AS: The Unluckiest Number prt1

The Unluckiest Number
Part 1
Things just keep going from bad to worse

A fresh wave of guilt washed over Adrian as he slowly followed his father up the front steps. Danny had remained quiet the entire trip home, and that could only mean he was hurt deeply by his son's words. The young teen couldn't help but feel some sympathy for his dad, but he felt like his outburst was justified. After all, he was still mad at Danny for not being around very much, and the fact that Adrian and his siblings got kidnapped every couple of weeks and had to be rescued just made him feel more bitter and frustrated. He sighed as he trudged through the door.

Before he was even all the way inside, a usually soft voice assaulted his ears with an excited scream. "BROTHER!!!!" The next thing Adrian knew, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and he could barely keep stable from the sudden added weight.

The boy glanced down to see his littlest sister, Lilith Ann Fenton, hugging him tightly. She was dressed in her usual pair of red and blue sneakers, blue cotton pants, and a baggy red sweater. Messy auburn hair peeked out from underneath her puppy-print bandana, the little pony tail in the back held in place by a red flower scrunchie. She smiled up at him, her lavender-blue eyes sparkling. Adrian shifted slightly to remain balanced, which only caused her to tighten her grip. "We so w-w-worri… we missed you! Don't scare me again, kay?"

Adrian sighed, letting a rare smile grace his face. His sister relaxed her a bit, allowing him some breathing room. Pulling her into his arms, he grunted slightly at the weight. "Lil, have you put on a few pounds or something?"

"You know how much she eats, Adri... I think she's getting fat."

The teen turned slightly to be greeted by his middle sister, Jennifer Renee Fenton, who had a warm smile on her face. Two jet black locks framed her face, having been pulled out of her high ponytail. Unlike her younger sister, Jennifer was wearing a pretty girly outfit. She was dressed in a lilac skirt and a tie-dyed tank top of dark and baby blue. Everything matched, even her barrette fit nicely with the tank-top. The only thing that looked out of place was her golden yellow moon pendant necklace, but she was never seen without it.

Lilith stuck her tongue out. "I'm not fat! I'm the skinniest one in the house next to mom!"

"Also the shortest," Jennifer teased, receiving a glare from her sister. She ignored it and looked to Adrian. "So it was your turn to be rescued by dad, huh?"

Adrian's eyes hardened, and he looked away from his overly insightful sister. He fiddled with Lilith's ponytail as she relaxed in his arms, her lavender eyes starting to droop as she began to fall asleep. "I don't want to talk about it, Jenn."

Jennifer sighed. "You have got to get over this, Adri. You can't keep giving dad the silent treatment."

"I don't want to talk with him!" he snapped. He took a calming breath when his little sister stirred in his arms. "Not right now…"

"Fine. But you're going to have to start talking to him again sooner or later," his sister said, determined.

"Since when did a twelve-year-old like you get so smart, anyways? Have you been reading the encyclopedia again while I was gone?" Adrian asked, cocking his head and changing the subject slightly. His eyes lit up as he suddenly understood. "You've been watching Aunt Jazz's talk show, 'Sunny Feelings,' again, haven't you?"

Jennifer shrugged. "I think it's fun to watch. Some of the things she talks about really help me deal with problems at school."

He rolled his eyes at that remark. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Being popular puts so much pressure on you…"

"It's not as easy as it looks," she protested angrily. "You have to work to keep people happy!"

Adrian sighed and shook his head. "Whatever, Jenn. I'm going to take Lil up to her room and go to bed." He wasn't in the mood to argue with his sister. Knowing her, she'd turn this little disagreement into a huge debate that would last for most of the night. Jennifer was one of those people who just had to be right about everything, no matter what.
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He stalked quietly up the stairs, leaving Jennifer on the main floor to stomp off to her own bedroom. Adrian, Lilith, and their parents had rooms upstairs, but Jennifer had refused to have her room on the upper story. Adrian figured it was because she was afraid of heights, or something ridiculous like that.

