Yay for chapter two!

Okay, at this point, I've sort of face-planted into a wall with Relatives. So, for now, that story will be put on hold. I think I finally figured out where it was heading, so I'll get started on it as soon as I've finished this baby up.

Because this has just officially become my baby.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Hehe.

I don't own Danny Phantom. :P

Missing

Chapter Two: Confessions and Discoveries

August 5, 2011

"DANNY!" Sam voice tore through the trees, crashing against his eardrums. "DANNY, PLEASE!"

"SAM!" He shouted, racing through the dark forest. It was all a blur of brown and green; the wind rushed in his ears, low growls rolled off of the forest floor and collided with his face, and he could hear Sam struggling with...something...off in the distance.

"DANNY!" Tucker's voice screamed out from somewhere beyond his vision. Danny paused, gasping for air; he'd been flying for some time now, desperately searching for them. "DANNY, HELP!"

"DAN- AHHHHHH!" Sam's desperate plea for help was cut short by her drawn-out screech of pain.

Danny burst through the trees, into a small clearing. Sam was sprawled on the ground, her bloodied hands covering her face, which was twisted in agony, as Cujo attacked her. Tucker was being strangled by the Vultures, his red beret feet away, his glasses hopelessly smashed.

"NO! GUYS!" Danny shot forward, only to be sent reeling backwards by a ghost shield. No matter what he tried, he could not reach them. He was forced to watch as they were killed before his very eyes.

"SAM! TUCKER!" Danny screamed, thrashing around in his bed.

"Danny! Danny, calm down, it was only a dream!" Jazz shouted, banging into his room and practically leaping on top of him. His eyes widened in shock as he realized he was not in a forest watching his friends die, but in fact, was laying in a bed, pinned down by his older sister. At 3:30 AM.

"A...a dream?" He whispered. "Oh..."

Jazz sighed and rolled off of him as he pushed himself into a sitting position. She sat at the foot of his bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. "You're scared." She said.

It was not a question. It was a statement of fact.

Danny nodded, his eyes on his lap. "How could I not be?" He asked hoarsely, casting a quick glance at his pensive sister.

"Are you scared that they're...gone?"

"Well...not exactly. I know they can take care of themselves. Or, at least, Sam can take care of herself and Tucker."

"Then what are you scared of?"

"I just...I'm so scared that...well...can she protect them from whatever it is out there long enough for me to find them?"

Jazz watched him closely. "Do you think she can?"

"Sam's strong. She's the strongest person I've ever met. Stronger than me. I...I just worry that whatever it is that's chasing them might be...stronger."

Jazz nodded. "I understand. I know Sam pretty well, after all these years of her being your best friend. I can say that she is definitely like a younger sister to me. I agree with you when you say that she's strong. But the look of her boot...it worries me, Danny. If her boot looks like that, what does she look like? That and the fact that they can't even find her car."

Danny squeezed his eyes shut. He wondered where the tan Jeep Grand Cherokee was at that very moment. He wondered what Sam was doing, what she was seeing, hearing, feeling...

"You look like you could use some coffee," Jazz said gently. She pushed herself off of his bed, holding her hand out to take his. He slid his hand into hers, rolling off his bed as he did. He smiled at her gratefully as they quietly crept down the hallway. When they descended into the living room, Mr. Manson was sitting on the couch, his blood-shot eyes trained on the Fenton's phone. He glanced up at the teens as they entered the room, smiling wearily at them before returning to his dilligent stare at the phone.

Danny dropped Jazz's hand, glancing at her before turning to Mr. Manson. "Um...Mr. M-Manson?"

"Yes?"

"I...I just...I wanted to...I...I love your daughter," Danny said quietly. He felt his knees trembling as he said it. "I love her so much...and it's taken this to...to make me realize how much she means to me. I've been wanting to tell that I liked her for some time now, but...I didn't fully understand my feelings until now. I guess I'm just...trying to make myself feel better by telling you, since I don't know when I'll have the chance to tell her." Admittedly, Danny did feel a rather lot like Jazz when he said that last statement; he could practically feel her beaming with pride as she listened in the kitchen.

