A/N- I sure hope you guys like new characters and getting better acquainted with the ones that already exist, because there's some more of it in this chapter as well (and in many more to come)! This time around, you'll be introduced to Gloria Dobberstein, wife of Herb (and, just to remind you, the large corpse woman from the movie) and their son Ralph. I hope you'll like the way her character turned out. Truthfully, it wasn't what I had intended, but I love it when a character you're crafting shows you who they are rather than letting you tell them. Pretty awesome, IMO.

I'm also gonna level with you guys and let you know my ending was sloppily done. Yes, I admit it. I blame it on so few reviews. =( No, I kid, I blame it on my ADD and poor writing style. Forgive, please?

Disclaimer- Burton's still.


"I've only been a real sorceress for about a year or so, you see, so my powers are perhaps not all that they could be. I am hoping to get better with time and practice, of course, and with Helga's assistance, I see that as totally possible…"

Though it was a bit difficult for Tivona to improvise something of a persona for herself on the spot, she did enjoy the attention. For the entire half hour that she and Jack had been walking from the outskirts (the location of Helga and Zelda's house) to the inner-town –arm in arm, of course-, Jack had simply listened intently to whatever she desired to tell him. He would occasionally have to rouse her speech with personal questions, but otherwise, the entire conversation had been mostly one-sided. How nice it was, she thought, to finally have someone who would just listen endlessly and with undivided attention to every random thought that occurred to her. Furthermore, there was no evident expectation on Jack's part for her to probe him with personal questions in return, and for this she was exceedingly grateful. There was nothing she hated more than having to hear someone else gab excessively about their own trivial issues.

"And you're…Hawaiian, is that right?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but only on my mother's side. In fact, my form of sorcery stems from a specific strain of Hawaiian voodoo. It was not a commonly practiced art, as only a select few were gifted with the talents and many native Hawaiians have strived to keep this power secret from all outsiders, so even if I were to name the brand of magick-which I most definitely cannot do out of respect- you probably wouldn't recognize it. This is also another reason why I can't readily demonstrate my abilities. To do so would be to give away a revered secret, if that makes sense…"

"And how ironic that you, as a half-Irish woman, would be the next to inherit the ability!" he chuckled.

Tivona laughed as well, albeit a bit nervously. "Yeah…what are the odds, right?"

Jack then gasped upon catching sight of the house he had been leading her to. "Ah ha! Here's the place I've been looking for…but I didn't expect it to come up so soon. Strange how time gets away when you're having fun!"

"Oh, most definitely!" she agreed, forcing an unnecessary amount of enthusiasm.

A few steps later, the couple arrived in front the two-story, rundown, and very haunted looking shack, whose only clue to housing a business was the crudely painted, wooden lawn sign that read:

"Gloria's Boutique- Tailored Dresses for Every Formal Occasion"

Jack gallantly opened the gate of the jagged picket fence for her, and the two proceeded to ascend the gravel walk leading up the front door. It was he, of course, who went to the trouble of ringing the doorbell, which played the first few bars of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

"That's become a very popular doorbell sound lately," Jack mentioned to Tivona under his breath. "Personally, I think the classic 'woman screaming' suits the purpose just fine…"

The door opened after a short interval, and standing there greeting them was a small, fat zombie child who Tivona found to be an almost mirror-image of Pugsley Addams- only dead.

"King Jack!" the boy squealed, beginning to hop up and down.

"Good afternoon, Ralph," he greeted warmly, bending down to shake the boy's hand.

Ralph didn't return this gesture, for the mere reason that he had already turned around to call out behind him and couldn't take notice of it.

"Mama, mama, it's King Jack! Come quick, mama!"

"Ralph Dobberstein!" a rather deep, raspy woman's voice cried out from somewhere in the back of the house. "How many times have I told you to leave my customers alone? Get away from that door or it'll be the whip again for you!"

The boy 'eeped' in fear and swiftly scampered outside, having to weave through Jack and Tivona's legs to do so. In his stead, shortly thereafter, was a rather obese zombie woman with cat's eye glasses and a soiled mumu, the floral pattern of which was still somewhat legible. A cigarette dangled carelessly from the corner of her mouth as she lumbered down the hallway to meet the King and his lady friend at the threshold.

"So sorry about that," she coughed. "My son can sure be a lil' pudgy twit sometimes. Anyway, come on in, the both of you."

