Welcome, everyone! This story is a Monster in Paris/Nightmare Before Christmas/Corpse Bride crossover. The romantic pairings in the story are the same as they were each of the films; this is actually meant to be a continuation, more or less, of their stories. I'm not very good at introducing new stories, so have fun reading!

I claim no ownership to A Monster in Paris, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, or their characters. I make no money from this, please don't sue :D.

A Monster in Halloweentown

Chapter One: New Arrival

Paris was drenched in rain once again on a sad, dark day. Notre Dame's bells rang a slow dirge, mourning with the rest of her city. Pedestrians with ashen faces hovering above black and gray coats either hurried towards the cemetery (already nearly full with a great crowd of people) or went a bit more slowly and sorrowfully about their daily lives than usual.

Eventually, the city folk finished gathering around a new, larger than average grave. Many years ago, five Parisians had cleared the shadows cast upon their city during a terrible flood, bringing light and happiness back into their lives. The music of two in particular had charmed them after long, hard days and brought droves of tourists from all over the world. Death, however, comes for all, and one by one, each of the five departed. These past few years, only one had been left. Now, just the night prior, even he had passed, and was now being buried beside his friends.

Francœur, the Monster of Paris, was dead.

Francœur opened his eyes slowly, confused that he felt hard ground beneath him rather than his soft, old bed. Above him floated a yellow moon, familiar and yet larger than he remembered. All of the usual ridges he had memorized during long nights staring out of his bedroom window were there, and yet this moon seemed so foreign to him. Hesitantly, he sat up to see where he was.

A dark and eerie graveyard surrounded him. Cold gravestones and withered looking flowers and herbs jutted out of the cold, dead earth, and a large hill with an odd spiral cliff dominated the graveyard's center. Francœur had already guessed at his passing: all of the aches and pains he had gained in old age had melted away. That, in combination with his sudden transportation to an unfamiliar location, had confirmed, in his mind, he was no longer amongst the living.

Francœur was at peace with this thought. He had become quite old and tired the last few years. He would miss the children and grandchildren, his "nieces and nephews" he had left behind, certainly. He knew they must be quite heartbroken; but he was ready to see his first and oldest friends again after so long without them.

That thought, however, raised an interesting question. This dreary graveyard was nothing like the bright, soft afterlife Lucille had described to him on occasion. Fear gripped his heart as old insecurities rose to the surface once again, ones that he hadn't felt in a very long time. What if he, as a monster, was not fit for Lucille's Heaven?

What if he was doomed to spend eternity alone, without any of his friends?

The sound of footsteps crunching on dead leaves brought a halt to his impending panic. Hope flared in his chest, which turned rapidly into a mixture of confusion, fear, and a great deal of curiosity once the walker came into view. Coming towards him with long strides was what could only be described as a tall, well-dressed skeleton. Francœur wondered: could he no longer be the only Monster in Paris? Of course, he conceded to himself, this couldn't possibly be a graveyard in Paris, and he had never been far from the city during his life. There could be a whole world of monsters he never knew about.

The skeleton before him looked to be as tall as he, wearing a crisp pinstripe suit with a bowtie styled to look like a bat. Its head was an odd round shape, and its limbs were incredibly long, much like Francœur's own. While there were no eyes set within the skull, Francœur could feel its gaze coming from deep within the black sockets. Somehow, Francœur could feel not malevolence, but a deep kindness in that gaze.

Once it was close, the skeleton paused for a moment, then spread its arms wide with a flourish. "Welcome, welcome kind…sir?"

At the question, Francœur realized he was somehow wearing the first clothes he had ever owned, ones that had worn out to rags long ago. His long black coat, red scarf, and chapeau he had accidentally "borrowed" from that man in the alley was with him again, obscuring his features in the dim graveyard. Hesitantly, Francœur nodded to let the skeleton (whom he now knew to be a male as well) know he was correct in his assumption.

"Excellent! Welcome, welcome again!" The skeleton grinned broadly at him. "When the witches said we had a new arrival on the way, they couldn't really give me many details to go on, sadly. Would you please tell me your name?"

Francœur wasn't sure of what to do. Once Lucille had taught him how to write, he had always carried around a little notebook for when communication was necessary. The pockets of his old coat, however, were quite empty.

"A shy one, aren't you? Well, I suppose this may all be very strange to you. Come on, friend. Stand up and let's see what we have to work with!"

Slowly, Francœur stood. As he raised his head, his scarf shifted down, revealing his face in a way similar to his first encounter with Lucille.

"Oh, my! A giant flea? I have to admit that's a new one!" The skeleton clapped him on the back. "I'm sure the Professor would love to meet you, see what makes you tick. For now, can you write?"

Francœur nodded.

"Excellent!" The skeleton fished around inside of his jacket pockets for a moment, then produced an oddly charred scrap of parchment with a bent quill and handed them to Francœur. After scribbling for a moment, he placed the parchment back into the skeleton's hands:

I am Francœur of Paris. It is nice to meet you.

Lucille had always been adamant about good manners, after all – even if she did tend to forget them when it came to Raoul.

"Splendid to meet you, Monsieur Francœur, just splendid!" The skeleton stood tall and posed dramatically, and Francœur couldn't help but smile. "I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King! And welcome to Halloweentown!"