Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, meets Sally, a ragdoll created by Dr. Finklestein. A friendship blossoms between them as he introduces her to the world outside of her tower. Sally is falling for him as their relationship grows into something more, and Jack finds the same is happening to him.
A story where the Christmas incident never happens, and Jack and Sally find their happiness on their own.
Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, seek ABOVE.
A soldier-in-training, Valerie hopes to join the Valencian Army to avenge her father’s death under the wing of General Rooke. But when she happens to catch the attention of Commander Kane, her plans take a different turn.
Human AU of the Armada from Pirate101, where Kane meets his Queen.
After losing the Pirate, Deacon is unwillingly paired with a partner to help with his job. The only problem is - they can’t stand each other, and time is dwindling until he can re-capture all his lost prisoners.
Hello!! I’ve been reading your ‘Dearest Friend’ fic and I must say you’ve really outdone yourself with it! I’m really enjoying it! You’ve probably been asked this before, but are you more of a fan or the theory that Finkelstein is more or a father-figure to Sally or a husband-figure to Sally? Or just a creator to Sally and nothing more?
Thank you so much!! I’m honored to hear you’re enjoying my story! Thank you again for reading it! ;w;
As for Two Dearest Friends, I wrote in the headcanon that Dr. Finklestein originally intended to create Sally as his wife, who could take care of household chores for him. However, it becomes clear she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings/desire for marriage, so he ends up creating Jewel as his new wife. Later on in the sequel(Our Nightmare), he and Sally reconcile and decide to start their relationship over as father/daughter.
That was purely a choice made from a writing standpoint, since it was easier for me to develop and write that sort of relationship for them. In general - I do like all of the theories on whether Dr. Finklestein is a father, husband, or creator figure to Sally - and how he views himself in their relationship. It’s a complicated subject I touched more on in another post of mine - and there were some interesting points raised on the theories!
Personally, I have a hard time making up my mind on what I headcanon, whether or not the Doctor is just her father/husband, or simply her creator...I find my opinion varies on the situation, or what I’m writing. But I think any way you view their relationship is valid, and always an interesting subject to talk about!
I previously made a post about Two Dearest Friends making this number! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped its sequel reach this milestone. Crazy to think it's been a year since this fic was finished!
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
--
The Mayor of Halloween Town grins as he swipes his hand across a page, effectively signing the last document for that afternoon. He sorts the paper into its rightful place with a satisfied hum. He moves to address the next stack of paperwork, preparing to organize them. As he grabs one, a tall man enters the room and catches his attention. He looks down from his desk to find Jack Skellington ducking through the doorway, helping someone else through. He tilts his conical head at the sight of Sally Finklestein. He helps himself down to address them both.
He tips his hat politely. “Jack, you weren’t supposed to come in until later this afternoon. Is everything alright?”
“Perfectly terrible, Mayor!” The skeleton replies. “In fact, we’re here to ask you to call for a town meeting?”
“A meeting? May I ask what it’s for?”
“We have some big news to share with everyone.” He squeezes the ragdoll’s hand. “It’s important they make it, if they can.”
“..Big news? I haven’t heard anything like * this * in a long time!” He scrambles to grab his megaphone and collects his hearse keys. “--Expect everyone here in an hour! You can count on me!”
He rushes out of the room with excited steps. As soon as they’re alone, the Pumpkin King turns to his fiancée. She’s looking at the floor and fidgeting with her seams. He grabs her hands and brings her attention to his face. He pulls on the loose threads and fastens them while she’s not looking, offering a confident smile on his lips.
“It’s happening! Aren’t you excited?”
“I am.” She can’t help matching his keenness. It’s always contagious. “I’ve been preparing all morning. I’m ready for any questions, if they have them.”
“-That’s what I want to hear!” He winks proudly, moving to set the podium. “If you need to step out, I don’t mind. Just let me know…we’ll need a signal, won’t we? Wink at me two times if you’re getting-”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” She giggles. “If I’m going to be the Pumpkin Queen, then I need to get used to Town Meetings, right?”
“..Exactly right.”
He sets down a piece of paper with a prepared speech and some notes on it - in case Sally gets off-track. He’s already memorized it this morning. But he has a feeling they won’t need it - as this is something one speaks of from the heart( or lack thereof). Sally sits down in a chair as he prepares everything, waiting until they start. The longer time drags on, they can hear voices - sounds of claws scraping against the floorboards and footsteps frantically finding seats. In about an hour, it’s crowded behind the curtain. The Mayor finally steps in with a proud look plastered on his light face. He wipes some sweat off from his forehead.
“Everyone's here! There’s a full house there! I’ll be handling the spotlight like always, if that’s alright with you?”
“Perfect.” Jack situates himself at the coffin podium before looking at Sally. “-Are you ready?”
She takes a deep breath.
—-
Monsters are piled onto the Town Hall’s benches, shoved against one another in close proximity. This may be the fullest the place has ever been - Witches hovering on broomsticks from above, while little creatures and children sit on the floor in front of the stage. The Hanging tree and his Hanging Men are in the back like they usually are. The Halloween Town Band is pressed against the wall - along with Jack’s numerous friends scattered through the seats. They’re murmuring amongst themselves and squirming in impatience, perking up once the curtains are drawn. The Pumpkin King is finally revealed to their eager eyes.
They’re curious to see Sally Finklestein sitting in a chair beside him. She keeps her hands clasped politely in her lap, trying to avoid their stares. The room darkens as a spotlight becomes the only source of light. It’s guided to Jack Skellington’s thin figure by the Mayor’s careful hands, finally tearing the citizens’ gazes away from the lone ragdoll.
She sighs in relief.
“Horrible afternoon, everybody! Thank you all for coming. There’s something important we want to tell you all!”
“Is it about Halloween?” A voice asks from the crowd. “There’s only 10 days left!”
“10 days! 10 days!”
Excited cheers sound from around the room. Grotesque monsters pump their hands and claws in the air, howling and screaming in anticipation. Jack holds his arms out to calm them down, ensuring it’s quiet before he continues on:
“-Right you are! But there’s no need to worry. Everything is going smoothly for the celebrations this year. We’ve called this meeting for something else… ”
The eyes in the room become inquisitive. He lets the silence drag on to emphasize the importance of the news, his grin growing wider the longer it carries on. Eventually, he moves a hand to gesture to Sally, where the spotlight follows and focuses on her. She tries to shield her eyes from the bright light.
“Sally and I are engaged..!” He finishes.
Series of shocked gasps come from around the room. He turns his skull to see their reactions. Many eyes widen as jaws simultaneously fall agape. The citizens’ attention comes to the woman, who uncertainly stands from her seat. There’s no sound beyond frantic whispering. She takes this opportunity to reach the podium, where Jack Skellington politely moves out of the way. She taps her fingers a few times before working up the courage to speak:
“Um…hello.” She leans forward, waving weakly. “As you heard, Jack and I are engaged now, so…that means I’ll be taking the title of Pumpkin Queen…I-I’m ready for your questions, if you have any?”
She feels like she’s doing terribly. She frowns at her fiancé. He gives her an encouraging thumbs-up. She turns back to the crowd, who look to be thinking to themselves. Children twiddle their thumbs as monsters murmur to each other, none brave enough to speak up just yet. After a minute of waiting, she grows uncertain and glances at the paper below her. The room is no longer silent, but it’s full of hushed whispers and people muttering to themselves. She isn’t sure if this is any better. So…she starts speaking:
“I know it may be…strange …to see someone like me as your ruler. I don't know everything there is, but…I’m prepared to learn. I want to take care of all of you, as you have welcomed me so kindly. I’ll be someone you can depend on - to believe in what’s right. I may not be the scariest like Jack, but I’ll bring everything I can to our Holiday. To make each one more horrible than the last.”
Her small speech earns admiring smiles. The room erupts into applause. She perks up at this response. Now creatures aren’t afraid to start asking questions - the small children upfront raise their little hands. Their fingers wiggle desperately as her eyes crawl over to them. She’s more than happy to call on a few.
“Will you be a nice leader?” The Mummy Boy asks. She nods her head.
“Yes, I will try to be.”
Ethan raises his hand. “Will you make sure we get lots of candy?”
“Of course.”
Adults start to raise their hands. Her attention moves to them, nodding in the direction of a ghoul sitting up front. He stands and tips his hat politely, fidgeting with his thin fingers as he uncertainly peers at Sally.
“How do you plan on ruling the town? And what will you contribute to Halloween?”
She thinks hard on her answer. “-I want to be orderly. I know how hectic things get every October, so I’d like to keep us all in one piece. Myself included!” She laughs at her own joke, earning chuckles from the audience. “As for Halloween, I’ll continue with my services as the town’s seamstress. I don’t plan on changing my job.”
The monsters look impressed with her answer. She responds to a few more inquiries from the crowd, until no more hands are raised. Everyone is satisfied. She brushes her hair back as the skeleton takes his place, patting Sally on the back. He whispers a compliment into her ear before turning to address his citizens.
“Thank you all for your support. I’m happy to know you’re as satisfied with this decision as I am.” He grins.
The Undersea Gal calls from her seat. “When’s the wedding!?”
He answers with ease. “-We’ll send out the invitations when we can, but we’d like to get through this Halloween first ! I’ll be teaching Sally about our Town and holiday in the meantime.”
They agree with this decision, promising they’ll be patient. Jack and Sally are sent a multitude of congratulations and horrible wishes their way, which they take with gratitude. Everyone is eventually dismissed. People gossip with each other on their way out. This time, the Witches and other women don’t pass Sally irritated looks as they leave - instead, they give ones of respect. The feeling is mutual this time around, as she smiles right back at them.
The Halloween Town Band come to personally congratulate them, teasing the Pumpkin King on ‘what took so long’. They're happy for them and say they look forward to their wedding. The Hanging Tree expresses similar feelings when he speaks with Sally. Once their friends leave, the two are finally alone. He comes to the shorter figure and wraps his arms around her frame, digging his skull into her hair.
“You did wonderfully.” He tells her, moving back to brush the yarn from her eyes. “You’re going to take good care of them. I know you’ll be a great leader.”
She buries her face into his suit. “Thank you.”