Jeremy Manson was not an unreasonable man. But there were few things he really, truly loved in this world: his wife, his mother, his company, and his daughter. His daughter was his beautiful little girl. Granted, she was not conventionally beautiful; she was not the prim and proper little princess he had been expecting. But his ravishing gothic beauty was far better. She was intellegent, she was trustworthy, she was funny, she had a passion for all living creatures. She deserved to be treated like a princess, regardless of her ideas about princess-ship and monarchy as a whole. And, gazing at the teenaged boy who had just confessed his love for his daughter...well, naturally, Jeremy's first reaction would be to shoot the boy between the eyes with a pistol. But as he looked a little closer, he saw it; the sparks. The same sparks he saw in his own eyes when he thought about his wife. The boy really, honest-to-god, loved his daughter.

And he would stop at nothing to get her back.

"Come and sit with me, Daniel." Jeremy said, patting the couch beside him. Danny obeyed immediately, blushing sheepishly. "You really love my Sam?"

"I've never loved anything or anyone the way I love her."

Jeremy surveyed the boy carefully, but found no misgivings.

"Then I feel it is okay for me to tell you something. Something Sam would kill me for, if it were under any other circumstances." Danny leaned forward, his eyes wide. "She loves you too. She does not know that I know, but...I found her diary. I was searching her room, trying to find anything that might tell us if they went somewhere after the slam, and...I'll just let you read it for yourself."

Jeremy pulled a small black book out from his pocket. Samantha Elizabeth Manson was etched in beautiful silver cursive, though it looked as if Sam had attempted to scratch out the "antha" in her first name. Danny held the book numbly in his hands, his fingers lightly drifting over her name. He opened it slowly, flipping toward the back.

The most recent entry read as follows:

Dear Diary,

God, I can never get over how freakin' cheesy that is. "Dear diary." What am I, twelve?

Anyways, Tuck and I are going to check out this new bookstore tonight. It's called Alaric's Muse. Sounds interesting, right?

Well, they're having a poetry slam tonight. I'm really excited. Well, as excited as I can be.

Goth, Sam. You're a goth. Remember the three D's: Darkness, Despair, and Doom.

I wish Danny could go. He says he's too tired to go, which I totally understand. Who wouldn't be in his position? But, still. I wish he could be there.

It just won't be as much fun without him.

I really miss him. Not that he's gone or anything, but...I don't know. Seems like ever since the whole Valerie thing, he's been...different.

I miss the way he laughed.

I miss the way he smiled at me.

I miss how he would always walk me home, even though I live way past his house.

I miss his carefree attitude, the way he would just stroll up to me and throw his arm over my shoulders, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I miss him.

I wish I could tell him that he deserves better.

That he would find a girl who loves him for who he is. Both sides of him.

And, God, I wish I could be that girl.

Oops, Tucker's here.

Until next time,

Sam

Danny felt his eyes welling with tears. I have to find her. Now.

"I..." He gasped, clutching the diary close to his chest. Jeremy watched, pity in his eyes, as the boy fell apart. He placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

There was a knock on the front door. Jazz slowly exited the kitchen, gazing at her brother, wondering what had gotten him worked up now. It did not occur to her the oddity of a knock on the door at that hour; no, she was quite accustomed to answering the door at 4 in the morning as of late.

"Good morning, Miss Fenton," A police officer said. His voice and facial expression were grim. Jazz felt her heart drop.

"C-Come in," She said, stepping aside to allow the lone officer in. He removed his hat as he gazed at Mr. Manson and Danny.

Jeremy stood, his eyes wide with horror. No, it...it can't be...

"Mr. Manson, we...we found your daughter's car."

And...cue the dramatic music!

DUN DUN DUNNN!

Haha.

Mkay, so that was chapter two.

I'm gonna get started on chapter three momentarily.

I need two reviews on this chapter before I post the next one. Just two. Is that too much to ask?

(:

Thanks for reading!

Now, review if you want a chapter three!

- Tori