As soon as he reached the top of the staircase, Adrian took a left and went straight to the door with a carved cat saying 'Welcome.' He turned the knob and pushed it open, then set Lilith down on top of her bed. He shook her gently, causing her to open her eyes and look at him.

"I'm sleepy… Can you help me, brother?" she asked him, rubbing her eyes. This was routine. If Adrian was taken hostage, his little sister tried to spend as much time as she could with him afterwards. He didn't mind; it was comforting and really sweet that she wanted to be around him and make sure he was okay.

He smiled and nodded, turning to fish through her dresser for some pajamas. Selecting a long baggy shirt with puppy dogs on it, he placed it on the bed turned away so she could change. Once she was ready for bed, he turned back to her and tucked her in. She sighed happily, snuggling into her sheets and closing her eyes. Satisfied that she was going to be okay, Adrian slowly got up and tiptoed towards the door.

"Adri!" Lilith whispered loudly.

'Shoot I thought she was already asleep,' he thought to himself. He scowled a little as he turned back around, not really wanting to deal with any questions she might have about what had happened earlier.

But Lilith didn't seem to notice his discomfort. "Can you get Milo for me? He's on the shelf. Mom put him there when we were clea- clea- making things nice…"

Adrian sighed with relief. Lilith could never sleep well without her black stuffed kitty cat, Milo, although he barely looked like a cat anymore. Lil had had him since she was a baby, and you could tell he'd been through a lot of love. There were plenty of mud stains, grass shavings, and scorch marks all over the poor cat. Adrian stood on his tippy toes to grab the toy before approaching the bed and placing the plushie in his sister's waiting arms.

"Thanks, bro-ther," she murmured, snuggling up to her stuffed toy as she drifted off to sleep.

Once he was sure she was out like a light, Adrian exited the room and tip-toed to his own.

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With a sigh, Adrian flung himself onto his bed and reached for a notebook. Pulling out a pen, he started writing a new poem…

'As the night fell,
The world was swell.
Or at least it would have been
If it weren't for the ache in Jason's heart he felt about his sin.
The wrong he'd done
To the one
That changed him from the outside in,
It was alright, he supposed, he'd gotten better.
Though sometimes….'

He paused mid–sentence as his ears picked up the sound of the creaking of the door. He glanced up from his notebook to see his mother in the doorway, a rare melancholy look on her face. Adrian turned his eyes back on his paper. 'Here it comes yet another talk… Dad must have told her about my outburst,' he thought grimly. He gripped his pencil tighter as he worked on his poem, trying to ignore his mother's gaze.

Sam was not going to stand there and let her son ignore her. Unlike Danny, she wasn't above administrating tough love when situation demanded it. Sitting down on the bed, she swiped the pad out of the teen's reach. Adrian opened his mouth to protest, only to be met with an icy glare.

"We need to talk, Adrian Devin Fenton."

Adrian flinched. His mom only used his full name when she was mad or upset with him. "Now..?" he asked, meekly.

"Yes, now!" she said, crossing her arms.

Taking a deep breath, Adrian cautiously looked his mother in the eye. "…What do you want to talk about?"

"Why did you yell at your father today?" Sam asked her voice gentle but firm. She fixed him with a look that said 'you should tell me the truth because I'll figure it out eventually.'

Adrian grumbled and looked away, shaking his head. "Did he repeat everything I shouted at him?"

His mother nodded. "You know he has a very good memory when it comes to things like this. You should never raise your voice at your father, no matter what the circumstances are. It's disrespectful and not fair to him."

"I'm just sick of it, Mom!" the boy said with a frustrated sigh. "He's gone too much! It feels like the only time I see him is when he's rescuing me… I wasn't really mad at him," he added in a softer tone. "I just took my anger out on him."

Sam gently gripped his shoulder. "What are you really mad at?"

"The world." His eyes hardened as he spoke. "If it wasn't for the world and all those stupid ghosts, Dad could be here with us. He wouldn't get called out to help people all the time… He could have a regular job, and spend time with me, with us."

