Don't shoot! I have returned bearing gifts. It's been way too long since my last update and it has mostly been spent thinking up this chapter, although school has wormed its way into my schedule someway. I think I need to spray again. . .

I'm really, really, really sorry for the delay. This chapter didn't want to get written for anything, but I'm satisfied with what did get written. For now. . .

Before I start I do need to say a few things. Nothing real important, I guess, but be kind and read anyway.

1: I'm not very happy with the ways parts of the first two chapters have turned out and I want to fix them. Nothing major, just looking them over again to see what I can change.

2: The title isn't, in my opinion, the most original, so that's probably going to be changed as well. I'll post the new title in my authors note in a future chapter before I actually change it so you, my wonderful reviewers, won't get angry with the link when it no longer works.

3: Replies to you guys, then story. (Whew)

Rhana: I hate writers block. Living, Breathing Demons is the first thing I've written in at least a year, but don't worry, I'm sure your muse hasn't abandoned. Everyone needs a vacation and with us creative types, I'm sure they need 'em most of all. And the second chapter was phenomenal, but I think you're holding the third one for ransom. Will this chapter be enough?

Phoenix72389: Mmmm! me likey M&M's! Thanks, I was worried that they would seem to OOC. Here's your treat, now give me more M&M's!

Cat-san: 'So you wish it, so shall it be.' Don't ya just love Desiree?

They-Call-Me-Orange: Glad ya like it. After I wrote that part, I suddenly had a craving for Cotton Candy.

Kitty00240: We all know Tuck is smart, just not realistic. I have written, now you will read. (Please.)

Risika Tellerman: Two reviews, sweet! Thanks for the info.

Monai: I like 'em that way to. Plus, it is oh-so obvious.

Fluffystwin: Glad you like. What do I call you, Ja ne or Fluffystwin? Hows this for suspense?

I do believe I am finished for now. Read, enjoy, and review ya'll!

"You can't understand life until you live it; even then we come up with our own conclusions." – By me! 

Chapter Three: Dining Entertainment

The crowd slowly began to disperse as the gorillas resettled beneath the trees large, sheltering branches. Sampson, exhausted from his mini-show, was already asleep in his mother's arms before she came to their little nest of leaves and moss.

A few tarried to watch the small family, mostly couples like themselves, who were either too wrapped up in each other or merely enjoying the unusual, but not unwanted, tranquility the surroundings seemed to bring.

They, Danny and Sam, resided in the latter. He still stood behind her with his arms still wrapped around her waist, and his chin remaining where he had put it on her shoulder some time ago.

Danny kissed the nape of his girlfriends again to gain her attention, but Sams violet eyes remained ever vigilant on the now slumbering ape family within the confines of man-made steel she passionately inveighed against. Her eyelashes fluttered a little at the feeling of his warm lips on her flesh, yet did not fully commit to his calling. The scant reaction did not deter Danny in the slightest. He took any chance or excuse to touch the rebellious Goth in his arms, now that he had been given permission to follow up on them.

He kissed her velvety skin over and over, determined to bring her back to him after such a long time of fawning over the endangered gorillas, and allowed his breath to tickle that spot just behind her ear Danny knew drove her crazy.

"Danny. . ." She whispered, shifting slightly in his arms. Success! Okay, now just a little more pressure. . . He swung her around and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. So much for the little part. He heard the small gasp of surprise she gave, and then was delighted to feel her arms slither around his neck as she deepened the kiss. She not only smelled of something purple, she tasted of it as well. The girl must have just liked the color she was when she was born. The thought was squashed when he felt her fingers sink into his hair.

Slowly, unknowingly, he leaned her against the railing, pinning her between him and the metal. Vaguely, beyond the haze the kiss induced in his hormonal mind, he realized a similar situation earlier that evening. He grinned, his lips still locked with hers in a delicious way that was older than Clockwork himself.

To them, the kiss was not long when they came up for air and only assumed it was polite for public displays, but secretly felt glad there were few others around to witness it.

"What . . . was that for?" Sam gasped. Danny felt his confidence boost somewhat. Before the kiss he thought she would hit him for it. He would not be disappointed.

"Ow!" He whimpered, rubbing the same shoulder as before. "What was that for?"

"I asked first."

"To get your attention. I . . . was lonely. . ." He could only imagine how stupid and selfish his response sounded to her. But, to his immense relief, Sam chuckled.

"Lonely? I'm right here Danny. How can you be lonely?"

"Well, you were right here, but you weren't here . . . mentally . . .?" This was not going well. Danny made to explain, still stumbling over words like his usual clumsy self until she waved her hand.

