Her fear feels worse as the minutes go on. She is anxious being alone in a crowded place like this - she hadn't the faintest idea how to approach someone. They all seem so intimidating...some of them are scarier than she anticipated. Jack was right about that one, at least. She decides, on a whim, to settle on one of the empty seats, waiting until he returns. She settles in and starts to hum, hoping to calm her nerves.

The longer she is alone, the more her thoughts drift. Soon, she is thinking about Jack. There is a lot to think about him. She assumed seeing him again would be a frightful occasion, with how much the Doctor praised his scariness and his title as Pumpkin King, but he was such a gentleman! In less than an hour alone, he helped her down the stairs, made sure she didn't get lost, and even helped her with her arm.

He is really kind. Nothing like Finklestein made him out to be - he made it seem as if Jack was a mighty King, and everyone below him were his commoners. But he didn't treat her that way - he insisted on showing her around and said very nice things to her. She didn't know him very well, but he still helped her. He was also very handsome, for a skeleton...

"Uh, miss?"

The voice startles Sally. She jumps and flushes, wondering if anyone is reading her thoughts. She finds a shorter man standing in front of her. He is wearing a green coat and a tall top hat, with bulging eyes and pale skin.

The ragdoll immediately stands and brushes the seat off. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know this was someone's-"

He holds a hand up, making her go quiet. "It's quite alright. It's not my seat, anyway. I was just wondering if you were here for assistance?"

"Oh, no." She shakes her head, remembering what the King told her. "I'm with Jack."

"-Skellington?"

"Yes."

"I know plenty of women who say the same thing." He chuckles. She stares at him blankly, not understanding. He clears his throat.

"Anyway, my name is Mr. Hyde. I work on organizing paperwork. I believe I have something for you in Finklestein's name. You are his new creation, right?"

"Why, yes I am." She nods, gaining a little confidence. "My name is Sally."

Hyde tips his hat to her with a smile. "Well then, follow me! My desk is right over here."

His pace is so fast, she almost trips just following him. She rushes into the other room to catch up. She finds Hyde scrambling through a pile of papers on what she could only assume to be a table. He finds one for her and turns around to hand it to her. It has a stamp on the corner of the page and the rest is filled with nothing but scribbles. She looks at it and feels the fear pile into her stomach.

She doesn't know how to read cursive.

"If you can, make sure they go to Finklestein. He hasn't been into town for awhile so I thought giving it to you would be a good idea."

She looks up from the paper and smiles weakly. "Yes, I'm...sure he has been expecting these."

Hyde bids her goodbye with the tip of his hat and sits back down on the desk. Sally takes her leave and begins her return to the other room. While walking, she looks at the paper nervously. It looks important; most of it was scribbles she couldn't understand. On top of that, there was a bold signature at the bottom she couldn't read, either.

She squints her eyes and tries to make out visible letters on the paper. She ends up bumping into someone. The paper falls to the ground as the ragdoll goes to regain her balance. She scrambles to pick it up and looks at who she bumped into, cringing.

"Oh, my!" The Mayor hollers. He is on his side, struggling to get back up. She leans down to offer him her hand.

The Mayor takes it and Sally heaves trying to help him, feeling the pressure pulling at her seams. He gets himself back on his feet and brushes his suit off. She underestimated how large of a man he was. She attempts to get her breath back as his face switches, clicking loudly.

"Sorry about that, Sally!" He grunts. "Jack's going to be awhile, so I thought I'd let you know."

"Oh. Well...that's okay." She picks the papers back up. "Do you know what these are for, Mr. Mayor?"

He takes them from her hand. As he reads through, his face changes again and he places a hand to his forehead in worry. "Oh, no! I meant to sign this days ago!"

He runs into the other room, and Sally only has a few seconds to follow him. He grabs a feathered pen from his desk and dips it in ink. He doesn't acknowledge her as he hums a song, scribbling something on the paper. He hands the paper back to her once done. She notices he also wrote in cursive. He plops back down on the ground, and as she opens her mouth to ask him something, he's already off into the other room. She shuts her jaw in defeat and returns to her seat in silence.

