Azure129: Lol, yup, we're getting so close to Christmas! :D And yes, this chapter has some 'intensity' in it but not how you think—just read, I promise we still keep it classy ;)

Nintendo: CHRISTMAS! ...Well, almost! These next chapters will chronicle the Christmas season! OwO

WARNING: Sexual content! Nothing graphic or lemony. It's very light lime.


There was a deep winter chill in the air, the year was coming to a close...and Jack Skellington had a special glint in his eye sockets, which could only mean one thing...It was Christmas Time! Yes, it was Christmas Time and now Jack and all of Halloween Town could celebrate it clear and free without any danger or bad consequences! It was theirs to have fun with but this time around in the right way, and Jack had turned into quite a little bustling Christmas bee! He had been to visit Santa almost every other day for a little while, he had been delicately decorating everything around Halloween Town in red and green and even silver tinsel too, and every time he saw anyone anywhere he would smile widely and wave and say 'Merry Christmas!' with so much joy and eagerness!

Right now though he was taking a small break from his rounds throughout the town to just sit on his couch and try his best to cut folded up paper to have it turn into snowflakes...although, sadly, much like last year around this time, no matter how he cut things...always a spider...Sometimes a spider in a snowflake as opposed to a web but still...always somehow a spider. Still, he had to smile just a little at the irony. He sighed. "Some things never change, I suppose..."

"Arf!" Zero came out from his room, holding a candy cane in his mouth, and also wearing a jingle bell on his collar, which jingled lightly as he floated along.

The front door opened, letting in a chill, along with blowing snowflakes. Sally appeared in the doorway a few moments later, with snow in her hair and wearing a winter cloak similar to her regular one.

"It started to snow while I was out." She hid some bags and boxes behind her back, smiling sheepishly.

Jack looked to her with a smile and did his best not to chuckle as he stood up, grinning at her and looking her over. "I can see that...Ooo and what does my prettiest little snowman have there, hmm...?" Jack raised part of his brow curiously and began to approach her coyly.

"Nothing in particular." Sally took off her hat, and shook her head a bit like a dog. She removed her snow shoes (not really snow shoes, but shoes she made for winter), and then her coat, hanging it up, and then unraveling her scarf. "But um...I do have something for you. Just a moment." She put the bags away, and then came back with a single box. "I made it for you...um...if you would still want one, even for just the fun of it."

Jack blinked at her curiously and then smiled down at the little box. "Really...for me? I...Thank you, Sally..." He looked at her with a warm smile. "I just wish I had an early Christmas gift to give to you in return." He took the little box from her, starting to unwrap it.

"Don't be silly." Sally waved it off, smiling. "Yes, I was originally going to wait until Christmas to give it to you...but...well, I suppose it felt more fitting for you to have it before...again, if you want it." She brought her hands behind her back and smiled at him shyly.

Jack finished unwrapping things and then opened the box...And then his eye sockets lit up about as much as they possibly could. He reached inside and pulled out a single lovely red and white item. "Sally...you made me a...Sandy Claws hat...I...I...Oh!" And instantly his arms were around her and he had her lifted off from the floor and he was spinning her around giddily, the hat still in one of his hands. "Thank you!"

Beaming, glad that he liked it, Sally giggled and brought her arms around him as she laughed at how he was spinning her around like this, which he always did when he was really happy. "Oh, you're welcome! I...well, know how you felt bad about having it destroyed last year...and well, I thought to make you something nice like this..." She giggled.

Jack just chuckled, finally setting her back down to look at her with a smile. "You are...so considerate, my darling Sally. Thinking about how sad I was that your full Sandy Claws outfit got destroyed...Thank you so very much. I adore it." Jack popped the hat onto the top of his skull and looked at her with a bashful smile. "I'll wear it for the whole Christmas season...I don't even care if anyone teases me about it and what I did last Christmas-all that matters is that I'm wearing something made by the delicate hands of my sweetest Sally." He winked at her.

"Awwww..." Sally cooed, touched, and gave him a hug of her own. "You don't have to, Jack...but that's so sweet of you...thank you too." She kissed him on the cheek.

Jack's smile instantly got goofy at her little kiss. "Aww, S-Sally...I...I-I try..." He shrugged bashfully. "A-And besides, this hat is the perfect thing to make up for the fact that I...well, I was trying to decorate the house with paper snowflakes but..." Jack gave a little shrug again and gestured behind him to the couch and coffee table covered in crumpled up cut up paper balls and sighed, "...every piece of paper I fold and cut up comes out with a spider on it..." He grinned sheepishly, looking back to her. "I really am destined to be only the King of Pumpkins and nothing else, aren't I?" He did his best not to chuckle.

"Probably. But...at least you still try." Sally kissed him on the cheek sweetly. "And you do get credit for doing your best. Oooh! That reminds me Jack...I have some things I made that I want to show you."

Jack blinked, overcome both with goofiness and curiosity. "Really? Even more surprises all for me? And what wonderful thing have I done to deserve all of this?" He chuckled a little.

"I think...if I counted the ways...we would be here all night." Sally giggled, looking outside for a moment at the falling snow. "I'll be right back..." She went into her room, half-closing the door.

