in the Fenton's kitchen. She walked past the window, and his heart fluttered.
"Ahh, Maddie," he said to himself, sliding down the seat. He'd been watching for almost half an hour. He felt some annoyance towards himself for resorting to something as low as stalking, but he had very little choice. The pre-pubescent pain in the rear would know the second he tried to sneak in intangible. But being creepy from the inner sanctum of his comfortable, leather upholstered limo did have its advantages. There was a mini fridge.
"One day, I'll be rid of that buffoon, Jack, and you'll be mine. You and that boy."
Danny stumbled into the kitchen, looking extremely groggy. He'd been up until 3am, trying to capture a large swarm of ghost cats for the third night in a row. He suspected there might be some kind of spectral cat lady in town. Nevertheless, it was his job to clean up the undead, and seal them safely in the Fenton Thermos. But right now, the only thing on his mind was a bowl of cereal. He trudged over to the cupboard to get it, glancing out at the window. A limousine was parked outside, sleek and black. Danny frowned. The third time this week. He was beginning to feel like a scarecrow, except instead of frightening off large black birds, he was scaring away evil middle aged men.
He ran out into the street, in his pyjamas, and began hammering on the dark glass. The window slid down mechanically, and revealed the arrogant, self-righteous face of Vladimir Masters, his most detested enemy.
"You again!" Danny exclaimed. Vlad simply raised an eyebrow.
"Ahh, what a coincidence! My car just broke down an-"
"I'm not buying it. Stop spying on my Mom, or else!"
"Or else what? You'll beat me up? You'll outsmart me with your low grade point average? Come now, Daniel. I hardly consider you a real threat."
"But my parents are starting to get suspicious. So if you want to stay in with a chance of dating my Mom, which, may I add, is never going to happen, then I suggest you STAY AWAY FROM OUR HOUSE." And with that, he turned on his heel and marched back into the house in his striped pyjamas, leaving Vlad looking less than pleased. He'd been made a fool of by a 14 year old in his nightwear. He turned to his Chauffeur, who was staring at him.
"Well come on, step on it! I don't pay you to eavesdrop in on my conversations and fall asleep in the front seat."
After the long drive back to the mansion in Wisconsin, he slumped into a high backed chair in front of the unlit fireplace, sunlight streaming in. The birds twittered irritatingly in the trees outside. He decided it probably wasn't a good idea to lurk outside the Fenton abode any more. Furious, he began to try and hatch another scheme.
"Maybe if I could try and get Danny to- no, that's just stupid. Perhaps if I- no, no no!"
He slammed his fist on the table, knocking a rather expensive vase, and a glass of port onto the carpet. He swore loudly, in seven different languages. It was simply no use. With that boy around, he'd never get close enough to Maddie to even try and court her.
"Not that she'd fall for me anyway," he muttered. "She's blindly infatuated with that badly dressed oaf. Apparently, bumbling and idiocy are desirable traits in a partner."
He put his hands to his head. He could feel a light headache developing.
"I think I need to take a walk," he said miserably.
Lamore sprung out of the portal, into a dark, unlit room. From what she could see, it was a laboratory, filled with beakers, half finished inventions, and hundreds of papers.
"Perfect," she smirked. It was as she had planned; the Fenton Laboratory. From here, she could wreak her own brand of havoc on the living world. Lamore liked to play things to her advantage, to make others do the dirty work, infatuate weak minded fools. A town full of half-brained humans wouldn't be hard to trick and deceive. Soon, they'd all be fighting each other, whilst she sat on the sidelines and watched. And she'd already marked out her first victim. The talk of the ghost zone, Danny Phantom. Half boy, half ghost, with unique powers and a fixation for using them for good. That would soon be over.
"Danny Phantom, prepare to meet your worst nightmare."
Suddenly, the door creaked open. Lamore stood rooted to the spot. From the top of the stairs, the silhouette of a man stood, tall and lean.
"What are you doing in my laboratory?" he cried. She was about to go intangible, and escape, but the figure transformed in a burst of darkness, and had slammed her into a wall.
"D… Danny Phantom?" she enquired. The man laughed.
"Heavens no, woman. Do I look like a 14 year old boy to you?"
"Then who are you?"
"I ask the same of you. And since you're the one that crashed through my portal, I suggest you answer that first before I throw you back in head first."
"I thought there was only one portal?"
"For someone in your position, you ask a lot of questions. There are in fact two portals. I had just finished repairing my own, after a rather nasty incident with the ectoplasmic filtrator. Now, you have 10 seconds to tell me who you are, before I thr-"
"My name is Lamore, and I am here to do what every other ghost that passes into the human dimension intends to do."
"Ahh, the old 'havoc and mayhem' bit, am I right?"
"Actually, I was specifically going after Danny Phantom," she said casually. She noticed his knuckles whiten. "I apparently got the wrong portal. Wrong halfa."
"Heh, well, good luck with that," he said cynically, "if you succeed, which I highly doubt, pop on by, and we can have a glass of sherry or two to celebrate."
"You… you don't like him?"
"Dislike, my dear lady, would be the understatement on the century."
"Ohh, is that so?" Lamore said softly. A plan was already hatching in her mind. Apparently, the portal blunder was not going to be a problem at all.
He led Lamore to the sitting room, returning to his human form. Making himself comfortable, he divulged in depth his encounters with Maddie's boy. Lamore seemed deeply engaged, staring into his eyes, her own wide and surprised.
"So you say, this, Valerie, she is hunting the Ghost boy? And you gave her the equipment? You are so smart, Mister Masters."
"Please, call me Vladimir. Or Vlad," he said, tugging at the back of his collar. He didn't usually find himself feeling so awkward around people. He supposed it was the fact she had an almost timeless beauty. She looked around the same age as him, but with long, wavy red hair flowing past her shoulders, big, brown eyes, and a smile that curved her mouth ever so slightly. He felt intoxicated. Her perfume was filling the air, choking his senses. She was talking, but he was only half listening, her accent like honey. He felt himself becoming hot, sweating. But he couldn't break contact from those eyes. Those beautiful eyes. He didn't think he'd ever felt this way towards anyone… except just that once before.
"Maddie," he said quietly, smiling graciously at Lamore, taking her hand.
"Who is this Maddie you speak of?"
"Maddie? Oh, she's- she's nobody in particular" he said loudly, waving his hand in the air. "Would you like some more sherry?" Lamore smiled widely and nodded. Perfect.