—---
Sally observes the last-minute preparations for Halloween. The Town Hall is busy at this time. Jack and the Mayor work in every spare minute they have, to double-check everything on their lists and ensure all is ready. She offers help when she can, and is happy to organize and read things for them. Her fiancé tries not to overwork her right away and hands small things for her to check, which she is happy to do.
When Halloween comes, she assists the Mayor with organizing everyone to their places. She directs them on where to go while he reads their names off the papers. This process goes by quicker than it used to. He expresses his thanks for her help, and they get an early start on the celebrations. She joins in with the dancing and singing in the Town Square, surprised to finally understand the lyrics to their song. After a few years of listening to it…she knows what to say with them!
“Say it once, say it twice! Take a chance and roll the dice!” She sings. The Witches cackle overhead as they continue the song, flying on their broomsticks towards the moon in the night sky:
“-Ride with the moon in the dead of night!”
Jack Skellington joins the celebrations, by Sally’s side. They dance, sing, and laugh together - the creatures around them cheer. Spirits are incredibly high by the time the song is finished. They’re left jumping in excitement, waiting for the Mayor to hand out the awards and trophies. They sit together on the hearse as they wait. She rests on her scarecrow’s side. This time, there are no women reaching and screaming for him - he’s rightfully given his space with the love of his death. People look at them admiringly.
He holds her hand tightly, enjoying this new sense of freedom he’s never felt before.
—--
Their trip to the human world is taken early, meaning they have more time than usual to spend there. Jack’s elated to bring Sally with him again. Knowing how things went last time…he wishes for everything to go right. So he watches himself carefully that entire night, ensuring he’s not overdoing anything. He’s relieved to see her excited while he scares, asking him to do tricks and wanting to see what he can do. They go around scaring humans until they’re well into the night. They only have an hour before they have to return to Halloween Town.
Jack Skellington has an idea.
“Sally? Do you remember how I told you that you have scaring potential you don’t know about yet?”
She blinks. This was so long ago, but she remembers it as bright as day. “-I do. Why?”
“I think I’ve figured it out!” He grabs her arm and looks at the stitches with an interesting expression. “We can dismember your limbs!” At her confused look, he elaborates. “-Losing your arm doesn’t mean much to you, but if the same thing happened to *humans*, it’s quite deadly. They might faint on the spot!”
“So…it’ll scare them?” She asks with a growing smile.
She remembers when he first took her on a tour of Halloween Town. He got excited when she lost her arm in front of him. It was the first time she’d ever seen the childish excitement in his eye sockets - the same one he has right now. It brings butterflies to her stomach, in hopes that she can impress him and scare others like he believes she can do. He perks up, trailing his thumb over her thread.
“Exactly! I have the perfect plan…if you’re interested to try it?”
She grins.
. . .
Jack’s idea is genius. She never would’ve thought of something like this herself.
She’s sitting innocently on a pumpkin in a grass field, tending to her stitches and humming a song under her breath. She’s undoing them to loosen the threads as much as she can, so they will fall off easily once the time comes. She makes it look like she’s tending to them and trying to sew herself. She knits her eyebrows together as she pretends to struggle with one stubborn knot in particular, earning some concerned looks from some nearby humans.
One of them is a young girl, dressed as a bumblebee. Sally notices the stitching patterns on the costume, giving the impression it's homemade. Another is a boy her age dressed as a ghost with a sheet over his figure, while they’re joined by a smaller child wearing a cowboy outfit. They approach the ragdoll and she quickly averts her gaze, focusing on her arm and tugging at the long thread.
“Do you need any help?” The girl offers. She looks up, acting like she hasn’t seen them prior to this moment.
“Oh! It’s fine, I’m just trying to sew my arm back on. See?”
She presents her sewing needle to them. They look at it with curious eyes. The boy in the ghost sheet tilts his head quizzically when she brings it closer to her arm. It’s inches away from making contact. The skepticism is apparent in his voice.
“What is this? Some kind of gimmick? Lady, we don’t have any cash-”
Without warning, she punctures her skin deeply with the needle. This earns startled gasps and screams from the humans. She feels no pain, but pretends to wince - hand shaking as she tries to pull the needle out, failing in her attempts. The kids step back as the bumblebee girl narrows her eyes. She moves forward and rests a hand on her hip, laughing as she points at Sally.
“Ha! Nice trick, but we know that’s fake! If it was a REAL needle, then-”
She finally manages to pull it out, and the thread in her arm coincidentally falls with it. Her arm completely detaches from its socket and lands on the grass below them. She acts surprised while the children shriek at the sight. There’s no further word as they run off crying, refusing to look back. The ragdoll sits there in bewilderment as she watches them go.
Jack Skellington surfaces from nearby shadows, laughing at the sight. He picks up her arm and goes through the trouble of stitching it back on. She’s still staring at the spot the humans once were in. Once she comes to terms with the situation, her eyes grow big as an excited grin spreads on her lips. She turns to her Pumpkin King.
“Jack! Did you see that?” She asks giddily. “I scared them!”
“-That you did!” He helps her to her feet. “They didn’t see it coming!"
“That was amazing! It was so…fun! I-I feel excited, I-” She struggles to find the right words. “Is this what it’s like? To…to scare people?”
“Quite an experience, isn’t it?”
“My first scare!” She boasts proudly, twirling on her heels. She stumbles for a moment and he catches her upon instinct. She grabs his hands. “I want to do it again!”
He chuckles. “See? You’re plenty scary.”
She insists on doing it again, so he makes another plan. Like last time, he has her lure in the humans - making them curious as she stitches herself. Her appearance is enough to beckon them forward to get a better look. They’re fascinated with her doll-like features, at how real her stitches appear and the textured yarn hair sitting on her head. By the looks on their faces, they’re doubtful she’s even *real*. He takes their temptations to advantage - jumping out and screaming when they get too close. They run away, howling and scrambling to get away.
He and Sally laugh when they’re gone. She clings onto his figure as she wipes the tears from her eye, having a blast so far. She moves to press an intimate kiss on his lips. He’s taken by surprise but returns the affection - holding his ragdoll close in his lap.
She’s breathless when she pulls away. “Thank you. For showing me what it’s like to scare and…helping me.” She looks away, her skin now a light purple. “I never thought I could do this.”
“The Doctor may have built you for other things, but you have so many strengths, Sally.” He tightens his grip around her. “You’re talented. I’d like to scare with you every Halloween.”
“This is the most fun I’ve had in my whole life. I don’t think I want it to ever end.”
They look up to gaze at the night sky above them. They calm down from their exhilaration to enjoy the scenery - listening to the sounds of owls hooting and children running in the distance. The stars twinkle beautifully as they observe them. The screams and scares are a delightful noise. Sally nestles into his embrace as they sit there. He moves his hand gently across her face, melting at the way she leans into his touch.
He sighs. “I don’t want it to, either.”
—---
When November comes, Sally wants to be prepared. There’s a lot ahead of her, so she takes this opportunity to properly work out a schedule. On the weekdays, she plans to be in her seamstress shop offering her duties to the town. On the weekends, she joins Jack and the Mayor in the Town hall to assist them and learn how to properly manage Halloween. She becomes busy from this routine.
“The first couple of months are the busiest,” Jack informs, stapling papers and handing them to her. She puts them where she’s told. “We have to start over with the planning, so we get the important things out of the way first.”
“-You mean everything?” She sweats. He laughs and pats her head, bringing a wonderful feeling into her stomach.
“It feels like it, but don’t fret! Things will mellow out over time…with your help, we’ll get through this quicker! That means more time to spend together. You want that, don’t you?”
She can’t argue.
They spend the next few months tending to the town. She joins Jack as they listen to the citizen’s scare ideas and rate their demonstrations, where they show the officials what they can do. Then she goes around Halloween Town collecting the extra materials from Halloween night, to return to their inventory. Other activities include helping monsters collect any bats and snakes that may have escaped, as well as jotting down any changes to the Halloween song.
. . .
It’s January when they finally have enough free time to end their days early. Sally & Jack retreat to the Skellington Manor to cool off from the day’s events. They find this the best opportunity to start planning their wedding - something they’ve both grown excited for, after being occupied with everything else. Jack is happy to start this process and spends a considerable amount of time talking about it with his fiancée.
“I think we should hire the Band for music,” Sally suggests. “They’ve been such good friends to us, and they’re very talented! I think they’ll do a wonderful job.”
“No question about it.” He writes this down. “And who were we thinking of inviting?”
“We’ll invite our friends, and my…family…” She feels strange describing the Doctor, Jewel, and Igor this way. It’s pleasant. “Anyone can come, really.”
“I think we’re better off inviting everybody to your coronation, with a little less people for our wedding.” He chuckles. “So it’s not terribly overcrowded. I know it can be overwhelming for you.”
She relaxes in her seat. “That’s a good idea.”
“-And what about your dress, dear? I have to prepare a suit as well…these things can be costly..”
She perks up with this subject. “I can make those! I’d love to sew my own dress. I can even make you a suit if you’d like!”
“Wonderful! That saves us on the cost.” He scribbles this down. Ideas begin to fill her mind on the details of their clothes. She wiggles around in her seat excitedly. “And what theme do we-"
*EEK!*
The couple is interrupted by the loud shrieking of the doorbell. Sally jumps in her seat while the skeleton drops his pencil with a sigh. He dismisses himself politely, moving to answer the front door.
The Mayor of Halloween Town waits on the doorstep impatiently, shifting his feet as he stands there. He notices Jack’s tall frame and jumps at how quickly he is answered. They’ve already finished their business for the day - what more does he need? The Pumpkin King tilts his skull at the sight - his arms aren’t filled with papers, nor is he holding his usual megaphone…it looks like he came here in a rush. He rests a hand on the door frame as he looks at his friend curiously.
“Mayor, what a surprise to see you here! Is there something you need?”
“Jaaackk….” He looks around, leaning forward as he wrings his hands together. “They’re in the Town Hall..!”
“..Who?”
“B-Boogie’s Boys!” He exclaims. "They came in demanding to speak with you! When I told them you left, they got upset and told me to come and get you! I don’t know what to do, I tried not to get you involved-”
“-The trick-or-treaters?” He stands up straight, looking in the direction of the Town Hall. “What on Halloween’s name would they want?”
“I don’t know! But, please, get to them as soon as you can! They’re always up to trouble. I have to get back before they get into anything!”