"Your father is home a lot now, Adrian. It seems like it is you who keeps avoiding him. You don't talk to him anymore."

"I don't want to be disappointed again, Mom. Every time I try to talk to him, he gets called away and has to go do something else. Why should I even bother anymore..?"

Sam sighed. "Your father is constantly hounded by the ghost council, the public, the media, and way too many government officials. Everyone looks to him for protection, and he does his best because that's the kind of person he is. Your father is good man, and he loves you and your sisters and me very much. I know he wants to spend more time with his family. He misses being your dad… Just try to understand that he has to be a hero too." She stood up, shook her head and started to walk out of the room. "Oh, and before I forget, you're grounded for shouting at your father like that... No sweets or dessert for the rest of the week. We'll make an exception on your birthday."

Adrian flinched. He didn't like the sound of that… Despite being a teenage male, he had a real sweet-tooth, and he thrived on sugar-coated goodies. He was going to argue, but the look on his mother's face told him there would be hell to pay if he disobeyed her. "Got it," he muttered. "Sometimes I just wish Dad was normal. Maybe then I'd get to see him more."

"You know he's given up a lot to do what he does," Sam said softly from the doorway. "Don't hate your father for what he is. If he wasn't Danny Phantom, you and I would not be here now. Keep that in mind, son…" She shut the door behind her, leaving Adrian to contemplate her words.

Everything his mother had said made sense, but Adrian had inherited Sam's stubborn, independent streak. He wasn't going to just accept everything like that. Adrian knew his dad loved him, but he still found it hard to get over the resentment he felt towards what his father's ghost powers meant for him. Getting kidnapped every-other-day was getting old…  
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"So what happened next?" Adrian's best friend, Alicia Foley, asked.

It was a few days later, and the two friends were sitting in a booth at The Ghoul Café. The Café was one of the newer spots in Amity Park that actually allowed both human and ghost customers. Ghosts were beginning to be able to walk the streets and hang out in various places throughout the city now that a Peace Treaty between the Ghost Zone and Amity Park had finally been signed.

"The usual… Mom lectured me on the importance of respecting adults and why Dad does what he does," Adrian replied dryly, fiddling with the straw in his two-toned, sugar-free drink.

"You didn't really pay attention, did you?"

Adrian sipped his drink, grimacing slightly at the taste before shrugging. "I listened! I just tuned out what was the same."

Alicia sighed. "You know, sooner or later that's going to come back and bite you…"

Her friend just snorted.

A loud crash echoed through the building as the front doors flew open. Almost everyone turned to stare at the new comers, and most of the patrons carefully picked up their drinks and edged their way out of the café once they saw who it was. Four ghosts with matching tattoos on their left arms made their way inside and glared at anyone who dared to stick around and make eye contact.

"Don't look now, Adrian, but we've got company…"Alicia whispered.

"Who is it this time?" he asked, turning to look.

Growling in frustration, the girl pulled him under their table. "You know, sometimes I think you actually enjoy getting kidnapped and tormented by ghosts."

"Hey!"

Alicia shoved her hand over his mouth. "Shh! Maybe they haven't seen us yet..."

"I don't see why we're hiding… Don't you always have a bag full of ghost equipment from your overprotective mother?" Adrian asked, reaching for her belongings.

Pulling the bag out of his reach, the girl glared at him. "We can't just attack them, Adrian! Violence is never the only option..." Seeing the look he gave her, she shrugged. "Besides, I saw one of the waitresses push the distress signal. Mom and her G.P.A. team should be here soon." Alicia's mother, Valerie Foley, was the founder and commissioner of the Ghost Protection Agency. When there was ghost trouble in Amity Park, people turned to the G.P.A. for help. "Let's just lay low for now…"

A ghost with a steely gray complexion, glowing yellow eyes and spiked electric blue hair walked into the middle of the room, his arms crossed. His name was Butch, and he was the leader of the Ghost Punks, a gang of misfit ghosts that just loved to cause trouble. "We're lookin' for Phantom's kid. Is he here?" he barked.