After ushering them into the foyer, she stuck her head out the door to yell, "And stay out there, ya hear me?" before slamming the door shut and bolting the lock.

Jack then felt compelled to clear his throat before starting his next sentence.

"Tivona, I'd like for you to meet Gloria Dobberstein, Halloween Town's finest dress-maker. Mrs. Dobberstein, this is Miss Tivona O'Dwyer."

Gloria gradually turned herself around to face Tivona. She momentarily removed the cigarette from her mouth and eyed the human woman suspiciously.

"So, you're the little vixen that's been takin' this place by storm, are ya? Hear you're singin' now for Herb's band."

"Yes, that's right," Tivona answered, striving to seem cordial and not somewhere between disgusted and afraid. "And you must be his wife."

"Yep." Gloria answered, her surveying stare soon turning into something of a glare. "His wife. So, uh, just make sure you keep your skinny little hands off him, yeah?"

Tivona gulped. "Yes, ma'm."

Jack then laughed anxiously and draped an arm around Tivona's shoulders, hopeful that this would relieve Gloria's jealous skepticism.

"Mrs. Dobberstein, we simply came today in the hopes of fitting Miss O'Dwyer for a ball gown. You see, I decided this afternoon that the Town should hold a Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball in two weeks. I intend to accompany Miss O'Dwyer myself, and so I have graciously offered to provide a gown for her. Is this something you could do for us?"

"Well, as the finest dressmaker in Halloween Town, I sure hope so."

Gloria then motioned with a stubby arm for them to follow her through the foyer to a room at the end of the hall that was currently behind a closed door. She produced a ring of keys from somewhere on her person that Tivona couldn't see the location of -nor did she want to- and scrambled for a moment with the lock. After a momentary struggle the door popped open, and Gloria proceeded to hobble inside, motioning for the two to accompany her.

Due to the condition of the house that Tivona had seen thus far, she didn't expect too much aesthetically from this particular room. For this reason, her involuntary gasp when she first stepped in seemed a bit justified, if only to her.

The entire space was filled with dress stands decked out in the most elegant, gothic frocks she had ever laid eyes on. From Victorian to more modern styles, all of them were of either a dark, monochromatic color scheme, or a more shocking red or juxtaposing white. They were all so expertly sewn together and from very expensive or rare fabrics. Accompanying all of these breathtakingly gorgeous dresses were certain specific accessories, such as hats and handbags, and large mirrors placed strategically around the room.

"Can I cook, or can't I?" Gloria commented finally, breaking Tivona from her materialistic reverie.

She then shuffled over to a large arm chair in a part of the room that wasn't occupied by a dress stand or a mirror. She motioned subtly for the couple to join her in sitting, and Jack accepted the offer by taking a seat on a small loveseat across from her. Tivona, on the other hand, was too preoccupied to even see that Gloria had offered. Like a greedy child in a candy store, she wandered over to the army of dress stands and floated between each one, absentmindedly feeling the fabric beneath her fingers and muttering in wonder under her breath.

"She seems to have a great appreciation for your work," Jack pointed out with a grin.

Gloria snorted. "She certainly does…"

"Well, I, personally, have no expectations for this dress. Just let her describe to you what she wants and I'll pay for it, no questions asked."

"Do have any budget limitations, sir?" she asked bluntly. "I imagine her personal 'description' will be quite costly…"

"No, no, no," Jack assured, waving his hands to reinforce the point. "Whatever she wants, she can have."

"Very well then, sir," Gloria sighed, experiencing some difficulty as she rose from her chair. "I'll just take her measurements then and get her description. Should I tell her to meet you back at your house when we're done?"

"Not necessary, Mrs. Dobberstein. I'll be back in to collect her."

Jack then walked across the room to Tivona and had to tap her on the shoulder to take her attention away from the gowns. She jumped slightly and turned around to reveal an expression that suggested a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar before dinner.

"Tivona, my dear," Jack cooed sweetly, taking her hands into his own. "I'm going to leave with you with Mrs. Dobberstein for the time being. I've instructed her to make a gown completely to your specifications and measurements. This is the first of many gifts I plan to shower on you in the future, so don't be afraid to go all out, okay?"

Tivona's victorious grin returned, though her attempt to mask it with a rather facetious sense of gratitude proved successful in Jack's case.

"Oh, Jack, that's so sweet of you! I will design a gown so gorgeous, your jaw will fall off of its hinges!"

She then kissed his cheek bone before he turned and left the room with a final wave.

It was then that Tivona came upon the terrible realization that she was now alone in a somewhat vulnerable position, with a very suspicious, vastly-larger zombie woman. Her want of a ballgown was very nearly outweighed by her fear of what might transpire in this situation, and so she began eying the area for a way to escape.

"Alright then, dollface," Gloria croaked mischievously, tapping some ashes off the end of her cigarette. "Turn around and stand like a scarecrow."

"I-I beg your pardon?"

Gloria then demonstrated the position as much as her body size would allow. "Like a scarecrow, you know- arms up and out to the side, legs together?"

"Oh," Tivona exhaled in relief. "I see."

This she did, though not without much hesitation, and was soon thankful of the mirror that stood in front of her. In the reflection, she could see Gloria scrounging around for and eventually finding a tape measure. She then lumbered over to Tivona with that and a clipboard.

"Well, hurry up and describe the dress to me, sweetie," Gloria urged while extended the tape measure underneath Tivona's right arm. "I gotta another appointment in about 30 minutes."

She made an effort to relax herself for this, as she couldn't possibly design a ball gown while focusing on the possibility that her tailor might just strangle her with the measure.


Jack's stroll back home was undoubtedly one of the cheeriest he'd ever had.

There was an unmistakable bounce to his step as he made his way through the town square and greeted every citizen he saw warmly with a grin and wave.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ursula!" he said to the town's sea-creature woman as she came up for air in the town's fountain. "Wonderful to see you again, Mr. Hyde!" he smiled at the large, stoic man with the miniatures of himself hiding in his hat. "Lookin' good, Doctor! You as well, Mrs. Finkelstein!"

The doctor and his self-made wife, Ruby, were sitting outside at The Black Cat Café when Jack caught sight of them. Despite Dr. Finkelstein's fondness for the King, he still responded to the address with an apathetic grumble. Ruby, on the other hand, replied sweetly with a "Thank you kindly, your majesty!"

"Mayor!" Jack acknowledged enthusiastically with a play-salute as he saw the small man approaching him.

"Jaaaack!" the Mayor cried, proceeding to run as fast as small legs could carry him. "Where in the world have you been? We were supposed to review these plans weeks ago! It's already October, Jack!"

Jack laughed and had to bend slightly to place a reassuring hand on the smaller man's back.

"Mayor, please, you mustn't get so overworked about these frivolous details. There is still plenty of time to review those plans. Besides, we have the basic idea already established, and isn't that more than half of the battle?"

The Mayor seemed more than a little astonished.

"But, Jack…you normally love going over the plans…you always have specific ideas that we-"

"Yes, yes, I know," he cut in. "But it so happens that I now love something else a lot more. You see, when you fall in love, Mr. Mayor, everything else seems to fall by the wayside. Anyway, I'm sure this Halloween will be perfectly fine and enjoyable just the way we have it now. Why don't you go over it for me one more time and if you see any discrepancies, we'll just iron them out before hand. Will that work?"

Looking worried and dejected, the Mayor eventually nodded his head.

"Excellent!" Jack exclaimed. "Oh, by the way, I've decided to hold a Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball in two weeks, so let's just focus a bit more on those plans for awhile. Could you also make an announcement for me to the rest of the town? I fear I'll just be too preoccupied to do it myself."

"A WHAT?" The Mayor cried, involuntarily jumping a bit from the shock of this information. "Your majesty, there's simply no time for-"

"Oh don't be silly, Mayor, there's plenty of time. We'll have lunch and talk it over more tomorrow, how does that sound?"

Jack then interpreted the Mayor's baffled silence to mean that he had agreed to this idea, and so with another wave, the skeleton King continued on his way home. Unbeknownst to him, however, since he had already turned his back, the Mayor proceeded to faint.

Eventually, Jack arrived back on the familiar front staircase leading to his front door (the same one, he happened to recall at that moment, that he had widened significantly a few months ago so that someone other than himself could gain access to his house) and was suddenly reminded of who would be awaiting him immediately when he stepped inside.

All of the dreamy giddiness that had filled his mind since the kiss from Tivona evaporated instantly, and was soon replaced by a sense of dread and remorse. He knew the moment he walked in he'd see Sally sitting at her desk, typing frantically. She'd no doubt look up for a moment to see who it was, and immediately refocus her attention on her work in an effort to pretend he wasn't there.

