A/N: Well, looks like things have turned on the 'down' side for Tucker and Valerie. Let's see how it goes, shall we? Ready for Chapter 21? OK! Here goes! Still have that IDNOAC thing! And Enjoy!

TrueHeart—Chapter 21—The Aftermath

As Danny and Sam fled Valerie's house, they frantically scanned the immediate area for their friend, at least thankful that the moonlit night was bright enough to make that search easy for them. But their friend was nowhere in sight.

As they ran, Danny turned to his girlfriend and firmly said, "We've got to find Tucker! He really needs us right now!"

"You're right! I just feel awful about all of this!" she said with chagrin as they darted forward, ignoring the snow they kicked-up as they ran.

Danny knew what she meant. Her apology hadn't been good enough. But then, his thoughts drifted to what had also upset Tucker. And that was the 'Armen' thing. He understood his friend's reaction, and felt that maybe Sam was thinking-and upset-about that, too. Still, Danny felt that there was something more to his male friend's dismay.

"Sam, it's not your fault, you know," he quickly spoke up. "And, somehow, I don't think that's what's really bothering him. I think there's more to it than him being upset with either of us. He must know underneath that we cleared things up. We just haven't gotten the chance to tell him."

"Thanks, Danny, I needed that!" Sam said. She had been thinking about the 'Armen' thing and was upset that she hadn't told Tucker about it and that her apology hadn't convinced their bespectacled friend. She should have made sure. But then she added, "So, then, shouldn't you go look for him, you know, the way only you could?"

He saw an alley ahead and dashed to its entrance and stopped. When Sam caught up, he cupped her cheek gently in one of his hands and affectionately squeezed it. He was so glad she understood. "See you soon?" he asked.

"You know my number! And I'll try to call Tucker's. Now, go!" she replied with a small, encouraging smile.

He returned her smile just as he dashed into the alley. He quickly morphed into his black-and-white alter ego and soared into the grey sky, knowing that looking from the high ground gave him the best perspective on where to begin to look...

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Tucker plopped down hard against the big oak tree he had seen in a small clearing. Several small beams of moonlight filtered through its leaves and surrounded him as he sat on the cold ground; he thought how appropriate it was that they looked like bars in a prison cell. Just as well. He felt just as trapped. He quickly opened his backpack and pants leg pockets and pulled out all his techno gear. He turned off his PDA and cell phone and anything else that might connect him to the world which he desperately wanted to shut out right now. He shoved them back into his pockets just before he threw his now empty backpack on the snow and scooted over on top of it. He settled down, having the sinking feeling that he would be serving a long sentence here.

The teen then quickly pulled off his glasses and laid them beside him. He threw his jacket hood up, drew his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and buried his face within the natural space they presented to him. He ignored his frosty breath and fought back more tears as his heart and mind whirled with all sorts of emotions. How he wished he could throw them all away and blend right into the cold nighttime shadows that blanketed him.

But the random, hurtful thoughts kept rapidly buffeting him as he tried in vain to slow them down. He felt sick with them, and felt weak.

Suddenly, he raised his head up at an unusual sound. It was the sound of some kind of insect. Funny, most insects usually didn't fly in cold nights. He scanned upward and around him, hoping he hadn't accidentally stirred up some hornets' nest. He knew only full well that he'd already done a great job at doing that back at Valerie's.

But Tucker didn't know that the insect he heard was Bertrand, now as a ghost bee, hovering close by, looking for a spot to land in order to extract the teen's pheromones. Bertrand flew upward to one of the overhanging branches above the distressed boy and converted back to his human self. He wasted no time pulling out the machine from his pocket as he did. He quickly began his task.

Satisfied that it must have been a random, odd bug, Tucker dropped his head back on his knees and tried to focus. He frowned at the next thought that demanded his attention: Valerie! Just why did she do that? Things were beginning to sorta iron themselves out until she had to mess things up again! True, her secret had still been a lie all this time, and having major secrets like that was not a good way to start out any relationship. But now what was he supposed to do? And just what did she expect him to do now? He had been able to get by all this in the past by just lending her his mute ear whenever she had gone on some rant about Danny Phantom. But what about now? He couldn't ignore it now! So what did Valerie expect him to do? Just come out all of the sudden and expect him to pretend to agree with all that stuff now? Of her hating and hunting Danny Phantom in front of him, and now in front of Danny and Sam? He couldn't do that! He wouldn't do that…to Danny. He suddenly felt very hurt, even betrayed, by Valerie. She should have warned him.

His thoughts naturally drifted toward Danny then. And he scrunched up his face, wishing more than ever that that stupid time rift hadn't happened! Before it did, Valerie seemed to roll with it when she found out Danny's secret after the disasteroid incident. Of course, it did help that Danny had just saved the world. Still, no thanks to Danny's alternate putrid evil future self, that had all been erased. There was nothing he could do about that now, of course; but now there was a problem about Danny's secret. That time rift also brought that back. And he knew that Danny trusted him to keep it. He suddenly felt nauseous with that thought.