The few customers still in the café shook their heads and turned to leave.

"Yeah. Is he here?" repeated the Ghost Punk with green skin, messy orange hair and wild orange eyes. His name was Lol, and he prided himself on being Butch's right-hand man.

Butch growled, grabbing his sidekick by the shirt collar. "How many times do I have to tell you to quit repeating everything I say?!"

"Uh… a million..?"

Butch threw Lol away in annoyance, smirking as both Lol and the table he hit went crashing to the ground. "Spread out! He's got to be here somewhere... I can smell his tainted signature…"

Alicia groaned. "Of course they can smell you… Why wouldn't they be able to?"

"Hey, it's not my fault that ghosts can sense the little hybrid DNA I did inherit from my dad," Adrian replied dryly, rolling his eyes.

Despite the danger, Alicia couldn't help but snicker. "Yeah. It says 'Here I am! Come and beat me up because my father wronged you.'"

Adrian snorted. "Ha-ha. Real funny, 'Licia." He shifted, hoping to make an escape when two ghostly tails appeared, blocking his exit. "Uh oh…"

"Ah ha! I found you, you little freak!" exclaimed Butch with a smirk. He turned to the muscle-bound ghost next to him. "Topkick, would you do me a favor and go fishing for the Phantom-spawn?"

The one called Topkick had blue skin, red eyes, and the long purple hair pulled back in a ponytail. He cracked his knuckles with an eager grin. "My pleasure," he said, turning his hands intangible and reaching through the table to where the two teens were hiding.

"Remember to be careful with him, Top'!" the last of the four Ghost Punks, Rook, said with a yawn. He was a milder looking ghost with fangs, slate gray skin, purple eyes, and cropped brown hair. He pushed his spectacles closer to his face and continued to read a book called 'Hunting Halfas for Dimwits, By Skulker'. "He may not be half ghost, but he's still Phantom's brat…"

"Adrian, we have to get out of here," Alicia pleaded, staring at the two large hands that had just phased through the table. Topkick was taking his time 'fishing' apparently… "We have to…"

Adrian cut her off by pressing a hand to her mouth, ignoring the glare she gave him. "Here's what we're going to do; I'll distract them, and you make a run for it." Alicia looked like she was going to protest. "I can handle these guys, 'Licia, I have before. And the G.P.A is on the way, remember? I'll be fine! Now get ready to go…" Hesitantly, she nodded, and Adrian moved away. He ducked out of the way of one of Topkick's hands and took a deep breath. Time to be the bait…

Butch tapped his fingers impatiently on the tabletop while Lol and Rook kicked the rest of the café's customers out and Topkick continued to feel around under the table. "What's taking so long, you nitwit? He can't be that hard to grab…"

Topkick's face turned to triumph as his hand wrapped around something warm and fleshy. "Boss, I do believe I have him." He turned the object in his hand intangible and pulled. Suddenly, Adrian Devin Fenton was sitting on the table instead of underneath it, Topkick still gripping his forearm.

"Oh hey, Butch! What brings you here?" the boy asked innocently, acting as if it were a regular occurrence for him to be pulled through pieces of furniture. Ironically, it was…

The leader of the Ghost Punks sneered at him, snatching him away from Topkick and tossing him towards the opposite end of the café. He landed hard on his back on another table. Adrian moaned, feeling like his ribs had been bruised. He tried to sit up but instead found himself pressed back down onto the tabletop by Butch, who was almost nose to nose with him.

"So, ya know why we're here, kid?"

Adrian sighed, knowing the routine all too well. "Probably to exact some kind of revenge on my father for spoiling your fun again…?" he said, sounding bored.

"No, actually we're here to…" Butch stopped mid-sentence and glared at him with snarl. "Hey, that was my line, Phantom-spawn!"

"Yeah, that's his line!" the ever faithful Lol repeated.

