AN: I'm back with another NBC story. This was a special request courtesy of Werejaguar of Halloween Town. We were just chatting one day and I mentioned some ideas I had been getting for Jack and Sally. Well, one of them was apparently too good to pass up, so Werejaguar latched onto and began feeding my plot bunnies. Little furry rodents became unbearable and thus was born this story.
This is kinda long but I think you'll like it. Werejaguar lent a hand, and of course I called in CosmicHorse for assistance. You can thank these lovely ladies for the T-rating, when this was meant to be K+. Though I'll admit, I also share in the blame. Could've said no. I did not. I encouraged. So now this story is T, though I may have to change it to a higher rating because things get very heated in the last chapters. Aaaah! I just wanted a funny little one-shot! Instead, I may have just written my first M-rated fic?
Nope, NOPE! Definitely staying T and I ain't budging on it!
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas. That belongs to Tim Burton. Picture is by jackfreak1994. Check out other her other work on deviantART.
Bunny's Costume Closet was the newest party shop in town. They had everything needed for all kinds of parties, ranging from princess and super hero-themed kid parties to cocktail hour at a sports bar. The owner's motto was: All your costume needs, from fun to flirty to frightful. The store had been particularly slow that day, so all the employees were able to leave early. The manager waited until all staff were present at the front of the store before leaving. Once the last employee was out, the manager set the code and locked up.
All was quiet in the darkened shop, save for a soft rattling in the back. Had anyone remained, they would have seen a soft light coming from under a storage closet. The doorknob shifted, turning as the door opened, and a pair of blue eyes peeked out into the darkness. Waiting a few more seconds, the door opened completely. A shadow leapt through the darkness, making its way to the front of the store. Spotting the alarm system, the intruder smiled and pulled out a slip of paper with the security code to deactivate the alarm. Once the code was punched in, the intruder ran back to the storage closet.
"Okay, cost is clear," Will called. She waited as her companions made their way out of the closet.
Al formed her hands to look like a gun and raised them to her head, looking around suspiciously. "We are certain the area is secure?" she asked.
"Affirmative, Agent Skeptic." Will laughed. "My informant insured me the store won't open till morning, so we have all night."
"And this guy just gave you the codes?"
Will smiled sheepishly. "Well, I may have…persuaded him to give me the security codes."
"Ooo! Do tell!"
"Well…" She bit her lip and her voice got higher. "I may or may not have used that hypnosis technique Puck taught me to get the codes. Hey, if Dean doesn't remember giving them, he can't get in trouble if we get caught."
"Oh, I'm so proud, but like we'd get caught," Al scoffed. "I thought you knew me by now."
"Are you going to lecture me, or you gonna go find all your Team guys's costumes and have some fun?"
Al dropped her "gun" and squealed. She eagerly dived into the store as she scanned all the different merchandize. Will stayed behind. "You coming or not?"
Hesitantly, the door open farther revealing a tall redhead in a patchwork dress. She scanned the room, excitement and hesitancy in her large round eyes.
"Remind me, why are we here again?" Sally asked.
"Just something to help de-stress," Will said, combing through the aisles. "Now that Al and I are on break from classes, it was the perfect time for us to catch up with you on things. Plus, Al and I have been wanting to check out this costume shop for weeks."
"Will! They have a Loki costume right next to Cap!" Al called.
"Oh! Are they the fem versions? We could totally reenact that epic battle," Will called, making Al laugh. Will joined in as she raced off after her friend, leaving Sally to wander around.
Sally had been surprised when the girls had shown up and invited her on an outing. She had not seen them for some time, and it was nice to visit. Sally had been curious to know what her friends had been up to. She was surprised when Jack had told her Al was engaged and that Will was being courted by a young man, and had since been eager to learn more about what was going on in those relationships. Last time, Will had confided that Al was skeptical of Will's boyfriend, but apparently Al had since warmed up to the young man.
Sally wandered around the shop, admiring the different designs of these human costumes. She noted the unique fabrics and patterns, her own mind thinking up some ideas for next Halloween.
"Hey Sally, come check this out!"
Sally walked towards them. However, she was not expecting to find the girls like this. Al was now wearing a purple jacket with attached green vest front, a grey collared shirt with a brown and yellow neck tie, and matching purple pants with white pinstripes. Beside her, Will was laughing, dressed as a black and red harlequin clown. Both were laughing. Sally was going to ask what they were doing when Will threw her arms around Al.
"You were gonna come back for me, weren't cha, Puddin?" She pouted and batted her eyes, trying not to laugh.
Al was having the same trouble, but managed to pull out a smooth smile. "Of course, Pumpkin Pie! It's just that… Well, here you are, so I can, eh…save myself the trip." She wrapped her arms around Will's waist.
"But what about all our friends? Ivy and Two-Face and Hat Guy, and Lizard Man and Puppet Head and…?"
"What about them?" Al then pulled out a black mask that looked like some sort of bat before saying in a deeper voice, "Don't forget about your little pets!"
Will gasped. She pulled away from Al and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt before she began shaking Al. "The babies! We can't leave the babies!"
Al put her hand on Will's face and pushed her off. "I'll buy you a goldfish, let's go!"
"What in the world?" Sally couldn't help laughing, though she had no idea what was happening. The sound of her voice made the girls fall into a fit of laughter. They stepped away from each other and tried to calm down.
"Sorry Sally," Will said, wiping a tear from her eye. "That's our favorite scene from a show we like. Just couldn't help it when we put on the costumes."
"I told you it'd be better like this," Al added. She stood up and crossed her arms in mock offense. "And to think you tried to make me wear Ivy instead."
"Well, the relationship is better, and you wouldn't have needed the wig," Will pointed out.
"Oh right." She fell into another giggle fit.
"Well, I can see how this can make you relax," Sally said.
"Hey, don't let us have all the fun."
"Yeah! You're trying one on next!" Al grinned wickedly as she held up a costume bag. "Already got the perfect outfit for you."
"W-What?" Sally stepped back. "Oh no. I don't think so."
