This isn't the last chapter, like I hoped it would be. I could have made it longer and made it the last chapter but decided against it. Instead I left you with a cliffhanger…sorry. I'm eager to finish this story because I have so many others on my mind that I'd like to start.

Once again I apologize for my writing. I'm running into story problems. I hope to update soon with the final chapter.

Chapter Six

The Pumpkin King

Sally got lucky. Not only did Jack's key work on the doctors large door (And she had been rather nervous it wouldn't.) but when she crept into the entrance room, and tiptoed up the stairs to her bedroom she didn't see any trace of the doctor or Igor.

She shut her bedroom door with a sigh of relief, and collapsed into her bed, feeling she could use a decent nights sleep, even if it was during the day.

Sally had been in that place that one often achieves between sleep and wake, where the voices and noises in your head are both real and imaginary, when she thought she heard a noise from outside her hallway. She was going to just ignore it but when it came again, she came out of her peaceful state of unawareness and sat up just as her door opened, and the doctor rolled in. For a moment Sally thought he was angry, but she soon saw it was more like exhaustion and pain. Dr Finkelstein looked her over.

"Have you been sleeping all night?" The doctor asked, suspicion edging into his voice. Sally swallowed and tried not to look guilty.

"Yes master, you just woke me up." She said softly. Reveling at how close it had been. A few more seconds later and she would have been caught. The doctor looked as though he was considering what she had said. After a while he grunted and turned his chair around.

"It's late in the morning, get out of bed and start breakfast. I expect you won't be sleeping in like this again?"

"No sir." Sally said, not trying too hard to hide the relief in her voice. She had not been discovered! She decided she could stay awake a little longer, despite her weariness, at the moment just glad that she had actually gotten away with leaving the house this time.

The doctor was on his way down the stairs when he called back in a somewhat whining voice;

"And make me something with a painkiller in it, I have the worst migraine."

Sally had gotten through the rest of the day in a fair manner. But come noon she was exhausted. Because of the doctors lousy mood, probably due to his current physical condition he was having one of his worst days and taking it out on her. It seamed to Sally that the doctor was giving her a lot of work on purpose, and that perhaps, he did blame her at least partially for his unconsciousness the night before. Sally was pretty sure, however, that he knew nothing of the deadly night shade, which she was now sure she had accidentally slipped him after checking for herself while cleaning the dishes, if he had known about it, she would have probably found herself in a lot worse of a state then she was in now. (Probably in a state of pieces scattered randomly around the doctors lab.)

When the doctor finally could literally think of nothing else for her to do, he sent her to cook dinner, then said she could retreat to her room. This relieved her.

Sally was in the kitchen working on the doctors meal when her sense of relief and the decent mood she had developed since talking to Jack that morning was torn from her unexpectedly.

This occasion was one of many in the next some thirty hours that would make up the worst day or so of her short life so far in Halloween Town. (Of course there were several worse days to come, but that would seam to be in a different life, when Sally no longer really cared so much for the doctors rules and her concerns would lie more in Jack.)

"I know what you did, Sally." Sally turned slowly as the voice of the doctor, now definitely angry cut through the rooms somewhat pleasant silence.

Behind her the doctor sat in his wheelchair, gazing at Sally vehemently. Behind the doctor, hiding in the safety of the doctors chair, Igor stared at Sally with some satisfaction. The doctor reached into one of the pockets in his coat and pulled out an object that Sally had to squint at in order to see it clearly. When she did, she found the already sinking sensation in her breast grow deeper. The doctor was holding Jack's key, which flickered lightly in the somewhat lit room.

"You've been talking to people you shouldn't be, and doing bad things Sally."

Sally's eyes were wide with fright and a growing guilt.

"But," She stammered. "I didn't mean to…" The doctor cut her off.

"Quiet when I am talking to you! How many times have you been out Sally?" Sally bit her lip, trying to keep her emotions down, which were already stressed enough with the lack of sleep. She tried to keep an even voice as she spoke, but to no avail, her voice was shaking badly.

"Two times sir, but I didn't mean to the last time, I was trying to get back in…"

"QUIET!" The doctor yelled. "You've poisoned me Sally, you didn't even know what it would do to me, but you did it anyway. Is that any way to treat the person who is responsible for giving you life!" Sally was in tears now.

"But I didn't try to! I didn't know I did! I swear." She pleaded.

"And this!" The doctor said, ignoring her, as he held up Jack's skeleton key. "This is unacceptable. Where did you get this Sally?" Sally was weeping openly. The doctor did not seam to care.

"Someone gave it to me." She said softly, not mentioning Jack's name for two reasons. One, she didn't want the doctor to go to Jack and for Jack to find out that he had helped one of the doctors creation to break back into his house against his orders, and two, because she didn't want Jack to get into any sort of trouble. She wasn't sure what sort of authority the doctor had in town, but if he really wanted something taken care of she was sure he could go to someone higher, like the mayor or the Pumpkin King, and that could get both her and Jack in trouble. She didn't want Jack to get into trouble for something he didn't know he was doing.

