Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine, nor will it ever be. How depressing.

Author's Notes: Well, guys, I promised to show you a bit of Jazz, Tucker, and Sam. As it turns out, you'll be seeing a whole lot more of them, because I honestly believe they have become part of the plot. This is the great thing about writing - you add something in, and it appears to be a minor thing (where the plot is concerned) at first, and that small thing begins to flesh out the plot in your mind. . Suddenly, what was once a minor bit of the story has become a major part. Huzzah!

Chapter Three
Gone

Jazmine Fenton sat on the cement steps leading to the door of her home, staring in the direction the van had left in. How long had it been since it left? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? She noted for the first time that the sky was now – suddenly – a dusky sapphire; whereas, when they had taken Danny, the sky had been an overcast, opaque grey, dimly illuminated by the obscured Sun.

How fitting.

"I can't believe he's gone," someone – Tucker – said, breaking the constant silence. Tucker's voice was quiet, and he spoke as if freshly realizing that Danny was no longer there.

"I know," Sam replied, drastically more sullen than usual.

"I just hope all of this is for the best," said Jazz.

"Jazz, he isn't crazy," Sam stated.

"I know," Jazz agreed.

"How much do you know?" asked Sam.

"Uh, Sam? Do you think it's a good idea. . . ?" Tucker seemed nervous.

"Tucker, I don't know how much worse it can get," Sam answered, her voice mildly injected with venom.

"Everything. I know everything," said Jazz. Her eyes were downcast – she did not notice the shocked expressions on the faces of Danny's friends.

"Then why did you let them take him?" Sam demanded. "If you know, then you also know how important he is – not just to us, but to Amity Park, too."

Jazz felt the tears welling in her eyes. In her mind, she saw her younger brother – she saw his ashen skin, the bags beneath his eyes, the wild way his icy eyes flitted about his surroundings, the random shivering, the signs of depression and an unstable state of mind. . . "Sam, he looked sick. He was seeing ghosts that weren't there. Even if he's perfectly sane, he still isn't healthy. He needs rest, and he needs to stay away from ghosts. Danny's going to a mental hospital – it isn't like they are going to stick him in a straitjacket and lock him up in a padded room. Times have changed, and this isn't some horror movie. He. . He'll be okay. He's safe now."

Tucker involuntarily trembled upon the word "hospital." He said, "It doesn't sound like a very safe place. Augh. . . I hate hospitals."

"To you, it sounds unsafe," Sam corrected. "Look, Jazz, I understand that you care about Danny, but keeping him in a mental ward isn't going to help him. Granted, if you told your parents what you know, they'd probably think you've gone nuts, too. . . But we all know that Danny isn't crazy. Stressed? Yeah. Over-tired? Definitely. Insane? No."

"Do you think we can bust him out?" Tucker asked. "I'd go near a hospital, but only if it was for my best bud, and it is, so I would."

"Maybe," said Sam thoughtfully. "Jazz, do you know where the sanatorium is, or how to contact it?"

Jazz shook her head. "Dr. Grimm said that, if we needed to contact the sanatorium, we'd have to do it through him."

"Do you know what it's called?" Sam questioned.

"My parents said that it's called Sanatorium Mortifera."

Author's notes: A pretty short chapter, though I like where this is going. I'll start working on the next chapter ASAP. I want to have the majority of this story done by late August, when I start college. I know that it may be an unrealistic expectation to have it finished, so I'll be happy if it is mostly completed. Starting August, updates will NOT stop. They will merely occur less frequently. College is serious business. :P