"Come on, Sally! It's so much fun."
"But I…"
"Too late! This is happening." Al didn't give her a chance to protest. She grabbed Sally by the arm and dragged her over to the dressing room. She pushed her inside and then handed her a costume. "And you're not coming out until that's on, Rags."
"That was kind of harsh," Will said. "She didn't have to put on a costume if she didn't want to."
"Oh, like you haven't had fun playing the Barbie doll."
Will opened her mouth and quickly shut it. "Touché."
They waited a few more minutes before Al called out for Sally to show them the outfit. When she walked out, Sally wore a 1920's flapper costume. The dress was a sequin one shoulder number, trimmed in gold along the shoulder and neckline while the rest of the dress was covered in layers of black fringe, all the way down to the hem at mid-thigh. In addition, Sally also wore a feathered head band, black gloves, garter, beads, stockings, and heeled shoes.
Sally rubbed her arm. "I don't know… This doesn't seem like me."
"Sally, do you have any idea how adorable you look?" Will said. She stood up and took Sally's hands. "Come over and take a peek."
Sally let herself be led over to a full-length mirror. She was surprised to see herself, but then she turned about and surprisingly, she found she like it. The dress was flattering and fit her shape nicely. She noticed Will looking over her shoulder.
"See? Told you that it looked great."
Sally smiled. "Well, it's not something I ever imagined myself wearing, but I admit I like it better than I thought I would."
"That's the fun of costumes. Trying on something new and getting to be someone else."
"Hmm… I wonder if Jack felt this way when I made him that suit?" Sally muttered, gazing at her reflection again.
"Pretty much." Al joined them by the mirror. She put one hand on Sally's back and held up her cellphone in the other. "Smile everyone!"
A bright light flashed and Sally was momentarily blinded. When her vision cleared, she spotted an image of herself, Will, and Al staring back at her from All's cellphone. Al pulled back the phone and laughed.
"Pft! Sally, this is even better than Paddy's day," she said.
"Ally and I like to take photos of the stuff we try on," Will explained. "Since we have all night, we'll have plenty of time to try on some crazy things. Of course, if you'd rather not, it's fine."
Sally looked at the image again. They were all smiling and they looked funny wearing the silly costumes. Perhaps this was just the way to relax. She had been feeling overworked lately. Jack had to plan Halloween with the Mayor, leaving her to handle the wedding details. There was so much planning to do, and if she were honest, she may have taken on too much work. She had just finished putting together the bridesmaid dresses, and there was still work to do on her own dress.
She turned to Will with a smile. "So how many other costumes are there to try?"
Over the next few hours, the three tried on different costumes, taking various photos.
Al enjoyed a mixture of flirty and fangirl. For her personal enjoyment, she posed for several pictures dressed as The Tenth Doctor, Spock, Severus Snape, and Wolverine. She even put on a Kim Possible outfit, and then she had a lot of fun with a Deadpool costume. She then found a cutesy deer costume and Will managed to find a horse costume, though she regrettably agreed to be the rear in order to convince Al to wear it, only For Al to boot Will out to make it a centaur costume.
Meanwhile, Will chose a different style for her costumes. She preferred the classics. Vampire, pirate wench, fairy, and Grecian goddess. She found a Belle's golden ball gown, a rather odd squirrel girl costume, Beetlejuice, and to Will's surprise, she also found a rather disturbing pigeon costume. For that one, Will had snuck up behind Al and scared her, which in turn caused Will to feel the blunt end of a rubber baseball bat as Al chased her around the store. Sally managed to record half the chase on Al's phone.
Since Sally was not familiar with many of the concepts, Will and All selected the majority of her outfits. Will found a nurse, a medieval maiden, and a 1950s costume. Will did try to refrain Al from choosing too many of the adult costumes, but she did find a few. She chose a classic Audrey Hepburn costume, Jessica Rabbit, and, just for the fun of it, a super frilly and sexy Little Bo Peep costume. However, the best was a strikingly familiar pinstripe suit with a matching bat bow tie, included with skeleton hand gloves.
She couldn't believe there was a costume that matched her dearest Jack. She squealed in delight, getting several remarks from Al about how adorable the sound she made was. Will snuck plenty of pictures of Sally doing her best impressions of her beloved. That led into a chain reaction of many impressions of some of Halloween Town's citizens. The best happened when Will and Al found a purple witch and red devil costumes, acting like a bickering Shock and Lock as Sally tried her best not to laugh as she reprimanded them as Jack.
While Sally tried on a genie costume, Al came out in a classic rag doll costume, making Sally laugh. The scene gave Will an idea. She quickly found some little black glasses, bad false teeth, and a lab coat. She pulled her hair back and then sat down in a chair, doing her best scowl. When Sally spotted her, she covered her mouth in a snicker. Will then grabbed Al by the arm.
"The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Sally," she hissed.
"Let go!" Al tried to free her arm, pulling as hard as she could.
Will's grip tightened. "You're not ready for so much excitement."
"Yes I am!"
"You're coming with me!" Will grunted. She leaned back in the chair and pulled Al's arm.
"No I'm not!" Al waited for Will to loosen her grip before pulling herself free. Will pretended to be thrown off balance and fell to the floor, allowing Al to slip away behind a life-size mannequin of a Predator.
Will shook her head and then raised her arm up as she glared at Al. "Come back here, you foolish–" She started hitting her head with her fist. "Ow! Ow! Oh!"
Sally doubled over. "Oh, that sounds just like the Doctor."
"Just you wait. Watch this!" Will got herself back up in the chair, clearing her throat. "That's twice this month you've slipped deadly nightshade into my tea and run off."
"Three times!" Sally corrected.
"You're mine, you know. I made you! With my own hands!"
"You can make other creatio– Hey, wait a minute. How'd you know about that?" Sally asked.
"Uh…lucky guess?" Al said. "You guys did fight a lot."
"Well, that's true I suppose, but that was a very specific fight between Doctor Finklestein and myself."
"Well, uh, it was with the thing, and the place, and the…lady?"