"I think I understand." Her eyes were twinkling. "It was nice, kinda like Sleeping Beauty." Now he was starring at her. At his countenance, she rolled her previously twinkling eyes. "Don't tell you don't know Sleeping Beauty, Danny."

"I do, but how do you?" Sam sighed, smacking him playfully on the shoulder for the third time that night.

"Because we watched the movie together when we were seven, remember?" The hybrid felt heat flush his cheeks as he recalled the memory too late.

"Oh, yeah . . ." He mumbled, finding his shoes very interesting all of a sudden. 'That's a new smudge.' Thin fingers brought his head back up, his face still pink, to her meet her gaze that held everything that was her, everything he loved . . . wait . . .

But his thoughts stopped were they were, growing cold as he became enchanted by his girlfriend's lovely violet eyes. Those very same eyes that could instill fear in others, ghosts included, or harden when a task thought impossible was set before her. He loved the glow they now held that spoke of her happiness and did everything in his power to keep it there.

Unbeknownst to him, these thoughts, among others, were in Sams mind as well until Danny bent down to capture her plum lips in another kiss that she eagerly accepted, parting her lips in invitation. Heavy breathes through noses and clutching hands were only a few things that entailed the kiss.

Danny couldn't help but laugh when the kiss was broken by Sam's stomach less than lady-like growl, hugging her to ease the embarrassment that came off of her in waves.

"You hungry?" He could feel her rolling her eyes at him.

"Thank you Captain Obvious, for pointing that out." Sarcasm, another perk of her personality that he found endearing. He pulled away just enough to look into her eyes a second longer, then took her by the hand and led her away.

"Come on, we're going to that new café the zoo built."

"You mean still building. What possessed them to open that thing up when it was only half done?" Danny looked to her again, face completely straight and said: "A ghost?" Followed up by: "Ow! You know, I'm gonna have to keep a tally of how many times you hit me. This is turning into an abusive relationship."

To say the walk to the restaurant was comfortable in the silence that ensued between them would definitely be a lie, but it eased up when Sam loosened her painful grip and Danny could feel the tips of his finger again. The hybrid watched from the corner of his eye, keeping his amusement to himself, as Sam scanned almost slyly through bars and over railing for a glimpse of an animal, any animal, whether it was conscious or not.

There was a feeling of pride swelling in his chest Danny couldn't ignore, mentally ticking off a mark for himself. Being a good boyfriend was much harder than it looked, like most things were, but so far, he hadn't screwed up too bad. He had learned to always pay attention to your partners' likes and dislikes and act on them, which was an obvious given even he knew. Sam was a complex girl and had many of these, but knowing her for years upon years before even considering dating was a big plus and made it easier for him to pick through them all and choose the most important likes.

One: She loved animals. If there was anything she loved more it was the protests and rallies she went to to try and free them.

Two: Individualism and freedom. He was careful to avoid anything name brand or normal, instead keeping an eye out for unique and sometimes creepy items she adored.

Three: No violence; even though she cheered his heroic side on when kicking some poor ghosts butt, she'd rather handle everyday squabbles with sarcastic quips instead of a punch in the face.

There were others, but the list was long and since there were no rallies he knew of and he being tactless, Danny knew the first one was safest.

He felt Sam leaning into him, shivering. Wordlessly he let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm to warm her. She smiled in thanks and proceeded to peer through the cages.

They came to the Café and waited for their seats to be fixed, literally. They watched as a two builders drill in the booth they were later seated in. Once given menu's from their waitress who, in Sam's opinion, was way too perky for anytime of the day, the couple observed their surroundings.

Cables hung loose from untilled ceilings, connecting with lights that lit the partially finished restaurant; bus boys were sluggishly sweeping up the broken wood pieces and shavings; builders scattered around the building were packing up loudly and yet diners were smiling and laughing as though they were in a normal, finished, eatery.

As Sam scanned around the room, the question 'why?' passing through her mind again. The question was almost, if not immediately answered. Money. It did make the world go round, after all. The truth in the cliché made it even more pathetic in her mind. The zoo needed money for all the construction they were doing and decided to open the unfinished Café to open visitor's wallets wider and more often. The return of their overzealous waitress snapped her from her brief ponderings to order a salad while Danny ordered a cheeseburger.

"So, you liking it so far?" Danny asked as Kelly, their waitress, scurried off to another table. He took her hand in his again, the warmth of his hand encasing hers tenderly.

She nodded her head yes, referring to the date. "Yep, though it makes me wonder how you're going to outdo this on our anniversary." Danny, although pale, still was able to loose color in his face.

The anniversary! He completely forgot--!