With her restless mind, she sits back in her seat and continues to think of Jack. She closes her eyes and smiles, wondering just when she will hear his voice again.

She's been sitting for an hour until she hears footsteps climb down the stairs. She turns automatically and finds Jack coming down the stairs. He finds her and walks over, sighing in relief as she stands. She's already tense and blushing, her mind still filled with her thoughts from earlier...

"Sorry about that!" He rubs the back of his skull. "I still don't know why the Mayor insists I work on the day I take off. You'd think he'd get the message that I'm busy after all those calls..."

He murmurs some more about the Mayor and his work but she can't keep up with him. Instead, she holds the paper up to his face and looks away. She hopes the question won't intrude too much, or that he doesn't question it.

"Can you tell me what this is for, please?"

He takes the paper from her without a word and looks it over. She unconsciously squeezes her hands together, hoping he didn't think her pathetic. He didn't seem to question it at all, which relaxed the her. A smile grows on his lips as he looks back at her.

"Well, I should say congratulations!" He winks. "This is a marriage certificate for you and the Doctor."

"Marriage..." She tilts her head. "-Certificate?"

"Ah," He points to the bottom. "There's my signature right there! How could I have forgotten?"

"Excuse me, but...what's a marriage certificate?"

The skeleton goes silent as he looks back at her. Slowly, he returns the paper and rubs the back of his skull again. He looks a little nervous, which is certainly out of the ordinary since he seemed so collected all this time. Weakly, he motions to it with a bony hand.

"Well, you see, it bonds two people together in matrimony. Officially." He explains. "For two creatures that are in love. They live together for the rest of their, in our context, undead lives."

"L-Love?"

Sally starts to panic. She's read plenty of those princess books about the girl falling in love with their handsome knights in shining armor. She can't imagine Finklestein being the man she loves. The thought of living with him for the rest of eternity made her uncomfortable to no end. She feels a twinge of sadness and has to hide her face from him.

"Sally..? Are you okay?"

She turns back and finds something wet in her hands. She touches her eye again and feels something dripping out of it. She blinks a couple of times, in disbelief with herself. The skeleton understands what is going on right away.

"Don't cry!" He smiled assuredly. "This should be a happy occasion for you both! The Doctor is a good man."

"I..." She gulps. "I don't...want..."

She continues to cry. The skeleton promptly takes his handkerchief from his pocket and goes forward to wipe her tears. When he looks in her eyes, he finds a mixture of sadness and fear that tells him everything he needs to know. He closes his eye sockets and steps away, frowning.

"Alright..." He speaks quietly, taking the paper from her. "I'll take care of this. If he asks, you tell him that our department lost the paperwork. Will that be okay?"

"You-You mean I...won't marry him?" He nods. "But, the Doctor wants-"

"-It doesn't matter what he wants. Marriage is only acceptable when both parties are consenting to it. And I have a funny feeling you don't want to spend the rest of your life with him."

Her mouth hangs open in surprise. She watches as Jack folds the paper and tucks it into his pocket. He tips his head and smiles at her. She looks down and fidgets with her hands, sniffling slightly. The tears are no longer falling.

"Thank you."

"Of course." He replies. "It's my duty as King to make sure my people are happy. I don't want you to be forced into anything you don't want to do. And if the Doctor ever pulls something like this again, tell me and I will fix it."

She smiles. Truly, this time. "Yes, of course.."

He glances out the window. "Better get you back to him before the sun sets. Are you ready?"

Something in Sally tells her that she isn't. A feeling that she does not want to go. To come back to the isolation and cruel punishments he gave her back at home. But, yet, she can't bring herself to. All she does is nod and follows him outside the Town Hall.

She goes down the stairs much better this time. Jack doesn't have to support her for the later half. The ragdoll wears a confident smile as she follows him back outside the gate. The two of them approach Finklestein's tower and her smile drops. He hesitates when they reach the front gate.

"I am very sorry that things haven't been going so well." He runs a stressed hand on his skull. "The Mayor had me worked up for an hour and all."

"It's perfectly alright." She bows. "Thank you for showing me around."

"Oh, trust me, there is still much more to Halloween Town that you haven't seen. I just need some more time to show you, is all."

