AN: *SQUEAK!* Your reviews fill me with joy and happiness and fuzzy goodness all over!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I love you! :D Be forewarned that this chapter be prreettttyy fluffy but it's the last fluffy chapter before the good stuff! Woohoo! All you romance seekers should and all you action seekers could possibly enjoy the next chapter ;) Anyway! Once again, I love and thank you immensely!! *HUG!* Now for the fic!

Are you ready for…

Chapter 4

Tucker shook his head, pacing slightly.  "Unbelievable," he growled. Danny had just informed him of his ordeal at the hospital.

"Tell me about it," Danny sighed, plopping down on Tucker's bed. "What are we going to do?"

"What can we do?" Tucker asked rhetorically, a defeated frown broadcasted on his face.

Danny shrugged, laying out backwards in the bed, hoping to prevent Tucker from seeing his slowly forming tears. "We can show them. We can show them we're not lying. I'll show them my powers and then they'll have to do believe us."

"No," Tucker said firmly. "That's the last thing you'll do. Your parents find out about your powers and we'll have a whole new problem on our hands. We can't deal with that right now."

"Can't deal with it?!" Danny shouted. "We can't deal with it!? What does it matter what we can deal with. Sam's in a coma. Sam might DIE, and all you're worried about is what might cause you some petty inconvenience?! God- you don't care about Sam at all, do you?! You'd probabl-"

"Of course I care about Sam!" Tucker cut in angrily, having had just about enough of Danny's continuously fluctuating attitude. "I'm her best friend too you know. It seems you've been forgetting that lately. You're the only one that's worried about her, I'm just the only one thinking clearly. You reveal your powers; your parents will either lock you up to do experiments or lock you up until they can find a cure. Either way, you'll have even less of a chance seeing Sam and we'll have even less of a chance of helping her. Besides…if she…if she doesn't make it…she'd want us to keep fighting. The last thing she would ever want is for you to lose your powers or to be tested on and looked at like you're some kind of a freak."

Danny went silent, head hung. He had acted like an ass. He should have thought things through; he should never have accused Tucker like that. But he couldn't help it. His emotions were going haywire; he wasn't acting like himself anymore.

"Maybe we can make up a different story…a reason for lying…" Tucker suggested weakly, realizing that Sam wouldn't want them fighting either.

"Like what?" Danny asked in a tone that bordered patronizing. Why was he relying on Tucker to make the plans? Hadn't his plan gotten Sam hurt in the first place? No, no. He was accusing again. He was trying to blame someone for what was his fault, trying to put the guilt on someone else.

Tucker pondered his question for a second. "…Maybe we could…we could say it was some…bad guy…and we didn't want to say anything because we were afraid they'd get us too."

"No," Danny said, slowly shaking his head and allowing his mind to mull over the situation, "No. We could say…we could say we were all on the roof top of the Jansen Building and Sam had been looking over the edge and toppled over. When we first came in, we didn't tell the truth because we thought they might arrest us for breaking into the building and after that, we afraid we'd get in trouble for lying."

"Do you really think they'd buy it?" Tucker asked, fairly uncertain.

"Maybe. Remember the last time our parents found out we were up there? They threatened us with in an inch of our lives if we ever even thought about going up there again. The Manson would understand why we'd be afraid to tell the truth."

"I guess it's worth a shot," Tucker agreed solemnly. They were making up lies. They were digging themselves deeper into a hole, grasping at the faint glimmer of hope that they might be able to see their comatose friend. It was nothing to be glad about.

There was an awkward silence between the two teens. What was there to say at a time like this? It felt wrong to make jokes; it felt wrong to be happy; it felt wrong to focus on anything else but what was happening to Sam.

"Are you going to go?...To school tomorrow, I mean?" Tucker finally asked.

"I don't know. I don't know if I can," Danny admitted. "How about you?"

"I'm not sure either," Tucker said, "…it'll seem wrong…without her there…you know? But maybe it would help get our minds off of it. We wouldn't have to think about it 24/7."

Danny didn't want to agree, but he saw some truth in his argument. "…Maybe...but I'm still not sure."

Tucker knew Danny deciding to go to school on his own was highly unlikely, so he decided to help out. "I really think I need to go, but I don't know if I can handle it by myself. Would you come too?"

Danny didn't need anymore convincing. "Yeah, alright, I'll go."

