At 6 A.M., when the pumpkin sun begins to rise over the horizon of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington is already awake. But he has yet to overcome the first challenge of the morning: getting out of bed. His thin figure is still wrapped underneath the blankets, staring at the ceiling wordlessly. He must've been doing this for about an hour or so, though he lost track of the time long ago. It was rare for him to be sluggish in the morning. But after what happened last night, there isn't any reason for him to just jump out of bed. All he can think about is snapping at his old friend. His old, old friend, who knew him ever since he was a child...the same man who watched him become King. A man he shared many fond memories with, and once considered him as some sort of father figure.

The same man he threatened just last night.

He was in a fit of frustration. It pained him to hear Sally cry again, but it was difficult realizing who to put the blame on. He was hoping Finklestein would gradually learn to treat her better after he realized she kept leaving, but it was the exact opposite. He defaulted to restricting her with him; enough to the point where she snapped. He felt bad for her - he really did. And he wanted nothing more than to make sure she was safe. But why was he feeling so awful?

The screeching of his doorknob interrupts his thoughts, as well as the loud scream that accompanies it.

"JACK!"

He - quite literally - jumps out of bed and rushes over to his closet, struggling to peel off his night gown and put on his undershirt. He slips on his pants, then digs through his drawer to find his bat bat bow tie. He puts on his suit last and hurries down the stairs, still buttoning it up, before swinging the door open. He finds the Mayor on his front porch, his hand clutching the doorbell. His arms are full of papers and his face is visibly sluggish, the bags under his eyes unusually low and his mouth completely dry. He sees him and sighs in relief, but then groans and clutches at his forehead.

"Mayor, you look absolutely pleasant! What's the matter?"

"Can you believe I forgot today's date until an hour ago?" He rubs his free hand along the side of his face slowly. "That, and I've got a wonderful hangover...I shouldn't have let myself go last night..."

"Come in." The skeleton ushers him inside right away. "I'll make those Worm's Guts you like."

"-But we have to get going! We're already behind; Halloween is now officially 30 days away, and I-"

Jack sits him down on his couch before he can protest any further. He disappears into the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water, which he hands to him. The Mayor makes himself comfortable in the den while the skeleton shuffles back into the kitchen to prepare their breakfast. While the faucet runs, he thinks some more about last night and a troubled frown finds its way onto his skull. He distracts himself again by cooking, and when the time comes to let it heat, he enters his den and finds the Mayor petting Zero with a gloomy feature expressed on his face.

"I'm surprised you even got out of bed, Mayor." He comments, sitting in the chair across from him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, really." He rests the side of his conical head on one of Jack's decorative pillows. "Halloween is more important than anything. And so is the town! What would they do without me?"

"With all due respect, my friend, your health matters more." He grabs the empty glass to refill it in the kitchen. "-And I'm sure everyone will understand if you take a day for yourself. I can handle everything in your absence."

He comes back and sets the water on his coffee table. It takes a few minutes for the words to register in the Mayor's head, but when they strike him, he sits up attentively on the couch. "-But, Jack, that's a lot of work! We have several things to approve, and among that, I have a lot on my plate today for the town!"

The skeleton notices the papers on the table and grabs them to flip through. He finds hundreds of things on their to-do list alone, and even more on his colleague's personal documents. His friend is right - getting through these by himself would be a literal nightmare, and will most likely take up his whole day. As if the thoughts he's been dealing with from last night weren't enough, he'd have the stress of Halloween planning and town managing. Well, more than he already does. He attends to much of this alone, but the Mayor's personal affairs would eat into extra time.

"I can manage all this," He says very convincingly, more to himself than anyone. "Why don't you take the day off and tomorrow we can catch up?"

"Are...are you sure-"

Jack remembers about their food in the other room and throws down the papers to dart back into the kitchen. He prepares a couple of plates and brings them back, offering the Mayor the one with most of the breakfast. He happily takes it and begins to gorge down the meal, an obvious sign to him that he hasn't eaten this whole morning. Jack doesn't say anything as he takes a seat and chews on one of the cooked worms, his mind overwhelmed with thoughts of Dr. Finklestein and Sally.

"This is horribly delightful!" The Mayor compliments. His colleague thanks him by bowing his skull and the politician momentarily sets down his plate. "I also wanted to thank you for bringing me home last night. You seemed upset, and I just wanted to apologize for getting so carried away. I hadn't meant-"

"-It's not you, Mayor. Not at all." He twirls the worms around with his fork. "Something else just came up that night."

"Oh! Is it something you'd like to talk about? I knew there was something wrong...you always have this look about you."

He stops chewing and looks up, a little anxious that he let his troubles show on his features. That's the exact opposite of what he wanted. He swallows his portion down a little hard and decides to finish his breakfast there, discarding his plate to the side and trying to piece his words together carefully.

"No, I'm fine. Really. Let's...let's just focus on getting everything done." He avoids his gaze and reaches for his cup. "Is there anything I should be aware of for today?"