He doesn’t wait for a response before rushing down the steps. He bumps into innocent citizens in his way and mumbles apologies as he runs back to the Town Hall. His behavior makes Jack Skellington puzzled. He closes the door to grab a few things before he heads out. Sally notices him putting on his jacket and rushes over before he can leave.
“Where are you going? Who was it?”
“The Mayor. Apparently those three pranksters are at the Town Hall. They want to speak to me.” He huffs, buttoning his suit. “Can’t imagine what for, but I don’t think it’ll be good.”
She thinks for a moment. “Can I come with you?” He looks at her curiously. “It’s been so long since I've seen them. And I…want to know how they’re doing. Without Boogie around.”
“But why? They kidnapped you.” His ribs ache when her eyes droop sadly. “I don’t think what they did should be forgotten.”
“I know. But…we haven’t seen them around for awhile. They wouldn't have been causing trouble if we didn’t hear about it.” He hums indifferently. “I don’t want to give them the benefit of the doubt again. They lied to me. But…I-I just want to know .”
He looks at her for a long time, her eyes continuing to plead with his sockets. He eventually caves in with a frustrated noise. “-Fine. But if they lay a hand on you, I’m NOT going to let it slide.”
She presses a kiss on his cheek. “I know. Thank you.”
He exhales through his nose, taking her hand and clutching it close to his chest. He opens the door and patiently helps her down the steps. They make their way to the Town Hall, only to hear terrified whimpers. They follow the noise behind the closed curtains and notice three small children throwing rocks at a shaking figure sitting at his tall desk. The Mayor notices them coming in and weakly points in their direction.
“There! See? He’s here now! Leave me alone!”
Lock, Shock, and Barrel whip around. They find their King standing across from them, looking angry as he shoves his hands on his hips. Sally joins his side, sharing a similar expression when she crosses her arms. They drop the small rocks in their hands and approach the two, hiding their hands behind their backs. They bat their eyes in an innocent manner.
“Jaaaack!” Shock greets. “It’s great to see you!”
“How’s the family?” Lock teases.
“You’re looking thin!” Barrel adds.
“What are you three up to?” He asks, getting straight to the point. “And why are you terrorizing my coworker?”
“We were just passing the time ‘til you got here!” The small devil defends. The Mayor fumes in the background. “We thought you’d never show up!”
“--Answer his question.” Sally cuts in sternly.
“We wanted to say we’re sorry. We didn’t get a chance to tell you!” Shock drops her mask, and her cohorts do the same. “We know how busy you’ve been…”
“Sorry for what? Threatening, beating, and kidnapping Sally, then trying to feed her to your boss? It’ll take more than that for me to believe you.”
Barrel steps forward. “We know it was bad, but we were only following orders! The boss would’ve been mad if we didn’t get her!”
“-And we didn’t want to make Oogie angry…” Lock adds with a frown.
Jack Skellington looks at them with unimpressed eye sockets. The Mayor takes this opportunity to slip out of the room when they’re not looking. Sally’s harsh gaze falls when she looks at their faces. She’s never seen them this genuinely upset before. The frowns they wear look real…she doesn’t believe they’re faking it. The skeleton remains apprehensive as he stands up straight, tapping the side of his arm impatiently. They haven’t gotten through to him.
“We also wanted to…thank you, I guess.” Lock mutters under his breath. He perks up.
“Did I hear that right?” The devil rolls his eyes. He isn’t going to repeat himself. Jack quirks an eye socket. “-What for?”
“-For getting rid of Oogie!” Shock interrupts impatiently. She kicks some dirt with her boot.
He grows quiet at their confession. He’s a little confused why they’d thank him for killing their boss - an arguable ‘father figure’. But he wasn’t ever a good one, if he were to guess from their reactions. He expected the trio to resent him after what he did. It wasn’t his intention to kill him that night. Rage had blinded him, and he acted without thought. But knowing they want to thank him…makes him believe he did the right thing.
“...So we wanted to make it up to you. To show we’re sorry.” Barrel brings up.
“Yeah. We heard you two were getting married or something. So we can help with that, if you want.” Lock spits out.
Sally butts in with wide eyes. “Do you really mean that?”
“You can give us another chance.” Shock clenches her gloved fists. “We want to prove it! So you better give us something to do!”
Jack crosses his arms. “You three are going to cause trouble and I know it. There hasn’t been a single Town event where you didn’t prank someone or pulled a stunt. There’s a reason you’re banned from them. I will not have that at my wedding.”
“Aw, c’mon!” “Pleaaaase?” “We’ll prove it to you!”
Sally's in full agreement until she notices the looks on their faces. The way they’re on their knees, begging…like they truly care about this. The look in their eyes seems genuine and…different. They don’t hold the usual mischief like she’s seen before. She decides to test their words and firmly moves forward, stopping when she’s in front of the children. She leans down to get a better eye-level with them, making sure she has their attention with this next question:
“Are you three *really* happy now that Boogie's gone? You’re not lying about this?”
They nod their heads. Almost too quickly for her liking. “Of course!” “Yeah!” “Honest!”
She still feels a little unconvinced. “Really? You don’t feel any other way about this..?”
She keeps eye contact with them, never breaking their stare. Shock is the one to cave in, looking at the floor and shrugging. “I mean, we’re disappointed and all, but we’ll get over it. We’ve been trying to!”
“He was scary,” Barrel mutters. Lock nods in agreement.
“He hit us a lot. If he didn’t do that, then he threatened us. We didn't like it, but we couldn’t say anything…but now that he’s gone, it doesn’t happen anymore.”
Pity hits her hard. Her phantom heart grows cold hearing this. She wants to embrace them. But she remembers what happened. She can’t forgive them right away. They’ll have to prove that they’re really sorry for what they’ve done. Boogie may have been the manipulator behind it all - but they need to rebuild their reputation in town. They’re guilty of their own wrongdoings. And she…wants to give them that chance, as stupid as it may seem.
“Alright. You three can help, if you promise you’re serious about this.”
They look happy with her approval, smiles lighting up their faces. “We are!”
Jack groans as Sally returns to his side. He doesn’t argue - he’ll respect her decision. She *is* the one they wronged to begin with, and needs approval from. He’ll have to go along with this - but he’ll make sure things still go as planned. So that these three won’t get in the way of anything. The last thing he wants is trouble on the most anticipated day of his death.
“Can I be the ring bearer!?” Barrel asks, jumping up-and-down. Jack is quick to shoot down this idea.
“No. Zero has that job. You can be…an usher.”
“An usher?” He tilts his head.
“You lead people to their seats and help them leave when the time is right,” Sally explains, remembering what she’s learned about weddings. Barrel looks indifferent with this idea, but agrees anyway.
“What about me?” Lock asks impatiently. The skeleton thinks about it.
“...You’ll be a page.” He grins. “You open doors for people, fetch them what they want, and run any errands we may need on the big day.”
“Aw, what!? You’re making me an ERRAND BOY!?”
“If you want to make it up to us, then that’s what you’ll be.” He continues with a challenging smirk. “-Unless you change your mind..?”
He opens his mouth to object. Shock smacks him upside the head with her hat. He goes to punch her until he notices the looks on Jack and Sally’s faces. He lowers his fist and pouts, turning away from everyone. He mutters a ‘fine, whatever’ under his breath, earning proud looks from the skeleton and ragdoll. They move their attention to the witch, who bashfully looks away under their stares. They think for a moment.
An idea pops up in Sally’s head. “Shock, would you like to be a flower girl?”
“Flower girl?” She scrunches up her nose. “That sounds dumb!”
“It’s not! It’s wonderful, really. You get to toss petals from wilted flowers down the aisle. I know a lot of little girls who would love to do it…! What do you say?”
She glances at Lock and Barrel, who giggle and tease her in return. It sounds so…girly! But they didn’t get ideal positions, either. Hers sounds a lot more important than their jobs. For this reason, she smirks in triumph and agrees - making Sally delighted as she stands back. The three children put their masks back on and say goodbye to them, running out of the room and inevitably encountering the Mayor again. He hollers at the sight of them - but they pay him no mind for once, leaving the Town Hall without a further exchange.
Jack and Sally share an uneasy glance.
“Do you think we can trust them..?” She asks quietly. She feels guilty for accepting their help without consulting him first. He shrugs in return.
“They won’t be handling anything valuable, so it should be fine.” His expression changes as he rests a hand against her cheek. “-You didn’t have to do that, you know. You’re not obligated to give everyone second chances if they’ve wronged you.”
Her eyes lower. “If I’m going to be the Pumpkin Queen, then I want a fresh start. I don’t want to be a cruel leader…I’d rather believe in the good of everybody.”
He rests his forehead against hers and intertwines their fingers together, sighing as he closes his eyes. ‘She’s too good for this world,’ he thinks.
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
--
Sally's wedding dress is based on one of my favorite pieces on deviantART,
Jack's suit is the Dancing Jack outfit from Oogie's revenge - which you can see here.
--
The large bell housed prominently over the Town Hall rings loudly across Halloween Town. The deafening, flat notes are heard from miles away. Its noise is recognized as an announcement to something urgent . In this case, a wedding – but not any ordinary ceremony. Rather, a royal one, as the Pumpkin King is now integrating himself with a woman, who, after the matrimony, can call herself the new Pumpkin Queen.
It’s been ages since a royal wedding has been recorded in the town’s history. It explains the urgency of the citizens, who are desperate to participate in this rare occurrence. A good portion of the town attends, having a connection to either their king and his fiancée. They receive a generous RSVP line, filling the town square with seats and tables to accommodate the large crowd that will be attending.
As the center of Halloween Town begins to crowd with the attendees, the husband-and-wife-to-be slips out from the commotion unnoticed. It’s a graceful feat thanks to the skeleton’s gift of creeping. They are now strolling through the Outskirts, hand happily in one another’s. Human ceremonies take superstitions seriously, but Halloween Town adores bad luck. Jack and Sally are striving to get the worst possible, to ensure things roll smoothly.
“It’s beautiful outside,” The ragdoll comments, holding the ends of her dress to walk on the stone path. He follows her gaze and notices the storm clouds hanging overhead, threatening to unleash rain any second now. He’s felt the static on his spine all day. Nothing can make him more content than the ideal weather.
“It truly is,” He agrees.
“I’m glad we didn’t cancel the ceremony. I love the rain.”