"Igor told us!" Will interrupted. "See, uh, Igor and I were chatting, and I had some dog biscuits I owed him, and well, one thing lead to another…and he kind of told me about the fights, sneaking out, and all that. I mean, Al makes a point, and you two did have your…tiffs? But I swear, I didn't ask him or anything like that!" She smiled, hoping it didn't look as fake as she felt with her lie.
Sally blinked. She was embarrassed about having her more private life discussed, but then she couldn't really blame Igor. She never noticed but he had probably been somewhere in the background doing his chores during her quarrels with the Doctor. He tended to get into trouble for revealing some of Doctor Finklestein's more confidential plans. And of course, she also remembered that the poor dear tended to reveal things whenever someone had dog biscuits. It wasn't really his fault.
"I understand," Sally said. "I guess I can talk to him about that later. Why don't we get back to having some fun?"
"That's fine with me," Al said. "Now, come on! There's still a ton of stuff we haven't tried, and I'm determined to get you two into the fun stuff."
"Fun stuff?" Sally cast a worried glance at Will.
The girl sighed. "Knowing her, expect short and tight, and basically anything worn by Satine in the opening of Moulin Rouge."
"Oh, okay. Um, what's mo͞oˈlan ˈro͞oZH?"
After a quick explanation of the provocative film and a negotiation about certain costumes, Will and Al decided they should pose for group shots. Al showed Sally how to work the camera on her phone so she could pose with Will. The human girls made the rag doll laugh with their creative posing for Wesley and Buttercup, and Alice and the Mad Hatter. There was one particularly epic battle scene with the girls dressed as the feminine versions of Leonardo and Raphael. After that, Will pulled off to grab some costumes. Jack Sparrow and Angelica, the Phantom and Christine Daaé, and Agent's J and K. When it was Will's turn to pose with Sally, Al selected costumes that were more nostalgic. She made them wear a couple of Minions, Pinky and the Brain, and she even found a costume set from Angry Beavers.
It was about a quarter to eleven when they started winding down. Sally was slipping into yet another costume while Al and Will were talking. Al was wearing the Loki costume again and flipping through the photos on her phone. She snickered at one photo when Will walked out wearing the wedding gown from Corpse Bride. Sally had been asking about Will's relationship and she was excited to hear that everything seemed to be going well.
"So yeah, Dean has been great," she told Sally. "He likes to take me out to movies, he buys the tickets and I pay for popcorn. We have study dates, though Al says those don't count–" She noted the girl stuck her tongue out, making Will retaliate. "–and sometimes, we visit each other at work."
"Sounds like you two are really getting along," Sally called from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, it's been great!"
"I still say there's something off about that guy. I mean he pops outta no where, sweeps Willy off her feet but doesn't have the gall to meet her amigas without a public presence and…," Al trailed off, looking up to see Will's glare. "But, as long as my girlie is happy, he remains off my list… for now…" She set her phone down aside. "Anywhos, enough stalling. Come out already! I'm dying to see which one you picked this time."
She giggled. "Okay Al, I'm coming."
Sally then stepped out in a Norma Desmond costume. Will clapped and cheered while Al made a wolf whistle. Sally smiled and began modeling the costume while Al took pictures. Just as Al readied to snap another, Sally leaned up against the doorframe, one hand propped over her face in a dramatic fashion while her leg came up to support her.
"All right, Mr. Skellington, I'm ready for my close-up," Sally replied in a low, sensual voice.
"Ohmagod!" Al laughed herself out of her chair. She fell to the floor in a fetal position as she tried to control herself. Will couldn't hold back either.
"I didn't know you watched Sunset Boulevard?"
"Oh, is that the costume I'm wearing?" Sally asked. "I noticed the line was printed on the bag, so I thought…"
"Oh man! Ally, tell me you recorded that?" Will turned to Al who was still giggling on the floor. "Well, that's a definite nope. Too bad. Jack's skull would pop off before he combusted from all that heat."
Al snorted before raising her hand. "I can see it now! One. Big. KABOOM! Little happy Jack bits all over the place."
Sally blushed heavily. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the comment, but she would be lying if she denied that she didn't like the idea of making Jack feel that way.
"Come on," Will said, trying not to trip on the gown's train. "Let's try on more costumes!"
"Don't you think we've tried on enough?" Sally asked. "It's getting really late."
"Really? And I thought you liked the night," Al pointed out. "I mean, Will's been more of the nightlife scene since getting batty, but I thought everybody from Halloween Town was like nocturnal or something?"
"Well, that's true, but didn't you both said you had work in the morning?" Sally said.
"Blah!" Al groaned. She flopped back on the beanbag she was using. "Do we have to? I hate people."
"Ugh, and tomorrow's Saturday, so working retail is going to so fun," Will moaned. She sighed and nudged Al's side with her foot. "Come on, Ally Cat. Time to go."
"Don't wanna!"
"Seriously, we need to go," Will said. "Besides, we still need to put everything back so no one knows we were even here."
"They will from the security cameras."
"Not if we put everything, wait, what?!" Will panicked.
"Duh, there's one there," Al pointed out, waving slightly. "You told me this place was like where you worked, so I knew there'd be cameras. Otherwise, we would've had to knock out a security guard or something."
"Why didn't you say anything till now?!"
Al snorted. "Well, obviously you turned them off when you punched in the security codes… Right?"
Will shook her head. "That was just to turn off the alarm."
"Oh…" Al's eyes widened. "Oh!"
"Ah crap! The cameras!" Will rushed out to find the office. Sally and Al followed to find her struggling to open the office door.
"Will."
"What?!"
Al walked up and hooked her finger around the chain on Will's neck. "I think you forgot about this."
Will wanted to smack herself. She released the door and took her skeleton key from her neck. She undid the lock and entered the office. Her friends followed, looking around. There was a desk and chair, a table where walkie-talkies were charging, a safe, and a table with the security monitors. Sure enough, the cameras were pointed at where the girls had been dressing up. Al moved passed Will and sat down the computer. She accessed the files. When she found the right one, she played back the last few hours of security footage. The cameras had caught everything, even when Sally's arm had gotten caught on the imitation scythe of the Reaper costume and ripped off.
"Oh, this is so bad!" Will said. "How could I forget about these stupid things?!"
"Isn't there just a way to erase the tapes?" Sally asked.
Will shook her head. "It's not that simple. First, everything's digitalized so there are no tapes. Second, we have no way to erase the footage without someone questioning why hours of it are missing. Al, isn't there anyway to make the feed loop over some blank shots of the store without screwing up the time of the footage?"
"And how do you suppose I do that?" Al replied. "Do I look like the tech whiz from high school? I just know how to work the computer to show what the camera picks up."
"I thought you worked with computers at the bowling alley?"
"Yeah, cause a security system works the same as fixing a scoreboard or resetting a lane." Al said sarcastically before scoffing. "Peasants…"
"Aah! Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't just leave it," said Will stated.
"No shit, Sherlock."
"Isn't there something we can do?" Sally asked.
"Not likely," Will said, leaning up against the wall. "Without raising a lot of questions, we'd need something like a power outage to explain why the security footage was missing."
"Hey! That's not a bad idea."
"What are you talking about, Al?"
"Think about it." She turned around in the chair. "Whenever there's a power out at the bowling alley, we need to call someone in to backup the server. Sometimes we can recover, but if it was bad enough, we need to reboot the whole system and reset the equipment."
"Unless the store has a powerful enough generator," Sally added. "I'm not too familiar with machinery, but once Doctor Finklestein used a lot of power for one of his experiments that caused a blackout through the town. He created a backup generator to prevent another one from happening."
"Okay so how does that help us?"
"Hmm…" Sally thought it over. "Perhaps we could use a high pitch frequency… or maybe if there was an electrical storm, or some other weather-related cause…"
"Pft! Not gonna happen," Al stated. "Weather is actually nice for once, so any other ideas?"
"Well… If the store was infested, that would be better," Sally suggested. "Small animals like mice can shut down the equipment by getting into things like transformers and fuses, causing the equipment to shut down."
"That's not a bad idea!" Will exclaimed.
"What you talking about?"
"No time, Ally. Right now we need to find the transformer. Sally just gave me an idea for a plan."
XXX
Jack was enjoying the quiet as he relaxed in the living room. He had stayed up waiting for Sally to return, and he gotten caught up in a good book. Zero was sleeping at his feet. The ghostly pup snored lightly, a half eaten candy cane in his jaw. Jack was just finishing off the last chapter when he heard the closet door rattle, making Zero sleepily perk up his ears.
He smirked. Closing the book, Jack set it on the table and got up to greet his ladylove. The door burst open and Sally rushed in.
"Good evening, my…"
"Al, quickly, get her on the couch!"
"What the?!" Jack watched as Al ran passed him on the couch. He noticed she carried something that appeared to be smoking in her hands. When she set it down, it was revealed to be a small bat. The creature was blackened and its fur was completely disarrayed. It started coughing, black smoke rings coming escaping its mouth.
Zero jumped, now fully awake. He spotted Al and instantly his sheet wagged. He barked, but when he didn't get a response, he became curious to the creature that Al had placed on the couch. He flew closer and sniffed it. The smell of burnt fur made him sneeze.
"I'll get a blanket," Sally called as she ran out of the room. "Keep talking to her, make sure she stays awake."
"Noted!" Al placed her hands on the edge of the couch. "Hey Willy, how you feeling?"
"That's Will?!"
Will coughed again, her voice dry and raspy. "I finally understand how Tito felt. Anyone else smell barbecue?"
Hearing her groan, Zero floated closer and nudged Will with his nose. She winced but appreciated the gesture. She patted his head with her wing.
"What on earth happened?" Jack asked. He knelt down to get a closer look at his friend.
"It was my fault," Will answered. "I forgot to turn off the security cameras while we were in the costume shop. We had to erase the footage, but we couldn't come up with a reason for why it'd be missing. Then Sally remembered a power outage could cause a short circuit and mess with the equipment."
"And how did you manage that?"
"Attempted sabotage of a security system," Al explained. "Will went bat-mode to chew up the wires, making it look like mice had gotten in and wrecked stuff."
"Alright but how does that explain what happened to Will?"
Al grinned sheepishly. "Well…"
"Someone forgot to wait to turn the power back on!" Will barked, coughing again.
"How was I supposed to know you missed a wire?" Al replied. "So anyway, while Will was cutting the wires, I flipped the power back on before she was done, and she may or may not have gotten a little electrocuted.
"A little?!" Will squeaked.
"Again, sorry."
"You're just lucky I got my braces off in high school," she grumbled. Al rolled her eyes and started looking at her phone.
"Well, is it serious?" Jack asked. He never had much experience with electrical injuries, lacking flesh and blood, but he recalled the burns Will suffered last Christmas. She almost looked as charred as she did then.
Apparently, she was feeling about the same too. "Sally says she didn't see any burns but she wants to check before she calls Finklestein."
Al was about to reply when Sally reentered the room. She had what looked like one of her fabric samples in her hands. Jack moved aside so Sally could place it over Will's body. "There, how does that feel?"
"Better…but my mouth tastes like an ashtray and everything smells like burnt toast."
"You might have an oral burn," Sally replied. "Hmm… I think we still have a bottle of water from when the witches cast a healing spell on it."
"It's in the medicine cabinet. I'll get it." Jack slipped out of the room. When he returned, he handed the crystal vile of green water to Sally.
"Thank you." Sally undid the bottle and filled the cap with a small amount of water. She offered it to Will. "Think you can drink this?" she asked.
Will nodded. She struggled to sit up but she managed to drink the water. "Thanks. I needed that."
Sally recapped the vile. "Well, that should take care of any internal injuries, but I want to check you over just to be safe."
"Anything you say, Nurse Sally," Will joked.
"Al, could you bring Will into the back for me?"
