All the Single Ladies

"I'm so thankful that you could be with us here today, Mr. Phantom!" Lance Thunder chirped happily, giving the ghost boy a huge grin. "I really am. I cannot tell you enough how grateful I am that you're allowing me to have the exclusive first interview."

Danny Phantom smiled back weakly at him. He didn't want to do this. He couldn't stand the press. They always twisted his words around and made him look like an evil being.
But when Lance Thunder came up to him, begging for an interview, he couldn't resist the desperate plea in Mr. Thunder's exhausted eyes. The poor man was so overworked. He was just a weatherman, but always thrown onto on the scene reporting. Maybe if he gave him the interview, and if he insisted it was Lance he interviewed, he could help the guy out a little. At least maybe he'll get a bonus or something.

"It's no problem," Danny said a bit nervously. Lance seemed to understand his tensed body language.

"It should be fine, you can phase out anytime you'd like," he said quickly. "The Fentons weren't allowed in the studio."

This made Danny feel a little better.

A woman came over to Danny and hooked the tiny microphone on his jumpsuit. Danny wasn't sure how to react. It took her a minute. Should he help her adjust and fix it? Should he just let her do her thing? She wouldn't have the job if she didn't know how to put it on, right? He began to flush a little red from the long, physical contact when she accidentally dropped it. Was this a hint to begin helping? He wasn't sure. She quickly picked it up, flushing a little as well before finally clipping it on.

"Go ahead and test it," she instructed.

"Um...Testing? Testing?" Danny said awkwardly.

Lance studied the Phantom. It was obvious that it was his first interview. A more experienced interviewee would have taken the microphone and already hooked it instead of letting the intern hook it for him, and he could have immediately began talking into it, testing it. The ghost was also too nervous to have done an interview before. He looked a bit young, maybe he was too young to have even done a simple job interview.

"It needs to be turned up a little higher," Lance told the intern, who shyly nodded and did as instructed. Lance smiled warmly at Phantom. "Is this your first interview?"

"That obvious?" Phantom asked, raising an eyebrow. Lance nodded slightly.

"Do you want anything to drink or snack on, Mr. Thunder?" the intern asked. She glanced at Phantom. "I assume this is going to be a long interview."

"Get me a bottle of water and a granola bar," he instructed. The intern nodded.

"What would you like, Mr. Phantom?" she asked politely.

"Uh, I'm good," Phantom told her. The intern looked skeptical, glancing at Lance.

"Go ahead and bring him a water bottle," Lance told her. She nodded and walked off to get the drinks.

"I'm not thirsty," Phantom spoke up, blinking at Lance in confusion.

"Well, unless you prepare to leave soon, I'm quite sure that I'll have a long interview with you," Lance explained. "We aren't going to have many commercial breaks, so you're going to get thirsty eventually."

Phantom flushed pink again.

"I'm already screwing up this interview," he mumbled to himself.

"Don't worry, Phantom," Lance assured him, smiling. "I'll make this first interview easy on you. Remember that you can pass any questions you wish. You don't have to answer."

Phantom nodded as the intern came back with two bottles of water and Lance's granola bar. He opened the bar and took a bite, glancing over his notes. Danny fiddled with his gloves. What was he supposed to do while he waited? Was he supposed to continue making small talk until the interview, or should he just wait until the cameraman told them that they were rolling?

Sam was right. Maybe he should have brought the book Lancer assigned to read.

"Are you ready?"

Phantom jumped. Lancer gave him another reassuring smile. Phantom smiled back, a little more confident. The cameraman started signaling to Lance.

"Welcome to Channel 4 News! Today, we have a very special and exclusive first interview with Amity Park's famous ghost boy, Danny Phantom!"

Danny shifted a tad nervously, but kept calm by breathing evenly.

"So, what would you like me to call you?" Lance asked him. The teen's eyes went wide and looked empty. Lance held back a snort. He's seen that look before. He forgot his own name. "Danny or Phantom?"

"Danny's fine," he said, speaking a little unevenly.

"Alright then, Danny," the weatherman replied, glancing down at his paper. "I think all of Amity Park is curious to know where you go to after fights. Where do you live?"