-

His usual morning tasks seemed frivolous today. He dully slipped on a familiar pair of pants and tugged his shirt over his head, further ruffling his already ruffled hair. None of his homework was done, but he didn't care. He hadn't even attempted it. How was he supposed to care about cosigns and vectors when his best friend was in intensive care?

His parents were ecstatic to see him trump down the stairs wearing both a book bag and a frown. Jazz had held an inquisition.

"Danny, are you sure you're ready? You don't have to go if you don't want to. I know how this effecting you, you don't have to try and play it off like this. These things can have a serious effect on-"

"I'm fine," he stated blankly and unconvincingly.

Jazz frowned, knowing for once that it was time to back off. "Alright. If it's really what you want to do, come on, I'll drive you."

If he had had it in him, he probably would have smiled a thanks to Jazz. Maybe she knew just how hard the bus ride would be without Sam. The bus would undoubtedly stop at her house, as it always did…and when she didn't come, Bertha, their driver, would probably honk the horn. The empty stop would break Danny's heart. When Sam still didn't appear, she would call him up to the front.

"Fenon'!" She would yell with her heavy southern accent. "Wahere dat guurlfreuind a' uuurs?"

For once, he wouldn't object, he wouldn't try to explain she was just his friend. He wouldn't say anything at all. What could he say? He couldn't tell her the truth, no, she didn't deserve it. What would she do with the truth? Perhaps she would utter some insincere words of sympathy before going about her normal life. Maybe she would chat about it casually with the other drivers; maybe she would make some cruel joke; maybe she would think it was better Sam then her. No, Danny wouldn't let any of those things happen. Sam deserved better then that.

Yes, he had avoided that scene by driving to school with Jazz but he was sure there were more to come. He decided that no one should know what really happened. When they asked him, if they asked him, he would tell them she had a cold. It was as simple as that.

Jazz pulled into her usual spot on in the student parking lot and shut off the still humming engine. Automatically, Danny clicked open his seat belt and began to open the car door. Jazz grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Danny," she said. Her eyes were filled with honest concern. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine," he told her, again, no more convincing this time then the 300 times before.

She frowned, slightly upset her brother refused to tell her the truth. "Okay…But Danny, if it gets too much for you, just come and get me and I'll drive you home. Deal?"

He nodded.

"I love you Danny," she reminded him, emerging him in a giant hug.

He hugged back weakly and then exited the car, heading directly to the spot where he knew Tucker would be waiting.

"Hey," Tucker said, sounded slightly anxious. "I was afraid you weren't gonna show. Jazz take you to school?"

"Yeah."

Tucker opened his mouth to say something like "Well, at least there's one perk to this whole thing" but quickly shut it again. Danny was obviously not in the mood for humor. Instead, Tucker stayed uncharacteristically silent as the two walked to their first class.

Light chatter filled the classroom until at last, the bell rung. The announcements boomed on the intercom. Moment of silence, pledge of allegiance, drama club fundraisers due to Ms. Sherman, Yearbook could be picked up in the guidance office, it was all the usual business until the very end. "Have a great day," Josh Beckett, Senior Class President, announced. A slight ruffling could be heard over the intercom and then an unfamiliar voice picked up.

"Principle Heartman," Tucker whispered to Danny as soon as they heard the voice.

"Good morning students. Some of you may have noticed the absence of your school mate, Samantha Manson."

A few students looked towards Samantha's empty seat, only now realizing it was empty.

"About two days ago, Ms. Manson had a very serious accident and was brought to the Hannahgrove Medical Center. Ms. Manson's injuries were extremely severe, sending her into a deep coma. The doctors are unsure whether Samantha will be able to pull through. We ask you all to keep you in your thoughts and prayers and hope for a speedy recovery. Because of the seriousness of the situation, any friends of Ms. Manson who feel particularly affected will be excused from class if they wish to speak to the guidance counselor. Thank you."

The class erupted in speech. Thankfully, Danny couldn't really make anything out. "That's enough!" Mr. Lancer growled. His face refused to reveal any emotions. "We have work to do. Fenton, Foley, you're both free to leave."

Dash smirked somewhat but the two boys stayed put. The lesson continued and Danny tried hard to pay attention. Thankfully, Mr. Lancer never called on either of them. Danny suddenly had great deal more respect for his teacher.