Butch's eyes closed for a moment before he slammed Adrian down again and turned to his sidekick. "If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times… STOP COPYING ME!" Butch's hands started to glow with ectoplasmic energy, and he was about to punch Lol in the face when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Rook was floating there, looking slightly concerned. "Um…boss?"

"WHAT? CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY?" Butch snarled, picking Lol up by the collar again.

"The boy is getting away…" Rook explained with a sigh.

"Oh, duh." Shoving Lol away, the ghost turned to see Adrian making a run for the door. "Can't let that happen… I want to see the Phantom-spawn squirm. After him!"

Adrian was cheering mentally. The Ghost Punks really were a bunch of idiots. 'I told Alicia I'd be fine,' he thought as he snuck away from the ghosts and towards the exit. He was about to go through the door when an ectoplasmic shield formed over the door, trapping him. "Well, crap." The teen turned to see all four Ghost Punks grinning down at him maliciously. "And here's yet another reason why I would be perfectly happy if my dad wasn't half ghost."
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Test tubes and beakers were scattered all over the ground of the old lab. Tables were overturned, and scorch marks burned random places on the walls. A couch near the entrance was torn to shreds and little pieces of glass, fabric and paper were everywhere. It was going to be impossible to find any clues as to what had really happened to cause the destruction.  Floating above the mess in all his black spandex glory, Danny Phantom let out an annoyed sigh.

The world famous 'ghost boy's' appearance had changed much in the years that had passed since he was fourteen. His face looked older, and he had developed more muscles, while his snow-white hair now flamed slightly out and he had stubble on his chin. His glowing green eyes were the only thing that hadn't changed at all. His suit had had a few minor changes over the years, but he was still recognizable as the hero of Amity Park.

Concentration was present in Danny's gaze as he continued to scan the area below; cringing when he recognized what had to be blood floor. 'Well this doesn't look good…' He shook his head sadly. Danny had been called in by the G.P.A. to look into 'an attack at the Millers' as reported by a concerned neighbor.

It looked as if who- or whatever had done all this damage had fled long before Danny had arrived. The Millers were currently in G.P.A. protective custody and hadn't been home when the neighbor called, so there was no chance any of them had been hurt. 'Which means yet another unknown victim has been targeted by this guy.' Danny thought, clenching his gloved fists in frustration. He had no idea why, but this particular ghost was causing him a lot of grief… He always seemed to be about three steps behind the spirit, and it was driving him crazy. 'Hopefully whoever that blood belongs to is alright.'

A faint beep rang out from the pair of high-tech Fenton-Phones in the halfa's ears. He sighed and spoke into the microphone. "Phantom here."

"Hey Neil Armstrong, what's the 4-1-1 on that case?" the voice of Valerie Foley, Commissioner of the G.P.A. asked.

Danny shook his head, amused by her use of an old nickname. "The Body-Snatcher strikes again."

"Really?" She seemed a little hesitant. "You're sure about it this time…?"

"Positive, Val," Danny said, scanning the room with his infrared vision. "His ecto-signature is all over the place."

"Any victims this time?"

"Yeah, from what I can tell I'd say at least one. No one has heard from the neighbor since she called, right? He probably snatched her."

Valerie growled on the other line. "This isn't good. He seems to be targeting people who work for Tucker's company… The neighbor should show up soon, though; he doesn't keep his victims for very long." She sighed. "I still feel like there's something really fishy going on here."

"I agree…" the halfa muttered, noticing the anger in Val's voice. Clearly, she was taking this case personally… Tucker was her husband and the father of her children, after all. "But other than that, this case seems to be closed…The Millers can come home," Danny added.

"Yeah, closed for now…" Valerie said in a tone that clearly said she wasn't going to let this go. A sudden loud alarm sounded in G.P.A headquarters. "Hang on, Danny; I've got a message coming in." Before he could say anything, he heard Valerie scrambling from her desk, and the clattering of the keys on her keyboard.