He holds his palm out and waits to feel the drip of the raindrops coming down. “It should only be a light shower, thankfully..!”
An excited look grows on her face. She notices the distance they’ve made from the town and her smile slightly falters. She wants to remain like this for hours - alone with him, enjoying the peaceful sights before something so… nerve-wracking .
She’s prepared for this day for a long time, planning everything with her fiancé and practicing how the ceremony will go. She’s read a lot about what to expect from weddings. Although she’s book-ready, she doesn’t anticipate feeling such a strong swelling in her leaves. It’s an overwhelming but delightful feeling - being with Jack makes the nervousness temporarily go away. But they’ll have to face the attention sooner or later.
“We can start heading back, now.”
He agrees. He swerves them into the opposite direction in a movement so smooth that has her giggling. They slip in the same way they snuck out. They part from each other to start welcoming the guests and directing them as needed, exchanging delighted grins every time the other passes their vision.
——————————
An hour or so passes while everyone settles themselves at the tables, with the help of Lock and Barrel. The Halloween Town band plays music and sings songs to keep everyone patient while they sip their drinks and watch children run around playing. They’re eager to witness the marriage between their King and the future-Queen already. The Mayor frequently reminds them that they need to be patient. They’re setting up small canopies around, in hopes of keeping everyone dry in case the rain decides to fall earlier than expected.
It isn’t long before the Mayor urges everyone to their seats, claiming things will begin. Everyone quickly comes to the chairs and snatch as many spots close to the front as possible. It isn’t long before the rows are filled. The King is friends with practically everybody and the ragdoll shares acquaintances, so there’s no need for any parties on either side. They sit wherever they please. The ghosts and winged creatures hover in the back while everyone faces the direction of the altar intently.
The Mayor is respectively chosen as the marriage officiant and minister, and is more than happy to fulfill the roles. Jack’s best man is no other than his old friend, Doctor Finklestein, who plans to walk Sally down the aisle. The only ones standing there are him, the Mayor, and Zero. The dog poses as a ring bearer and is patiently holding the rings for them on a small, white pillow. His spiral tail wags in anticipation as he looks at his master.
Everyone’s attention is on their King. Unlike his usual black-and-white pinstriped suit and bat bow tie, Jack is wearing a white suit. It’s similar to his normal attire, except this one consists purely of whites and grays and has a toned-down version of his bat for a bow tie, as well as shirt cuffs at the ends of his sleeves. He sports a white top hat to finish the outfit, which hangs lazily on the side of his skull. He keeps nudging at it trying to keep it in place, but the thing insists on being crooked. Sally spent careful time making this ensemble for him - so he’s doing his best to keep it tidy.
“Nervous?” The Mayor whispers, leaning over the podium and grinning. He’s getting a kick out of seeing him like this.
“As I’ll ever be.” Comes the rushed reply. “I’m not sweating too much, am I?”
“Jack, you can’t sweat.”
“Right, right…”
At that moment, music fills the Town square. The skeleton stiffens as everyone perks their heads up. They turn and find Sally standing at the end of the carpet, with her bouquet in her hands and veil carefully placed over her stitched face. Beside her is Dr. Finklestein, who clutches at her other hand and resists the tempting urge to scratch at his brain. He’s changed from his usual lab coat and is now wearing a white suit, much less elegant than Jack’s. Judging by his loosened posture and unfixed glasses, the skeleton can tell that he’s affected by holding his daughter’s hand at her wedding. He sniffles subtly as he wipes a tear from under his dark lenses, moving the two of them forward slowly.
Even though Jack has seen Sally in her wedding dress before, he still feels the breath leave his throat as he ravishes the sight of her. Her dress is entirely made by hand, starting from the ends to the top. The pieces are made and put together by her, including different pieces of rags with various patterns. They are combined to create a large and beautiful dress. A wilted flower is placed just behind her ear, complimenting her black eyes. A green ribbon wraps around her thin waist, consisting of dead flowers. Behind her is a long train that matches the transparency of her veil. It’s nearly reminiscent of the patchwork dress he first met her in.
Shock emerges from behind and steps forward. She scatters the dead petals across the aisle, messily but still getting the job done, nonetheless.. Sally follows slowly, as the Doctor is careful not to get his wheelchair caught in anything. Behind them are Lock and Barrel, who serve as the pages and lift the train carefully. They take this job with consideration and make sure it never touches the ground, even if that means they trip on one another (and have to refrain from punching each other in the middle of attention).
As soon as they’re at the altar, the Doctor removes himself and goes to his place beside Zero while the trick-or-treaters take a seat in their reserved chairs. Everyone quiets down as the lovers hold each other’s hands. Jack carefully removes Sally’s veil and notices the beautiful paleness of her face. They gaze into each other’s eyes and smile, the endearing looks never fading while the Mayor speaks. He begins the long speech about marriage and unity. No one’s really paying attention - instead, infatuated with the couple before them.
In the middle of the Mayor’s validation, a roar of thunder is heard overhead. Raindrops begin to pour from the sky. Thankfully, everyone seated is under the protection of the canopy. However, the Mayor realizes far too late that he’s in the open. As the raindrops fall, they drench his papers. He struggles to dry them while Jack and Sally continue to stare at each other, blissfully unaware of the water falling on them. An umbrella is summoned from the skeleton’s sleeve, which he politely holds over Sally with his other hand.
“Oh, what’s the use !” The Mayor throws his hands in the air. “These papers are ruined!”
“Start with the vows!” Someone impatiently yells from the back. There is a loud murmur of agreement from the crowd.
“Alright, alright ! Jack, do you take Sally to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, and in sickness and in health, for the rest of eternity?”
“I do.” He states firmly.
“And Sally, do you take Jack to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
They take the rings from Zero, who is all too happy to deliver it to them. They slip it on each other’s fingers and hold their hands once more. Everyone around them shifts in their seats anxiously, the tension building up to witness their King and Queen’s first official kiss as a wedded couple.
“I’m sure we’re all waiting for it, so I’ll just say it!” The Mayor chuckles with a wide grin. “You may now kiss the bride!”
Everyone leans forward in anticipation as the skeleton lowers the umbrella, takes Sally by the waist, and kisses her passionately on the lips. She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around his neck - similarly to when they first kissed on the Spiral Hill. The audience erupts into applause and cheers, some even leaping out of their seats. Lock, Shock, and Barrel pretend to shove their fingers down their throats, but are ignored as the couple turns to the crowd.
“Everyone!” The sound of Jack’s voice quiets everyone down. “May I introduce you to…your new Pumpkin Queen!”
He steps to the side to bow theatrically and extends his hand in front of Sally. They erupt into cheers once more. The ragdoll blushes shyly as she takes his hand again. He stands up straight to lay a kiss on its surface, lowering his eye sockets as he brushes her cheek with his knuckles. She leans into his touch and unconsciously lifts her leg. Jack turns back to the crowd and rushes down the altar, being mindful of his wife while he does so.
“Let’s celebrate!” He calls.
Everyone follows after and cackles. They don’t mind the rain, as ones in suits and dresses dance and jump in the puddles. They join Jack and Sally inside the Town Hall, where the once-large auditorium is now redecorated into a ballroom. The tall wedding cake, filled with layers of Halloween Town goodness and a pumpkin cake topper, is sitting at the center. Surrounding it are tables for the guests, as well as the large, empty space for dancing.
The room is packed by the time everyone arrives.
————————
The celebrations go swimmingly. The first thing monsters and creatures do is dance - filling the floor with couples and ghouls partying their souls out. The music is played once more by the Halloween Town Band, who perform a few jazz songs before settling on slower music. The groom and the bride are in the center before Jewel receives the next dance with the Pumpkin King. As she and Jack perform a waltz, Sally joins Dr. Finklestein at the table he is seated at. As much as she would like to dance with her father, he isn’t willing to go through the trouble with his wheelchair. Accompanied with her frail stitches, it’s bound for some embarrassing trip-ups that they both want to avoid on her wedding day.
She clasps her hands in her lap as she watches him sip his wine. A few minutes pass as they listen to the music and watch the guests dance on the floor. He suddenly sets down the glass and rubs the side of his head. He coughs into his arm awkwardly as he momentarily avoids eye contact with her.
“Well, my dear, you’re going to be the Pumpkin Queen now…”
She looks at him inquisitively. His words sound uneasy. She’s rarely heard this tone from him, beyond the times Jack threatened him for her well-being. But that’s all in the past, now. They’ve mended their relationship since then. She nods encouragingly for him to continue. And he does, with a reluctant breath:
“You are now my Queen. Which means I will have to abide by your every demand. You know it isn’t like me to disobey royalty. And now…well, you can do anything . If you hold any reservations about how I treated you, then-”
“Doctor…” She interrupts, holding her breath. She goes to say something, but when she catches sight of his face, the words fail to leave her lips.
The tears are gently flowing from underneath his glasses. A few drops have escaped his vision during the ceremony, but now he’s succumbed to the cries. She instinctively reaches for her father. He does the same, and before they know it, they’re holding onto each other and shedding tears together quietly. This earns some sentimental looks from those nearby, including Jewel peeking over Jack Skellington’s shoulder from afar.
“Don’t look now, but they’re having a moment.” She mutters.
He gives her an odd look and she simply points her finger in their direction. When he follows her gaze, he finds his wife clinging onto her father, both swept up in emotion that they forget they’re in the middle of a wedding. He can’t help but smile, continuing to waltz his mother-in-law across the dance floor without a word.
——————-
After letting them have their scene, Jack and Jewel eventually interrupt them. The Doctor and Sally are reluctant to let go, but eventually do, giving each other a last embrace before they separate. They seem happier now, assuming they got whatever they needed off their chests. He isn’t sure what made them so emotional, but it doesn’t matter. Jack leads his wife to their table and waits to cut the cake. Sally isn’t too keen with handling such a sharp knife, what with the threads in her way, so she lets him take the honors to cut the slices. Everyone watches hungrily as they lick their lips. Particularly, the young trio that crowds the table.
“When do we get our piece?” “-Yeah! You’re been serving everyone BUT us!” “What flavor is it?”