The class finally ended and Danny closed up his notebook and gathered his things. He hadn't taken any notes and he'd probably never get them. He had always copied Sam's notes when he was absent.

The next class continued pretty much the same way, as did the class after that, all the way until lunch.

"So, you going to the hospital after school?" Tucker asked Danny, already fairly certain of the answer.

"Yeah. I figure the Mansons'll be there and I can tell them the 'real' story. Then maybe I can see Sam without having to ghost out."

"Yeah, I was thinking I might stop by after-" Tucker started but realized Danny's attention was directed elsewhere.

"I'm glad that annoying little goth girls in a coma. Maybe like, that way, she won't talk for once!" Pauline said, joining in high pitched giggling with a nearby friend.

"Or like, even better, if she dies, then we'll never have to like, witness her horrible fashion disgrace again!"

Before Tucker could stop him, Danny had practically flown across the cafeteria and had Pauline pinned to the wall.

"Don't you ever talk about Sam like that again!" Danny growled, breathing harder as he squeezed her tighter against the wall. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" he yelled, waiting for a response from the terrified and stunned Pauline.

There was a chance he might have actually hit her, in his rage. Heck, he was angry enough to kill her. But a strong hand pulled him back and tossed him to the ground.

"Aww look, Fenton's defending his vegetable girlfriend, how sweet!" Dash mocked, grinning maliciously.

Danny's eyes narrowed as he struggled to get up. Dash knocked him back down.

"Now, now, there's no need to get angry! Pauline was simply saying what everyone else was thinking. That friend of yours had it coming to her. I hope she does die," he sneered, "We all do. She deserves it. That little bitch had it coming to her. She had a mouth on her…guess she won't be talking much anymore."

Danny was blinded by fury. He attacked Dash. Arms failing widely, he jumped on him, mauling him like a wild animal. Dash was too surprised to fight off the crazed Danny. He tried to fight back but it was no use. All his muscles were no match for Danny's unparalleled rage. He knocked Dash down and started to punch him repeatedly.

The world around him was shouting, he could hear the voices, but he didn't care enough to make out what they were saying. He wasn't listening, he wasn't looking, he was giving Dash what he deserved.

"Danny!" A strong voice yelled as he was literally pried off of Dash. "DANNY!"

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Danny yelled, trying to fight his way back to Dash.

"Danny! You need to calm down!" Mr. Lancer yelled, spinning Danny around to face him.

"Calm down," he said seriously. He looked into Danny's eyes with authority, commanding him to become settled.

It worked. He settled slightly and finally began to feel the aching pains in the few places Dash had hit him.

"Go to the guidance counselor immediately," Lancer commanded, letting Danny go. Danny knew not to argue but looked back once to see a bloodied and broken Dash rising from the floor.

Danny, too dazed to realize he could simply use his ghost powers to fly away from this whole mess, walked slowly and silently to the guidance counselors office.

He knocked angrily on the door.

"Hello? Hello? Anyone in there?" he asked, anxious to get this stupid thing over with.

"Hi there," a friendly voice said, opening the door. "I'm Mr. Fish. It's great to meet you. You must be Danny Fenton."

He sat down at the seat in front of the large desk, obviously intended for the student victim. "How did you know my name?" he questioned curiously, looking around at the various "inspirational" posters.

"Mr. Lancer called about the incident in the cafeteria. I figured you'd be sent my way. I understand you were very good friends with Ms. Mason. I'm so sorry about what happened."

"Yeah," Danny grumbled, sick and tired of hearing everyone apologizing for what was his fault.

"Do you want to explain what happened today at lunch?" Mr.Fish asked, though it clearly wasn't an option to refuse.

"Nothing. Dash just got on my nerves. That's all," Danny lied.

"Oh really? Just got on your nerves? Danny, Dash is a 250 pound football player, you're well…not. I've checked your record, no previous fights, just a few incidents of indecent exposure. Surely something must have caused you to get that angry?"

"He was talking…about Sam…saying that she deserved to be in a coma…that the school would be better off if she was dead…" Danny admitted, making sure to avoid eye contact with Mr.Fish.

"I understand Danny. You must care very deeply about Samantha," Mr. Fish told him.

"Yeah, well, we've been best friends forever," Danny explained.