Then it hit him; and trying to forget his queasy stomach, he jolted his head up. Valerie had just done that very thing! It was weird how she did, but she did. She had given him—and Danny and Sam—her trust by revealing her secret to them just now. He groaned. But he couldn't reciprocate that trust when it came to Danny's secret. There were still more lies in their relationship! He groaned at suddenly feeling very dizzy. He let his head fall back down into his knees. But he didn't know that he was really feeling dizzy and queasy because Bertrand's little machine was sucking up all his energy.

Meanwhile, Bertrand could see that this vial was about full, too! Good for keeping but, darn it, not enough receptacles! He should have brought more of them! But, really, all he could safely hold was four, not counting the one in the machine.

All of the sudden, the little machine's bell dinged and Tucker bolted his head up at the sound. "What was that?" he uttered, certain that that was no insect. He scanned upward, toward the place from where he was sure he had heard the sound come.

Bertrand gagged his gasp and immediately turned himself invisible. He silently chided himself for not paying attention to the machine to keep it from 'dinging'. He quickly lifted upward and flew away from the tree and Tucker, hurrying back to the Ghost Zone in order to store his treasures. With any luck, he would still have plenty of time to return and harvest more of his victim's pheromones.

But when he didn't see any reason attached to the sound, Tucker groaned again. Now, he was imagining things! He let his head fall again. Then he groaned at his next thought: Sam! Sure, she had apologized for getting mad at him, but how could she have ever thought that about him? That he would put Valerie before Danny and her? He suddenly and unconsciously bit his lower lip with that revelation. That was the problem. He kinda did put Valerie before Danny. During their fight a couple of days ago. He hadn't reacted like he should have in helping Danny. He sighed in defeat. He should have put Danny first, even when he wanted to put Valerie right up there with his two best friends. But he shouldn't and he couldn't. But he wanted to. Not that he felt less about Danny and Sam. Just that…he had been feeling more for Valerie.

But would his friends ever accept Valerie now? He moaned. Well, certainly Sam wouldn't. He suddenly felt hot as his anger seized his face. Sam could be so stubborn about things! But then, he regretted that thought. That was true, of course, about Sam, but deep down, Tucker had to admit that she was also trying to protect Danny, and really, in some ways, him, as well. She probably was afraid that Valerie would hurt them both; and from the way he acted when Valerie finally came out with her secret, Sam had been right. Valerie had hurt him. Not purposely, of course, but he still felt the sting from what she did. She hadn't warned him.

His mind halted again. But she kinda did. She had said it was supposed to be a surprise. And it certainly was a shocker of a one!

His head wrestled with more tormenting thoughts, thoughts that he just didn't feel like fighting anymore. And he suddenly let the confusion take him over. Valerie and her secret. Danny with his. Sam's lashing and her hurting Danny with that guy. Yeah. Sam and that guy? But right now, he didn't want to think about anything any more. All he could think about was his hurt. His could feel his mind numb with fatigue from all the anxieties buffeting his heart and he gave in. Before he knew it, he was mentally and emotionally exhausted and fell asleep within his moonbeam-lit cell under the cold, dark tree...

And in all that while, Danny had searched desperately for his friend. Tucker wasn't at their usual hangouts and Sam had called to tell him that their friend's cell phone and PDA must have been turned off. And that could mean only one thing: Tucker was incredibly upset. He increased his speed, this time heading to Tucker's home, hoping that he would find his best friend there. He didn't know what he was going to say or do when he finally caught up with Tucker. But, he didn't care. He just knew he had to find him.

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Valerie let go of her father and quickly wiped her tears away.

"I'm all right now, Dad," she muttered unconvincingly. "I think I just need to get a bit of fresh air."

"Okay, Honey. Be careful," he said with a supportive, weak smile.

Valerie dashed upstairs and opened her widow wide. She pushed the button on her bracelet and instantly became the Red Huntress. She soared right through the window and into the open, understanding arms of the moonlit sky.

As she flew onward to nowhere in particular, she tried to squelch her feelings. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't. Her helmet began to fog up with all the extra humidity. But even lifting it completely off her head in frustration for a moment didn't release the rattling she felt within her head.

She truly now regretted that she had surprised Tucker, Danny and Sam with her secret. However, underneath, she really only regretted how she had told them. She should have done it a different way. And she should have made sure Tucker had been 'in on it' as Sam had said.

She placed her helmet back on when she noticed the biting cold buffeting her cheeks. But they weren't flushed just because of that. Tucker! She would never forget the look on his face when he saw her in her Red Huntress costume. He was more than surprised. He was shocked. Devastated. She suddenly frowned in confusion. Why was he devastated? She could understand disbelief. But devastation?

And then, Danny and Sam were no different. They thought she was joking! And when she insisted she wasn't, they were, well, spooked by her revelation. She did a 'good job' all right. A good job at alienating them forever.

