Here's this thing. Hope enjoy and all that. It kind of bounces around a bit, I guess. It's shorter than what I wanted, but what can you do?

I don't own Danny Phantom or anything that is familiar.

It was strange, really, how one event could change everything. That one word could end or save a life. That being late for a single meeting could mean failure or freedom. Tucker thought as he absently played temple run. He wasn't sure where the thoughts came from, but it probably wasn't anything important.

"Stop that."

Tucker stopped his game and looked up, Sam was staring at him, "Stop what?"

She waved her hands at him, "Your face. Stop it. You look like you're thinking and we all know where that thought process would end up at. And I don't really want to see your awkward boner."

Tucker choked for a second, "SAM!" he paused, "And my thoughts don't always end up there. I'm a human, not an animal, jeez. And, anyway, you're just jealous that I can get a boner and you can't." Here he stuck his nose in the air and turned away.

Sam snorted, "Yeah. Riight. Of course Tuck, I'm completely and utterly jealous of your boner skills. That's why I don't want to see it, so why don't you be an awesome friend and don't show off those 'skills', hmm?"

Tucker acted like he was thinking before nodding. He glanced at the clock and swallowed. It was way past the end of patrol, Danny should have been back by now. He glanced at Sam. She was staring at the clock and was drumming her fingers on her leg in a un-steady tempo. She was worried, then again, he was too. Tucker reached over and grabbed her hands. Sam's eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Hey. It - patrol sometimes takes longer than expected. He's okay Sam, if he wasn't we would know."

"I know that. But something feels - it feels like - like something is... wrong."

He knew what she was talking about. It wasn't the first time Danny was late, but this time something in his chest was screaming to go out and look for him. That something was horribly wrong. Tucker paused before asking, "Do you want to go out and look for him?"

She glanced back at the clock before nodding.

Tucker smiled, "Then let's go!"

A week passed and still no sign of Danny.

The whole town was searching for him, and Sam was starting to break. So was he, but he had to make sure Sam was okay. He had to watch her and make sure that she didn't do anything that she'll regret later on. For Danny and for her. And because he was scared of losing her as well.

Tucker was hacking into street cameras and Sam was listening along the grape vine of the rich to try and find him. They still haven't found anything.

And every day that passed Tucker's heart and hope sunk. He was starting to think that the worst had happened.

He desperately wished that Danny was okay.

It was a month later and Danny was still gone.

People were starting to think that he was dead. Search parties were starting to stop looking. Sam didn't and neither did he. Jazz had come back to try and find her brother. She wasn't taking him being missing very well. Danny's parents could be seen yelling about how he had been taking by ghosts, they didn't know how right they were.

Tucker wasn't sure what to do anymore, Danny would know what to do, but he wasn't here so Tucker had to figure out what to do.

He didn't like the way his thoughts were turning though.

Danny was still alive.

He had to be alive.

He had to be.

.

.

.

Jazz called. She found Danny.

He was still alive, but she didn't know how much longer he would last. Tucker almost didn't care where Danny was found, all he cared about was that his best friend was alive. But Jazz sounded like she was crying and Danny would be so mad at him if Tucker didn't try to help her, so he asked where Danny was.

As he listened to Jazz cry and sob and her voice crack more than once his hands shook so bad he almost dropped the phone. He could feel bile making it's way up his throat, it was so much worse than they thought. This was worse then Danny being kidnapped by some ghost or getting lost in the Ghost Zone. So, so much worse.

Danny's parents had him.

Tucker called Sam. Told her that there was information about Danny, Tucker had to be the one to tell her. Jazz was watching her parents to find a time to get Danny and to keep them distracted. The longer they were talking to her the less time they have to- to- ...hurt Danny. At least that's what she stated.

So, Tucker had to tell Sam alone.

"Sam? Jazz found Danny."

At first, Sam was shocked and then she was ecstatic. Asking where he was, and when we were going to get him, and why wasn't she called sooner?

"It's worse than what we thought, Sam. So much worse."

She started to get angry. He understood why - finally there was information about Danny and here he was, holding it back. But she needed to know before tried to do anything rash. Tucker didn't want to say anything though.

"He wasn't kidnapped by ghosts Sam."

Was this how Danny felt whenever he tried to break bad news to them? Was this how he felt whenever he tried to keep something from them? It... Tucker didn't like the feeling. The urge to hide something that you know would hurt someone, but feeling guilty for hiding it. How Danny could stand it was nothing short of a mystery.

"Vlad didn't have him either. Sam, Danny is hurt, badly."

Sam sounded panicked and almost desperate. Tucker couldn't remember her ever sounding like that, the guilt grew stronger. Tell me Tucker, please just tell me. Over and over again.

.

.

.

.

"Sam... Danny has been here, right under our noses. For over a month he's been in the lab of the Fentons."

"His parents have him, Sam."