Chapter Five:

Daphne & Fred heard every single noise that crept through the old creepy house. "Daph, stay behinde me, & let's walk in some rooms." Fred said cutting on his flash light & ready to lead the way. Daphne grabbed Fred's shoulder.

"I don't think so...you've got the camera, & I'm the reporter, you can't lead if you've got the camera..." Daphne said, with a grin, knowing it bothered him not to lead the way.

"Daph..." Fred started, upset, then remembered the fight they'd gotten in about her not being able to handle herself.

"What, Fred?" She said, in a smart tone, flipping hair.

"Good idea, just be careful.." He warned. Daphne smiled.

"Thanks Freddie." She said suprised. Leading the way walking graceful as she could, Fred followed right behinde his redhead friend.

"See anything?" Fred asked whispered.

"No, not yet anyways." Daphne said back, creeping through the old haunted mansion, Fred was turning his head everyway, left then right, right then left. Front & back. Not wanting to take any chances, there was a cold breeze that crept through the mansion, sending chills up both their spines. Daphne stepped on a lose board & fell right through the floor, Fred quickly grabbed her arm.

"Freddie, help!" She screamed, frightend by what just happened so sudden.

"Don't worry Daph, I got you!" He said pulling her up gently from the hole she'd been trapped in.

"Are you alright?" Fred asked as the two sat on the dusty old floor. Daphne leaned in pain lifting her arm from the leg she was holding. Fred saw the bloody hand which had been placed on her ankle.

"I'm fine.." She whimpered.

"Not true. Daph, your bleeding. Just stay calm & relax, I'll get you out of here." Fred said comforting his friend that was close to fainting, it was normal for Daphne to faint when she bled, she always got weak seeing blood.

Fred scooped his redhead friend up in his arms, the walk back through the mansion, comforting her all they way through, suddenly they heard a voice. It was coming from upstairs. Daphne looked at Fred, who had stopped running.

"What's that?" She asked, alert to the noise.

"It's nothing Daph." Fred said trying his hardest to ignore the the voice he heard. Daphne had her arms wrapped around his neck, she loved the feel this, his comfort was like no others.

"Freddie, we can't just leave, we've gotta get this on tape, this could be big!" She said. Fred blikned, he thought she was crazy. Just a minute ago she could barely breathe & was getting ready to go out cold.

"Daph, your hurt, your safety comes first! Not some crazy voice spooking us!" Fred shouted out of breath. She looked up into his big blue worried eyes.

"Freddie...please?" She asked softly. How could he say no to that beautiful face? Those eyes teary & bright ocean blue. He hugged her tightly. Daphne smiled. Fred rested her gently on the floor up againest a wall. Daphne gipped tightly on his neck.

"Freddie what are you doing!" Daphne cried. Fred looked into her eyes, still teary.

"I'm going to get us a good shot of this ghost for you. Then we're outta here!" He said placing her arms in her lap gently then picking up the camera & running up the stairs.

"Freddie, no!" She shouted reaching out for him to come back. Fred jogged up the steps looking into a room, flowing the voice. Daphne sat alone,scary sounds & wind chills gently blowing through her hair, making her shiver. She put on her serious face then ripped her sweater off and wrapped it around the sore bleeding ankle. She lifted her arms onto the stair case & pulled up, she gripped tightly on the stair rail then fast as she could ran up the stair, each step, never ending pain. She was ready to just give up & take the fall down the never ending staircase. She finally reached the top to see Fred wrestling with a tall scary monster, with a face exactly like she'd seen in the window.

"Freddie!" She cried, rushing over to help, limping she leaped as well as she was able to onto the monster. Fred had set the camera up on it's stand. It was catching ever bit of action. The monster slammed Daphne into wall, she was in betweent the monster & the hard wooden wall, with pain in every area of her body.

Fred jumped up, he'd almost been killed by the monster who had, had his neck. He rushed over to Daphne & punched the monster to the ground. Daphne landed in Fred's arms as he fell to the ground after catching her.

"You little pain! HOW DARE YOU! You'll never find it! Never!" The monster shouted, twisting into thin air, vanished with a blink of an eye.

"Find what..." Fred said under his breath.

"Look Freddie,he dropped something!" Daphne said pointing to a paper, old & partly ripped. Fred reached over & picked it up.

"It's a map!" Fred said. Daphne & him scanned the map. Then Fred felt her cold sweaterless arms.

"Daphne why'd you follow me?" Fred asked as she held the map, sitting in his lap.

"Cause I heard you & you sounded in trouble..." Daphne mumbled. Fred scooped her up, she loved the comfort safe feeling his strong arms gave her.

"Let's get you some help right away." He said, he quickly knocked down the door, kicked it with his foot then ran out. The gate was oddly wide open, just inviting them to walk out. Fred thought it was either a clue or a trap. With no time to waste he ran right through & place Daphne in the passenger seat.

He rushed her to the ER. They took her back. Fred paced back & forth.

"First time father?" A man asked from behinde Fred who'd been watching him pace.

"What?...Gosh no Sir, it's my friend, she hurt her ankle & I'm just...worried?" Fred said falling back into a chair.

"Just a friend & all that fuss?" The man asked laughing at the blond man.

"Well...yeahhh." Fred said sighing. The older man took a seat closer to Fred.

"She's more to you then just that, isn't she?" The man asked. Fred didn't know he was so obvious. Did people he didn't even know, know him like this?

"No we're just friends...okay maybe..a little...But, I don't want to ruin our friendship.." Fred admitted to the older man.

"I was once in your spot, just tell her, you'll be happy you did & I can promise you, you'll never regert it." He said getting up & leaving Fred alone in the ever so boring waiting room.

Shortly after Daphne came wheeled out in a wheel-chair, Fred ran to her.

"She'll need to stay off the foot for a while then she's good to go, close call though. It's a good thing you came." The doctor said leaving.

"You can stay at my place until your better, I've got an extra bedroom." Fred said

"Thank you Freddie." She said smiling brightly at her handsom best friend

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