

Chapter Four

Struggle

"Hey, Danny!" Jack said. "Who's your friend? Does she want to know about the latest experiment we Fentons have created?"

"Not right now Jack. Hello Danny, and this would be?" Maddie Fenton asked, stepping up level with Jack.

"This is S-"he began, until she prodded him in the back. "This is Amber, she's my tutor for Biology."

"Hi Amber, we're Danny's parents. Danny sweetheart, we were just leaving for the night. There's a ghost seminar being held near Durling. We'll be gone for a while, promise not to stay out late, okay? In by ten this means," Maddie lectured.

"Yeah, mom."

"We'll leave you two alone to study. See you tomorrow morning. Bye!" Jack said. He and Maddie, holding hands, walked out the door and closed it sharply.

"Nice people. Nice obviously wasn't passed onto you; otherwise you would have never taken my horse or the sword away, would you have?"

She didn't wait for an answer, and instead prodded him in the back again. "Let's go!"

He lead her down into his parents' lab and she threw him onto the floor hard. Blinking stars from his eyes, he quickly bounced back up angrily.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter. Release Paderaina."

"Release me, and I'll do it easier."

"Don't think I'm stupid boy, I know exactly what you have in your mind. Release her now." She pointed roughly to the portal and he felt a jolt in his legs, forcing him towards the opening.

With regret, he pushed the green button once more, and closed his eyes.

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

"Hey mom, have you seen Danny?" Jazz asked. She hadn't seen her brother in a couple of hours. Her parents were working on a bunch of math problems that had to do with their newest invention, that she didn't really care about.

"No, last I saw he was in our lab. He might have gone with Tucker or Sam though," Maddie replied.

"Hmm....okay." She was bored, had all of her homework finished, and wanted to hang out with Danny and annoy him for a while.

A sudden jolt came from downstairs, and shook the entire house.

"Jack what that a ghost?" Maddie asked.

"Only one way to find out!" he said, already running down there.

°°°°°

Danny didn't know where he was, but all he knew was that every part of his body hurt like hell, and he was lying down on something extremely cold. He didn't want to open his eyes, but decided to despite his body's objection.

If he had been standing up, he would have jumped out of his skin. He sat up. Why in the heck was he here? Where was here?

Then he remembered. His parents' new invention; the Fenton Ghost Portal, the circuits, the flashing lights.

He stood up, shakily. His muscles felt like lead, but otherwise he felt fine. He pushed back his jet black hair with his hand.

Except it wasn't his hand he saw. Or was it....? He raised it, and it moved when he did. It was definitely his arm. But it was covered in a silver glove.

For the first time since he woke up he looked at his body. Holding back a scream, he bit his lip in shock. Both hands were covered in a pair of silver gloves, his feet were hidden beneath two silver boots that went up to his shins, he had a silver belt around his waist, a silver neck collar, and the rest was totally black.

Eagerly, he ran to his parents' mirror, just outside of the portal.

He had snow-white hair, same shape, just a vivid white. His eyes were normal, at least one thing was the same. He blinked, shaking his head. Maybe this was all a dream. And when he opened his eyes, it would be the same again.

He counted to three and his eyes burst open.

Same silver and black outfit, same white hair... and now glowing green eyes.

"Danny?" Jazz yelled, pounding down the stairs after her parents.

But he was thinking so hard he didn't hear them coming closer. Lights flashed around him, and he looked up at the ceiling of the portal for where they were coming from.

"Danny, what are you doing down here?" Maddie asked, stepping up to him.

"Guys, I know this looks weird. But I don't know how it happened. I was just here and I was-"he began.

"Danny, you fixed the portal!" Jack yelled.

"Yeah, the cord wasn't plugged in...but wait-"He looked into the mirror. Jet black hair, blue eyes.

"What son?" Maddie asked, holding her son's shoulders.

"Nothing." Wow that was a weird dream.

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

He opened his eyes, and the portal doors slid open.

"Where is she?" the knight demanded.

Danny jumped and smiled. He couldn't let her know what for though.

"Where is she?" he repeated.

"I don't know, I swore I put her in here, maybe we should go looking for her," Danny said, shivering at his own daring words. He remembered the last time he had gone in there. He had gotten caught by a warden and thrown into ghost jail, not to mention with every ghost he had captured. But he had escaped that.

There was absolutely no reason why he couldn't now.

He slowly inched towards the Fenton thermos, slowly, so he wouldn't see him. He hadn't had the time to put the ghost horse back into the ghost zone, so he had left it inside the thermos, which was now lying only three feet away.

She whistled for the horse, and Danny sped his pace.

"Danny!" someone yelled from upstairs. Danny lunged for the thermos as the knight turned around at Jazz's voice.

"I'm going ghost!" he yelled. Two beams of glowing blue light spread from his stomach to opposite directions.

He grabbed the thermos, and opened it, trapping the ghost, caught off guard, inside.

Screaming, he swirled inside, and was sucked in. Snapping the lid on, Danny smiled gratefully. He jumped at a sudden noise in front of him.

A girl lay at the foot of the portal, unconscious. He rushed to her, and changed from ghost to human.

"Sam?" he said, warily. He shook her, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Danny!" she said, weak, but happily. He smiled at her.

"Danny?" Jazz pounded down the lab stairs, along with Tucker.

"Jazz! Are you alright?" he asked, using all the limit of strength he had to not rush to her, and stay with Sam.

"Dude, what happened?" Tucker asked, walking along with Jazz.

"How did you get here?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Jazz was all panicked, running down the street like a chicken with its head cut off, and she said you were in trouble."

Tucker received dark looks from Jazz and Danny both. How in the heck was he going to explain all of this to her?

"Danny, I think I should get home," Sam said, sitting up with difficulty.

"Here, Tucker and I will help you," he said.

"No, I think I can do it," she said.

"Here," Danny said, holding his hand out to help her.

"No, I've got it." She used both hands to lift herself, and stood up. Swaying slightly, she took careful steps away from them and began walking towards the stairs.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Sam said, not smiling.

"Wait, Sam I'll go with you," Tucker said. Danny began to follow, but someone laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to say this, but Danny, I don't think she wants you," Jazz said.