The skeleton opens the gate for her. He lets the ragdoll in first and leads her to the front door. Sally almost hesitates to go but has no choice. She stands on her creator's porch and watches as the Pumpkin King closes their gate behind him. The grip on her hands tightens when she realizes it. He's about to leave.

"Jack?"

He turns around when she calls him. She bites her lip, thinking of something to say.

"...When are you coming back?"

He faces her from outside the gate. "I'm not sure. Unless something comes up with the Doctor, I don't think I'll be back anytime soon."

He waves to her before walking back into Halloween Town. She stays where she is until the his figure disappears behind a wall. She places her hands on her chest and closes her eyes. The ragdoll rests her back on the side of the building and sighs blissfully.

That had been the best moment of her life. Getting to have an hour with the Pumpkin King...It hadn't been as long as she had hoped, but she knew how busy he is. He has many duties to perform since he is the most important person to the town and Halloween itself. The Doctor tells her that everyday, as a matter of fact.

"Sally! Is that you?"

Speak of the devil.

She hears his wheelchair come outside and bites her tongue. While he didn't appear angry, she knows Finklestein is absolutely fuming inside. The doctor eyes her up and down and looks over to the gate. There is no sign of Jack of any other pedestrian, for that matter. He seems rather happy that they are alone and turns to her sharply.

"Get inside." He orders. "Now."

Sally obeys. He shuts the door loudly behind them. The place is as silent and dark as ever; she regrets ever coming back. She hangs her head low to prepare herself for the scolding. When the Doctor wheels himself to her, his tone is understanding only for a second.

"You already know what you are going to get, don't you?"

She nods sadly.

"Then there's no point on repeating myself." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "You ignored the Pumpkin King this morning. He gives us his presence and you don't even answer him. Do you understand why that was wrong?"

Another sad nod.

"-And then you got him to take you into town! I don't know why he insisted bringing you there, but I will be sure it doesn't happen again." He pushes his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Certainly not with all of those people!"

"He...he took me to the Town Hall." She admits. The Doctor scoffs.

"It doesn't matter where he took you. You are not allowed to leave this tower under any circumstances unless I say so. Do you understand?"

She says nothing. She walks over solemnly and follows him without another word. She enters her room and sits on her bed, frowning when she hears the lock slam over her door. Now she has to play the waiting game until he decides to let her out. Apart of her hopes that he is going to be kind with this punishment. The other part of her knows better.

She lays down on her bed and stares at the ceiling. Her thoughts wander on the events that happened today before she finally thinks of one thing. The one person who treated her so kindly and welcomed her with warm hands. The man who went out of his way to get her out of this prison and show her the world she was kept from.

Sally sighs with a smile and hugs her pillow.

She is locked up for only a week.

She was surprised to hear the lock come off her door one day. If she remembered correctly, the Doctor unlatched the lock and told her from the other side of the door she was allowed to come out. When she went outside of her room, she saw brooms and mops leaning against the railing waiting for her.

Sally doesn't like sitting around doing nothing for long, so the work is a relief. Cooking was also enjoyable, so she prepared the Doctor food. He likes simple soup and crackers. When he takes naps, she engages herself with sewing or reading. She reads many books on tales of princesses and daydreams for most of the day.

Jack didn't come around anymore. He wasn't lying to her when he said he wouldn't be returning soon. She feels lonely during this time. There isn't a reason he'd come back for her, anyway. He already welcomed her into town and she wasn't doing anything for him. Her only purpose was to keep the Doctor in good hands so he could continue inventing. Nothing involved her with Jack.

But she can't stop thinking about him. He was on her mind all the time. While she slept, while she cooked, while she cleaned, and even while she sewed. She was longing for his company once more, hoping he'd suddenly pay a visit again or even the smallest thing, like seeing him walking somewhere near the tower.

He never did.

Today, Sally is preparing Finklestein's usual lunch. She is stirring the bowl of soup until a loud voice rings inside the tower. She nearly knocks a whole bunch of spices into the lunch by surprise. She recognizes the voice as the Mayor's.

"TOWN MEETING! TOWN MEETING! TOWN MEETING AT 2:00!"

