AN: Hello My fellow Danny phantom of the opera fans. and a special hello to all who have reviewed. I AM BACK! yes, i am alive. and very sorry to have made every one wait for so long. my life this past year has been busy. between moving and getting married, it's been hard to write. but I've finally done it. with this chapter, i hope that maybe people will come back and read this again, maybe review again. again, very sorry for the absence. i'll try to update quicker, no promises on any other story though.

Disclaimer: i do not own the show danny phantom, nor anything related to phantom of the opera. i do however own a copy of the labyrinth special edition, not that that has anything to do with this.

Outside the old opera house, Vlad plasmius flew through the air. "That bumbling fool, how is it that he is able to track me so. He's a dolt, he shouldn't be able to follow me like this!" he said, and then flew on into the opera house.

"come on Maddie, we've got a strong reading on this one, and with my new improved Fenton blaster, I'll blast that ghost away to the next dimension," Jack Fenton yelled, running to the opera house as well.

"Well we can't destroy all of it dear, we have to study some of it too, and run tests on it," called Maddie, his wife. The pair ran into the opera house, only to be caught in the spell of clockwork, like Vlad, who was now spread out on the floor asleep too. The trio somehow ending up near Jazz Fenton, Danny's sister, who had snuck in on the trip to keep an eye on her little brother.

Near the center of amity square, a large opera house stood. Built in 1830, the opera house was barely 15 years old, but it was still going strong. Its prima donna, Mrs. Paulina, was rehearsing for one of their shows. Around her, cast and crew prepared for the night. Off to the side, Madame Maddie inspected her ballet dancers, including young Sam Daaé. Threw the crowd, three men walked up to the stage, stopping the music and the leading lady's song.

"Everyone, sorry to interrupt, but I have an announcement," said one man. Everyone quieted, waiting for their manager, Mr. Lancer, to speak. He'd been running the opera house for some years, and rumor has had it that he was going to be retiring soon.

"As you all well know, I've been managing this great theater for 20 years. As I am getting on in my age, I'd like to inform you that the recent rumors are true, and I will be retiring. These gentlemen will be your new managers. Mr. Jack and Mr. Vlad had come into a fortune recently in the junk business-"

"Scrap metal," Mr. Jack said, correcting him.

"Ahh, yes, 'scrap metal'," lancer said, correcting himself with a roll of his eyes.

"And we in turn am honored to present our new patron, the Viscount de Chagny," said Mr. Vlad, as the whole opera house clapped for him.

Off to the side, Sam watches. "It's Daniel," she says to her friend Jazz. "Before my father died, at the house by the sea, I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts. He called me little lotte."

"Sam, he's so handsome," jazz said. The two girls watched as the young man, with dark black hair and blue eyes walked to center stage.

"My parents and I are proud to support all the arts, especially, the opera house," he said.

With a greedy gleam in her eye, Paulina walked over to Daniel, hand out stretched. "And this is Miss Paulina, leading singing here at the opera house for over 5 seasons." and when the lead man cleared his throat, Mr. Lancer introduced him too, "and this is Mr. Dash."

"An honor, it is to meet the both of you," Daniel said, briefly kissing Paulina's hand, and bowing lightly to dash. "Now, I believe I am interrupting you rehearsal. I will be here this evening to celebrate your triumph. Evening." Bowing once again, he walked off stage, past Sam. In the background, you could hear Paulina chanting that he loved her as the rest of the actors once again prepared to rehearse.

In the back, Daniel passed a hopeful looking Sam, but he showed no recognition of her. "He wouldn't recognize me," Sam sad sadly.

"He didn't see you," Jazz said, trying to comfort her friend but they were interrupted as Madame Maddie started the ballet dancers on their practices, showing them off to the new owners.

"We take special pride in our dancers, gentlemen," she said, somewhat smugly.

"I can see that. Especially that cute little blonde," Mr. Jack said.

"My daughter," Madame Maddie explained.

"And that exceptional beauty? No relation I trust?" asked Mr. Vlad.

"Samantha Daaé, promising talent, I assure you," she said.

"Daaé? She's not related to that Swedish violinist, the famous one, is she?" asked Vlad.

"Yes, orphaned at 7, when she came to live at the opera house," Maddie said. "I think of her as a daughter as well. Now if you please, stand to the side."