"It doesn't matter whether you give me his name or not. I know who this belongs to." Sally lowered her eyes and bit her bottom lip.

"It was my fault, he didn't know." She said softly, while wiping her forearm across her eye's to get rid of the tears forming in them.

"As I assumed so." The doctor wheeled towards her.

"Please don't get him into any trouble sir." Sally whispered. Her eyes meeting the doctors dark glasses. "It was all my fault." The doctor examined her carefully.

"Him? How could I?" The doctor paused in the middle of what he was saying, as he did his eyes narrowed.

He was suddenly struck by two ideas. One was that Sally had never met Jack, and that she had gotten the key from someone else who was borrowing it at the time, which was possible considering how often Jack borrowed out his key. The second one he thought more likely, however, was that in the short time she had met Jack, he had never told her that he was the Pumpkin King. The doctor found this as a relief. He could use this to his advantage.

"I don't know Sally, I could pay the Pumpkin King a visit right now and tell him what you've been doing." He decided this threat worked whether she knew who Jack was or not.

Sally's eyes widened.

"Please don't I promise I wont ever do it again! The last time was an accident, I didn't mean to be out there! Please don't get Jack into any trouble! He didn't really know what he was doing I swear!" The words came tumbling out of her in a rush. Finally when the doctor had heard enough to satisfy his curiosity and answer his questions he cut her off.

"Enough!" The doctor made a shooing gesture to Igor, who obliged grudgingly. He had been enjoying the show.

After he was gone the doctor fixed Sally with a look she had never seen before. It was that of compassion and understanding.

"I know your restless my dear, but you must understand I keep you here for your own good. Look what you've done already, by leaving this house you have deceived me and Jack, and got him into trouble by making him do things he didn't know he was doing." Sally's face grew hot, as a bitter shame wore over her

"I'm going to do you a favor Sally. If you promise not to leave this house ever again I wont mention any of this mess to The Pumpkin King or anyone else in Halloween Town." His firm parental look turned to that of his usually suspicious and grouchy one. "Do we agree?"

Sally was staring at the doctor with wide frightful eyes, they now filled with a little relief, mixed with that of sorrow.

"If I promise…you wont say anything?" Sally asked the doctor softly. The Dr grinned to show her he was serious. Sally nodded.

"I promise." The doctor nodded his approval.

"Good, finish dinner and get to bed." Sally had been looking down at the old wooden floor, she looked up now.

"What about my punishment?" She said, feeling a little hesitation at asking the question at all.

"I trust you aren't a complete fool Sally, surely you've learned your lesson by now…and it was an accident."

"Thank you, sir." She said gratefully. Felling shame come upon her again, this time for thinking ill of the doctor.

The next day progressed much like any other day would have before Sally had ever left the house. This should have been a relief to her. The whole business about the deadly Night shade had apparently blown over. Instead, she found herself in a terribly depressed mood, plus, she was extremely bored, she had felt guilty for a long time after the doctor had left, and still did, but she also found herself wondering how she would survive in this place. She found herself frequently looking out the window, and her mind kept wondering back to Jack. She hoped that the doctor would return his key to him…

She wished she could talk to him again, now knowing that it would never be so. She had to stay in the house. She had to do it for her master and for Jack. Still, she couldn't help wanting to see his charming smile and hear his lovely voice. But it was best not think about him.

Jack was leaning on his window, with his skull rested on his skeletal palm, absently tracing the swirls in his window with one long narrow finger. He was deep in thought, and not really observing anything beyond his plated glass. He had been working all night, and had just got back a couple hours before. He had tried to sleep for a little while, but when that failed just settled for staring out on his town in a morose fashion.

Jack sighed, and scanned his room in a dismissive way. His eyes pausing shortly on the sleeping form of his ghost dog Zero before moving on to an empty hook by his front door, next to it the old rusted key to his tower hung in solitude. Jack rose his head and narrowed one eye in a curious manner. It had been the morning before that he had loaned his skeleton key out to Sally. He hadn't really expected it back right away, people sometimes kept it for several days. But it occurred to him now that he had no way of getting it back himself…he didn't know where she lived. He lowered his head again, this time resting it on both of his arms on his window sill and closing his eyes. He let his thoughts wonder, frequently going back to that odd girl. He wondered if there was any way of getting out of the rehearsal that would take place this coming night.

'Well,' he thought to himself. 'At least I don't have to do anything before then.' He yawned and was halfway into a light sleep when another thought paraded his mind.

'Of course you have work to do…YOU always have work to do.' Jack groaned, and opened up one eye. He sat up and looked across the peeled tile of Halloween Towns street. The doctors house stood like an eyesore against the morbid scenery. Jack sighed deeply, and stood up. He had nearly forgotten that he had to visit the doctor to look at his machine again. There were only a few more days until Halloween and most of those he would spend getting ready…this may be the only chance he would get.