"On it. Let's go, Baby Bat," Al teased, scooping Will back into her hands.
"I thought I told you not to call me that!" Will stated. "I better not see pictures of this on FaceBook."
"Oh, fine, party pooper. No cake for you!" Al pulled her phone from her pocket and opened up the pictures. She showed them to Will. "See! Nothing of you getting zapped." She set the phone on the coffin table and trotted after Sally. "You gotta admit, they would've made great memes."
Jack just shook his heads. He couldn't wait to hear this story. He decided to return to his book when something on Al's phone caught his eye. Jack picked up the phone. There were several images on the screen and they were all of Sally. In each one Sally wore a different outfit. Taking a glance over his shoulder to ensure the girls were occupied, Jack selected on of the photographs. When it came up, he saw his darling Sally dressed in a Victorian era gown with a parcel in hand. Jack smiled. She looked adorable!
Is this what they were up to all night? he thought. He swiped his finger across the screen to another photo. This one was a of Will, Al, and Sally standing before a mirror. They were dressed up as Christmas elves and making amusing faces. Jack laughed. He couldn't get over how Sally crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
Jack sat down on the couch and began scanning through the photos. Apparently, the girls had taken many photographs. There were several he found funny, while others he admitted were endearing. He was particularly fond of one image of his Sally wearing what looked like a green archer costume when he swiped to the next picture. Jack blanched, nearly dropping the phone.
"S-S-Sally?!…" Jack felt like his throat was dry and he had to grip onto the arm of the couch. He couldn't pull his eye sockets away from the image. There was Sally in possibly the most gorgeous dress he had ever seen. The fabric fell well on her shape, molded to fit her perfectly, hugging her curves like a second skin in a vision of black. Long black satin gloves encased her arms all the way to her elbows, and her hair was pulled up to show off the jewelry. A pearl necklace with a flower pendant graced her lovely neck, which accented the faux diamond earrings, and adorning her head was a jeweled hairpiece.
The form fitting little number made Jack tug on his shirt collar—it was getting a bit warm—and roughly clear his rather dry throat. Now, Jack may not have eyeballs, but he could see perfectly, and he could see—oh boy could he see—that Sally had a fantastic figure. The black dress's slender form fitting design torturously outlined the petiteness of her waist, the wide curves of her hips, and the slender lines of her chest. It was like being reminded of the dress she wore for New Years the night he proposed to her. He had been nervous enough, but add the love of his afterlife in a sinfully spectacular dress… Someone have mercy on a poor skeleton! What other costumes had they tried on? Looking at the phone, Jack knew all he had to do was swipe through the numerous images to discover what he wanted to know. It would be so easy…
Jack shook his head. No! He shouldn't have been looking in the first place. This phone belonged to Al. If anything, he was invading her privacy by looking. However, she never said he couldn't look, and Al and Will had shown him many photographs on the devices before. He knew he shouldn't, but that unfortunate curiosity of his was winning out. He just had to know what other costumes Sally had tried. And if any were as lovely as this one…
Zero watched his master from the his place at Jack's feet. He knew Al wouldn't like anyone going through the odd box of hers, but whatever his master was looking at had his rapt attention. Zero couldn't put a phantom paw on it but something seemed…different.
Jack continued to search through the photos, coming across the first photograph Al had taken. Jack felt his phantom heart skip a few beats at the sight of his beloved sporting the fashion of a flapper girl. He remembered the 1920s with a great fondness, and could remember exactly when many a young maiden confidently walked the streets of Paris or New York with those puckishly short dresses. How they caused quite an uproar among the stuffy older generation and a more welcomed one from the men of that era. He hadn't been interested all that much back then, not like many of his friends who'd whistle and flirt with wolfish grins at pretty vamps. Though seeing Sally in this iconically scandalous dress… Now that was something else if the heat in his bones had anything to say about it.
The next picture wasn't helping with his heating bones either. Here, Sally wore a white dress and nursing cap similar to what he's seen nurses wear in the 1950s, though this costume came with red high heeled shoes. However, the sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, and skirt was far shorter than what would have deemed appropriate. Sally stood in the picture with her legs crossed, allowing him a sneak peek of her thighs from the slits along the sides of the skirt. Jack had always loved Sally's long legs and getting to see a little more, and then there was the cut of the neckline… Oh, that neckline! Now that was just unfair!
Jack was used to seeing his Sally in her infamous patchwork dress since first encounter that one Halloween many years ago. Although, she had confessed to him on one of their many nights of deep conversation, the fact that she didn't have much of a choice in what she wore back at the lab. It was either make something from the scraps of cloth supplied by the Doctor, which is how she created her dress in the first place, or be stuck in the medical gown and scrubs that she "awoke" in.
He still remembered how Sally had to physically stop him from storming over to Finkelstein's Manor in the middle of the night to give the older man a piece of his mind. If it wasn't for the fact that Jack made himself focus on the photos again, Al's phone would have been reduced to a puddle of boiling metal, glass, and circuitry on the rug. The "good" Doctor had lost quite a few points with Jack after that, though he did still treat the old scientist with the air of cordial politeness that was in his nature as a gentleman. That didn't mean he had to like it.
The slow burn of righteous fury turned to another type of burn as admiring sockets took in the expanse of long, sinfully shapely legs and all the teasing seams that curled and dipped until barely disappearing under a short, white skirt that didn't help the shape of what those long legs were attached to. He'd recalled how her strapless New Year's gown had exposed her shoulders and a touch of her back beautifully—he nearly tripped over his own feet when she first came down the stairs in it—and her patchwork dress was a tad bit bold in that area as well, but neither dress so openly exposed the top of her chest in combination to her neck and collar. He felt all too warm again, a little bit embarrassed at himself for staring at images of his fiancé like this, and well, sort of smug. This was the woman he was going to call his queen and wife; this was his bride looking all too alluring, confident, and kittenish.
Jack smirked at his train of thought, feeling a little silly at his previous embarrassment. What was there to deny? He liked what he saw and there really wasn't anything to feel ashamed about. It was time to face the facts: Sally was a knockout and it would probably be the death of him.