Danny couldn't help but be curious. "What's happening now? Another ghost trying to rob a bank?"

"No… actually it's a pretty mild threat. You might remember them… The Ghost Punks?"

"How could I forget…" Danny said with an amused smirk. A while back, the adolescent ghost gang had tried to take over the biggest dance club in the city, proclaiming it as their headquarters. Danny just happened to be flying by when the screaming had started, so he was able to rescue the many club-goers before they were forced to do the chicken dance. The Punks didn't put up much of a fight after they realized exactly who he was, but ever since then they had made it their mission to annoy him. He always defeated them in the end, but still… "What did they do this time?"

"They're holding up The Ghoul Café," Valerie spoke dryly, clearly not intimidated by the gang either. But after a pause, her voice turned somewhat concerned. "DP, I think you might want to get your ghostly butt in gear and take care of this."

As much as Danny was sure he would enjoy kicking the Punks' collective tails, he had promised Sam and Jazz that he would get home to help get things ready for Adrian's birthday, and that wasn't something he would miss for the world. "I can't… What about the G.P.A. Strike Force? I mean, they can easily take care of that little ghost gang."

"True, but I feel like you'll probably want to be the one take care of the Punks once I tell you who the hostages are…"

Oh no. "Wait, don't tell me…"

"It seems Adrian is caught in another mess." Valerie cut in, her voice urgent now. "And apparently he's dragged my baby girl into this too. You had better get down there before things get bad, or I will personally kick your butt and lock you in a Fenton Thermos for a week..."

"Fine, I'll handle it," Danny sighed, shaking his head. It seemed that Adrian was a trouble magnet, just like Danny had been as a teen… What was it with Fenton boys and ghosts troubles, anyways? With a determined look on his face, Danny turned intangible, flew through the roof of the Miller's lab and shot like a bolt of lightning towards the Ghoul Café and the mess he was sure was waiting.
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"Don't let him escape! We haven't given him our parting gift!"

Adrian groaned as he ducked behind the front counter to avoid another barrage of attacks. Rays of ectoplasmic energy shot in every direction, but luckily the Ghost Punks didn't have very good aim. The few other people who had been trapped in the café with Adrian were huddled in a corner, unable to do anything to help.

Something nudged him from behind, and he kicked at it in defense. A female yelp sounded, causing Adrian to jump. He turned his head to see Alicia scowling at him. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. "I thought I told you to get out!"

"What, and leave you to be beaten to a pulp by Butch and his gang yet again?" she looked at him, shaking her head firmly. "I don't think so, Adri. That's not what friends do. I'm staying."

"Of all the times for you to be stubborn…" he growled but beckoned her to follow him anyways. "Come on, we need to see if there is a back entrance to this place."

"You aren't going to fight back?" she asked, fairly surprised "You usually do…"

"Yeah, but…" he flinched and ducked as a green ray nearly singed his arm. "I can't fight them. I don't have any ghost powers, remember? That's my dad's job…"

Alicia sighed. "Sometimes I wish you did have ghost powers… That way you could stand up for yourself. Aren't you tired of always running away or getting kidnapped?"

"This coming from the girl who hates violence and wouldn't let me borrow a ghost weapon earlier," Adrian said with a snort. "Don't forget what your dad told us about saying the words 'I wish'."

"Desiree is currently locked up in Walker's Prison... It was your mom who made very sure she won't be getting out for at least two years," she added teasingly.

Adrian opened his mouth to retort but yelped instead as he felt collar of his black shirt pulled hard, jerking him out from behind the counter they had been using as shelter.
"ADRI!" Alicia gasped, watching as her friend was dragged back to Butch by, of all ghosts, Lol.

"Did I do good, boss?" the obnoxious sidekick asked, looking to his leader for praise.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Butch grunted, not giving Lol the compliment he wanted. Then his yellow eyes darted to the girl who had shouted, and he smirked. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the G.P.A. Commissioner's daughter. This is just too sweet… Twice the revenge in one haunting!"