The dancers finished their number as the new owners watched. And as they watched, Paulina grew angrier. Her number ended, she proceeded to berate the new owners for being filthy old men who only wanted to watch pretty girls dance. Then, she declared that she would no longer be singing, and marched off stage, demanding her doggy as she went. Mr. Vlad and Mr. Jack were thoroughly confused and looked to the old owner for what to do. Being informed to grovel, the two gentlemen rushed off to sooth the ruffled feathers of their lead female singer. They praised her on her beauty and on her singing. In a last attempt to ease her ego, they requested that she preform her best song of the musical, if the conductor did not object.

She quickly calmed, and near openly flirted with the two gentlemen, "of my managers' command. Monsieur?"

"If my diva commands," he responded.

"Yes, I do," Paulina said, and then pushed her way back to the front of the stage to sing. "Mistro."

In the aisles, servants stuffed pieces of cloth in their ears as the diva began to sing and really hit the high notes. But, a few sentences into it, a large pole dropped from the ceiling causing havoc threw the dancers. The two managers yelled up for the pole be lifted off, and to see who had dropped it to begin with. A man went to a large crank and began to turn it, lifting the pole. "Please sirs, do not look at me, I was not at my post. Please mister, there's no one there. Or if there is, well then, he must be a ghost."

Cast and crew gasped softly and whispered among themselves. In the shadows, Madame Maddie found a letter that had drifted to the ground and picked it up. Pressed into the sealing wax was the shape of a skull. "Please, Madame, these things do happen," one of the managers was trying to say to Paulina to calm her.

"For the past three years, these things do happen. And did you stop them? No! And you two, you are as bad as him," Paulina growled. "These things do happen. Ugh. Until these things stop happening, this thing does not happen." she pointed to herself, indicating she would no longer sing for the managers, and she stormed out of the opera house.

Dash stopped in front of the two men saying, "Armatures," then walking off as well.

The two new owners looked at the old owner in confusion. "Good luck gentlemen, if you need me, I'll be in Australia." then he too left.

"Is she going to be back," asked jack. The mistro rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Madame Maddie came up behind them, "you think so?" she paused. "I have a message from the opera ghost." Mr. Vlad grumbled from the insane people. "He welcomes you to his opera house…"

"His opera house?"

"…and commands that you leave box five empty for his use. And reminds you that his salary is due," Maddie finished.

"His salary?" jack said taking the note.

"Yes, Mr. Lance use to give him 20,000 a month," Maddie said.

"20,000?" Vlad asked.

"Perhaps you could afford more, with the viscount as your patron," Maddie said.

"Madame, I had hoped to make this announcement public tonight, but it appears we will have to cancel without our leading lady," Vlad said, ripping the note from the phantom up.

"Sh-sh-shurly there must be a- a- an understudy," jack asked, looking around hopefully.

"Understudy? There is no understudy for Miss Paulina," the mistro said outraged.

"A full house jack, we shall have to refund everyone,' Vlad said getting more and more upset.

"Samantha could sing it sir," Maddie offered.

Sam looked up, startled that she was offered up to be the lead singer. "A chorus girl? Don't be silly," jack said.

"She has been taking lessons from a professional. She is very good," Maddie said.

"Who," jack asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know his name sir."

"Let her sing for you sir," Maddie said in complete confidence. "She has been well thought."

Jack and Vlad looked at each other questioningly. The shrugged their shoulders and jack coxed her to the front of the stage where the Maestro

set up the orchestra again.

"Jack, this is doing nothing for my nerves," Vlad said.

"She's very pretty," jack offered.

Sam took a breath and began to sing. Everyone around her was stunned to silence, even dash walked back to listen to Sam sing.

"Beautiful," old clockwork said, leaning on his staff, his eyes closed in enjoyment.

"I will say the girl has some talent," phantom said.

"Yes, she does. Quite the voice," young clockwork said.

"Perhaps it won't be as boring as I'd feared," phantom said.

"Beautiful things are never boring," adult clockwork said.

"I care not for beautiful things," phantom said.

'But I do care to make trouble,' he thought.

AN: OK, so for this first chapter, I'm following the 200-something movie. and i will for the rest of the story too. i just like it better. but, after this, i will start to get creative. you'll just have to wait and see what phantom has in mind. oh, give me guesses, i wanna see who's closest. and reviews would be good too. bad reviews will be ignored though. I'm not a professional so some of it is going to be badly written.

a little hint for anyone who's interested, box ghost will make an appearance.