"Just friends?" Mr. Fish questioned in a tone that sounded unconvinced.  "It sounds to me like she might mean a lot more to you then that."

"Look," Danny said, trying to keep control of his temper. "Sam is not my girlfriend, despite what everyone may say."

"I didn't say she was," Mr. Fish pointed out. He smiled mischievously, "I simply implied you might want her to be." 

Danny blushed slightly; did he want Sam as a girlfriend? "It doesn't matter either way," he resolved, shaking his head firmly, irritated with this man's questioning. "Sam's in the hospital, Sam might die. What difference does it make how I feel about her?"

Mr. Fish gave a slight shrug. "It makes a difference to you. You have to believe that Samantha's going to pull out of this Danny. I've encountered Ms. Manson on only a few occasions, but it's painfully clear that she's not the type to give up without a fight."

Danny smiled inwardly. It was true.

"For now, I think you should head home," Fish instructed, "I'm not sure you're really ready to be back here just yet. Get some rest; you look like you need it."

Danny nodded, not knowing what else to do and turned to leave the room.

"Danny," Mr. Fish smiled slightly, "Sam would have been proud."

-

"We just…we didn't want to get in trouble…Everything was going so fast and we didn't know how bad Sam was hurt…so we just made up the story about the ghost. Afterwards, when we things slowed down and we realized how badly Sam got hurt…we were afraid to say we lied  because we knew how serious the situation was…but please, it was a stupid mistake, we just really scared, we're just kids after all…please don't keep us from Sam because of it. I'm so sorry," he said, just as he had rehearsed it.

Ms.Manson smiled, giving Danny a sudden hug. "You all shouldn't have been up there…but I'm glad you finally told us the truth. You're welcome to see her."

Danny nodded, glad the plan had worked but sad he had had to lie. He followed Ms.Manson into Samantha's room. "I think I'll go get some lunch," she said, her obvious purpose to give Danny some time alone.

Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bouquet of flowers he had picked on his way there. "I know it's not much," he told her. "But I figured this place could use a little brightening up."

He put the flowers down on the bedside table and sat down in his usual plastic chair. "I don't know what's going on Sam," he said honestly. "I beat up Dash today." He smiled a little, knowing how much his friend would have loved to see that. "…I lost control. I just…attacked him, without even thinking. See, things like that keep happening lately…I haven't been myself since you've been gone."

He fell silent again. Where was he going with this? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure if he should continue…but he did.

"I got sent to guidance afterwards. I talked to Mr.Fish…he thinks he'll pull through. He…he…thought that I..uh…wanted us to be more then friends." He laughed awkwardly, gazing at Sam, who continued to lay perfectly still. "I…well…I don't know…I thought maybe…maybe he could be right, you know?"

He looked at her again, still no response.  Duh, she's in a coma, you moron, bit a voice in the back of his head.

"It's just… I miss you like crazy Sam. You're all that I can think about anymore. I can't get you out of my head. I guess that's why they say you never know what you've got until you lose it…but I don't want to lose you Sam…you've got to make it through this," he said, his voice quivering as he came closer and closer to tears.

"You've got to make it through this because…because I can't make it without you…because…because…well…I'm not sure what this feeling is but, god, I think I may…I think I may…I think I may be in love with you."

His eyes opened widely, what had just come out of his mouth?! Love?! Love?! Had he just used the word love?! He was too young to be in love! He'd never even kissed a girl! What was going on?! It was like something was possessing him. He had lost control of his thoughts, his actions, and his sanity.

"Sam…" he whispered as he drew nearer, he felt a tear roll down his check, "Sam…please wake up…" He leaned over and kissed his friend gently on the lips. A sudden blow knocked him to his feet.

He looked up to see Sam towering over him.

"DANNY!?"

Oh-no.

More AN! ;): Cliffhanger, baby! ;) Well, I warned you it was going to be disgustingly fluffy, didn't I? ;) Traditionally, I've been against using the word "love" in fics with teenagers seeing how it is so horribly overused by them but I figured this was an extreme case and with the "serious of the situation", "I kinda like-like you" didn't seem appropriate ^_- Anyway, the next chapter should be up…probably by the end of the weekend, maybe Monday or Tuesday at latest. :D If you have a chance, review! ^_^

Best wishes, warmest regards, and lots of love,

Soragirl

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