A town meeting? That sounded important, despite her not knowing what it was. She picks up the bowl of soup and grabs a spoon, leaving the kitchen and entering the laboratory. She finds the Doctor experimenting on one of his bugs. When he hears her come in, he drops what he's doing and turns his wheelchair around. He rubs his gloved hands hungrily and eyes the soup she placed on the table.

"Finally! I'm starving!"

Completely ignoring the spoon she gave him, he picks the bowl up and gulps it all down at once. Sally says nothing and twiddles with her fingers quietly.

"Doctor..?" She begins, uncertain with how to approach this.

He sets the bowl down and wipes his mouth with a napkin. He was clearly in a better mood. "Yes, Sally?"

"What is...a town meeting?"

He arches his eyebrow. He must be aware of the announcement outside. She clenches her teeth and hopes he doesn't question it. To her relief, he answers her with a casual wave of the hand.

"They're social gatherings the Mayor schedules for the citizens."

"Oh." She decides to push. "And what do they do there...?"

"Hard to say. I haven't been to one in awhile." He dismisses her with his hand. "Go on, Sally. I need room to concentrate."

"Doctor, can I-" She thinks desperately of what to say. "Can I go outside?"

"Absolutely not. You know the rules."

"Yes, but..." Her voice grows smaller. "...We're out of Worm's Wart, and-"

"-And I will buy some tomorrow." He finishes. She puts her hands down at her sides and takes a step forward boldly.

"I want to get you them from town, since I know how troublesome it is for you to leave...and I would like to find more things to put in your soup."

He opens his mouth to rebut, but shuts it. He ponders her suggestion and places a contemplative finger to his chin. She feels nervous at his quietness. What should she do if he says no? He wouldn't allow her to leave at all!

"You may, but I want you back here as soon as possible. Got it?"

Her eyes widen in surprise at his confirmation. She nods eagerly. Finklestein sighs at her act of hopefulness and starts regretting ever agreeing. She takes the empty bowl and spoon from him and disappears back into the kitchen. He hears her trip, followed by a smack to the floor.

The mad scientist lowers his head and shakes it, mumbling, "What am I going to do with that girl...?"

He sends Sally on her way. She only manages to get past Finklestein's gate 4 steps before tripping again. Luckily, nothing detaches. She gets up and heads down the trail Jack led her through awhile ago. This time, she is being careful of her footing and watching where she was going. The slightest pebble would trip her and knock her down. Getting back up was time consuming and wasn't something she needed right now.

"Hey, dollface!"

3 gentleman are leaning on the wall right next to the fence. The one that called her is a man with a receding hairline and holds a bony saxophone. The man to his right is the tallest and has a deformed face. He holds an accordion that resembles a dead fish. The last is the shortest and has wide, lifeless eyes. He is holding a bass bigger than his body.

The three them are all wearing red suits, similar to one another. She can only assume they are in a band, judging from their instruments and attire. She sees them nearly every day on the street in front of the Tower but have never spoken until now.

"What brings ya' here?" The man continues. "Yer usually cooped up in Finklestein's, aren't ya?"

"Excuse me..." She tries to be polite. She heard that's the best thing to do when talking to people. "But I don't believe I know your name."

"Name's James." He gives her a nod, motioning to the others who bowed in return. "We call our bass player John n' our accordion guy here is Jimmy. We're apart of the Town's band."

She lifts the ends of her dress and gives them a short bow. Like she was taught to. "My name is Sally."

"Sally?" Jimmy asks from behind James. "Ain't you Fink's new creation?"

"I am."

"Well, if you ever want some music to darken yer' day, we're 'round these outskirt parts."

She smiles at the offer. How friendly and inviting! "Thank you! And I hope you have a good day as well."

Jimmy is the one who opens the gate for her. She passes by him giddily while thanking him. She finally did it! She made a new "friend"! Or, three, actually...here she was thinking it was so difficult when, really, all that was needed was someone to approach her! Maybe someday she can gather the courage to talk to others on her own and befriend them as well...

Putting these thoughts aside, she prepares herself for her first day alone in Halloween Town.