Author Note: First of all, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them.

Once again, slightly odd, but really long (for my standards) chapter. A couple of disclaimers: I do not own Tim Burton's "The Nightmare before Christmas", or Blink 182's "I miss you". I love both of them and I strongly recommend watching the movie and listening to the song. If you know the song, I suggest you play it while reading this chapter (at least from after they watch the movie). Also, the info about Queen Elizabeth I was taken from Wikipedia, which I do not own.

Well, it might be OCC and a little discontinuous, but this is one of my favorite chapters in the whole story, so please enjoy it! I must also tell you that the next chapter is going to be necessary to the plot but not particularly enjoyable nor long. Therefore you should try to enjoy this even more!

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"What Queen reigned during the English Renaissance?"

Freddy reflected for a moment and then exclaimed "Ah-ah! I know this. Elizabeth!"

Indifferent, Summer replied "Exact. And she was the daughter of …?"

"Henry...VI?"

"VIII," She corrected.

"The one with six wives?" Freddy inquired.

"Yes. And, by the way, what happened when he wanted to divorce the first one?" Summer questioned.

"Oh, yeah. The pope did not want him to, so he decided to create his own church, right?"

"Yes," Said Summer, now rather impressed. They had not read much about Henry VIII and that was not in their notes. "Ok, now, what do you know about Shakespeare?"

Freddy was thoughtful for a second and then started summarizing the little information he had. "He was a playwright who lived in London during Elizabeth's reign. He built the Globe theater..." He knew that much because of his visits to the British capital. He raked his brain some more. "He also wrote poems, right?"

Summer nodded. "Sonnets, right."

"Yeah, and...I don't know, what else?"

"Any major plays?" Summer asked, trying to help.

"Sure!" Subconsciously, Freddy started counting them on his fingers as he listed them. "Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, King Lear, the Tempest, the Twelfth Night, Richard III…That's about all I remember."

"Well, that's remarkable," Said Summer, and she truly thought so. She would have never expected him to know that many plays. "Ten out of thirty eight is really good, Freddy."

Freddy bowed theatrically, which seemed quite appropriate to the subject. Then added in a more practical tone "Alright, but I don't know much about his life."

Summer smiled at the tiniest hint of concern that she'd heard in his voice. "That's true. Open to page 375 and start reading." He did so silently and she added "Out loud." She had read somewhere that it helped memory and since then she had always studied in that way.

Freddy groaned but compelled. "William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, a glover and alderman, and Mary Arden, daughter of a farmer. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and his unknown birthday is traditionally observed on the 23rd of April. He was the eldest surviving son. He was probably educated at the King's New School in Stratford, which provided an intensive education in the classics. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway-" He stopped reading and looked at up at Summer.

She stared back at him. "What?" She asked, vaguely defensive.

"Hathaway?" He repeated, amused. "You've got a famous last name, Tink."

"Oh, please!" Summer exclaimed, annoyed. "I don't, check the spelling." She pointed out the second 'h' in the name printed on the book.

Freddy shrugged. "It doesn't matter." Then, with a smirk, he added "So, can I call you Anne?"

Summer glared at him with unexpected ferocity. "No." She replied decisively. Just what she needed, something else Freddy could tease her for, right when she thought that he was becoming more mature. Besides, she had always been very defensive of her name.

Freddy's smirk grew a little wider at her pointless anger. "I bet that's your middle name." He said, confidently leaning back on his chair. "Summer Anne Hataway."

Summer cheeks reddened with fury and she noisily slammed her book shut. "Very well, if you're going to be so annoying, I'm done here." But as she was getting up Freddy's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Alright, I'll stop." He said, with sincere eyes. "Just stay."

Summer sat down again. "Fine. Keep on reading, then." She said, her voice still cold but not angry anymore.

Freddy opened the book again, but did not start reading. "Can I ask you something, though?" He said. "Without you getting mad at me?"

Summer sighed. They were never going to finish that paragraph about poor Shakespeare. "Sure," She agreed, exasperated.

"What is your middle name?" Freddy asked, and Summer rolled her eyes. "No, seriously," He added vehemently.

"Why do you care?" She replied.

Freddy smiled innocently. "Just curious."

"Fine." Summer said, visibly annoyed. "It's Sally. Now can we please move on?"

But Freddy seemed to have quite different plans. "Sally?" He asked amused. Summer was sure he was going to find a way to mock her somehow. Instead, he gave a single laugh and said "Summer Sally Hataway. I'm Freddy Jack Jones." He seemed to think that would be explanatory.

Summer just stared at him with a blank expression, while Freddy smiled at her. "So?" She asked, puzzled.

Freddy's expression changed to one of surprise. "Are you kidding? Jack and Sally?" Summer shook her head slowly, still staring at him confused. "You don't know who Jack and Sally are?"

"No idea." She was getting quite annoyed by his assumption that she should have known who they were. She couldn't recall any couple of historical personalities, novel characters or even celebrities called like that.

Freddy gave another laugh and finally explained. "They are the characters in Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare before Christmas'". I can't believe you've never seen that movie, it's on TV, like, every single Christmas!"

"I still have no clue what you're talking about." Summer affirmed.