His face switches, but he answers anyway. "Well, Dr. Finklestein keeps calling the Town Hall asking for his marriage certificate. His calls to our department have gotten more aggressive lately. But the problem is, I can't remember what happened to the darned thing!"

"I haven't the faintest idea, either." He lies. "Tell them to ignore Fink. Say he's getting senile or...something."

His forehead begins to sweat, and he wipes it with the end of his sleeve. "I stopped by his place awhile ago and things seemed really hostile there. I just wanted to talk about his project this year, but instead I got swept into the middle of an argument. It was so stressful!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! Sally asked me about pumpkins and I was more than happy to answer her, but the two of them got into quite the fight. She must have been feeling awful after that, and I sent her my condolences. She seemed very upset."

He fails to gather his thoughts. "Yes, I don't believe they're on good terms right now..."

"Well, that's a relief." His face switches and he finishes the rest of his breakfast. "For a moment, I thought they weren't doing so well."

He slaps his bony hand on his skull, realizing his mistake. "No, Mayor, I - never mind."

Their conversation ends there, Jack cleaning up their mess from the their meal and offering his friend to stay for the afternoon. He doesn't think it's a good idea for him to try the stairs again - he looked exhausted just from the first time. And he wouldn't want him to trip or hurt himself on the way down. The Mayor accepts and decides to get some rest in one of his guest bedrooms, thanking him once more for taking over. But when the skeleton leaves his house and has to bring the abundance of paperwork over to the Town Hall, he can already feel the pressure squeezing against his bones.

"Sally, please, just listen to me. This is very important."

In the sitting room of Finklestein's tower, the ragdoll huffs and looks away from her creator. She is sitting on the edge of the couch, as far away from him as possible. She stubbornly crosses her arms and shuts her eyes. She can understand why the Doctor insists on interrogating her, but she isn't entitled to answer his questions. She has the right to refuse - that itself was made very obvious just last night. And the first thing he wanted in the morning was to ask her to come down so they could "talk". But in his mind, "talking" meant getting answers as to what happened last night with her and Jack. Which she is refusing to give him.

She isn't scared of him anymore. After she saw him tremble beneath Jack, she couldn't find a reason to be. She loved him more than she did the Doctor, and he outranked him in a number of ways. If he did something out of line, then she would just tell Jack, and that was what the he did not want. She feels more "free", in a way. Now that she has a reason not to listen to his every command and be the overworked housewife he wants.

Finklestein emits a growl but holds it back. "I just want to know what you said to him," He says calmly.

"I don't have to tell you."

He rubs his temples in annoyance. "I swear, it's as if someone has brainwashed you. You've never acted like this before."

She remains silent, only glancing back at him once. He taps his gloved finger on the table with impatience. He isn't sure how long he can stay collected like this. He's on a thin barrier of just snapping and locking her up again, but that would be very unscrupulous after the promise he made to the King just last night...

"You and I both know what Jack said. But that does NOT excuse you from answering me when I ask you something. You are still under my possession." Seeing her lack of reaction, he adds, "-We both know how often Skellington visits here, do we not?"

Her posture loosens. He may not come here often, but what did that matter? She can just...visit his house! Or find him at the graveyard! She turns to give him a sour look and finds the Doctor wearing a smile. It unsettles her seeing him so confident. As if she no longer has the upper hand. Her arms begin to tremble.

"I can get to you faster than you can get to him. Do you realize that now?" Her eyes widen. "Now, I am going to ask you again. What did you say to him last night?"

Finklestein's smile grows as he notices she's beginning to break. He had to show he was in charge again. He isn't going to have any of her attitude anymore. He doesn't favor "talks" and refuses to sit here like a doll and play house with her. He needs to be in absolute control at all times - so she can no longer get these rebellious ideas...

"I just showed him my dress."

This response isn't enough. "Don't play dumb with me, girl! I know you told him more than that! If you tell me now, your punishment will be lifted."

She shuts her mouth and turns away. He's decided he's had enough and snaps his fingers, summoning Igor from the laboratory. Sally looks over but doesn't have the chance to react, because as soon as he's in the room, the hunchbacked assistant rushes toward her and grabs her wrist. She falls out of the seat as he begins to drag her on the ground. She squeaks in pain. Now she really is being treated like a ragdoll!

When she sees his Laboratory coming into view, fear swells in her fingertips. A cold sensation runs through her body as they get closer. She looks at Finklestein with true fear in her eyes this time. It never meant anything good when she was brought to the lab.

She intends for her voice to sound threatening, but it comes out in small squeaks instead. "What are you going to do to me!?"

He clacks his tongue. "It's simple, my dear. I'm going to fix your brain."

"You-You wouldn't!"

"Clearly there is something wrong with it. You are not fulfilling what I have created you for. Therefore, I will fix it so you will show no disobedience."

If he 'fixes' her brain now...she can forget all about Jack! He would turn her into the slave he really wants. She doesn't care how horrible her life is now - she doesn't want to be in a world where she and Jack are no longer friends. A reality where she can no longer remember him is the worst thing she can ever imagine. She wants to keep their memories fondly and continue loving him because it's the only thing that makes her happy. If the Doctor takes that away now, she'll be kissing her freedom goodbye once and for all...