She suddenly frowned more. She just didn't get it. What was the big deal, then? She thought they would have rolled with it. And didn't people have all kinds of secrets they didn't reveal unless it was with the right person and at the right time? She thought she was with the right person: Tucker. And the right people: his two best friends. She moaned. But obviously it wasn't the right time.

Maybe they couldn't understand. Maybe they couldn't see why she had felt so shunned by practically the whole school. Danny and Sam—and even Tucker—must think she was mega-weird now! After all, what teenager in her right mind would hunt ghosts?

She sniffed as she thought about that some more and grumbled when she couldn't get to her nose. She pushed a button and her helmet face shield popped opened to allow her to wipe her nose with her sleeve.

But now what was she gonna do? Tucker must think she was way-out crazy now. Would he ever want to see her again? A tear rolled down her face. She really wouldn't blame him. She had totally embarrassed him in front of his friends and now his friends would make it perfectly clear to him that they didn't want to see her again. They would never accept her now. In fact, they probably would guess that her secret was the real reason her old friends at school had rejected her. But it wasn't. It was because she had been thrust into sudden poverty and no longer qualified as 'in'.

"Who cares, anyway?" she growled, trying to convince and steel herself. "Before Tucker came along, I was doing just fine! I didn't need anybody. I couldn't need anybody. I had my 'extra work' to do!"

She increased her speed, knowing that she had not convinced herself at all. Suddenly, her ghost alarm went off. But it sounded odd. "Darn this thing! Can't the ghosts see that I'm totally not in the mood?" She violently shut it off and went even faster.

But she didn't know that it was alerting her of Bertrand's approach. He was making a beeline to the portal he knew had to be nearby and wasn't paying attention to his surroundings.

Valerie felt all the emotions within her speeding up; and, hoping to outrun them, unconsciously commanded her hover-board to pour on more speed.

All of the sudden, her ghost alarm sounded off again, jerking her out of her thoughts. It still sounded very odd! "Darn it! I'll never get any peace unless I get rid of that ghost!" she angrily grunted.

She closed the shield of her helmet and activated its ghost-detecting visor. She had some difficulty finding the ghost, however. The signature seemed to have holes in it, which it really did, since Bertrand had missed some parts of his aura when he had sprayed himself with the ghost signature masking formula, and the stuff hadn't fully been absorbed in his ghostly skin because of that. But the fact that Bertrand was headed right to her at least made it possible for her to detect him after all.

She quickly pushed a button and a wicked-looking weapon eked out the sleeve of her red suit. She quickly armed it, and just when she estimated that the invisible Bertrand was within the ecto-gun's sites, she fired without hesitation.

Bertrand heard the gun go off and saw the Red Huntress in the near distance, but he was too late. The blast hit him squarely, driving him forcibly to the ground and into some bushes just a few hundred feet from the sleeping Tucker. But the thick forest had successfully muffled the noise of Bertrand and Valerie's encounter, and the boy remained asleep.

Bertrand, meanwhile, had been knocked senseless and the little machine that was still in his hand was thrown several feet from him. But now that he still had most of the masking juice on him and wasn't emitting any energy because he was unconscious, Valerie momentarily lost track on where he was.

"He can't have gotten far," she said to herself, re-calibrating her radar device to trace any residual ectoplasmic energy. She was about to scan the area, but her mind stopped her, demanding her to pay attention to the thoughts she had before she encountered this ghost. She turned around and soared upward as her face suddenly dropped. She wished she could empty her head of these pesky thoughts! She tried to push them away, but her heart wouldn't let her. Finally, she couldn't take any more yanking on those old heartstrings. She made up her mind.

"I'm just going to go find Tucker and come totally clean with him. About everything! I think he deserves better than how I've treated him with this lame-brained surprise. I just hope he'll forgive me!"

She felt the pressure in her heart lighten a little with her decision and she altered her course and headed to Tucker's home.

But just as she neared it, her ghost alarm went off again. "Now that does it!" she growled with hatred as soon as her sites homed in on the ghost.

She didn't think twice about firing.

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As Danny continued to head toward Tucker's house, he continued to scan the area below him, hoping that he just might stumble upon his best friend. He, too, had tried Tucker's cell phone and was even more chagrin that he hadn't answered it. Tucker was definitely very upset to even think of searching for the 'off' button of any of his techno gear, much less have them off for this long.

He was just a couple of blocks from Tucker's home when he saw someone below him that had a jacket that looked like his best friend's! But the hood was up. He slowed down, turned invisible and quietly soared downward. But as he neared the boy he spied, he quietly asked, "Tucker?" But it became indisputable to Danny that the boy was not Tucker when the boy screamed and ran away at hearing the sudden ghostly whisper!

Sighing with disappointment, Danny veered away to the left and upward. He re-materialized and resumed his course to his friend's home. But he didn't realize that in his disappointment he had actually slowed his speed.

Finally, Tucker's house came into Danny's view and just before he sped up, he heard a familiar sound and his stomach knotted. He stopped in mid-flight and gasped as the fiery red ghost-seeking missile was just moments from hitting him!