Okay, this something I came up when I was listing to 3 Doors Down's It's Not My Time. I could see Ariel sad and hurt to this song. No, this doesn't have anything to do with The Princess of Shadows. Okay, maybe a little.

Ariel was sitting in her bedroom when she heard the sound of her mother's crying.

She ran downstairs. Her brother was comforting their mother.

Her little sister was buried into their mother's chest.

Ariel was confused about something, she was crying.

She would what happen.

"Ariel…"

Ariel could tell her brother was up set.

He handed her a letter, it was from the army.

She read it carefully till she realize what it was saying.

Their father was hit.

She panic, drop the letter on the floor and left the house.

She ran into the woods, tears couldn't stop running down her cheeks.

Her heart was hurting more then before.

She found her way to the holidays doors and open the Halloween one.

When she found herself in the graveyard, she hide behind one of the tombstones.

Her body was hurting till she couldn't breath.

"Ariel? What wrong?"

Jack was in the graveyard as well, just taking a walk till he found Ariel crying.

"Did something happen?"

Ariel's face was pale and the shade of red was gone.

"Jack….he gone…*sob* he gone…"

Jack hold her close to him.

Something happen to her, but, he didn't know what happen to say to her.

But, he knew her father was at war in her world.

Did something to him there.

"He gone…*sob*…he dead… *sob*…."

She couldn't stop her tears, they kept rolled down her face.

"Ariel…ssshhh."

He hold her closer then before.

She wasn't going to last longer.

She lost someone close to her.

Ariel stop crying an hour later, she was in daze now.

"Jack…why did he died…"

She felt the weight of the world on her now.

Death wasn't pleasant to her, she lost someone who was there when she was only small and helpless.

"It hard to understand why…"

Jack wouldn't really know.

He was dead but alive somehow.

His little princess was hurt more then before.

Her heart wasn't going to heal easily.

Ariel's face was like a doll, staring off into space.

But, she forgot that she was living.

"Jack…do you know why we have war in my world…?"

Jack near seen war in real life.

But, he heard it was awful sight to a human's eyes.

He know that people lost their love ones in them.

"Well…maybe he was protecting something he cared about…"

Ariel look at her skeleton, her river eye were gone in her tears.

"Did you ever thought he went because he knew you and your family were safe?"

She never thought about it.

War was like hell on earth.

And she hated hearing about it, knowing her father was there and the risks were life taking.

But, he went because he knew had something had that it wouldn't take away from him.

It was her and her family.

"Jack…"

She wipe her tears away from her face.

"Thanks…"

Jack stood up and help her up to her feet.

Her face was back to normal a bit, she was clam but sad still.

"Why don't you stay with me tonight."

"Okay…"

Ariel smile at him, he saw just a few more tear let out.

'She must be pound of him.'

He thought to himself.

He know, she'll make it though this hardship.

Nightmare before Christmas (C) Tin Burton

Remember, no rude comments, only helpfuls.