A/N:: Hey guys! I had a little fun with this chapter, and I have to confess that while I was writing the end of it, an ad for the Disney movie that I'm going to buy Tuesday came on. So, some of that may have entered the dialogue, and I'm not sorry about it. Haha. Please review! XD

~Destiny

"Danny, as much as you have done for us and this town, I doubt that le Cirque du Soleil is what you claim." The mayor smiled apologetically at the ghost boy, "I've met the ring leader, and Monsieur Louis looks nothing like the thief from Circus Gothica."

He stared at him in shock, "But, sir-"

"Thank you for your concern, but if the threat was real, then you wouldn't be in the show tonight, would you?" He glanced at his computer, "Speaking of which, you should be there now, getting ready. You won't want to upset that new girlfriend of yours."

Knowing the dismissal when he heard it, Danny nodded and silently left the office. How does he not recognize Freak Show? It's not like his face is forgettable/ Is he messing with some ghost who can affect the minds of people? This is not good. Not at all. He sighed and took off into the air.

Sam sat in the library, reading a book that would cause her parents to have a heart attack. She flipped through the pages of Burn as she devoured the words on the page.

"Enjoying yourself?" Danny sat down across from her, smiling slightly, "What's this one about?"

"A pyromaniac teenager who is obsessed with having sex." Her violet eyes looked at him, "Why are you so pale? And don't make a ghost joke. You are clearly human at the moment."

"Are… Are you hinting at something?" He gestured to the book.

She choked, "No! Jeez, what's wrong with you today?"

"Sorry. Mom said something when I asked her about getting protection from the crystal."

"And she only heard the protection part, right?" She laughed at his obvious grimace, "Oh, man I wish I'd been there to see that! Is she going to help?"

"Yeah, but the city's not." He quickly filled her in on what happened at the mayor's office, "Apparently Freak Show can disguise himself. To humans, he looks like a Monsieur Louis."

Sam thought for a moment, "Maybe we should get Tucker to help your mom. Since I doubt she's letting Jack help her and time is of the essence, two tech heads will be a lot better than one."

"I'll find him. What's next on your 'defy and rebel against uptight parents' book list?"

She grinned, "A series by Charlaine Harris. Apparently it's the series that HBO vamp show is based off of. You know the one I'm talking about, right? True Blood?"

Danny laughed nervously, "Another literature work of porn? I'll let you have your fun then."

"I'm scaring you with all of the sex contained novels, aren't I?"

He gave her a quick kiss, "Absolutely terrified. I'll call you as soon as I talk to Tucker." With a playful wink, he phased into a ghost and flew out of the library.

Ember spotted him almost immediately from her spot on the library roof, "There you are! I've been looking all over for you. We have a show to do in a couple of hours, and you don't even know what we're doing!"

He tried to ignore her and kept flying towards Tucker's house. She can't be serious. There is no way that I'm going to let them have a chance at using the crystal again before Mom finishes whatever protection she's cooking up.

"Oh, so you're the kind of guy who kisses a girl, and then never speak to her again? Very classy, Danny."

Did she just say…? He turned around to face her, "What do you mean: kiss a girl? Last time I checked, we've never locked lips."

"Now, that is just a lie. Don't play dumb with me. Don't be like every other ghost on the other side. You kissed me, and you liked it. Admit it!" Ember placed her hand on her hip.

His face scrunched in confusion, "But I don't even remember-" And as soon as he said it, the crowd, the act, it all bombarded his mind at once. He gulped as he remembered the taste and the feel of her lips as they moved with his, "Ember, I have a girl friend."

"Do you love her? Honestly love her, not the 'I love you more' sappy teenage crap."

He hesitated, "I… might."

This may just be too easy. Her red eyes gleamed, "Then kiss me again. Don't you want to know you made the right choice?"

"You're being controlled. You wouldn't be acting like this if Freak Show wasn't telling you what to do. Fight him!"

She floated closer to him, "Kiss me, Danny, and tell me you still want that stupid human. One kiss won't harm a thing."

He swallowed hard, fighting the urge to do as she suggested, "N-no. You won't be able to fool me again, Ember. Now get away from me before I make you."

"Someone's nervous!" She laughed seductively and purred, "Why? It's not like we haven't kissed before. Don't deny what you really want." Smirking, she stopped a couple of inches in front of him, "Just one kiss."

"Unless I beg for more, right?"

"If you insist, but this is not a Disney movie, Danny." Ember smiled, "No harm in it at all."

Their lips were a centimeter apart, "Just one…" Danny shook his head and backed away suddenly, "No! No. Nice try, Ember, but I have more important stuff to do." He flew away without looking back.

Well, damn it.