"Mommy! Mommy! Look! Fishies! Fishes, mommy! Please, can I have one, pwetty pweez?" Said a little girl, bundled in a faux fur-coat and clutching on to her a woman's hand that had to be her mother, who looked as though she was about ready to snap. A heavy-set woman sat them close to where Danny and Sam were and received drink orders before turning away, the smile she had on her wrinkled and tanned face sliding off as she rolled her watery eyes.

"Bella, no." The girl's mother said once the waitress left. "You ignored the last fish we got you for your birthday and they ended up meeting Mr. Toilet, remember?" The girl, Bella, nodded, but continued to bounce up and down on the seat, her hands propelling her in the motions. "Now be a good girl and be quiet for a little while, please? Mommy has a headache." Bella complied without anymore prodding and got on to her knees to press her nose against the aquarium that had started her up in the first place.

The couples's attentions returned to one another then, the clack of their orders being set down calling forth another angry grumble courtesy of Sam's stomach. The Goth attacked her Caesar Salad, partly from hunger, but mostly to distract herself from the embarrassment that washed over her for the second time that night.

Danny chuckled and ignoring the frigid glare he received, dug into his meal in a much leisurely manner.

"Fishy, fishy, fishy. . . I love fishies." Bella murmured quietly, her breath fogging up the cool glass. She used her sleeve to wipe it clean, and then resumed her wide-eyed stare at the colorful, darting animals. Briefly, she looked towards her mother. Her eyes were still closed, meaning she wasn't going to get in trouble for not eating her fish-shaped chicken fingers growing cold where their waitress had left them. Not yet, at least. This also meant Bella could watch the fish some more and that was all that mattered! The girl pressed her nose to the glass, bouncing again in excitement.

"I wish I could be a fish." She whispered, the secret known only to those within the glass containment. Bella's honey brown eyes glazed over, suddenly lost in a dream of whizzing through water as though she could fly, like the funny floaty people that visited sometimes. The water began to swirl, nothing mind-boggling, until it started to grow, circling more rapidly and widely in the tank. The fish that had not been caught in the small whirlpool fled to the corners and behind rocks and castles. The sucking sound it made soon drew attention, including a raven-haired pair sitting not to far from the strange phenomena. No one noticed the boy when he sounded like he was hacking up a lung; instead all eyes were trained on the aquarium.

"Oooo. . ." Bella cooed. Her mother, jarred from her half-sleep by the noise, fell to the floor, eyes as wide as her daughters, jaw slack and voice gone. A sort of mist rose from the tank, frost that both calmed the shocked diners and laid a heavy sense of foreboding on to their chest. Either way, they could not move.

So you wish it, so shall it be . . .!

Before Danny could control the bout of coughing, there was chaos. The reason was plan as the night that surrounded them, but he didn't need to see it to know. He was Danny Phantom, after all, and with it came certain perks. It was nothing subtle like Spider-mans throbbing in his head, but it did the trick. The teen spun around, baby blues calculating the events that came with quite a bit of experience.

Desiree, the wish-granting ghost he really just wanted to wish away sometimes, was laughing manically like every other one of his enemies, her ghostly tail making a whirlpool in the large aquarium. 'They really need a hobby.'

People were making for the exits through the walls (all seemed to forget the doors), tripping over chairs, tables and persons for the freedom. Only a woman kneeling next to a booth seat remained and she was screaming: "Someone's cut her! Someone's cut my baby!" Danny hide beneath his and Sam's table and went ghost, immerging as the snowy-haired, electric-green eyed ghost-boy Amity had become famous for, hovering over the wood floor. Desiree waved, not frightened in the slightest and took her leave through the ceiling.

"Sam, I gotta—" He turned and found the Fenton Thermos pointed at his face, lid closed. Sam was already standing and shoving it into his hands.

"Go! She's getting away you dolt!" Despite the situation, Danny smiled. Pecking her on the cheek, he took the Thermos and tossed her the keys to his car.

He glided to the woman, following her puffy, red eyes to where they were looking. Bella was gasping for breath and clutching at her throat. Sam raced over from behind him, gently nudging the mother out of her way and pried the little girl's hands from her throat. Her eyes widened.

"Dan—Phantom! These don't look like cut marks; I think their gills!" Danny didn't take the time ponder this and plunked the girl into the aquarium she was recently admiring and sped off after Desiree, the screams of Bella's mother dissipating behind him.

I just love cliffies, don't you? Uh, I'll take the pitchforks as a no . . . Once again I'm really sorry for taking so long, but I'm hoping to have the next chapter up fairly soon, say a week or so. . . Ahhh! Pointy! Pointy not good!