Chapter 9: Dinner Time:

Annie quietly started to knock on the door to Willie and Swoosie bedroom. It opened and they were dead asleep spooning each other over the covers. Annie giggled a little and closed the door, they probably won't wake up for a little while anyways. "What do you think those dorks were doing?" Moe asked. "Be quiet..." Annie whispered. "I'm going out for a while ok..." she continued as she placed the fish down on the couch and turned on the TV. "Have fun with your boyfriend!" Moe said as she started to leave. Annie started to blush and then muttered 'Shut Up' as she quickly left for the coffee shop. Annie ordered the same coffees she got yesterday and took her time to go walking to the alley. Spyke seemed to have snoozed off. Annie thought it was cute and decided to put the coffee down and went into his arms to wait for him to wake up. He started to open his eyes and look down. "G-Good morning... " Annie said starting to blush. Spyke started to get some awareness of what was going on, "Good morning love." he said lifting her up to kiss her on the cheek. Annie started to blush, "Well I got you coffee again..." Annie said getting up to get them. "Aw you didn't have to love." Spyke said taking the coffee. "No no, it's my pleasure!" Annie said as she started to sip her coffee. Spyke put his arm on Annie and took her to sit his his lap. Spyke started to look down at her and Annie blushed. "Your looking cute today Annie." he said putting his coffee down to put his fingers in Annie's hair. Annie started to blush more but enjoyed the feeling of him playing with her hair. "Hey I've been wondering, what do you eat out here for lunch or dinner because I usually never see you eat anything, well besides those snails." Annie asked quietly. "Is that a problem, these snails are very tasty." he said getting one and placing it next to Annie who looked at it with curiosity and a hint of fear. "I was also just wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight maybe...you- you don't have to though." Annie asked flustered. "Well sure, one night without snails..." Spyke said. Annie gasped a little, you will? Thank you so much!" She said hugging Spyke tightly. "I love you" she said pressing her face against Spykes chest. Spyke went down and kissed Annie's head, "I love you too" he said as he cradled Annie in his arms for a few minutes heifer he said she had to get back before anybody questioned her being gone for too long. "Meet me at the front of the store at 6!" She said frantically running back to the store. Annie bust though the stores and was about to run up the stairs but then decided to walk up them. She opened the door and then walked in the house. The two girls and Moe were still watching TV on the couch. "Hey guys, could I ask you of a huge favor?" Annie said to the girls. Swoosie turned over to her from the couch. "What is it?" Swoosie asked curiosity. "Will you work the store for me today? I have a lot of stuff to do today!" Annie said. "A lot of stuff my ass..." Moe muttered from the couch. "S-Shut up!" She said to the fish starting to blush and turn away from him. "But anyways you guys could work right?" Annie said still turned away. "Oh yeah of course!" Swoosie said. I'm not sure how much help Willie will be though so I'll leave her up here with Moe. "Ok, just let me show you what to do." Annie said taking the mutant downstairs. "Man it's not everyday Annie is like this." Moe said to Willie. "What do you mean?" Willie asked. "Well she kinda was crushing on this guy who spends all of his time in an alley and she's been talking to him a lot lately." Moe said. "Do you think he's coming or something?" Willie asked. "If that loser even comes in the store I will lose my mind. Moe said pouting. Annie came back up, "Swoosie is downstairs and I'm going, Moe you're staying here." She said turning back towards the door. "Awwwww!" Moe said loudly as she went back downstairs. "What a nerd..." Moe said quietly. "Maybe we can catch the Squid Sisters on or something since she won't bring me with her." Moe said again to Willie. "Give me that remote, it's like on your left there you could probably lean over and get it. Moe said. Willie could almost feel it but she accidentally fell over and was now laying down on the couch and under the remote. She could feel some buttons being pressed. "Ouch, great." she said getting the remote out from under her. "What channel did you even switch it to?" Moe asked. "Woah cool! That nerd freaking died? Did you see that? Oh wait you can't! Bahahahahah!" The fish said bursting out laughing. "Yes Moe, what channel is that?" She asked concerned. There's some inklings on sea horses and they were trying to fight over who should stay in the town because it's 'too big for both of them.'" Moe explained. "Oh one of those movies, well I think I'll fall asleep for a while then." She said starting to doze off.

Annie came back a few hours later with some shopping bags in her hands and set them on the kitchen counter. Moe was still watching his movie and Willie was passed out on the couch. "What channel even is this?" Annie questioned coming over. "I dunno, Willie tried to get the remote for me before and fell on it and she hit some buttons on it." Annie looked at the screen again and there was some Jellyfish and Inklings at a rodeo riding on sea horses as crowds cheered on. "Well, whatever." Annie said going back to her bags and started placing the items out of them and onto the counter. "What'd you get that stuff for anyways." Moe said questioning the bags now looking away from the movie. "Oh just for a little something special," Annie replied with an ever so slight hint of happiness in her voice. "And that would be?" the fish asked. "Oh you know," Annie chimed. "I invited Spyke over for dinner" she said as she started to smile happily. The fish moaned loudly. "Why are you letting that bum into our house?" He asked frustrated. "Don't call him a bum," Annie pouted. "J-Just get back to your stupid cowboy movie or whatever!" Annie said as she started to move the food on a cutting board.