The thought of it made him oddly ache and pine for the time -not long ago at all- when Sally would respond to his sudden presence with a glowing smile, as if she'd been hiding it all day just for him. He realized then how much he missed the way she'd laugh at his jokes, how attentive and patiently she'd listen as he'd pour his heart out to her, saying things he would never dare repeat to anyone else. This yearning for their friendship to be what it once was erupted in him suddenly, and in the form of a raw pain, as though he'd been feeling it subconsciously all day and hadn't fully realized it until now.

For all of these reasons, he decided then that he would try his best to make amends with her the moment he stepped into the lobby. He had been especially careless lately, he knew, and he simply refused to lose his dearest friend on account of something so preventable.

He then took a deep breath and proceeded to push open the two heavy front doors.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Sally was not awaiting him at the front desk. Nor did she appear to be anywhere in the immediate vicinity. Jack found this more than a bit worrisome, and so he began to call out her name, hopeful that she hadn't simply resigned.

He called out her name two times more and made to enter the back study to see if she had slipped off in there for whatever reason, when he finally caught sight of her descending the right staircase.

She appeared to be folding up a small handkerchief to place in her sweater pocket. He could also see, even from where he stood, that her eyes were red and swollen. She seemed to be sniffing excessively as well, and Jack's best guess was that she had to be sick.

"Sally…" Jack said softly, not entirely certain what his intention was in doing so. It did seem to successfully get her attention, and for that, he was grateful. It had been a while since she had looked at him directly with no sense of aggravation.

"Oh, Jack…I was just…uhm…"

It soon became clear that he'd have to offer an explanation for her. Instead, he decided to divert the subject entirely, not keen on making her feel guilty for being on the forbidden second story.

"Your eyes look red…are you feeling well?"

She soon reached the bottom landing and started to make her way back to her desk, her head down and eyes diverted. Jack was uncertain if she ever planned to answer his question, and so instead of letting her reach the intended destination, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as soon as she was within arm's reach. This made her stop completely and gradually look up at him. At this proximity, it became blatantly apparent to him that Sally's eyes were not burned from sickness, but from weeping.

He then had the sensation of a heart sinking in his chest, as he intuitively knew right away that her tears had been caused by something he'd done.

"Why, you've been crying…" he pointed out, slightly turning her to face him. "Sally, please…tell me why…"

She hesitated for a moment, once more looking away from him.

"Sally," he whispered sharply with more urgency, this time seizing both of her shoulders. "I'm sorry…for all that I've done…I'm sorry…"

She was now purposefully refusing to look him, almost straining to keep her eyes from meeting his. For this reason, he felt compelled to place a hand under her chin and tilt her head to face him. This somewhat forward gesture did succeed to win a more permanent attention from her.

"Please listen to me…I know I've been terrible, lately, especially to you. I realize that. You have every right to ignore me. I've been preoccupied and selfish…but believe me when I tell you that I miss your friendship...more importantly, I miss you."

He then dropped the hand on her chin and returned it on her shoulder.

"I miss talking to you," he continued. "I miss laughing with you…I miss your smile greeting me when I walk in…do you see me now, Sally? We've been in this squabble less than a week and I'm already a complete wreck. Do you see how much I need you?"

A tense moment of silence passed between them wherein Jack began to worry that this particular effort wasn't going to go over well. Eventually, Sally broke this with a simple response to his question.

"Yes, I do, Jack."

He smiled slightly, encouraged by her reply. She returned it.

"If I'm completely honest, I feel you've become a bit more compulsive than usual lately. A Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball, Jack?"

He looked a bit sheepish, and knew deep down that if anyone else had challenged him about the event in this manner, he would have either laughed it off or scoffed. Only Sally Stitches could evoke this sort of self-questioning within him.

"Well…" he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his skull. "I just thought it'd be something fun…you know, something to whet our appetites before the actual Halloween ceremonies…we hardly do anything fun around here outside of Halloween, you know…we could even invite some of the other Holiday citizens! It could be quite a marvelous thing…"

She crossed her arms and grinned at him skeptically. "You do realize that those of us who will be responsible for helping you aren't going to be too happy about this? Especially considering how close we are to Halloween, how much preparation it's going to take-"

"I know, I know," he interjected, rubbing his temples. "I'll do as much of the grunt work as possible, I promise."