"Well, the Ghost Zone!" Danny answered simply. "I have a lair just like every other ghost."

"What do you do when you're not fighting ghosts?" he wondered. "I mean, you are still a teen boy, correct?"

"Well...I like video games, movies, sometimes I'll watch or play a sports game, but I...I'm mostly kinda considered a geek," Danny said, giving a small blush and sheepish grin.

"You were once accused for theft, around the time Circus Gothica was in town," Lance began. "What do you have to say on this matter?"

"The guy running Circus Gothica, Freakshow, had an enchanted specter that allowed him to control ghosts. I was, unfortunately, one of those ghosts for a short amount of time until I destroyed it. He had us steal money and other values," Danny explained, feeling a little more calm. This was why he agreed as well. A chance to explain. "As you may remember, since I saw you doing the report, when the cops arrested him they found all the stolen goods in his possession."

Lance wasn't sure why, but he felt some pride knowing that Danny Phantom saw his news report and even remembered it clearly enough to reference it.

"Do you have any comments on the Mayor incident?"

"He was overshadowed," Danny told him. "Many people were around that time. I will admit, I did accidentally shoot at some people, such as the Fenton adults, thinking that they were overshadowed, but I knew the Mayor was overshadowed. You can tell by the eyes sometimes, and I also witnessed the overshadowing. It was by a ghost named Walker."

"Do you have anything you'd like to say for the people who don't believe your claim, people that think you are en evil menace?"

Danny thought for a moment.

"Mr. Thunder, do you think I'm an evil ghost?"

Lance was taken aback, but he shook his head no.

"Why do you think that?"

"Well," Lance said slowly. He rarely had the interviewees ask him a question like that. "I've done a lot of on the scene reporting, mainly when you were on the scene. I've seen you do a lot of things, a lot of good things. And you've got some power. I've never seen you lose a ghost fight yet. Sometimes when you show up, the ghosts just fly away in fear. You seem to have a lot of power, and ghosts seem to have a respect for you, despite the constant fighting. I really don't fear you at all. If you wanted to take over Amity Park, I'm not sure why you'd be waiting around. You clearly seem to have the power to do it whenever you please."
Danny's glowing eyes sparkled a bit.

"Exactly."

Lance thought over his statement before smiling at him again. The ghost boy seemed a little over the moon, and Lance moved on.

"How powerful do you think you are?" Lance wondered.

"Powerful enough to beat the Ghost King," Danny said, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

"Was he the hardest ghost you've ever fought?"

"He's in the top ten," the boy replied honestly. "But he isn't number one. I don't want to reveal details, but I assure you that there is a zero percent chance anybody will ever face him again."

"I know many people have questionable faith in the Fentons' ghost hunting abilities," Lance said. "What do you think about them?"

"Well, the Fentons are really good ghost hunters," Danny replied honestly. "They truly are. They make very sturdy and well-designed equipment that does the job and then some. They've caught me a few times, and I've also seen them in action. They just...they really need to keep a more open mind when it comes to ghostly theories, such as not all ghosts are evil, and they also need to make sure they're attacking actual ghosts and not just Halloween decorations."
Danny briefly thought of the freakout his parents had over last year's Halloween decorations in the park, and his father's disappointment towards them made him depressed the entire weekend.

"What about the Red Huntress? Do you have faith in her abilities? Do you know her personally?"

"She has the same problem as the Fentons," Danny replied honestly. "She's a great huntress, but she needs to really keep her mind a big more open. We have a sort of onesided relationship. I think of her as a somewhat friend, she wants to rip me apart molecule by molecule." Both him and Lance winced at Jack's catchphrase.

"Speaking of women," Lance began, and Danny mentally groaned. It was taking a turn for the romantic. "A lot of your fans are dying to know if you're in a relationship."

"I'm single," Danny replied, sighing lightly.

"Is there anybody you have your eye on?"

"Yes."

"Can you give a name?" Lance asked, looking a little desperate for a name. Danny bit his lip lightly. He didn't want to reveal any names. An idea hit him, and he gave a small smirk.