She gives out the last of her dignity and desperately calls out to him. "Wait, wait! Stop! I'll do everything you want! I promise!"

"Are you sure?" He pushes. "Because if you make that promise to me, Sally, then I have every right to punish you if you break it."

"Yes, yes, of course, Doctor...just, please...let me go..."

He studies her for a moment or two. She attempts to hide the fear in her eyes. She's been trying so hard to be strong and finally stand up to him...only to succumb to his power again. She has never felt so pathetic in all her life. He finally flicks his wrist in her direction.

"Igor, let go of her."

The assistant lets go of her dress and stands back. She rubs the side of her thigh and slowly stands. Her legs wobble and she holds onto the nearest wall for support. Just from her posture can Finklestein notice how pathetic she must be feeling. It doesn't make him feel pleasant, but he's at least satisfied that things turned out in his favor once more. He wheels over until he's only an inch away from her.

"The first thing I want you to do is to stop sneaking out," He says. "And especially not to see that Skellington anymore. You hear me?" She knows that's impossible, but nods anyway. "-I'll be in the Laboratory today. I expect my lunch to be ready at its usual time."

She watches as his figure disappears into the lab. When she's alone, she looks at the ground sadly. She can still feel the tight grip of Igor's small hands on her, and the image of the Laboratory getting closer second by second refuses to leave her mind. Neither can the cold feeling enveloping in her stomach, and the fear still settling on her spine. She feels herself weaken and sits down on the couch again as to not lose her strength and fall to the floor. The world around her starts to spin, and she rests her head on the armrest as to steady her vision.

When she raises her head, her gaze rests outside the nearest window. She finds Halloween Town in all its glory, as well as the Manor that overshadows it. The longer she stares, the more she can feel her skin starting to warm. She takes a few steady breaths, thinking of the tall man beyond those windows, and feels strangely calmer. She knows then that this promise she made was superficial - she needs to be outside, to be with Jack...to be happy and free. And if she gets in trouble with the Doctor, then that's a punishment worth facing so long as she can be with the man she loves.

She's going to have to wait until his guard is down, and then she can make her move.

The fifth day of October is much less stressful. Tedious, yes, but at this point the planning is going at a regular, much slower rate. The first few days are especially rigorous considering everything requires Jack's full attention. The first day was overwhelming in every aspect, having to take charge of every little detail, but the fifth day, however...that is his relief point.

He always has to be meticulous with the Halloween planning. The biggest thing that always needs his attention is the positioning for their annual song. Say, if one monster was unhappy with how something went, then a whole process of changing their lines and configuring their timing was necessary. The person going through and finding these compromises to fit their preferences was him, of course. Then Jack would later have to approve the changes so they can accommodate his citizens, and then he'd have to restart the whole process again if anyone else requests a change as well.

And then there is Halloween entirely! The Pumpkin King is the only one who has authority to change the holiday every year. What they chose for the holiday previously is used again, and he has to go and approve all the ideas, decorations, costumes, and practically everything else once more every year. While that was being done, he also has to take a look at the hundreds of suggestions for Halloween that year and fit the ideas he approves into the holiday properly. Then there comes the matter of finding how to fit those in, what needed to be changed, and if it was good enough to be reused again for the next Halloween.

Needless to say, the skeleton has a lot on his mind.

He checks off the last thing on the list before sitting back in his chair with a long sigh. The sound of his pencil falling startles the Mayor, who had been sitting elsewhere this whole time. He feels much better compared to his hangover the first day, and has been particularly optimistic with the process. He's always excited to plan for Halloween, and sometimes Jack feels like he can't quite match the enthusiasm as he once did...

His voice, very quietly, rings from the room. "Jack?"

He opens an eye socket, finding the shorter man approaching his desk. "-Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you. For taking over for me that day and, well, helping me with the Corpse Family earlier today. I'm relieved to say that we are done with everything for today!"

Relief washes over him, finally calming his nerves and relaxing his bones. He rubs the side of his skull and looks around the room, realizing he hasn't looked up from his desk until now. "What time is it? 8? 9?"

"2 P.M."

"You're kidding?"

"We got done early!" He rounds his table to pat him on the back cheerfully. "I suppose this means we'll have time off tomorrow!"

He smiles very softly, his mind filled with ideas with what he can do with this extra time. "Thank you, Mayor. I should start heading home before it gets too late."

He bids his shorter coworker goodbye and waves to the other folk sitting in the rooms he passes. It relieves him to know these people are getting less work than he is. That is why the Pumpkin King does so much, after all. So only the citizens will worry more about the scaring than the working...

He slips through the front doors easily and finds the town populated as it usually is. He boldly decides to head straight through, mentally praying no one will stop him. He successfully gets to the side before he notices he bumped into someone. He turns around to blurt out an apology before recognizing the very familiar red hair atop their head.

Sally.