Jack rolls his eye sockets before serving the three their own plates. They haven’t caused a ruckus and did what they were told so far - so he figures they’re due for a reward. They take their dessert and run off, to one of the tables out of his sight. After all the slices are served, the couple receive their share and retreat to their seats. Everyone begins eating their food, most of them noisily, as the skeleton and ragdoll pick at theirs. While the crowd is dining, the Mayor stands in his chair and clinks his glass with his spoon. This earns the attention of everyone in the room, glancing up from their servings.
“I believe it’s time to make a toast!” He announces happily, holding his drink high in the air. “To our Pumpkin King and his new Queen - may your eternity be terrible and dreadful!”
Everyone exclaims in agreement, taking a hefty gulp from their glasses. They resume their treats with more chatter this time around. During this time, James, John and Jimmy make their way over to the King and Queen’s table, offering their best wishes and congratulations. Nothing is out of the ordinary until Jack Skellington feels someone slap his back harshly. He notices James reaching for his hand in order to shake it respectfully. He’s happy to offer it to him.
He suddenly gets pulled forward, so his voice stays between them. “You better keep Dolly happy, bone Daddy. If not , you’ll be hearin’ from us.”
“Heh!” Jack begins to laugh, believing it’s a good-natured joke from his friends, but grits his teeth when he feels his palm almost get snapped into two. “ Oh… ”
A few others decide to make speeches, which they happily listen to - until they find nearly the whole town wanting to say something, and the Mayor finally puts a stop to it. They’re touched by the words of their citizens, with how welcoming they are of Sally as their new Queen and his wife. The children have all sorts of questions for her. She spends a solid few minutes answering them while Jack listens in the background, pretending to focus on his cake.
“Do you think you'll ever have kids?” The Mummy Boy asks, picking at his bandages. “We’ll have more friends to play with if you do.”
Sally blushes, peeking at her husband for a only slight second before turning back. She neglects to see the look of interest on his face. He listens carefully as she replies, a contemplative look on his face as he rubs the side of his skull in thought.
“Maybe someday.”
——————–
“Jack, how long is eternity?”
“It’s forever, darling. There is no end.”
“I see…”
“Are you happy with that? That we’re going to be together, now and forever ?”
They’re seated on a bench outside the Town Hall, the moonlight seeping through the windows and boards of the roof over their heads. It’s still raining outside, the sounds of the drops and occasional rounds of thunder interrupting them every now and again. The wedding has been going on for several hours now. There are still a considerable amount of guests inside. It takes a lot of skill to sneak out here without anyone seeing. And here they are now - situated on a bench, holding hands, and talking quietly. Unbeknownst to anyone, it’s always been their favorite thing to do.
“Of course I am.” Sally rests her head on him and closes her eyes. “There’s no one else I’d want to be with.”
“I feel the same way.”
Jack kisses the top of her head and rests his skull there, the two of them sitting and quietly listening to their breaths. They can’t think of anything more peaceful. Eventually, it’s him who breaks the silence. He can’t seem to keep his thoughts to himself today. He wants to express how happy and grateful he is - to be married to the love of his death, now.
“To think it’s been a century since the town’s had a Queen…I think there are many here who have never had one.”
She bites her lip, gently tugging at her seams. He motions her hand away and grips it, giving her an encouraging look. She looks at the floor. “-You really think I’ll make a good Pumpkin Queen?”
She can’t seem to ever stop asking this question. He smiles softly. “Of course. Without any doubt.” He brushes his fingertips through her hair, tangling his fingers within the red yarn. Then he adds, “Everyone loves you; you’re a wonderful role model.”
“Role model? Me ?” She turns red. “No, I…I’m not exactly-”
“You were locked up for a good portion of your life, remember? But did that stop you from coming to see me?” He smiles when she shakes her head ‘no’ . “-There you go. You wanted something, so you worked to get to it. That’s inspirational. I don’t know how anyone CAN’T look up to you!”
She nestles in his arms. He holds her closely, wishing to ease her concerns.
“Don’t be stressed, Sally. It’s my job to be as frightening as I can be. And take care of other things, too.” He tilts his skull and brushes his hand along her cheek. “You can do anything you want to do. I’ll support you no matter what, and I know they will, too.”
She stares into his eye sockets for a long time, a smile stretched on her face. He notices the tears starting to stream from her eyes and moves forward to gently wipe them. She sniffles and lays her head on his shoulder, embracing him as close as she can . He wraps his arms around her tightly in response, closing his eye sockets and indulging himself in her warm touch.
“This is the happiest day of my life.” She admits, choking up. “I’m married to you. Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of this? The moment you set me free from that Tower, I wanted this so badly. To be yours and you to be mine… ”
“I wanted this, too. I proposed to you, after all.” He rubs her back soothingly with a lighthearted laugh. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.” He admits.
She removes herself to gaze into his eye sockets again, this time with tears spilling out from her eyes. Before he can tend to them, she presses her lips on his, pulling him into a heartfelt kiss. He returns the affection, naturally. It lasts a minute or two, but they remain outside for the rest of the ceremony, gazing at the stars every time a clear spot appears in the stormy night sky.
—-----
Her coronation is just as nerve-wracking and difficult to get through, but it means so much to her and Jack all the same. The town attends much like last time, excited to see their new ruler be rightfully crowned. And Sally does a wonderful job through it all - ignoring her shaking limbs at times and anxious habit of picking at her seams.
It was a thorough process, teaching her how to rule Halloween as well as the town. She was often overwhelmed by it all, but comforted by her husband every time she felt stressed. It’s apparent that he’d be by her side through it all, to share the workload like a true King and Queen do. Over time, she embraces her responsibilities - happy to share it all with the man she loves.
The skeleton feels a warmth spread in his bones when he places the crown on her head. A movement done so slowly - so intensely, staring into her eyes as she blinks at him…it looks beautiful on her. Like it was always meant to be there. No head can fit it as right as hers does. She stands slowly and he takes her into his arms, holding her tightly and listening to the applause and cheering from their people all around them. He relishes her touch, and by then, everything feels exactly as how it’s meant to be.
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
--
Ophelia wastes no time climbing the Skellington Manor’s steps and clawing at the door. Without her owner, there’s no way for the feline to get inside. She meows loudly several times in hopes of being noticed. The noise eventually attracts the attention of someone inside. Zero’s head peers quizzically at the frantic guest scratching at the front door. His eyes widen when he recognizes Sally’s pet. He flies out of the window to meet with her below. The black cat notices his presence and promptly swats at him with her paw.
“Meow!”
He tilts his head in confusion. She repeats herself with an even angrier swing. “Meow! Meow!”
Zero finally gets the message. His jaw hangs open. His master’s woman , being taken by the trick-or-treaters? Even he knows this is not good news. He’s been picked on by the trio before - his spiral tail yanked on by small hands and false promises of sticks that were never thrown. He wastes no time picking Ophelia up in his muzzle and flying through the nearby window, gently dropping the cat down on the floor. The two race to find their master - tripping over several household items as they carry on.
. . .
. . .
Jack Skellington hums to himself as he works on setting the dinner table for tonight. It’s a more romantic scenery than usual - a lit candelabra sitting in the middle as rose petals are littered around empty plates. Clean glasses sit expectantly by the silverware as the skeleton carefully places down his bottle of aged wine. He plans to cook one of Sally’s favorite meals to enjoy with a glass or two. He hesitates as his long fingers linger over her setting. He’s never seen her drink before - surely it wouldn’t hurt to just offer ...?
…!
The skeleton shoots up when he feels a strong chill climb his back. His mind begins to feel fuzzy as his hands grow numb. He looks outside and notes the few clouds littering the setting sky. Nowhere near an amount to cause a storm right now… why is he experiencing this feeling? It’s similar to the unpleasant prickling when Sally first visited the old seamstress’ shop…except this feels worse . He rubs his fingertips together, pondering this strange predicament.
Maybe he’s just nervous . Yes, that's it. He’s been planning this for months…and now the time has come. He wants to propose to his ragdoll tonight. He plans to have a lovely dinner with Sally and then take a romantic walk through the graveyard afterwards. It would eventually lead to sitting on the spiral hill…where they would gaze into the stars…and he would find the perfect moment to bring the ring out and pop the question…
Even thinking about it gives him jitters.
He’s waiting for her return from her shop. He wants everything to be perfect in the meantime. He strolls over to the Manor’s gramophone and ensures his favorite vinyl record is sitting in its place. A nice tune or two to set the scenery…he mentally pats himself on the back. Everything should be prepared. All he has to do is make sure the table is set and start cooking dinner…
He walks into the dining room and admires his work. Careful hours of planning and preparation…and he feels incredibly proud. This feeling is short-lived, however. Before his eye sockets, a black cat and his ghostly dog come tumbling in - jumping onto the table and knocking over the bottle and glasses. The spiderweb tablecloth is bunched together as rose petals are suddenly thrown to the floor. He can’t do anything at that moment except exclaim in protest.
“”OPHELIA! ZERO! ” The two stop once their names are called. He motions angrily to the table they’ve ruined. “ Down ! Get down this instant!”
He snaps his fingers and points downwards. They obey out of instinct, jumping from the table and landing on the floor right away. Ophelia realizes the situation and runs over to the skeleton - climbing his leg and mewing at him loudly. The Pumpkin King flinches when he feels her claws dig through his pants and into his femur.
“Meow! Meow!”
He grabs her by the scruff of her neck and places her down, only for the cat to jump on him again. He repeats this gesture in impatience. “ What ? What is it?”
Zero whines and takes his suit in his mouth, tugging him the other way. He loses his temper - not appreciating how strange his pets are acting, and how they ruined the hard work he put together for tonight. He pushes them away before placing his hands on his hip with a scowl.
“There better be a good reason for this interruption!”
He looks between them both expectantly. But there’s only so much they can do. Zero struggles before barking, flying through the doorway and returning afterwards. The cat copies his actions, meowing and pawing in the direction of the front door. He eventually puts two-and-two together: they want him to follow them .
He’s hesitant to leave the dining room, knowing the mess he has to clean up in such little time…but the desperate looks on their little faces convinces him otherwise. He gives in and leaves the room. Zero does a flip in the air in triumph as Ophelia runs to the door, clawing at it and looking at her other master anxiously.
He gives her a strange look before twisting the knob and opening it. To his surprise, both animals rush outside - climbing down the steps and waiting for him at the fence. He takes his time closing the door and stepping down, only for Zero to tug at his sleeve and impatiently pull him forward. With how quickly they move, he understands he has to run . So that’s what he does - matching their pace as the three race into town. He mutters apologies to the monsters he nearly bumps into and offers a smile to those watching him with confused looks on their faces.