Sally then broke off from his hold and began a saunter to the couch that sat next to the waiting-room chairs.

"Jack…" she began tentatively as she took a seat. "Why do I get the feeling this has something to do with Miss O'Dwyer?"

He slowly turned around to look at her, striving to hide his guilt.

"Miss O'Dwyer? Wh-what would make you think-"

"Victor told me about this afternoon," she explained.

He then came to take a seat next to her, and surveyed her curiously as he asked his next, simple question, wanting to see her exact reaction. "And?"

"And I'm happy for you. Victor reported that you were quite excited when she admitted the feelings you've been harboring for her were mutual."

"Yes, I was." He nodded. "But I seem to find it imperative to know what you think…of the situation…of Tivona…"

Sally inhaled a bit, shifting the hem of dress uncomfortably and wiggling in her seat, hoping that achieving a better sitting position might make the next statement a bit easier to deliver. She also took a moment to pause and stare contemplatively at the floor, as if trying to hastily organize her thoughts.

"Well," she began with a reluctant exhale. "I can't say very much about Tivona, as I've never so much as spoken to her...I can say that she is very beautiful…and she appears to be quite

charming and sweet…"

"She is…" Jack confirmed, momentarily slipping back into his dreamy haze from before.

"I can also say that your sudden compulsiveness arrived around the same time she did…am I completely wrong to think there's a correlation?"

"No, perhaps not…" he admitted grudgingly. "But I just can't help myself, Sally…I love her…"

She paused a moment to survey him with a questioning, raised eyebrow. Jack didn't see this, as he had been focused squarely on his feet –or the floor- while trying to shift through a plethora of thoughts and emotions.

"I hope you won't take this the wrong way…but can you really love someone you've known less than a week?"

"Sally, I realize that my passionate nature can seem a bit nonsensical to you at times," he answered, rising from the couch to pace slightly in front of it. "But I do love her. For whatever crazy, illogical reason, I love her. I want to be everything for her, to fulfill her every whim, I want-"

"I understand." She quipped suddenly.

Sally then followed Jack in rising from the couch and with folded arms, she drifted closer to him. His speech seemed to have brought back the same, almost-unpreventable compulsion for tears as before, but her determination to not make them apparent was, for the most part, successful.

"To be perfectly truthful, Jack…" she continued, nonchalantly wiping the corner of one eye. "I've been worried that this new romance of yours might cause our friendship to fall by the wayside. You know I have valid reasons for thinking this might be a possibility…"

Stunned, the skeleton turned to fully face his friend. Noticing that her eyes had begun to moisten once more, he whipped a handkerchief out of his pocket and took the liberty of dabbing them away himself.

"Sally," he sighed, placing hands on her forearms once more. "Of everyone I know, you are my closest and most trusted friend. To lose you would mean to lose part of myself. Trust me when I say that no one will ever replace you. No one can."

He then pulled her into a close, snug embrace that she fully reciprocated as soon as she could overcome the shock.

The two of them stood like this for a time in one another's arms, and Sally wished that the intimacy of the moment wouldn't have been ruined if she were to pull back and reveal her feelings. Even contemplating the realistic outcome of doing this seemed to take away from her elation at simply being in this position with him.

Instead of voicing any of the concerns or desires that buzzed through their respective minds, the two friends simply stood, silent and loving, holding one another as though they might never let go.

Sally came to realize, in the course of that all-too-brief interval, that she would eventually have to accept the fact that this was as close as she would ever be to her beloved. Her miniscule hope that he might one day share the same feelings as she would need to be demolished completely, and any romantic love she harbored would have to be securely stored away under lock and key. To keep that futile hope would no doubt mean to lose him entirely. He had fallen in love with someone else, someone who was as farthest removed from who she was as possible. Clearly, Jack did not desire to love someone like Sally romantically. That was just a fact of the situation.

She knew it would take time, effort, and a great deal of persistence to remain his closest friend under the circumstances, but she was obstinate on staying the course. The truth of it was, he was her closest friend as well. Removing him from her life was unthinkable, even if she didn't fully understand why.

What was most important, she reminded herself, was that Jack was happy, and as long as she kept that in mind over her selfish desires, she imagined that the effort to remain involved in his life would be significantly easier.

If Jack was content, she could be too.