"No. I don't know a name," Danny said. Lance motioned for him to give him a little more. "When I saw them in the crowd one day, and I just instantly knew that I was in love." Lance Thunder leaned in, hanging onto every single word. "I know they live in Amity Park cause I see them all the time, and I must admit that I want to make they like me first before I approach them."

Lance glanced at his boss, who was a little excited over having a 'mystery' that his news team can chase after.

"Do let us know how that works out!" Lance cheerfully told him before looking at another question on his sheet. "So what's the Ghost Zone like?"

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"HE LOVES ME! HE LOVE ME! HE REALLY, REALLY LOVES ME!" the Latina screamed happily, hugging her pillow tightly. Star smiled slightly for her friend. "I just knew it, Star! We had that connection! I knew it the moment I first laid eyes on him, and now I know he feels the same!"

This is a dream come true! Paulina squealed mentally. Next time I see him, I can inform him that I do love him too! He'll finally ask me out, I'll accept, and on that date, he'll propose! Then we can get married, have a romantic honeymoon in Europe and live together forever! In Amity Park though. I'm not moving to the Ghost Zone.
Paulina sighed happily, her grip around the pillow relaxing as she leaned on top of it, happily watching the rest of the news report. Star glanced at the report.

"I'm going to get a bottle of water," she said. "Want anything."

"Water as well, please!" Paulina chirped, still in her fantasy land.

Star began to descend Paulina's stairs and entered her kitchen in ease, knowing her best friend's house as well as her own.

You know, I'm normally around Paulina when she sees Phantom, she figured. Her eyes widened slightly, and she flushed lightly as a thought came to her. What if Phantom is actually talking about me?

The thought make her perk up. Paulina was a little on the annoying side whenever she saw Phantom. What if the ghost boy thought the same, looking past her best friend and instead towards the blonde? Star could never admit it to Paulina because she'd claw her eyes out with her perfectly manicured nails, but Star was also chasing after Phantom. She had a huge crush on the ghost boy that protected their town too. Actually, it's easier to make a list of the girls who don't, and it was mainly Valerie and the married adults in town.

But if he really does like me instead of Paulina, it would be a great chance to rub it in her face. She's always such a jerk about how nobody else in our group but her can chase after the ghost boy. It'd be nice to finally have something that she can't have. Well it's not just that. Danny Phantom is just so cute and sweet. He'd be the greatest boyfriend I could ever hope for.

She picked up the water bottles, smiling happily as she went upstairs.

"Hey, Paulina? If you're so sure that the ghost boy is your soul mate, why don't we go down to the news station to wait for him to exit?" Star suggested. "We can just watch it on our phones until it's over."

"Star! That's brilliant!" Paulina cheered. Star smiled. She couldn't wait to see if her hope was true.

-------------------------

It can't be me.

Valerie paced her apartment, thinking hard.

Phantom knows my name.

But what if he pretended to not for her own sake?

"He did say that he saw me in the crowd, maybe before I was the Red Huntress," she murmured to herself. "I do see him almost every day, and it would make sense that he would want to make sure I like him back." She paused. She was NOT having this conversation with herself! "Not that I do."

Maybe it's just a trick. A ploy?

It could be, if she could think of a way to actually turn it into a trick or ploy. If he was trying to get her, he would have revealed her name or at least say it's the Red Huntress.

Oh God.

Phantom couldn't be chasing after her, right? They were enemies. They fought with each other all the time!

Phantom himself said that he didn't consider you an enemy.

Valerie shook her head of this nonsense. It was probably a pretty popular girl like Paulina. Yeah.

It had to be Paulina.

Please let it be Paulina and not her.

Valerie nearly screamed. She changed into her ghost hunting suit and flew down to the news station. When Phantom got out, she was going to demand an answer.

-------------------------

Sam blushed furiously.

Oh Danny, I'm a fan of the Fenton and Phantom, she sighed. She leaned back against her chair back, turning the TV up a little more. Wow, Danny's better at this than I thought. And he pretty much admitted that he likes me too! I mean, who else could it be? I'm a fan, he sees me in the crowds all the time. Maybe one day it just finally clicked for Mr. Clueless. I obviously live in Amity Park, and it's reasonable that he wants to make sure I like him first before he approaches me. Well, I've already dropped hints. Maybe I'll just lay all my cards on the table and tell him. He's gotta say yes. Then we can finally go out.