He’d like to know what was going on, too!
Jack Skellington gets his answer when he finds they’ve led him to the residential hill. Worry starts to settle into his bones. They bring him to the place he was hoping not to be brought to. Sally’s seamstress shop stands with its door wide open - which sways back and forth in the wind. It’s unusually quiet here at this hour. He remembers the town hall is starting their movie night right now - that must be where everyone else is. He fidgets with his bat bow tie when the animals bring him to the entrance.
He peeks into the doorway and notices it’s dark inside. “Sally..?”
After hearing no answer, he turns on the lights and finds the room completely empty. He notices the tossed chairs and tables on the floor. A few scratch marks on the wall nearby…as well as Sally’s unattended basket currently laying on its side. He leans down to pick it up and notices it’s been packed with her essentials - but missing the ragdoll herself. This is when something begins to beat anxiously in his rib cage. He throws the wicker basket down and rushes into the other room - worriedly looking in and calling his girlfriend’s name.
“Sally? Sally ! Are you here?”
He’s met with no reply. He rushes into every room and searches each crevice he can find. The fact becomes obvious - she’s not here. Judging by the thrown items by the entrance, there was a struggle, too. The worst comes to his mind as he clutches at his skull in concern. He drops himself to the floor and holds his head in his hands. ‘What could have happened to her? Why wasn't he there to stop it?’
Ophelia disrupts his thoughts when she jumps into his lap. Zero joins her side as they look at him with calm expressions on their faces. Compared to his , rather. The skeleton can’t help lighting up at their reaction.
“-You know where she is?” He asks hopefully. They nod. He clenches his fists in determination. “Lead me to her..!”
—--
The trio eventually reach their treehouse in the Hinterlands. It is a long and painful ride for Sally, constantly struggling against the rope and attempting to scream for help, all of which are muffled and she is thwacked with a small broom for even trying. She is hushed down to endure the rest of the trip in painful silence - the stream of tears from her eyes never drying. She tries to keep her spirits up by thinking of her beloved skeleton, hoping, deep down, that he is on his way to rescue her…
The trick-or-treaters jump out of the bathtub excitedly and begin prepping their small elevator. She is carried out and tossed around carelessly like a doll. The wind is knocked out of her when Barrel jumps onto the bag, and they’re hoisted upwards into the treehouse. The small boy drags her body out and finally removes her blindfold and gag so she can see where she is now.
The inside of their treehouse is small and quaint. It’s made entirely out of wood and nails, which seem to be long-rotting by this point. There is a small couch, its leather surface ripped to shreds, as well as a few snack machines laying around. She can’t help looking at all the writing on the walls, targets drawn in chalk with unattended axes splintering the wood and various tic-tac-toe games scribbled in many places. The couple of windows in here are left unprotected, welcoming any gust of wind to come inside.
Shock and Lock come following in, leaving the elevator doors and snickering at her body on the floor. She still can’t move. But she wants to express how angry she is. She narrows her eyes and bunches herself up, sneering at them in the most unkind tone she’s ever managed. She’s tried to be patient with them. Express kindness their way. But they’ve taken advantage of her long enough .
“I regret ever trusting you three. You’re liars, and you don’t care about the people you hurt!”
They laugh. “You’re so stupid! Why would we ever want a parent to boss us around?”
These words make her feel foolish. For ever trying to be a parental figure to these delinquents. She hangs her head low thinking of what to refute. Before she can say anything, a wooden bat strikes her in the face roughly. So hard that she is knocked out cold. Darkness engulfs her sight, and all she can hear are the shuffling sounds of the kids moving her. Unbeknownst to Sally, they are stuffing her down the offering pipe leading to Oogie Boogie’s Lair - giggling as they push her further in.
—--
. . .
. . .
When she comes to, a multitude of noises welcomes her ears. The sound of something boiling, several mechanisms working in the background, and the skittering of bats. She blinks her eyes open and looks around - noticing she is in the dark confines of Oogie Boogie’s casino. The rope remains tied around her limbs, limiting her movements completely. She attempts to squirm and loosen any of her stitches - in hopes that she can free a hand or two to help untie the knots. In her unsuccessful attempts, a shadow looms over her in the background.
“You’re awake!”
Sally jumps at the voice. She’s met with the hollow eyes of Boogeyman himself. He looks amused with her situation. He laughs to himself as he circles around her, fidgeting with the red dice in his hand. She’s laying on a dissecting table of some sorts. It looks similar to the one in the Doctor’s laboratory, where he would fasten her stitches and routinely perform check-ups on her. But this will not be used for such things. She notices the sharp instruments and saws laid out beside her. Panic settles in her leaves instantly.
“Wha-what do you want with me now!?” She spits at him, desperately. “Why am I here!?”
He notices her tone and whips around. She shrinks down, regretting being so bold so soon. A smile soon tugs on his burlap lips and he leans in closely to her. She shivers when she hears the bugs squirming in his mouth - how many can be inside of him? And do they control him ? Or does he …control the bugs? She fears thinking about either of these things.
“You may have won our lil’ game, Doll-face, but I ain’t finished with my fun just yet.”
He leans down and grabs a large spoon, stirring something below her. She notices the steam coming from its angle - is he cooking something? He leans over and adds various ingredients to the large bowl, confirming her suspicions. This is when the smell reaches her nostrils. It’s near impossible to describe - like he’s cooking several things at once. In this time, she continues to wiggle around, desperate to get something free from her restraints. He notices her movement and returns to her side, slamming his hand on the table and startling the ragdoll.
“ You’re NOT leavin’ me again! ” His gaze moves down her encumbered body. He drags his bag’s surface along her leg, relishing in the way she shudders. “You feel so soft n’ plush in my touch…the Doc’ sure had fun making ya’, huh? I bet he had his intentions. Old freak .”
‘Nothing like what YOU are!’ She mentally screams, whimpering when he touches her. She can’t do a single thing to stop him. He’s repeating his movements from last time, feeling her in long, slow strokes. He remains fascinated with her cloth skin and its texture. The tip of his ‘hand’ travels over her small curves with amused hums. Except now, his touch is getting closer to her dress by the second. He lifts up the end and begins crawling his arm up her thigh. She starts to cry out, her screams echoing back to her in the room:
“HELP! PLEASE! JACK!”
“ SHUT UP !” He slams the table again. She cowers at his loud tone. “You think THAT bonehead knows you’re’ even here!?”
He begins to mutter, withdrawing his hand from her dress. She loudly sighs in relief. He notices her comfort and wastes no time invading her space again, moving his head inches from hers. Her lip wobbles as she’s forced to face him. She remembers everything Jack Skellington told her about this creature - how he’s fed on humans, and lures them in here to gamble on their fate…
“Why are you doing this!?” She chokes.
He licks his lips, rubbing his hands together. “I’m hungry. Obviously . Ya’ know how hard it is to find something to eat ‘round here? My henchman have ta’ do all the work, gettin’ food fer’ me…and Dolly, you’re my next course.”
He moves around her, settling his face beside her ear. She can hear him clearly, now. His voice sends unpleasant goosebumps along her skin.
“I wanna’ know what you taste like. Bet yer’ delectable . I have a WIDE appetite, y’know - some of my bugs, they like cloth, n’ some others…they feed on leaves. And you have BOTH! There’s just so much to you - I want a taste of everything.”
“Sh-shouldn’t you offer me a game!? A bet we can place? So that any of this will be fair?”
“ HAH ! One thing you should know ‘bout me Doll-face - I don’t play fair. ‘Sides. We already had our game - n’ you lost , if I remember right.” He smiles smugly. “And I’m getting hungrier by the minute. Even more every time ya’ scream.”
She hushes down at this information, frowning uncomfortably. So he’s…going to eat her? Judging by the way he eyes her figure on the table, he has something more on his mind as well. She cries again - feeling helpless in this situation. She can’t even move. How can she possibly escape? He doesn’t even want to play one of his gambling games. Can she appeal to the senses of a monster like him?
Oogie Boogie scoffs, turning to check the temperature of the stew. He starts grumbling again. “Honestly? I’m angry . Have been for a long, long time, now. It ain’t with you , Doll. This entire thing…is to get back at Jack. Thinks he can walk away after banishing the BEST scarer in Halloween Town? The rightful Halloween King? All I had to do was find his weakness. N’ that’s you.”
“Please! I’m sure I can talk with him to figure something out.” She bites her ruby lip. “Maybe you two can make up-”
“- AHAHAHAHA !” He wipes a ‘tear’ away as he turns to her, guffawing. “No, no. This means more. There ain’t no reconcilin’. I’m not here to be friends. I’m here to take everything he’s got. Because that’s what he did to ME.”
To her surprise, the table begins to lower with a small hum. When it stops, she sees the pit of stew that’s been cooking beneath her. It’s at a rolling boil, filled with other ingredients she can’t recognize. She feels a splash reach the end of her leg and audibly screams . It leaves a nasty burn on her cloth skin. She realizes how painful this entire process will be - and resumes to plead for her life, as the Boogeyman looks at the knives and saws sitting beside her.
He grins. “Time to have some fun .”
—--
Jack Skellington feels his rib cage sink when the animals lead him into the Hinterlands. The feeling worsens the longer they run, filling him with intense anxiety. He’s hoping Sally is just lost in the woods somewhere and they’ll find her any minute. But then they’re standing on the hill leading to Lock, Shock, and Barrel’s treehouse. The skeleton can’t help stopping in his tracks when the sight greets him. His jaw hangs open and his bones twist unpleasantly. He clenches his bony fists tightly.
“Oh, no. No, no , no … .”
With no effort, he rushes down the hill and his long legs bring them to the entrance instantly. Ophelia stops to catch her breath while Zero’s pumpkin nose lights the abyss below. His first instinct is to look into the wooden structure - trying to catch sight of the trick-or-treaters, who are undoubtedly up to no-good again. To his surprise, he finds the windows empty and the place quiet. This is when he notices their elevator is currently lowered - hanging somewhere by the casino.
They start to hear voices. Zero wastes no time barking at them. “Arf! Arf!”
“ Shh !” The skeleton shushes him down. His ears droop while Jack crouches and tries to listen.
