Eve released herself from Jack's grip and ran toward his dog, Zero, who was floating in the door way. Just as she was about to throw her arms around the dog, she suddenly paused and fell to her knees. She examined the dog, curiously, without any fear. However Zero did not hesitate, but simply jumped on her and began to lick her face, happily. She simply laughed and carefully patted the pooch on the head. Jack stood there, awestruck, as tears began to emerge out of Eve's eyes. He rushed over to see what was the matter.

"Eve, are you okay?" he asked, this time not touching her. She looked up at him and smiled. They were tears of happiness.

"Jack…this is my dog, Zero! I haven't seen him in soooo long, not since…" she trailed off. Zero whimpered. "Not since he died. He was just a puppy! He was too young to die…but my parents told me that he would go to a better place. I didn't believe them, but now I know they were right." Jack smiled at her reassuringly.

"I'm glad you two have reunited, I've done my best to take care of him. He really is a great friend. He's the only one who would ever listen to me when I ranted on about Halloween and how…well, he's always been there, when no one else was." Jack told Eve as she held Zero in her arms. Eve looked down at Zero who licked her nose.

"Jack, I could never take Zero away from you."

"But it's almost as if I took him from you…I must give him back."

"Well then, we will just have to share him!" Eve exclaimed releasing Zero to go lick Jack. Jack smiled at Zero, then at Eve.

"But Eve this is your dog, I couldn't…"

"You could and you will. You have been together too long to be torn apart now. Once you have a special connection with someone it can never go away, even if they do. That's when it becomes painful…I suppose my parents aren't here?" she asked with a tiny twitter of hope. Jack shook his head. He would have known if they were. "Oh…well then how did Zero get here? How did you get here? How does anyone get here?"

"Well, fourteen years ago I was out for a walk on Moonlight Hill. I sat upon it and looked down upon the cemetery. The ghost seemed to be stirring a bit, so I went to see what was the matter. As soon as I reached the bottom of the hill a bright light blinded me for a moment. When I regained my vision, Zero was lying upon the ground in a translucent heap. I tapped him and he suddenly sprung up and into my arms. His nosed glowed a Halloween orange and was in the shape of a Jack-o-Lantern. His tag read the name 'Zero' and so from that moment on, I figured I could use a friend that would love me no matter what mess I got myself in." Jack explained as Zero licked his hands.

"But how was he able to get here?" Eve insisted. Jack shook his head.

"I'm sorry Eve, but I do not know how one gets to this place when they die…"

"Well then, how did you die?" Eve asked next. Jack snapped his head suddenly at her. Eve put a hand to her mouth and wished she had never questioned him. But Jack smiled a faint and pained smile.

"It was all so quick and such a blur really…years ago, when I was alive, I was in desperate need of medicine for someone important. So I took a horse and rode to the nearest apothecary. But as I rode back to give the medicine I had just retrieved, something had spooked my horse and snuck up on me and that was that…next thing I knew I woke up with the full moon shining in my face and my head spinning. Apparently it had rained while I was blacked out, so I crawled over to a puddle of water to wet my face. As I did, I saw my reflection and-"he stopped. Zero leapt out of his arms. Jack put his boney hands to his skull and buried it in them. "I haven't thought about that moment in a long, long time…" he said. He looked up and Eve was right in his face. Tears filled her eyes once again.

"I'm sooo sorry, Jack. I should have never asked you to remember such a terrible thing…how could such a bad thing happen to such a good person?" she cried, frowning. Malice over took her face. She wanted to smite the world for all the bad things that seemed to happen at the worst times. Jack placed his hand on hers. He felt it's warmth, something that had been denied him for years upon years.

"Eve, don't feel bad. It's was years ago, so long ago that I barely can recollect it." He reassured her. Eve looked up at him suddenly.

" How long ago?"

"Hmmmm, well no less than two hundred years ago, if I'm not mistaken." He said rubbing his chin. Eve's eyes went wide.

"That's why you're so proper! So like a gentleman! You were one! So you live on forever and ever, just planning Halloween?"

"Yes and up until now I haven't once been bored of it. But now it seems something new is coming up upon me." He said grabbing one of his drawings off of his desk. He looked up at Eve, who was looking out the window at the now dark sky. He walked over to her and before he knew it she was in his arms. She hugged him, pressing her face against his chest. It felt good to Jack having someone who could empathize with him, understand him, need him. He wrapped his twiggy arms around her and tried to reassure with his embrace.

"Jack I think that Christmas is just what you need. Because it seems to me that Christmas can always fill an empty void." Eve said and smiled. Jack smiled back and nodded. She released herself and took the picture from Jack's hands. "But I think it's something more than what I can tell you…" Suddenly Jack got an idea.

"Well maybe…"

"What?"

"Well I've dreamt of Christmas before and in my dream I visited a land called 'Christmas Town'. And now I figure, if Christmas exists, perhaps this place does too?"

"Do you know where it was?" Eve asked excitedly. Jack shrugged.

"Hmmmm, well only one way to find out!" he said and with that he and Eve were out the door, with Zero barking happily behind them.