A/N: This is an odd one-no real DP until the very end. Huh.

And just a side note-unless otherwise specified, these all take place directly after season two and just before season three. I started planning these out before the new eppies aired, therefore season three does not exist in most of them. So don't go yelling at me claiming I'm killing canon, please :P

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. Nor do I own Cheerios.

I DO, however, own a hand-painted bowl with the DP logo on it, though. MINE!


13. Misfortune

One of the many residents of Amity Park slowly rose out of bed, stretching his limbs as the soft pink glow of daybreak filtered through the blinds of his bedroom window. It had become somewhat of a ritual for him to rise with the sun, to wake early and prepare for the day while everyone else was still asleep. He couldn't remember exactly when or why he had fallen into the pattern, but still he continued it every day nonetheless.

Softly, he walked down the hallway to the small kitchen in his tiny apartment, wooden floorboards squeaking and groaning under his feet with every step. Wincing at the obnoxious cacophony of sounds produced by the flooring, he vaguely wondered if he'd ever earn enough money to buy a house and get out of this awful place. Move to another town, even, far away from this miserable place so full of crime and ghosts. Well, the crime he could live with, it was really the ghosts he wasn't too fond of. Probably not, with his luck he'd likely be living here forever.

After finally reaching his destination, the man flung the refrigerator door open carelessly, lifting the milk carton off of the shelf and depositing it on the countertop before letting the door close by itself. Milk in hand, he made his way over to the other side of his kitchen-a meager three feet-to open the cupboards and grab a bowl of cereal to go with the milk.

Smiling and humming softly, he prepared his simple breakfast on the countertop before reaching over to turn on the small television he had managed to fit in the room. Blinking a few times to adjust to the sudden change in light, he pulled up his only chair and sat down, munching on a spoonful of Cheerios and watching the minuscule screen.

"Good morning, this is Tiffany Snow, here with your daily news."

The man continued chewing his mouthful of breakfast-y goodness, unfazed by her appalling amount of pep this early in the morning. While he didn't really care all that much, he did have to admit that it was pretty creepy, even for Amity Park.

Her unusual chipper air vanished abruptly, however, as someone off screen handed her a small slip of paper. She stared down at it, flabbergasted, mouth open and catching flies. After a few moments of shocked silence, however, she seemed to find her voice, and began talking at a rapid pace-well, at least more so than usual.

"Breaking news-infamous local ghost boy Inviso-Bill, called Danny Phantom by some, has finally been captured by the government's own ghost hunting squad, the Guys in White!"

The man paused in his eating, the grip on his utensil loosening before the spoon clattered to the floor unnoticed. His eyes grew wide to almost comical proportions as he sat stock still, gazing at the screen in shock, before reaching over and increasing the volume.

"And now to Lance Thunder, with live coverage of the dramatic capture!"

Huh. Still smiling. Very creepy.

The screen shifted to one Lance Thunder, who was in the midst of mumbling about the horrors of his job. His groaning stopped as soon as he spotted the camera, though, and like any other trained professional he put on an obnoxiously happy face and started doing what he did best: talking.

But Lance's commentary fell on deaf ears as the man watched the background scene, riveted. The young ghost was screaming, presumably in pain, as government employees loaded his containment cell into a van. A white van, of course.

The man gazed upon the scene, slightly saddened. He was pretty sure that this ghost had been one of the good guys, it always seemed that he was fighting against the other ghosts. Too late for that now, though, because it looked like he wasn't going to be around much longer.

Well, he thought, shutting off the television and walking out of the room, sad as it may be he couldn't let it get in the way of his daily routine. Had to keep a roof above his head somehow.


A/N: Actually, I lied. I own Random Joe, handy background character who played a starring role in this chapter. The rest belong to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, and Viacom. In other words, not me.

And yes, I enjoy tormenting the main characters. Don't kill meeee D: