"DANNY!" Sam and Tucker yelled simultaneously, and ran over to their fallen friend.

Sam reached him first. "Danny! DANNY can you hear me?" But he didn't respond.

"He's breathing, right?" Tucker asked, his voice shaking. Sam leaned down and put her ear close to his mouth. There... a slight breath, but a breath none the less; and a second one.

"Yes," She nodded, sitting back up.

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

Sam glared at him. "How should I know?" She looked back at her friend, and her stomach suddenly began to tie in knots. What if he wasn't okay? Was he going to die right here? Was he going to be around tomorrow like he'll always been, to smile or throw a sarcastic comment at her?

The realization of the danger that he put himself in almost every day suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. How often did she really think that they could dodge death or obliteration? How often could they truly save the town, let alone the world, without serious consequences?

"Danny," she leaned down and shook his shoulders again, a touch of urgency and hysterics creeping into her voice. "Danny, please! Open your eyes!" She was expecting--hoping for really--a groan, or his hand to move or something other than his now blue eyes snapping open and staring blankly ahead. She gasped at the suddenness of the movement, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT!" Tucker bellowed. Danny didn't move, although Sam jumped a mile, before turning and punching the nerd's arm, hard. "Ow!" her friend rubbed his arm. "You shouldn't hit nerds with glasses," he grumbled. She ignored him and turned back to Danny.

"Danny? Are you okay?" He didn't answer, and that horrible, sick feeling started to creep back into her stomach. "Danny, answer me. Are you hurt?"

"No," he said simply.

Once again, she felt relief wash over her, and relaxed, sitting back on her haunches. "Then why don't you sit up?" He didn't say anything, but shot bolt-upright, causing both of his friends to jump and lean away from him.

Tucker recovered first. "Dude, calm down. You look like you just had a double espresso with white chocolate…ew."

"Yeah, Danny," Sam pulled her legs under her and started to stand up. "You shouldn't have to react that fast unless you're fighting or running or something. We're your friends, not your enemies."

"Dude, are you sure you're okay?" Tucker stood and walked over to where Danny still sat, staring strait ahead unresponsively.

"Danny?" Sam waved a hand in front of him, but he didn't blink or look away. The two friends exchanged worried glances and leaned closer to him.

Tucker shook Danny's shoulders. "DANNY?"

Sam shouldered him aside slightly and looked into Danny's pale-blue eyes. "Um…HELLO! You should answer people when they ask you questions, you know!" She narrowed her eyes as her mouth set into a thin line. She'd had just about enough of this.

Tucker nodded, agreeing with her for once. "Yeah!"

"Did you hear us?" Sam asked, leaning in closer.

"Yes I did, Sam," Danny answered in a monotone voice.

"Dude, didn't I tell you not to scare us like that?"

"Yes you did, Tucker." Sam and Tucker exchanged glances a second time, and an uneasy feeling settled over the now silent room.

Sam decided to break the expectant tension. "So, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Yes," he replied. They waited a few seconds longer, until the Goth girl lost her patience.

She growled and slapped a hand to her head. "Then say it!"

He barely took a breath before stating in the same, boring voice, "I'm sorry, and I can't control my body."

"What?" both teens practically yelled.

"I'm sorry, and I can't control my body," Danny repeated.

Tucker scratched the back of his head as he watched his friend. "Well, this just hit about a 9.0 on the weirdness scale."

xoxoxox

Sam's voice came to him through the fuzzy blackness, but he could barely hear her. Heck, he couldn't even understand what she was saying. Not until she put her hands on his back and shook him.

"Open your eyes!" The next thing he knew, he was lying down, and looking at Sam's purple leggings and black boots. He tried to say something, but his mouth refused to respond. What was going on? He tried to move his hand, but nothing happened. He realized that Sam and Tucker were still talking--okay, shouting--about him not scaring them like that. At their words, something seemed to jump inside of him, as if reacting to them. Then they were talking about whether he was okay.

"Danny, answer me! Are you hurt?" Of its on accord, his mouth opened, and he heard his voice speaking.

"No." He hadn't really done that, he realized suddenly. What was going on? Why couldn't he move again? Why couldn't he talk?

"Then why don't you sit up?" She asked. He wanted to tell that he couldn't, and that he didn't know what was going on, or why he couldn't move, but instead he felt his muscles tighten, and his body snap into a sitting position. Even if he would have been able to talk, he wouldn't be able to say anything out of shock.

"Dude, calm down. You look like you just had a double espresso with white chocolate…ew." He just wanted to open his mouth and agree. Heck, he'd take disagreeing right about now. What had gone so wrong? What was going on? Was this some sort of trick one of his enemies had decided to get back at him with?

"Yeah, Danny," Sam began to rise to her feet. "You shouldn't have to react that fast unless you're fighting or running or something. We're your friends, not your enemies." He felt something react inside of him again. The same feeling as before, although he couldn't put his thumb on what it was.

"Dude, are you sure you're okay?" He could barely see Tucker walk towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"Danny?" Sam waved a hand in front of him. Normally his eyes would have blinked, or reacted in some way, but again, nothing. He wanted to scream in frustration, but could only watch as his friends glanced at each other, and leaned towards him.

He felt Tucker grab his shoulders and start to shake him. "DANNY?"

Then Sam's almost purple eyes appeared in front of him. "Um…HELLO!" she half-yelled, half-growled. You should answer people when they ask you questions, you know!" That same reaction hit him, somewhere inside again as Sam narrowed her eyes in annoyance. If he could have, he would have winced.

"Yeah!" Tucker's voice at least helped him focus somewhere besides her accusing expression.

"Did you hear us?" her lilac eyes coming closer normally caused some sort of reaction, and now was no exception. His heart raced as she got closer, but he couldn't make himself move away. He liked his space…couldn't she move away? After a few seconds, his discomfort changed to desperation, although his voice once again spoke of its own accord.

"Yes I did, Sam." Why was that all he could say? Why could he only respond to them? What the heck was going on!

"Dude, didn't I tell you not to scare us like that?" Tucker asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yes you did, Tucker," he replied, trying with all his might to say something else too. Again, nothing.

After several seconds, Sam sat back, much to his relief. "So, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Yes," he replied.

Again, he could only watch as she growled and slapped a hand to her head. "Then say it!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, and I can't control my body," he said, wanting to give a sigh of relief. FINALLY!

"WHAT?" both of his friends yelled at him.

"I'm sorry, and I can't control my body," Danny repeated, and tried to tell them more, but it was if his brain and mouth were disconnected somehow.

"Well, this just hit about a 9.0 on the weirdness scale," Tucker said. Danny couldn't agree more, and he didn't like it.

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