A/N- Hi I'm SkeletalRainbow, I would just like to say that I don't own anything in this story but the plot and any original characters that I may throw in from time to time. Tim Burton created the nightmare before Christmas in that amazing mind of his and all the main characters such as Jack and Sally belong to him and Disney. The story line is basically how I think Halloween Town came to be, along with the Pumpkin King and why i think Jack and Sally are "Simply meant to be". I hope you like it and if I get a couple of good reviews I might just continue it :). I hope you enjoy my first fanfic! :D P.S please notify me of any mistakes that I make so i know how to improve and what doesn't seem right and so on. It would help a lot. Just so you know, I've deliberately not said what year this is in because history is not my strong point and if I did mention a year my details would be highly inaccurate and I'd feel stupid. I don't like feeling stupid :( let's just say it's sometime in the past :P Anyway enjoy chapter one! :D

Jack sat and gazed out of the grimy window of his small room. The leaves were dark orange and auburn colours, telling everyone that Autumn had arrived at last. The wind outside blew at the trees, causing more leaves to cover the pavement on the other side of the grey stone wall. Busy passers-by didn't notice the wide, dark eyes of a young man staring out at them. Jack let out a sigh. He knew he could go out there whenever he wanted but he just felt like there was nothing out there for him. Tired of staring at the scene of the world outside of this tall, depressing building that he called home, Jack slumped back down on his bed. It was uncomfortably small for his long, thin frame but it was all he had to rest on. Then a scream rang through the building from Mrs. Smith's room as a wide smirk spread across Jack's pale face.The old hag fell for the oldest trick in the book! He laughed to himself, remembering the pale of water he had set to fall on whichever victim were to open her door first in the morning, which happened to be the caretaker of the orphanage he happened to be staying in. The orphanage he had stayed in most of his life to be honest...

"JACK SKELLINGTON COME HERE THIS INSTANT!" The loud, booming voice of Mrs. Smith thundered though the building. Jack was pretty sure he saw the water in the glass at his bedside ripple as her voice sounded. In seconds he was changed out of his bed clothes and into his graying shirt, long black and white, pinstripe, trousers and his worn out black shoes. His sleeves were rolled up and his dark hair remained ruffled as always.

Jack strolled out of his room casually as the heads of younger residents peaked out of doors to see what he had done this time. Many of them looked excited to see what happened while others knew well enough what was about to happen and kept their doors firmly closed in attempt to hide from Mrs. Smith's wrath. He crept silently down the halls, coming a way that the small, easily aggravated woman would not see him approach from. The soaked woman came into view, her back turned away from Jack, just as he suspected she would be positioned. More heads appeared in the doorways down the hall, knowing what was about to happen.

"I believe you summoned me, Mrs. Smith?" he asked innocently from behind her, tapping her shoulder. Startled, she jumped right out of her skin and turned to face the mischievous 19 year old. Her eyes narrowed behind her circular glasses. The smaller woman reached up and slapped him across his face.

"I'm fed up of your pranks! This was the 23rd prank this month alone and today is the 27th! I'm tired of these games you play, how everyone else in town thinks that you're a 'polite gentleman' I will never know. I'm sorry Jack but..." the old woman passed him a bag, "Gather your things, you're moving out."

"What?" he replied, dark eyes wide with confusion. She scowled and thrust the bag into his arms.

"You're moving out!" she hissed at him. Jack stared at her for a moment, fury beginning to show in his eyes.

"What, for trying to have fun? In case you've never realized, I never hurt anyone. All I've done is have a laugh and most of the time I get made out to be some kind of monster by you! I don't care that you've kicked me out! I can manage perfectly well on my own!" He yelled in response before storming away, bag in hand, back to his room. The children spectating the event gazed in awe at the scene. This had never happened before. Usually he would be let off with a warning and not be given any food for the rest of the day as they would laugh about it and mimic the caretakers stern tone. The children knew that that was all she would ever do to him because he was like a son to her. That was also the reason he hadn't left long ago. A small girl flinched at the sound of a door slamming at the other side of the hall. Jack had never been this mad before and it was frightening. Maybe a hint of annoyance here and there but never anger...

When Jack reached his former room, he swore under his breath and mumbled that he was only having fun and so on. He opened the bag wide and placed the few possessions he owned inside. A gentle knock came from the other side of the old wooden door. "Who is it?!" he shouted bitterly at his door. His eyebrows were furrowed and an expression of anger was written on his face. Deep down though, he was feeling terrible sadness.

"Wow... someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed..." a sweet, melodic voice came from behind the door. At this, Jack's expression changed into something more surprised than before. He swiftly opened the door to reveal a girl around his age with rusty auburn hair that was loose down her back, beautiful wide eyes, a simple long yellow dress and luscious red lips.

"Oh... sorry Sally... I guess I've just had a rough morning..." he apologized to her, gesturing for her to come in. She pulled him into a warm embrace to attempt to soothe the pain he felt inside.

"I know Jack, I heard about the whole thing," she said sympathetically. She felt a wet patch forming on her shoulder, where Jack's head was resting, and realized he was crying. The girl held him close in attempt to comfort him. "What are you going to do now? I'm sure you could stay at mine until we can find you a place to live?" she offered, reminding him that she had moved out of this place long ago and had begun to make herself a home and a living.

"Sally I couldn't! We're not even married, it would be wrong..." he gasped. She shook her head and pecked his cheek.

"I don't think people would mind if you consider the circumstances, you don't have a place to live anymore remember," she cooed as she felt his face go red. He stared at her, avoiding her eyes, and shifted his body nervously. She giggled.

"Ok then," he answered, still not looking into the pools of her eyes and holding his arm. Sally smiled at him pleasantly. "I guess I should go say goodbye to everyone then," Jack started, then picked up his bag and left the room to bid his friends goodbye.

Over an hour had passed and the 19 year old had finally said his goodbyes to everyone he come to know like they were his siblings. They children all stood outside and waved him goodbye as he and Sally trudged down the street. Everyone was there but Mrs. Smith who was actually inside her room, regretting her decision. Once the pair was out of sight, the orphans slowly made their way back inside. What they all didn't know was that this would be the last time they would see Jack ever again.

The autumn wind bit at Jack's exposed skin like a vulture. He held Sally's delicate, warm hand as the couple continued down the road together. Piles foliage were scatted everywhere, drifting wherever the wind would take them. A few passers-by saw the pair and greeted them but wondered where they were going. Perhaps to go get some bread from the bakery for Mrs. Smith? No one else knew what had happened, despite the specticle outside the orphanage that only happened when someone was leaving.

When Jack and Sally eventually made it to the other side of the village, there were a series of small homes. They were the standard, wooden, house with two floors and a basic roof. Sally, stopped in front of a house and fumbled her hands in her purse in search of the keys. Once found, she unlocked the door and let them inside. It's was quite cosy inside, a small coffee table and two identical chairs stood behind it. A large bookcase stood at the back of the small room and in front of the door was a staircase that led to the rooms above. Sally gave Jack a quick tour, showing him the tiny kitchen at the back of the house, the main room, her bedroom and the guest bedroom which he would be staying in.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Jack, I have to go see to the doctor. Honestly, if he didn't have me to be his little "slave" he would be useless," Sally told Jack before disappearing through the front door. He let out a small sigh. It was only noon. The scruffy haired young man remembered the day he had first confessed his love to her. The feeling of joy he felt when she said that she felt the same way was amazing. It was quite the opposite to the sudden loneliness he felt now. Silence. All Jack could hear was silence. The sounds of children playing or arguing no longer filled the air. It was going to taken awhile for him to adjust to this. He decided that some fresh air and a good book would take his mind off things. Jack might have seamed like all he wanted was to do was mess around but deep down, he was intrigued by anything new that he would come across. A good way to put his curiosities to rest was by reading all he could about it.

Slowly, Jack strode to the library after locking the door with the spare key Sally had given him. It was a large, dome roofed building with marble pillars holding it up. It had a large interior filled with books galore. Jack didn't visit often, but when he did he felt as though he had access to unlimited knowledge. He had recently been reading about and ancient tribe of people known as the Aztecs. They had many ways of celebrating festivals and other things. A festival that caught his eye was Día de Muerto, also known as Day of The Dead. It was started over 2,500 years ago in several different countries. Jack read on intently about this holiday that he had never heard of, curiosity telling him to read further. He stayed till well after dark, now having to read by lantern light. A yawn escaped him as he stood up to go get a refreshment, knocking over the lit lantern as he turned. The small fire found it's way onto the page Jack had been reading. It spread across more pages, then shorty after engulfed the table in flames. Jack returned to find that half the library was in flames. The orange glow hurt his eyes and he struggled to find breath as the smoke filled his lungs. He poured the water he had just fetched onto the fire, causing no change to the hot, red flames. Jack bolted for the only door in the building to find the fire blocking his path. He had no where to go. The yells of help outside faded into nothingness after 20 minutes. They were replaced by a white light as the 19 year old slipped in and out of consciousness, eventually losing it completely.