Definitely prefer that over a thousand foot fall after via missile any day… He snorted in annoyance then broke out into an appraising little smirk all over again. And hello Nurse Sally! What a way to go…
Jack shook his head. This was beginning to get to be all too much for his sanity, or whatever was left of it. He could only hope, though a part of him did pout a little at the thought, that the next picture wouldn't be so…alluring. Taking a moment to breathe and calm the heat traveling through his bones, Jack carefully swiped at the screen only to have his phantom heart stop.
"Now that's just cruel…" he muttered breathlessly to empty air, skeletal hand trembling with phone in grasp.
This next photograph had been a group photo that looked to be taken straight from the Middle East. They were dressed as a trio of harem girls. Al stood on the right, one hand behind her head while the other was propped on her jutted hip. Her costume a wine-colored red and she wore no accessories. Will stood on the left in a similar position, but her costume was a light blue and she wore a face veil. And then, standing front and center in possibly the most tortuous of outfits yet, stood his fantastic Sally, and by God, Jack couldn't stop gazing at her, even if he wanted to.
Al and Will were dressed in harem pants, a halter top and hip scarf, but Sally wore a bra and belt ensemble of a professional belly dancer. One of her legs parted the long skirt along the slit, giving Jack a more pronounced view of her full leg than the nurse outfit had. Her long, bare arms were stretched out as she held up a lengthy veil that seemed almost connected to the added armbands on her wrists, and atop her head a silver chain headpiece with coins. Jack could not believe how confident she looked in such a daring costume, her stance showing something that he knew was always there in her no matter how modest or shy she felt.
Curiosity killed the cat, you know… he mentally recited with a faint chuckle, shaking his skull in thought before opening his sockets again. Although his gaze still reflected hooded desire, it was soften with love and amusement. The smile on his skeletal lips widen as he took in the whole picture again. Yes, his beloved looked like she had danced her way out of a terribly tempting fantasy of his, possibly after rereading one too many pages of 1001 Arabian Nights.
He chuckled sheepishly, free hand rubbing the back of his neck as he took a moment to focus again. Besides, there was no harm with putting that thought on the proverbial back burner. He cleared his throat and tugged at his bow tie.
However, it wasn't the outfit that really mattered. It was the brilliant smile on her red lips and spark of mischief in her beautiful eyes. She looked happy and carefree with something as simple as just having some fun with good friends, and although Al and Will could be a bit much with their jokes and pranks; they more than proved to be horribly loyal friends to not just his future Queen or himself, but to everyone in Halloween Town.
Still…brilliant smile and loyal mortal friends aside, the photograph in his hand consisted of one sensually smiling Sally in an exotic outfit that boldly exposed skin and seams that he hadn't had the pleasure of truly appreciating. He would have to wait until after they were married to be personally introduced. Let it be known that Jack Skellington prided himself a gentleman and fair ruler, but never in his many centuries of life admitted to being a saint. Where would be the fun in that anyway?
He looked closer at the picture, sockets narrowed in focus as he muttered to himself with a interested smirk. "I never knew she had stitches along her…"
"Enjoying the little sneaky peek?"
Jack made something that sounded like a choked gasp as he nearly dropped the phone. He shot off the couch with the phone clutched to his chest. Al was leaning against the doorframe smirking at him with a knowing, and rather wicked looking grin.
He gulped and blanched brightly.
"I-I…"
Zero whimpered and hid under the couch. He knew his master was about to get into serious trouble, and he didn't want to be too close when Al started yelling.
Al sashayed over and took her phone back from the stuttering skeleton. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I feel like I should be surprised, but then again, I'm not," she teased. She looked at the photo. "Oh yeah, this was fun."
"I-I am so sorry! I swear, I wasn't, what I mean is, I didn't mean–"
"Chill Bone Man, I'm not gonna tell. Though I should since you were drooling over your lady, and I know what sexy ensembles are hidden away on here." She snickered at the look of guilt on Jack's skeletal face. "And since you got to this one, I can tell where you were headed. This is tame compared to the other stuff we tried on."
"You-You mean there's s-something m-m-more revealing?!" Jack asked.
Al quirked a knowing eyebrow. "Oh? Did you wanna see more?"
Jack blanched. He stood up and waved his hands fanatically. "Nope! No! Absolutely not!"
"You know you want to look, you dirty old man," she sang, waving the phone about. "And it's not like you haven't already had a nice preview for your wedding night."
Jack's eye socket twitched, vertebrae popping in irritation and anxiety at Al's insinuations. Then again, she was human, which meant her general lifespan was considerably shorter compared to that of his or just about anyone in Halloween Town. He had been in the equivalent of his early twenties when Abraham Stroker had first published Dracula, for Halloween's sake!
"Just so you know, dear Alice," he hissed flatly with an arched skeletal brow. "I'm in my species' equivalent of being in my early-mid thirties, thank you." The sarcasm dripping off that "thank you" like molasses.
Al cocked an eyebrow. "I hear your sass, but given that I am the almighty Sassy One, I'm choosing to ignore you pitiful attempt, Plebeian." Besides, she was just enjoying the show far too much.
She had not expected to find Jack Skellington rummaging through her phone. Then again, she had left the photos open while trying to find that picture of her and Will dressed as Alacard and Seras, not to mention find her own foxy pictures to torment Zack with later. She started scanning through more photos when one in particular caught her eye. Her grin widened.
"Ooo! Check out Rags! Me to the OWW!" Al caught the twitch in Jack's stance. She had piqued his interest. "I can't believe I got her into that one."
"W-Which one?" Jack mentally cursed himself for the strangled slip that was his voice.
"Oh, just this particularly drop dead sexy number I made her try on." All snickered. "She lost a bet."
Jack would need to speak to her about that. While not as murderous as the bastard formally known as Oogie Boogie, Al was just slippery in the games of chance, as both he and a good number of the Halloween Town had discovered. He needed to remind Sally to be a tad more careful in the future. If only he could have given his beloved that warning earlier, she might not have donned whatever, tempting and possibly quite scandalous…
"Wanna see?" she offered, interrupting his train of thought. She was smiling toothily, just like the preverbal cat catching the canary.
"Aaah!" Jack backed to the other end of the couch. When did she sneak up beside me?! he thought, watching her from her perch on the armrest.
Al laughed. "You can't fool me, Jack. I know you're just dying to look at what else your lady put on tonight…"
"Alice, I assure you, I do not!" Jack said, though he knew it was a lie. Seeing those images of Sally were more than enough for a whole millennium of fantasies. The better part of him knew it still wasn't right for him to have peeked at those pictures in the first place. They were not married, and even then, he shouldn't be looking at such pictures without Sally's permission. Then again…
No, no, no! he firmly scolded himself. It was because he had allowed his mind to venture down that path that ended up with him in this situation in the first place! He knew he needed to put an end to this now. Not only was it wrong, but Jack wasn't sure how much more he could take! He felt so close to the edge that his bones rattled lowly. He did not even want to think about explaining what that meant to two mischievous human girls, let alone to his all too clever fiancé. He would rather the earth to open up and swallow him whole first.
"Liar." Al held out the phone, tempting him with the forbidden fruit. "This particular photo I guarantee will knock you off your boney butt."
"Absolutely not!" Jack held up his hand. He kept himself turned away from Al. "You can tease me till you're a permanent resident of Halloween Town, but I am not going to take the bait!"
"Uh huh, sure." Al slipped from the couch and made her way over to the Pumpkin King. Normally, Jack would hear her and easily move out of her range, but he was currently distracted by a mix of his wild thoughts and adamant conviction to not give in.
"You might as well give up, Alice. This is quite enough foolishness and I'm, I-I-I–" Jack never got to finish the reprimand. How could he when his tongue turned to dust and disappeared at what he was currently staring at with widening sockets?
The rag doll staring back at him wore next to nothing. Only a tiny slip of attire, to which was questionable if it could even be considered clothing. It was a bikini made of nothing but iridescent faux pearls strung together. The strands looped over her chest in an attempt at a bodice but all looked to be held together by the choker around her neck. She was practically bare. If that weren't enough to set his bones aflame, the way she looked… She was perched on a chair, one leg curled up and her hand resting on the front. Her other hand was set on the seat of the chair. Some of the pearl that dangled from the center of her bra were entangled between her fingers, giving off a very playful aspect. The look on her face as she gazed into the camera lens was, oh, Jack had no words. She looked just as sweet as any day, and yet the tilt of her head at just that angle and how softly she smiled.
"I…I…"
Al was thoroughly enjoying this. "What's the matter, Bone Daddy? Cat got your tongue?" There was a muffled mumbling sound. "What's that? Didn't quiet catch what you said."
The only sound that crept from his dry throat was some form of mangled squeak.
"One more time. Still didn't catch that."
"It'snothingbutstrings!"
"I'm sorry, wha–" Jack ran out of the house so fast it made Al's head spin. She had no idea where he was going when she suddenly smelt something burning. Turning around, Al's green eyes widen at the sight of a pair of scorch marks on the couch, right where Jack's hands had been only nanoseconds ago.
Zero flew out from under the couch. He barked once before ghosting over the armrest, putting the flame out. He then flew out after his master, barking frantically.
Al stood there blinking in surprise. Then she smirked. "Oh! Well, alrighty then."
Al shoved her phone back into her pocket and skipped her way out of the living room. She walked up the stairs and into Sally's bedroom. She found her friends sitting in front of the vanity. "So, she gonna live?" Al asked.
"Yes, Will is going to live," Will said, rolling her eyes. "What took you so long? Loose your phone again?"
"No. Just had to wrestle it back from your boyfriend."
"What was Jack doing with your cellphone?" Sally inquired.
"Oh, nothing. Just…trying to be sneaky I guess." She snickered.
"You know what, I don't want to know," Will replied. She stood up and walked over to her friend. "Well, I think we've caused enough damage for tonight. Sorry about all the mess in the end, Sally. I hope you did have a little fun tonight."
"It was fun, but next time maybe we should find something less risky to do," Sally suggested. "Perhaps we could visit Psyche in Valentine's Town? She mentioned there's a club for karaoke."
"Whoo! I'll smoke all of you," Al shouted, before doing a dance and singing, "I'm on tonight you know my hips don't lie. And I'm starting to feel it's right."
"Okay Shakira, no need to show off," Will teased, though she couldn't help dancing along while Al continued to sing.
Sally laughed as she followed the girls out of the room. They walked downstairs to the front door where Sally bid them goodnight. Will took out her key to open a portal back to their world. She was about to put the key into the lock when the door suddenly opened. The girls stood back as Jack walked back into the house, dripping wet. Sally stared wide-eyed as her beloved stood before her, Zero at his heels. He was completely soaked from head to torso with his jacket hanging from his arm and his torn bow tie sticking out of his pocket, yet she saw no sign that it was raining outside.
"Jack, what on earth?"
Before he could reply, Al fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. "Ohmagod! That's too good!"
"Not a word, Alice," Jack hissed. He walked past them, shirt sticking to his ribs and upper back, his shoes sloshing with each step, and grumbling under his breath.
"Jack, why are you wet?" Sally asked. "And what were you doing outside so late?"
Al paused to raise her hand, waving it about excitedly over her head. "Oh, I know! I know! Pick me! Pick me!"
Jack pointed a finger at her, water dripping from the tip. "Not. A. Word."
Al paused as she stared at the finger in front of her nose.
"I feel we are out of the loop," Will said to Sally. While she nodded in agreement, Al pulled Will down to her level and whispered into her ear. Will's cheeks turned red before she too was on her backside and unable to stop laughing.
"What's going on?" Sally asked. She turned to see Jack trying to leave the room. "Jack, where are you going?"
"Please Sally, I'd just like to dry off."
"Well, why are you wet in the first place?"