“You wait ‘til Jack hears about this! By the time he’s through with YOU, you’ll be lucky you-”
“Oh! But he ISN’T, is he, Doll-Face!? Now be a good girl and hold still-”
“AHH! SOMEONE! HELP!”
The three recognize Sally’s voice. Ophelia hunches her back and hisses at the darkness while Zero emits a low growl. Jack’s eye sockets narrow as he feels the anger bubbling inside of him. He has no doubt that the other voice belongs to Oogie Boogie…and he currently has his girlfriend in his clutches, if he’s hearing this right. He advances on the small bridge, trying to catch sight of the metal elevator. The rope seems to disappear into the blackness of the abyss.
Against his better judgment, he reaches out and takes a hold of it. Zero and Ophelia look at him in worry. He tests his weight and finds little difference. He’s light enough that he should be able to move himself downwards. After that….he isn’t sure what will happen, but none of it will be good, that’s for sure.
“Stay.” He tells the pets firmly. They sit down obediently.
He helps himself down the rope, slowly and carefully…further into the coldness of the chasm. At this point, he can no longer see any light except the circular beam of neon colors leaving the pipe from below. There, he finally finds the top of the elevator accompanied with familiar giggles. There are sounds of someone currently munching on popcorn. He advances as quietly as he can, not wanting to give his appearance away so soon.
“Hahaha! How long until you think he eats her?” Lock’s voice asks. Barrel’s reply is muffled from a mouth stuffed with candy.
“Mmmyeah! Any moment now!”
“And when he’s done, we’ll get our stew! Oogie promised to share!” Shock exclaims excitedly.
The three rub their hands and resume their show. That is, until they’re suddenly interrupted. The elevator around them starts to shake harshly, tossing them around in the small space and causing the three to lose their balance. Their popcorn and snacks are tossed into the emptiness below. They cling onto the metal bars before looking upwards, meeting with Jack Skellington’s face. His skull is currently distorted, forked tongue flickering out to wiggle at them. Sharp teeth line every corner of his mouth as he shrieks inhumanely loud.
“EEEEK!”
The trick-or-treaters hastily jump and scramble elsewhere. Jack pays them no mind as he helps himself through the pipe - pushing them out of the way and crawling into Oogie Boogie’s casino. He remains quiet enough for the noise to go unnoticed. It isn’t long before he approaches the other end. Now he can get a look as to what is going on. What he sees makes his eye sockets widen in shock.
In the middle of a large platform is Boogie’s pot he reserves for his snake & spider stew. It is currently open and boiling profusely, hot enough to burn an entire human being alive. Just above the liquid is Sally laying on the dissecting table - sobbing with her head turned away as Oogie follows her seams with the sharp tip of a knife. He is catching her leaves and tossing them into the stew, others he crumbles in his grip while he strokes the freeing cloth. From this angle, Jack can see the tears streaming down her face.
The moment Oogie begins ripping her dress and cutting the stitches, the skeleton makes his move. He crawls down while making little noise, eyes constantly scanning the room for a hiding place. He notices an unattended iron maiden and rushes over once his feet meet the ground, never moving his gaze from Oogie & Sally. His bones ache as he listens to her cries, while the rest of him is burning with a seething rage when he looks at his arch-nemesis.
“My, my..! You’re the best thing that Doc’s made by far !” The Boogeyman compliments, clearly amused with the hole he made in her clothing. She shoots him a look.
“Don’t touch me!”
“Wait! I know the perfect thing. Ya’ ever heard of a special dice, ragdoll?” She shakes her head with a scared look. “Well, I only save this for humans, but..I think ya’ count plenty.”
He moves from the table to go searching around for a new pair of… dice. Jack wastes no moment rushing to the scene and scooping Sally up. She makes a startled noise that is quickly muffled when he places his hand over her mouth. In a matter of seconds, he runs back to the iron maiden and gently places her inside - ensuring the spikes aren’t poking her too deeply. This should be an ideal hiding spot for her in the meantime. He notices the rope tied on her figure and regrets not grabbing one of the knives in time.
She gasps. “J-”
He covers her mouth again, holding one finger to his lips. She gets the message and closes her lips. His frame momentarily relaxes seeing her…even though she’s missing a few patches of her dress and a few of her limbs…Before anything can be done, the sound of Boogie moving catches Jack’s attention. He motions for Sally to stay put as he runs back to the table - laying himself on it and facing his direction. When Oogie returns, he notices the skeleton waiting for him right away.
He drops the dice as his burlap mouth hangs open. Jack grins wickedly. “Hello, Boogie .”
“J-Jack!? But how!?”
He drops himself to the floor in slow motion. Boogie backs away while the skeleton approaches him. A crooked smile uncharacteristically lines the Pumpkin King’s skull. “I warned you.”
The fear on his face is replaced with amusement. He throws his hands in the air playfully. “C’mon, bone-man! We were just havin’ fun. You n’ I used to do this all the time, back in the good ‘ol days!”
“ You’re . Dead .” He repeats, gritting his teeth.
He challenges him with a grin of his own, narrowing his ‘eyes’. “You don’t have the guts .”
Jack Skellington charges at him and Oogie yelps. He races to the other side of the platform and hurriedly presses a skull-shaped button. The ground beneath them starts to move, revolving slowly. The skeleton is momentarily caught off-balance before he dodges a nearby knife, which is protruding from one of the large playing cards. Their hands are swinging small daggers in circular motions, moving closer to the King as the seconds go by.
“Well?” His enemy teases from the other side of the room.
He takes the challenge with ease, jumping and easing through the moving daggers like they’re nothing. Boogie watches this with a scoff before pulling a lever. The cards around them lower back into their previous positions as the sound of something rolling interrupts them. Jack moves his skull to catch several robotic men holding guns pointed at him. Boogie tells them to ‘fire !’, and at the last second, he jumps to juggle himself on their arms, effectively dodging their bullets.
Oogie places his hands on his hips exasperatedly. “You’re not playin’ fair at ALL!”
“-You’re one to talk!” Jack exclaims back, focusing on moving his feet at the right time.
Just then the boogeyman realizes he’s still standing on the moving platform, getting closer to the firing robots by the second. He wails before running in the other direction, jumping and barely managing to press another button. This is when a large saw comes flying in the skeleton’s direction from behind. Sally notices this just in time and outstretches her hand.
“Jack! Lookout!”
He turns around and sees the sharp blade hurling towards him. He jumps off and dodges it easily. It cuts the arms off of the robots, ceasing their fire. He lands right in front of Oogie with a satisfied smile. Boogie gasps and takes several steps back, shooting him a look as he goes. It’s almost amusing with how slow he moves compared to the tall figure’s long strides.
“You’re barely fighting like a man.” The skeleton comments, slithering right after him. “What’s wrong, Oogie? All this time alone turned you into a coward?”
“You’re just lucky I don’t feel like letting my bugs loose!”
He eyes his several loose threads as he continues on. He doesn’t want to lose any more insects after seeing several slipping through the small gaps in his burlack bag. He’s getting lighter by the second, making it harder to move. To breathe. He huffs as he continues running. He stops in his tracks when his opponent lands right in front of him, making Boogie fall to the floor roughly.
He towers over him with a threatening glare. “How dare you touch her so shamefully!”
He smiles right back at him. “Mad cause I got to her first ?”
Something flickers in the back of Jack’s eye sockets. A familiar flame…the anger he’s felt during this entire exchange is immense. The audacity of his nemesis for kidnapping Sally and treating her this way…having the gall to touch her like he has, and act like this entire thing is nothing more but a game . The way he listened to her cry and scream for help…he’s never seen her this scared before. To hear her voice so desperate, thinking she is going to die any second…
The heat overcomes him and his vision flashes. Something about his body feels heavier. He glances down and notices the stick arms and hands that replace his skeletal ones. His legs are now made of straw, adding to the light feeling on his feet. The heat is more apparent now. His pumpkin is burning with a steady flame as he advances on Boogie, who audibly shouts as he backs away on the floor. He pauses before connecting the dots in his head.
“That’s right .” He comments, his voice changing. It’s almost like a whisper - the sound barely coming through the flames in his mouth. “You’re scared of me. Of it .”
Oogie’s lip wobbles as he helps himself up, his knees shaking. He tries to shoot him a glare but cowers down when the flame reaches past his pumpkin. Jack can’t help chuckling loudly. “-You fear the Pumpkin King.”
…
…
…
It was one Halloween night, several centuries ago. Halloween Town’s monsters and creatures were in the human world, wreaking terror on their victims. Screaming and laughter was all that could be heard in these ungodly hours of the night. Among them stood the Pumpkin King and infamous Boogeyman - carrying their successful scare streak as they did every year. They’d been frightening many humans that night. The count was kept by Jack Skellington, who boasted that he’d scare 100 humans within this first hour. So far, he was only 1 away from his goal. But the minutes were counting down. Oogie couldn’t help rubbing this in his face.
“Think you can manage, Bone-Man?” He teases playfully. “Ya’ only got 5 minutes.”
“5 minutes is all I need.” The skeleton replied breezily.
They found an unsuspecting girl counting her candy on the sidewalk, dressed as an angel. The tall man followed after her, tucking himself in and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Boogie watched from the sidelines, curious. Jack ended up doing something rather unexpected - transforming into Halloween Town’s favorite Scarecrow, and sneaking up on her from behind. He unleashed a scream accompanied with a strong burst of fire, igniting the small halo sitting above her head.
The child ran away, screaming and rolling in the grass, desperate to control it before it lit her hair aflame. Oogie laughed at the scene, surfacing from the shadows and patting his friend on the back. Jack was chuckling as he watched her go - proud of his work, and accomplishing his record for the year!
“Nice goin’! Kind of ironic, isn’t it? Lightin’ an angel on fire?”
“I am a demon of light.” Jack replies. They move on. Boogie notices he hasn’t returned to his skeletal self just yet.
“Y'know, I remember scarin’ 200 humans last Halloween, if we’re countin’ all the nightmares I gave ‘em. That means I doubled the King’s record!”
“Is that so?”
“I was just thinkin’...I can scare twice the amount you can, through their heads. Their shadows. That’s gotta’ count for somethin’, right? Gotta…say a lot ‘bout what’s happening here, I think.”
Jack stops and turns sharply. “Are you saying…you’d make a better King than me?”