Alicia didn't like the sound of that. Quickly, she got up and ran for the kitchen, hoping to take shelter there. 'I shouldn't have left my ghost hunting gear at the table,' she berated herself with a growl. 'What was I thinking?!'

Butch sighed. "Why do they always have to run…?" Nodding to Topkick, he smirked. "Go get her…" The muscled ghost cracked his knuckles and floated towards the kitchen without a word. "In the meantime, you and I need to have a little chat, kid." Butch snarled eyeing his current punching bag.

"Don't you mean that you're going to rant to me about my dad, then beat me up and leave me so my dad can find me, get even more upset at you, hunt you down and give you your just deserts?" Adrian listed off dryly. He was tired of this game of cat and mouse.

The Ghost Punks leader's eye twitched, getting fed up with the way the stupid kid was acting like he wasn't at all frightened by the self-proclaimed toughest ghost in the Ghost Zone. Butch turned to see that Rook and Lol were both looking surprised as well. Butch snarled. No one outclassed him, especially not Danny Phantom's freak of a son. "Oh, you're going to pay for that, little boy. I'm going to make you scream…"

Adrian rolled his eyes, not at all intimidated. "I'm not too much younger than you, Butch. And I've been around enough ghosts that your threats don't bother me."  

"Oh, but I know how to make you squirm," Butch said with a cocky smirk. "How would you feel about a nice dose of ectoplasm, followed by a cool dip in the lake?"

Adrian's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare." How had Butch figured out his secret fear? He'd kept it from everyone, even his parents. The ghost's threat pulled Adrian into a state of panic, and he started to struggle against Butch's hold.

"Oh, I dare," the leader said with a cold chuckle, letting his fists start to glow. "AND I WILL!" he shouted bringing his glowing hand down. Instead of blasting the boy, Butch yelped when a different shot of ectoplasm hit him painfully in the arm. Looking up his glare turned into a fearful grimace when he made eye contact with the owner of the blast.

Floating in the middle of the Ghoul Café was a very angry looking Danny Phantom.

"You know, Punks… you aren't going to make very many friends if you keep threatening people…" Danny said casually, his tone threatening.

Lol and Rook flinched when the halfa addressed them. Where was Topkick when they needed him?

"Now then…" Phantom turned to Butch and eyed the way the ghost was holding his son, his expression growing darker. "Is that a bruise on Adrian's cheek?"

"No…no… It was just a smack…" Lol said, trying to help his boss. "Yeah! Just a little smack."
That was definitely the wrong thing to say. The halfa's hands begun to glow dangerously, and Butch dropped the boy, moving away from him quickly. Adrian sighed and sat up, knowing what was coming next. Kidnapping was one thing, but if you harmed one hair on his children's heads, you were considered lucky if you could move when Phantom was finished with you.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Danny started, his voice cold and threatening, "QUIT MESSING WITH MY KIDS!"  With a snarl, he flew at Butch and grabbed the ghost by the throat. He threw him towards the shield on the door, which bounced Butch back right into Danny's waiting fist. He pounded the ghost in the stomach, barely even noticing the punk's feeble attempts to fight back. It didn't take very long for the ghost to just give up and take the punishment the halfa was raining on him. Finally, Danny turned and, with a fist charged with ectoplasmic energy, nailed Butch right in the eye.

"MY EYE!!" the punk screamed, clutching at his face as green blood started seeping from the wound. Because Butch was a ghost, it would heal eventually, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

With Butch wallowing in self-pity on the ground, the shield on the doors slowly fell. Lol, and Rook looked at their leader, wondering if they should try and help him or just leave him there. They really didn't want to make Phantom any angrier… Finally, Butch snapped. "Just get out of here, you useless idiots." Permission granted, the two lesser ghosts shot out of the window and vanished. With his lackeys gone, Butch closed his good eye and waited for Danny to lay the final blow…

The halfa just glared at him. "Get out, now… Next time, it won't just be your eye."
The ghost punk fled as fast as he could, not waiting around to see if the halfa would change his mind.