With his trademark crooked smile, Freddy rose from his chair and confidently took Summer's hand, exiting the room with her. He guided her through the great hallways and the majestic rooms, stopping in one smaller than the library, and minimally decorated. Three walls were covered with shelves of DVDs, the fourth with an enormous flat-screen high-definition TV. The only other pieces of furniture were a big, comfortable-looking white couch and a coffee table.

Freddy selected a movie from the shelf and put it in the DVD player, then grabbed the remote and, sitting on the sofa, gestured for Summer to do the same. She sat awkwardly close to him, and Freddy started the movie.

"Freddy, we don't have time for this, we should be stud-" Summer was cut off by Freddy's hushing.

"Now," He whispered, as if he was in a theater. "Don't worry and just watch the movie, alright, Sally?"

Summer made a face at the name, but kept quiet and stared at the screen. The story was actually quite… weird, maybe, but it was also original and surprisingly lyrical, especially for a children's tale. Summer soon found herself fascinated and seemed to recall some passages, figuring out she had probably seen bits and pieces during Christmas time. Freddy, who was simply enjoying for the hundredth time what had become a classic for him, watched Summer's face freely show her emotions, demonstrating her deep participation in the story. It was rather amusing to see her so involved in such a simple story, but something in its magic was always able to strike people's mind, and Freddy was glad to see that Summer's apparently rational, ice-cold heart could still be warmed by a kids' tale.

"So?" He asked her as the end credits started running. "What do you think?"

Summer stared at the screen a second longer, then turned towards Freddy and beamed. "I loved it! It is so…poetic would probably be the right word. The story is lovely, and the characters! Jack is so charismatic and lively, for how paradoxical that may sound."

Freddy smirked. "Well, qualities that come with the name."

Summer chuckled, shaking her head amused. Then she looked back at him and gave him her tiny-but-significant smile. "Thank you."

Freddy beamed back. "My pleasure, Sally." And then his smiled broadened, and he added "I've got something else for you." He got up and, once again, took Summer's hand and guided her through the enormous house, making her feel like a child in a maze hanging onto a friendly hand that would lead her to the right place. They arrived to Freddy's room, where he produced, from the general chaos, a CD. He put it in the stereo and hit a couple of buttons to get to the right track.

As the first, low notes started to play, he offered his hand to Summer. "Want to dance?"

Surprised, she put her hand in his, somewhat clumsily. Freddy smiled and placed her other hand on his shoulder, then positioned his on her waist. They started moving slowly from side to side, Summer feeling slightly awkward, Freddy with the smallest, confident and reassuring smile lingering on his lips. As the lyrics started, he sang along in a whisper, his breath tickling Summer's skin.

"Hello there, the angel from my nightmare, the shadow in background of the morgue, the unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley, we can live like Jack and Sally if we want, where you can always find me, and we'll have Halloween on Christmas, and in the night we'll wish this never ends, we'll wish this never ends…" As the song continued, Freddy's voice faded into silence. All of a sudden it seemed to him that the moment should not have been ruined by words. He just fixed his eyes on Summer, who looked petite and fragile in his arms, and so lovely nervous.

Where are you and I'm so sorry, I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight, I need somebody and always this sick strange darkness comes creeping on so haunting every time and as I stared I counted the webs from all the spiders, catching things and eating their insides, like indecision to call you and hear your voice of treason, Will you come home and stop this pain tonight, stop this pain tonight…

Moving at the slow rhythm, they got imperceptibly closer, and their formal waltz position became a loose embrace; Freddy's hands rested on either side of Summer's waist, her fingers tangled behind his neck. Under Freddy's intent gaze, Summer's cheeks had become faintly redder than the usual ivory shade and her eyes were now glued on the floor.

Don't waste your time on me you're already the voice inside my head, I miss you, miss you…

Freddy's right hand left its place and reached for a stray lock of hair that had fallen in front of Summer's eyes. The instinctively kind gesture caused her to look up and their gazes locked. Suddenly everything around them died away, becoming indefinite and insignificant; each other's eyes were all they were aware of, Freddy's cerulean pools and Summer's onyx gems. All they could feel was each other's closeness, warm and tensioning, their faces only inches apart…

I miss you, miss you…

And then, as the last chords faded, the moment shattered. They both looked away, unsuccessfully trying to conceal the embarrassment. Their embrace broke, their hands quickly recoiled, as if burnt by the other. Both desperately avoided meeting each other's eyes, not knowing that in them they would have only found regret for the moment now lost. Just as frantically they tried to break the silence that was pressing against their eardrums, more conspicuous with every second that passed.

"We should get back to Shakespeare," Summer finally said in a low, dim tone.

"Yeah," Freddy agreed weakly.

They silently made their way back, careful not to brush hands, and studied, quieter than ever, until it was time for Summer to go. They exchanged few, awkward words and kept avoiding eye-contact, afraid that their eyes would betray their emotions.

But that night neither of them could fall asleep: the events of the evening were playing over and over in front of their eyes, eventually turning into bittersweet dreams filled with missed opportunities.

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I truly hope you liked it! Please, let me know what you think, reviews make my day!!