Chapter Three

The moment the sound of the portal charging up began, Sam and Tucker began running for the machine. They screamed Danny's name and yet, they could do nothing as the green electric light seized hold of their best friend.

They watched in horror as he was lifted onto his tip toes by the terrible charge.

And then there was the screaming.

Sam closed her eyes, turned her head away, and covered her ears, but it did nothing to block out the horrendous scream of her best friend. His dying screams.

She looked back, watching as the electrocution continued. Silent tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

She wanted to run to Danny! Jump into the rays and pull him out to safety, but there was no way to do that! Even in her horror, she realized that there was nothing they could do but watch and listen as Danny Fenton was baked to a crisp.

It seemed to last an eternity, but finally, the portal seemed to be finished with Danny.

It shot him out like a large animal would spit out a piece of undesirable prey.

The wall of swirling gave way to an opening where it thrust Danny out and threw him twenty feet from the portal itself, just in front of Tucker and Sam.

Leaping into action, Tucker ran to the side near the console and in one motion brought his hand down on a red button. The portal gate closed with a whoosh, blocking out the green light that had flooded the lab previously.

Running back to where Sam still stood, staring down at the floor in front of her, Tucker knelt down and looked at the body in front of him.

He wasn't sure what to do! The boy laying before them had to be Danny- no one else had been in the portal! But... It didn't look like Danny.

Danny had black hair, this boy had the purest, whitest hair that Tucker had ever seen! It practically glowed. The jumpsuit he was wearing was Black with a white belt, collar, gloves, and boots! Sure, it looked similar to the suit danny had put on, but how had he gotten like this?

'Tuck! Snap out of it!' a voice in Tucker's head yelled. 'Danny or not- you have to check on him!'

Reaching quickly forward, Tucker put a finger to the prone boy's throat and bent down, listening for a heartbeat. At first, there was nothing. Tucker's heart clenched and he closed his eyes, pressing closer to his friend's chest, willing him to live.

Sam knelt down beside Danny, her heart breaking at the sight of his still, lifeless body. She couldn't hold in a small sob of disbelief. Terror and guilt clawed at her madly beating heart as she let another tear fall, albeit silently. Reaching a hand forward, Sam gingerly touched Danny's new white hair. It was soft and feathery beneath her fingers. She'd always wondered what his hair felt like...

She gasped, unable to look at his body anymore. Sam's body began to heave silently as she held her face.

Tucker pushed further and further, getting more and more frustrated with each passing moment. Danny could not be dead! There was no way his best friend was going to die! Not here, not now!

He was about to raise himself up to begin CPR, or at least what he knew of CPR, but something stopped him dead in his tracks.

A soft moan came from the still body next to to him.

Sam pulled her hands away from her face, turning her tear-stained face to Danny's pale one.

Both Tucker and Sam looked at one another and, quickly, Tucker bent down again, pressing his ear to Danny's chest.

It was faint and sporadic, but there beneath his head was the most beautiful sound Tucker had ever witnessed, even more beautiful than any beep or whir of technology. Tucker smiled, closing his eyes and resting his head on Danny's chest with a deep sigh.

He looked up at Sam and she also sighed, too relieved to speak.

Tucker straitened up, placing a gentle hand on Danny's shoulder, hoping that it would offer some form of comfort.

"We need to get him out of here, Tuck... up to his room or something..." Sam frowned, looking at Danny with worry.

"Sam! We don't know how badly he is hurt!" Tucker whispered harshly. "We can't just go moving him all over the house like a piece of furniture!"

"We can't stay here! What will the Fenton's say, Tucker?"

"They're going to find out, Sam." Tucker squinted at her, crossing his arms.

"Not if Danny isn't actually hurt! Maybe he's just in shock or something..."

"Haha. Shock. Very funny!" Tucker said humorlessly and Sam scowled, balling her fists.

"This is serious, Tucker!"

Another moan escaped Danny's lips as he laid beside them and Sam gasped, looking ashamed for being so loud.

Both friends sat a moment, waiting to see if Danny would come around, but no luck. After another moan and an odd shiver, he was silent again.

"Come on, Tuck. He's cold. We gotta do something."

Tucker looked at Sam defiantly, then back down at Danny. Sam was right, as always. They couldn't just sit down there in the basement. Who knew how long it would be till the Fenton's came back and Jazz for sure would be home late. They couldn't sit down there all night. Danny needed somewhere comfortable to lay and a blanket or two to warm him up, although, considering he'd just been electrocuted, Tucker couldn't see how Danny could be cold at all.

"All right..." Tucker relented and Sam smiled in relief.

Gingerly, Sam got to her feet and heaved a sigh. Looking down at Tucker, she extended her hand to him and he took it with a warm smile.

"Sorry I yelled." Sam apologized quietly.

Tucker shrugged.

"It's cool. You were scared. So was I." They smiled at one another before looking down at Danny, who was now shivering softly.

Tucker looked back at Sam, worry on his face, but determination in his dark eyes. "How're we gonna do this?"

Sam smiled slyly.

TBC~