Watching Butch leave, Danny sighed and shook head. He'd done it again… He'd let his anger get the best of him. He knew that Butch deserved every hit, but he also knew it wasn't the right way handle the situation. He needed to get control of his temper, or he was going to end up killing someone… and that was something Danny vowed he would never do.

Danny floated over to his son cautiously, still in Phantom form. He looked Adrian over and saw that his son was shaky as he sat there, no expression on his face. It kind of reminded Danny of Sam when she was in one of her moods… "Everything alright, Add?" he asked before flinching, remembering what had happened the last time he'd used his son's special nickname.

But Adrian didn't seem to notice. He shrugged. "Fine. I'm fine Dad. Nothing I can't handle," he said stubbornly, shakily standing up and folding over his arms over his chest.

"I can see that," Danny said with a sigh. 'This is not the way I wanted to start your birthday.' He glanced around the cafe. "Where's Alicia?"

Adrian's eyes grew wide, and he groaned. "Oh no! Topkick went after her for Butch!" Ignoring anything else his father might have to say, he rushed to the kitchen to help his friend. Once he burst through the doors, though, he found something he didn't expect.

The hulking muscular ghost was on the tiled floor, rolling around in a fit of laughter. Alicia Foley was holding a long feather to his chin from a good distance away, tickling him mercilessly.

"Well, that's definitely new…" came Danny's voice from behind Adrian. "I was not excepting to see something like this when I came to rescue you two…"

Topkick spoke up between his fits of laughter. "Please…. Phantom… ha… make… ha–ha-ha… her… Haaa-ha stop!"

"If you promise to come quietly…" Danny held up a spare Fenton Thermos with a smirk on his face.

"Yes… ha ha ha…." Tears were in Topkick's eyes from all the laughing. "Just… ha-ha-ha… get… her … away from … me ha-ha!"

Danny shrugged, unscrewing the cap of the Thermos while the ghost continued to laugh. With a deep breath, the halfa channeled his energy into the Thermos, causing the ghost-catching device to glow and suck Topkick inside. Danny twirled the Thermos around his finger once before clipping it back onto his belt. He then turned back to the teens. "Nice job keeping him busy, Alicia. I haven't seen a ghost laugh like that in a long time."

Blushing slightly at the compliment, Alicia smiled brightly. "It was nothing, Mr. Fenton. I just used some basic common sense and bam, instant vulnerability."

Chuckling, Danny shook his head. 'Tuck and Valerie will be proud of her.' "Well I'm glad you guys are alright now…" He suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. 'Shoot! I need to get back home and make sure things are set.' "Uh… I need to go take care of another problem… Will you two be okay?"

Adrian was about to say something, but Alicia put her hand over his mouth and smiled brightly. "We'll be fine, Mr. Fenton! See you later." She winked at him, knowing exactly what Danny had to rush off and take care of.

He nodded with a smile. "See you two later." He then went intangible and phased through the wall, leaving the two teens in the kitchen of the café.

Only once Danny was gone did Alicia remove her hand from her friend's mouth. Adrian glared at her and huffed. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"Why did you keep me from saying something to my dad?!"

"Because I knew you were going to say something mean," Alicia explained, looking at him sternly. "And like or not, he's your dad. It doesn't matter that you're mad at him or whatever; you can't back sass your dad, Adri."

Adrian laughed because she was exactly right. "You just read me like a book, 'Licia."

"I know, and I'm glad I can," Alicia said with a grin, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on! Let's go to the arcade and play a few rounds of Ghost Catchers 0.7 before we have to be home."

Allowing the overly excited girl to drag him out of the café, Adrian found himself starting to smile. He liked her idea… He definitely needed to let off some steam, and what could be better than knocking out a few ghosts?  In the digital world, that is… There was no way he'd ever be able to do that in real life.

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To Be Continued in Part 2 of
The Unluckiest Number