Annie was deciding to some lobster for dinner, because at least it wasn't snails. She would've gone with fish if she didn't live with Moe. She did get 4 lobsters though so everybody could have enough; but she also picked up some isopods for Moe to eat too. She prepared the four pots by filling them with some water and then added salt into the water to make it better tasting. And then she started to boil all four of the pots on the stove at the same time and threw the lobsters into them and cringed as she looked away. She really didn't want to remember that if she wanted to cook lobster for dinner it meant killing them in those pots. Those poor lobsters, so innocent. She came back to the pots 15 minutes later and took the lobsters out of the pots and put them on plates and started to set the table. "You're really getting into this- wahhhh!" Moe started to say as he got knocked over by Willie who has just woken up. She started to sniff around and rub her eyes. "Man what smells so good..." She said still sleepy. "It's lobster..." Annie said. "We are having somebody over for diner tonight." she started to look over the clock and it was almost 6' o clock. "Ah! I-I've been slacking off too much I have to get ready they'll be over soon!" Annie said as she started to melt a sticks of butter to put on the side of the table while she was brushing her hair and straightening out her clothes. "You sound nervous, who's even coming over?" Willie asked. "Somebody very important to me, you'll meet them when you get here." Annie said. The microwave beeped as she quickly went and poured the now melted butter into little cups. "He's probably gonna be here soon!" She said running downstairs. "Loser!" Moe called out after her as the door slammed. Annie ran through the store though the entrance and bumped into somebody and fell on her butt. "I-I'm sorry!" Annie said as she was getting up wiping the dust off her pants. "Are you ok?" Annie asked. "I am now," the voice said. "She looked up and it was Spyke. "Ah! How long were you here! I'm so sorry that I kept you waiting!" She said starting to blush. "It wasn't long don't worry," he said smoothly as he went to pick up Annie and hug her. She started to blush even more as she hugged back as hard as she could. "I'd like to keep hugging but we gotta go inside now..." Annie whispered. "Oh yeah, love," he said placing her down. Annie blushed a little more because that nickname always got to her. Annie held open the door of the shop for him and switched the sign to closed. The store was empty so Swoosie must'v'e gone up already. Annie showed Spyke where the stairs were and then opened the door to the apartment. There was Willie only half awake from her long nap next to Swoosie and Moe was on the edge of the couch. "Who are those people?" Spyke asked curiously. "Oh yeah, I'll tell you." she said going over to them. "Guys..." she spoke a little loudly, "I'd like you to meet Spyke, my... my boyfriend...". Willie gasped a little bit covered it with her hand and Swoosie started to examine the new person before her. Meanwhile Moe looked mad and looked away towards the window. "And Spyke... These are my roommates Willie and Swoosie, and that's my pet Moe; Moe is usually in my hair a lot but he likes to make rude comments to a lot of people so I don't have him in when I'm around you..." she said starting to trail off. "Oh I see, but you can put your fish in your hair I really don't see a problem with it love, he can't be that rude. Annie started to look to the side hesitating but then decided to go get him."Hey! Don't put me in your hair! I'll be near that street urchin!" Moe said trying to get out of Annie's grip. Annie looked down at him seriously and then put him in her hair. "You don't know if I'm really a street urchin, maybe I have a home too," Spyke said bending down to see Moe in her hair. "Go away!" he said trailing deep into her hair. He got up again and turned around to the table. "That smells good, could we eat?" Spyke asked. "Oh yeah... I forgot!" she said apologizing. "Dinner time!" she said as she went to go sit next to Spyke in a baby seat and put Moe in the middle of them with his special dish of isopods.

Everybody started to dig into their food and sighs of delight filled the room. "Man Annie, you're this is really good lobster!" Willie said as Swoosie was helping her eat. Annie giggled a little as a tint of pink hit her cheeks. "It's not that good is it?" Annie asked. "Yeah it is, love" Spyke said messing up Annie's hair a little. Moe furiously looked at Spyke from his seat. Swoosie has tried a bit of her lobster but was helping Willie eat hers due to her handicap. Spyke finished his first and wiped his mouth off with a napkin. "Man, I might have to come here to eat more often." Spyke teased. Annie looked at him and started to blush. "There's not really much here but...we could make that happen..." Annie quietly replied. "Yeah we should do this more often." Willie chirped in between bites of her lobster. "Hey now, don't be rude and talk with your mouth open." Swoosie interjected Moe continued to glare at the street urchin who was sitting next to him, "I don't want to do this more often, we can't just offer hobos like *him* free dinner!" he said angrily. "Moe, please calm down..." Annie replied a bit nervously. "Calm down?" he asked angrily, "Calm down?!", Moe started to struggle in his seat shaking it furiously before knocking it down. The plate of his isopods crashed on the ground and his dinner slid down and onto the floor. "Moe!" she said a with a tone of anger. She took the fish with a strong grip and headed outside.

"Are you serious?" she asked Moe starting to yell; this was rare for Annie to be so angry because she always bottles it up. "Moe? Why are you doing this?! Do you hate me or something?! Why are you ruining this for me? We could had one nice night Moe, a nice night where you met Spyke during a peaceful dinner. Why do you hate me so much Moe? Why? Do you not want me to be happy or something?!" Annie yelled as she then started to sob. "A-Annie..." Moe said quietly in devastation. "I-I...", the fish couldn't even say anything, he was speechless.