“Well. I’d get twice the work done, wouldn’t I? Can’t deny the numbers. I’m doin’ better than you every year. Someone’s gonna’ notice. Don’t be surprised if I’m elected the next Halloween King!”
He means this as a joke. To demonstrate, he lets out a loud laugh and slaps him on the back again. Except Jack Skellington doesn’t join in with the noise. The sockets in his pumpkin have darkened and he notices the fiery pupils staring at him. Oogie looks down at him as they stand there awkwardly. Before he can say anything - crack a joke about not being that serious - the Scarecrow’s hand takes him firmly by the burlap.
“Understand something.” It spits at him, small flames burning the edges of his lips. Boogie flinches. His voice is unfamiliar; he’s never heard anything like it before. “Do you know how many nightmares I am in? How many children have dreamt of me and woke up in cold sweats after I devoured their minds?”
His grip tightens, despite Oogie trying to get out of it. He moves them closer until their faces are inches apart. Then he opens his mouth and exhales large flames - burning his sack and causing the boogeyman to scream and jump away. He has to pat himself down before the flames spread and engulf his body. His bugs writhe and cry inside of him. Some are already burned. He spits out the insect’s corpses before they can spread to the others, and watches in defeat as they fall to the ground.
He turns back to Jack with a glare. This is short-lived when the Scarecrow shoots another flame at him, and he has to step back to avoid it. He sends several more to his feet, making Boogie practically dance as he backs away. He feels the bugs moving around in him again, petrified of the flames. Jack laughs at the sight. He must look like an idiot .
“There is no being scarier than me. None who can defeat me. You, Boogie, are nothing.” He looks at him with no emotion. No pity. Only dominance. “You will never replace me.”
He has no choice except to nod weakly. The rest of that night is tense - until Jack returns to his normal, skeleton self. By then, they’re back to cracking jokes and scaring humans alongside each other. Oogie feels weary as he does all of this, afraid of another flame finding its way to his bugs and burning him entirely.
He’d heard of the rumors. The names they called him. Why everyone feared the Pumpkin King. But he never thought his best friend would hurt him. That he would pose any threat whatsoever. But Jack Skellington made one thing clear that night - that he was the only Master of Fright.
It was the Scarecrow who defeated him in their last scaring competition. And it was the Scarecrow who has haunted the Boogeyman’s dreams since.
…
…
…
“I do not .” Oogie spits at him, avoiding looking at his face.
Jack inches closer, filling the space between them. The panic is too much to bear - Boogie sprints away, climbing his traps and hastily jumping off the platform. He needs to make his escape now. The snake & spider stew can wait another time. Where is that evacuation ride the kids installed for him? He tries to remember while shuffling away, unaware of the figure advancing on him as the seconds go by.
“What’s the matter? Can’t handle the heat?” The boogeyman ducks when a flame comes his way. “Maybe you shouldn’t cook your victims alive, then.”
Oogie groans as he watches the scarecrow run and flip around him. Sending small bursts of fire his way as to taunt him. Like a hunter playing with its prey. This is what the master of fright often does with his victims - keeping them on edge before delivering the final scare…in this case, the final blow. By the time he finds his escape, Jack’s already caught him in a corner. He faces him head-on as they stare each other down. Boogie gulps when he recognizes the pupils looking at him.
“C’mon, Jack… please! ” He pleads for a moment. “Remember all the fun times we had? All the kids we scared? You n’ I had the biggest streak compared to anybody!”
“I warned you not to touch Sally.”
“Is one broad enough for ya’ to kill me?” Jack flinches at his words. “We both know you ain’t gonna-”
Without warning, he pounces on him and sends the biggest burst of fire he’s ever released. In an instant, Boogie is trapped in the flames - screaming horrifically as he claws at his burlap sack. Various bugs shriek as they dance inside of him, some flying away only to burn to a crisp midair. He makes sure to stomp the escaping insects and light them on fire. Oogie’s voice barely sounds from all the yelling.
“My bugs! My bugs! My bugs!”
He watches with little sympathy as his enemy burns alive before him, eventually turning into hot ash and dust in front of his feet. The sounds of screaming finally stop. There is no more movement of bugs. A shadow slithers from underneath the burnt burlap before disappearing completely from the walls. It leaves the casino entirely - never to be seen again. Jack slowly transforms back to his skeletal being as he gazes at the pile, feeling a slight ping of pity. He acted before thinking. It infuriated him to hear Oogie call Sally that word…And now he’s faced with… this .
“...Jack!”
He’s pulled from his thoughts when the ragdoll comes over, tumbling when she meets him. He grabs one of the knives from the table and properly cuts the rope off. The moment she’s freed, she pulls him in close and lays a passionate kiss on his lips - which he happily returns. He holds her flush against him as they embrace for several minutes. The tears are now drying from her face. She sighs in relief. She’s safe again.
“Sally? Are you alright?” He asks, pulling away to look at her figure. She blushes and tries to cover the missing parts of her dress.
“I…I think I am. I’m still a little shaken.” Her eyes move to the floor. “He…He’s dead now, isn’t he?”
He glances back at the ashes. He winces at the sight. “...Mostly. His shadow is still out there - but now it has nothing to return to.”
She clings onto his arm. Her tone is quiet. “Jack? Did you… mean to do that?”
“...No. But I warned him it would happen. He knew what he was doing.”
“Were you…was the Scarecrow-”
“-Let’s not worry about it,” He interrupts, taking her hand. He’ll deal with his regretful thoughts later. Right now, he just wants her safe. “Do you know what he did with your arm? And the other parts of you?”
She looks at the unattended snake & spider stew, still boiling away. “He threw them all in there. I…I think they cooked away.”
“That’s fine. We’ll…we’ll just visit the Doctor and see what he can do.” He looks at the burns and cuts on her body with a frown. His insides feel like ice. How could he possibly let this happen to her? Guilt fills his nonexistent stomach. “I’m so sorry, Sal.”
"It's alright." She buries her head in his suit. "I...I love you."
"...I love you, too."
He leads her to the exit, offering her his jacket. She uses it to conceal her bare skin - thankful for the covering. It’s dark by the time they get out and meet with the animals waiting for them. Zero yaps in delight at the sight of Sally and excitedly licks her face. Ophelia paws at her knee, and she picks the cat up to pet her, soothing the both of them. Jack pats Zero proudly on the head and smiles at their other pet.
“Thank you two for telling me where she was. I would’ve had a hard time otherwise.” He tells them. They bow their heads in return.
“Really? Ophelia you… told him?” She blinks in surprise, meeting with her yellow eyes. The cat meows in return. “...Thank you.”
—---
A cup of warm tea is brought into the ragdoll’s hands as she rests on their couch. Zero and Ophelia are right by her side, enjoying the security of their home. Jack Skellington lowers himself to sit by his beloved, sighing as he rubs his thumb on the top of her hand. There is a storm going on outside that they are listening to - repeated drops of the rain with momentary breaks of thunder and lightning. It is delightful weather for Halloween Town, but right now, it does nothing to soothe him after what happened.
The first thing they did was visit Dr. Finklestein’s tower. He felt guilty for imposing at an hour like this, but Jewel and the Doctor were both reasonably concerned to see her in such a condition on their doorstep. Her missing limbs and burned cloth were promptly taken care of - replacements coming in handy. She was provided with new leaves and a change of clothing. Jewel and Igor took the liberty of comforting her while the Doctor demanded a private word with Jack.
The talk was uncomfortable. He didn’t want to speak about what happened, but knowing this was Sally’s concerned father seemed like a good enough reason to. Oogie Boogie was a notorious figure in Halloween Town - spoken mostly in hushed whispers and in long, forgotten rumors. The Doctor remembers him well-enough, when he took his poor ragdoll after creating her, and overrunning the town for his Bug Day. He forgives Jack and thanks him for saving her, shaken to learn that she was close to getting eaten.
He can’t relate more.
He takes the empty cup when she hands it to him and refills it in the kitchen. When he returns, his gaze comes to a nearby window - watching the rain hit the glass surface. Now he understands why he was feeling that sensation earlier…a storm couldn’t be more well-timed. He glances back at the mess that is the dining room and makes a note to clean that tonight. He’s been busy making sure Sally is bathed, fed, and comfortable. Nothing can be more important to him right now.
“Can you tell me what exactly happened?” He asks, sitting close to her. She sets down her cup and frowns, curling her fingers in her lap.
“I came back from watching the movie in the Town Square. I was just working in my shop, and…Lock, Shock, and Barrel came. They had knives and all of these scary things…they threatened me and locked my door. Then they forced me down and tied me up. Gagged me. I couldn’t move or talk and-”
She reaches out for him. He holds her close and soothes her shaking by holding his large hands on top of her own. She sighs to calm herself down.
“They brought me into their bathtub and led me to their treehouse. They knocked me out and put me in his casino. The rest…you can assume.”
He makes a frustrated noise. “Just when those three start behaving, they go and pull that stunt…I should’ve known something was up. They didn’t seem happy doing all of those chores for the town.”
“It was their punishment. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She assures him.
“Sally…your safety is my responsibility. And what happened tonight-”
She stops him by placing her finger over his lips. His eye sockets widen in surprise. Then he relaxes as she withdraws, leaving a peck on his cheek. She holds his skull in her hands, looking at him seriously. He notices the moisture in them, like she’s close to crying again…but she stops herself before she can. She nuzzles her nose against his bone.
“You saved me. I…didn’t get to tell you ‘thank you’. For rescuing me when I needed it.”
“Just like when we met, huh?” He titters softly, closing his eyes. “‘Thank you for rescuing me, Mr. Pumpkin King~ ”
She giggles hearing him mimic her voice again. She moves into his lap and rests against his chest. She grabs his hand and travels her fingers along his palm, playing with his digits. He melts at the sight and holds her as close as possible, rocking the both of them. They’re together now. And she’s safe. Oogie Boogie perished. There is nothing more to worry about. He rests his jaw on her hair and thinks about the item sitting in his pocket right now.
“...Would you care to have dinner tomorrow? And take a stroll in the graveyard?” He asks quietly. “It’s been awhile since we gazed at the stars together, hasn’t it?”
She perks up at this invitation and nods enthusiastically, much to his surprise. “That sounds lovely..! It’s just what I need, after all of this…”