"I've got to go out Zero, I'll be back." Jack said. The sleeping Zero rose his head briefly, but otherwise seamed uninterested. Jack pulled open the Trap door and descended the staircase. He held onto the hopeful thought that the visit wouldn't take long, due to the doctors less then neighborly attitude.

Igor was dragging himself around the dining room, having finished his work in the lab when their came a loud knock from the front door, and then the sound of a loud ominous bell.

"Get that Igor!" The doctors faint voice drifted from the laboratory.

Igor limped to the door, and pulled it open.

The doctor was working carefully on a potion that would burn things from the inside out if they should taste it (Made particularly for the neighborhood cat, who constantly found its way in his lab and ate his experiments.) when Igor stumbled into the lab.

"Who is it Igor?" The doctor asked while adding a drip of some liquid that was glowing lightly.

"It's the Pumpkin King sir." The doctor dropped the potion (Which burned a hole in his floor and stared up at Igor in shock.

"I nearly forgot! Did you let him in?"

Igor looked as though he was thinking hard about this (It looked painful). Then slowly shook his head. The doctor scowled at him.

"Well go let him in!" The doctor snapped bitterly. Igor was on his way when the doctor changed his mind.

"No, wait, let me do it. You go tell Sally to get up to her room." The doctor quickly picked up the pieces of glass from the floor, ignoring the burns on his hands. He then wheeled quickly to the front door.

Sally was just finishing up lunch when Igor walked in.

"You have to go to your room, Sally." Sally turned around to face Igor.

"Why?" She asked, thinking maybe Igor was just tricking her, so he could lock her in her room. (Which was not so unlikely since he had already done it once that morning. )

"Company." Igor said, and as though it was some sort of cue, Sally heard the front door open and the doctor exclaim something she couldn't quite hear. She put her sampling spoon down on the counter, but didn't go anywhere.

"Jack, my boy! I completely forgot about your visit! I apologize for Igor's rude behavior." Jack nodded, his regular grin present.

"I apologize for coming so unexpectedly." Jack said pleasantly as the doctor let him in.

"No trouble, I assure you." The doctor cast a nervous glance over his shoulder towards the kitchen.

"Would you excuse me for a moment. Please stay here, I need to check on something." The doctor wheeled off, leaving Jack to examine his surroundings absently.

Sally heard the approach of the doctor, she had begun to creep towards the stairway when he entered.

"Sally!" Sally paused and fixed the doctor with a curious and guilty look.

"I was going." She said.

"Well hurry up!" The doctor snapped as he started to head back into the entry room.

"Whose come to visit? The mayor?" Sally asked, before she had a chance to stop herself.

"That isn't any of your business." The doctor said with warning in his voice. He eyed Sally quickly, and then a cunning look passed over his face.

"If you must know, it's the Pumpkin King." The doctor grinned a little when he saw Sally's reaction.

Sally's eye's had widened. 'The Pumpkin King was here? Now?' She thought to herself wildly.

"That's right Sally, so if you don't want me telling on your little friend, You'd better hurry and get up to your room." Sally nodded once and slipped up the stairs quietly.

"Yes sir." She whispered.

As she made her way up the stairs her mind was working quickly. She didn't want to get into trouble, but the thought of the Pumpkin King being there in this house exited her immensely. She had already decided she was little intimidated by him, but she had been looking at his shadow against the light of his large windows for such a long time, always wondering what he was like, and how he acted, or what The Pumpkin King, the ruler of this bizarre town must look like.

'Probably horrible.' She thought to herself. It seamed that in Halloween Town the most horrible things were the most valued, and vise versa. So using this logic, it was only best to assume the Pumpkin King was a foul and horrible looking creature. Still, Sally's curiosity ran wild. She stopped at the top of the stairs, and looked back down. In doing this a nervous sensation crept up from her stomach.

'Well,' She thought, as a gregarious feeling washed over her. 'Perhaps just a peek would be worth any trouble I'd get into.' She was about halfway back down the stairs when she remembered Jack. If the doctor caught her…he'd be in trouble too. Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a restless sigh. She couldn't risk it. She didn't want Jack to get into any trouble. And she didn't even want to think what the Pumpkin King might do if he caught her. It would probably make the doctors punishments look harmless. Sally started back up the stairs, feeling disappointed.

If she would have made it up the stairs, Sally probably wouldn't have disobeyed the doctor on this occasion, or any other after this one, for that matter. But Sally found herself frozen in place when an unexpected voice drifted up to her from the room below.

"-no, I couldn't possibly stay for lunch, I'm kind of in a hurry."

"That is a pity, Jack. I understand, though, I know how busy you are this time of year."

Sally nearly fell down the stairs.

Ok…NOW I think there is only one more chapter left. This was suppose to be the last one, but I've been running into some writing problems, and other things have been distracting me. I would have made this longer, but I wanted to post something. It's taken longer then I hoped it would, and I'm having a bit of a hard time developing this part.

Thank you again for your reviews.