Sam smiled happily. She and Danny were going to be together, she just knew it. They hadn't spent a lot of time together lately because of his ghost hunting. Ghosts were going crazy, escaping the Fenton Portal left and right. Maybe later they could do it together, and then she can remind him what a life without ghost hunting was like.

She stood up, grabbing her jacket.

I'll just meet him at the station and tell him after he comes out. His interview probably isn't going to be that much longer.

-------------------------

"How did you die?" Lance asked Danny.

"I was in...an accident," he said hesitantly. "I prefer not to go into details other than I was electrocuted."

"No problem," Lance replied. "And can you explain why some ghosts are attacking Amity while others aren't? I mean, would they attack if they had better access to the human world, or what?"

"Well, like I stated, not all ghosts are evil," Danny explained. "Some simply want to be left alone."

"Danny, I'm sorry but we only have time for one last question," Lance apologized. "Why haven't you spoke with the press before now?"

"Well, the press just loves to manipulate what I say, and they just look for answers that they can screw and twist around to make me look horrible," Danny replied. "I also just don't really like much attention, but I figured an interview was a good way to kind of clear my name a little and let some people know a bit more about me."

"Awesome," Lance said, standing. Danny paused before awkwardly jumping to his feet. Lance smiled. He was so obviously new at being interviewed. He held his hand out, and Phantom shook it. Lance jumped at him being cold, and Danny smiled apologetically. "It's was wonderful having you here, Danny. Please get in contact with me personally if you'd like to do another interview!"

"No problem," Danny said. He quickly added, "Thank you for having me and willing to listen to what I have to say and being a good interviewer."

Lance grinned, and the cameraman signaled that they were no longer on the air.

"I'll walk you to the exit," Lance offered. "I'll give you my business card, it has my personal number on it, and you are more than welcome to call at any time, and I'll also write down the station's number and such."

"That sounds good," Danny told him, smiling. Lance Thunder pulled out his business card, writing down the station's number as they walked to the exit. When he was done, he handed it to Danny. Danny glanced at it before putting it into his pocket. "Thanks, Mr. Thunder!"

Lance smiled as he opened the door for him. Danny walked out, and saw four girls standing in front of him, arms crossed.

-------------------------

"Valerie? What are you doing here?" Star called out.

The huntress glanced at Star. She was in her normal outfit with a jacket over it, standing awkwardly in front of the news station doors.

"I...I was waiting for Phantom," she said awkwardly.

"Why?" Star questioned.

"Yeah, why are you waiting for Phantom?" Paulina asked. Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Wait, you actually think that Phantom was talking about you when he was mentioning his true love, don't you?"

"I came down here to make sure I wasn't," Valerie hissed. "I think I'd kill myself if Phantom actually loved me like that."

"What are you three doing here?" Sam asked, walking up to the group.

"No way, Manson!" Star snapped. "You already have Fenton."

"Danny and I are just friends!" Sam yelled. At least for now.

"You better not think that you can get Phantom too," Star replied, glaring at her. "Phantom's mine."

"That's rig-WHAT?" Paulina turned to her "friend" and gave her a glare. "YOURS? Phantom loves me!"

"No, Phantom loves me!" Star yelled back.

"I'm pretty sure he loves me," Valerie growled bitterly.

"He's loved me before he even knew any of you!" Sam screamed back.

The door opened, and Phantom was standing in front of them.

"We need an answer, Phantom. Right now," Valerie told him with a threatening undertone. "Who do you love? It better not be me!"

"Ghost boy!" Paulina whined, trying to be cute as she batted her eyelashes. "Isn't that silly? You love me, right?"

"Phantom, you can't love her," Star said, pointing to Paulina. "She's just one of those creepily obsessed fans. Weren't you always looking at me when you glanced over at her?"

"I've known you forever," Sam spoke up. "I love you, and I know that I'm the one you love."

Lance stared questioningly as Phantom tugged on his collar nervously as he looked at them, sweating a little in nervousness.

"Well, I...uh...," he stuttered. The girls all glared, and he sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you."

Taking another deep breath, he rubbed the back of his neck before letting the name slip.