"I just, uh…tripped and fell into the rain barrel."
Sally furrowed her brow. "Again? You know, maybe you should move that thing."
Both Will and Al instantly sat up, and shouted, "Again?!"
"You mean this has happened before?" Will asked.
"Yes. We had rather warm weather last week," Sally explained. "I believe you girls were effected too."
"Oh yeah, I remember!" Will stated. "It was terrible. Our AC broke and you stopped by, and borrowed…" She clamped her mouth shut and pressed a fist to her lips. "OH!"
"What, what?! Tell me, tell me!" Al bounced about.
"I wasn't expecting the change in weather, so I hadn't the time to make myself something," Sally answered. "Will lent me some clothes to make the heat more bearable, shorts and a tank top. It was the first time I wore something other than a dress. Jack seemed to like it."
"Sally, please, I beg you."
"Jack, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," she said. "After I came home, Jack said I looked very nice and decided to take Zero for a walk. I was surprised because it was really hot outside, but he was back after a short time because he had accidentally fallen into the rain barrel." She turned to Jack. "I still think you fell because you dashed out of the house so fast that morning. Though I guess it must've been some relief from the heat."
Al and Will clapped their hands over their mouths. Jack was mortified.
"Jack, darling, what's the matter?" Sally asked. She stepped forward and reached out to him, but he stepped back. He shook his head and walked from the room. "Jack. Where are you going now?"
"Maybe he's off to finish his cold shower," Will said through a fit of laughter.
Jack froze to the spot before the staircase, instantly blanched a bright white, while the two girls were sent into another giggle fit. Sally, however, had no idea what was happening. Why was the idea of Jack taking a shower making Will and Al laugh? It wasn't really funny. Plus, it did not explain what Jack been doing outside that he would have tripped into the barrel?
Jack grit his teeth. Without turning around, he uttered, "I'm going to dry off. Goodnight, ladies." He then disappeared upstairs. The last thing any of them heard was the loud bang of a door.
"What was all that about?" Sally clucked her tongue. "Honestly, I've never seen him like that before."
"I bet I know what'll calm him down," Al said, wagging her eyebrows. "Maybe little extra special attention from his favorite dolly?"
Will nudged her shoulder. "Oh, knock it off, you bad thing," she said. Will picked herself up and then helped Al to her feet. "Okay, we've done our dirt. Now let's leave the lovebirds alone to kiss and make up."
"Fine. Make me miss all the fun." Al pouted as Will used her key on the door. She waved goodbye to Sally and went through the portal.
Will turned back to Sally. She was clearly still concerned about Jack, and it really wasn't fair to leave her in the dark."Hey, seriously, don't worry about Jack," she said. "He's just a little hot and bothered, that's all."
"Huh?"
"What I mean is, Al told me that when she caught Jack with her phone, she had left it open to all the photos we took tonight." Sally suddenly looked flushed. "And well, he saw a lot of the outfits Al picked out for you, and that got him all riled up."
"Okay…"
Will sighed. "Basically, the man saw his lady dressed in very…attractive outfits, and it got him really flustered, hence the term hot and bothered. When that happens, guys tend to need to physically cool off. That's why he dunked his head in the barrel. Understand?"
"Oh, so he found those photographs of me to be attractive…" she repeated. "And that day, wearing those clothes I borrowed… It had the same affect?"
Will nodded.
"Oh!"
Sally felt her whole face flush. She knew she had some sort of affect on Jack. Throughout their courtship, he had displayed little ways to showed how much he cared for her. He made her feel happier than she had ever thought possible. So much so that she did everything within her power to do the same. She had seen the way he would look at her. The soft sighs, the tender caresses, and the sweet words he whispered to her in the night. The man knew how to set her heart beating erratically, and drive her to the point her stitches could just burst at the seams. Still, Sally had never realized before that she could induce the same feeling in him. And all because of something she wore?
Now that she thought about it, she recalled the first time they had seen each other in their nightclothes. It had been awkward at first, then she couldn't help but think how adorable Jack looked with his little nightcap. She broke the tension by walking up to him and bopping the tasseled end. It hit him on the nose, making them both laugh, and then they spent the rest of the night cuddled on the couch.
"Thank you for clearing that up for me, Will. I think I'll go and try to calm Jack down."
"Yeah, good idea. I think we overdid it on the teasing." Will rubbed the back of her neck.
"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him, and sort everything out," Sally said with a smile. "Now, you better get back. You still have work in the morning."
Will groaned. "Ah, karmic punishment. Tease a skeleton about his rag doll fantasies and pay the price dealing with cranky, crotchety folks who steal crap and can't read the fine print on sale signs."
Sally laughed. "Goodnight Will."
"Night Sally." Will closed the door, leaving Sally alone for the moment. She thought about what she might say to Jack. It would be difficult, but they did need to talk.
Just then Sally spotted Zero by the stairs. He looked up at where Jack had disappeared, a sad frown on his long muzzle. He turn to Sally and started to whimper.
She walked over and kneeled down to pat his head. "Zero, Jack isn't feeling the best right now…" she tried to explain. "I'm going to try and talk to him, but it may take a while. Why don't you spend the night with Will and Al? I'm sure Mogwai would be happy to see you again."
Zero debated the idea. He was worried about the strange way his master was acting, but he also wanted to see his friend. But if anyone could make his master smile again, it was his sweet and loving mistress.
With a nod of his head, Zero licked Sally's cheek and took off into the night. Sally smiled after him before turning her eyes back up toward the stairs.
This isn't going to be easy…
Werejaguar of Halloween Town: That is some serious foreshadowing.
GodlyJewel: Wait, what're you talking about?
Werejaguar of Halloween Town: Ch. 10 in Nightmare of Matchmaking.
GodlyJewel: *checks previous story* OK, so I didn't notice and after I took a look, pretty much laughed when I reread the conversation between Jack, Sally, and Zack. I swear this was not intentional!
Werejaguar of Halloween Town: Life plays in mysterious ways… *does wiggling fingers* Oooooo eeee ooooo!