A minute or so later, she came back out, holding up a dress she'd made. It was red and green, with the top half being red, and the skirt being green, with some visible stitches along either end, along with a white trim. The sleeves were long, and the neckline was round and would wrap snugly yet loosely around her neck.

"I made a dress for the Christmas season...do you like it?" She asked with a smile.

Jack's eye sockets went a little wide and his jaw actually fell. This might have sounded silly but...well...he liked Sally so very much...and he liked Christmas so very much...and seeing them combined in such a way as this...sort of set something off in him. He gulped. "I-I...uh...y-yes, I l-love it! Heh..." he sort of squeaked out with a nervous smile and swallow.

A soft blush coated her cheeks as she smiled more. "Really? You do?" Well, she was sure he would like it, since not one article of clothing she had made for herself ever did get a dislike. But to hear this right out, especially when it came to Christmas, which aside from Halloween, was dear to his heart...made her melt. She then reached for something else, a little Mrs. Claus hat. "I also made a little hat for it...Mrs. Claus has a hat of her own, doesn't she? So I made one like it."

Jack gulped again. Now she was talking about herself as though she were his Mrs. Claus, all for himself. "Y-Yes, the hat...Sh-She does have a hat...You...Y-You look like a...very cute version of Christmas, Mrs. Skelli-u-uh, S-Sally...!" He would have blushed if he could have at that little slip up of his.

Sally giggled, and gave him a hug. "Jack, you can call me that if you want...even if we're not quite married yet." She kissed him on the cheek, and then disappeared back into her room for a moment.

Jack's eye sockets just went very wide. He...He could really call her that already? It sent a little tremor through him. And now she had disappeared again...What would she come out with this time? The anticipation made his bones tremble.

Sally came back a few moments later, holding a red bundle. "First off, I made this for you, too. It's a robe." She held it out to him, smiling.

Jack blinked a few times and then approached her, looking rather shy as he reached his hand out to take the garment...The garment she had made with her own two hands...for him to wear at night...even in bed...And it felt so soft and plush. He let the rob unfold and looked at it-it was a rich red color and thick and warm looking...He imagined it would be the coziest thing ever to wear. "Oh...Sally...thank you so very much..." He looked at her with a bashful little smile, folding up his robe again. "It's beautiful..."

"You're welcome so much..." Sally brought her hands behind her back, giggling as she blushed a bit. "I...well...saw how much you liked the one I made for you before, and I thought it would be nice for you to have one to wear for the Christmas season...Ooh, and one more thing." She smiled more, and then went back into her room.

She came back a few moments later, now holding up a longer garment. "I'm sure this is quite familiar-looking, right?"

It was! She held up a female nightgown version of his pajamas! The same colour, the same fabric, long sleeves, and long in length, more than likely to cover her little feet when she'd wear it. It even had four buttons down from the collar!

"I know it's silly...to wear matching clothing...but I couldn't help it..." She admitted sheepishly.

Jack tilted his head to the side as he looked at this newest nightgown of hers. But then he just smiled and even chuckled a little. "Oh Sally...it's the cutest thing I've ever heard of in my entire life!" He approached her and reached out to gently touch the fabric of her latest creation. "O-Of course though, I...will miss your...more summery nightgowns...a little..." His smile became a little sheepish. "There's just something about...short skirts, after all...But this is lovely while I wait for the warmer months to come back." He winked at her.

Sally giggled, blushing all the more. "I had a feeling you'd say that... Um...but I'm glad this will suffice until it gets warm again."

With a tiny gulp Jack reached up and gently touched one or two of the buttons near the top of her new nightgown. "Oh, yes...it'll...suffice, I'm sure..." he replied shyly with a glint of something in his eye sockets.

Giggling more, Sally smiled more and went back to her room to put it away. She came back out, and brought her hands behind her back. "Jack...I...um...had an idea...for something we could do if you wanted."

"Really?" Jack's smile picked up on one side. "What is it, Sally?"

"I've read in some Christmas stories...about how they sometimes go out to find or buy a tree." Sally said softly, looking outside again at the falling snow, transfixed by it. "...And I...well...wanted to know if maybe you, me and Zero could go out...and find a tree, bring it back here...and decorate it?" She asked hopefully.

Jack's eye sockets went completely wide and his mouth went into a small 'o'. "You...want to get a Christmas tree...with me? You...really do?"

"Yes, I would..." Sally said softly, looking down shyly. "I'd love to go out and find a tree with you, Jack..."

Something in Jack just...burst! "Oh...Oh yes, let's go right now!" he announced and instantly he had her in his arms and he was covering her face with kisses of happiness and gratefulness! "I love, love, love you! Love you so much...Let's go get a tree and decorate it and sit by it every night, just you and me and Zero-our whole little perfect family!"

"Ooh-Jack..." Sally giggled happily, holding on to him for leverage. "I love you too... All right then, let's go! Zero!"

"Arf!" Zero immediately floated over to them, wagging his sheet happily.

"Come on boy, we're all going for a walk to find a tree."

"Arf!"

Jack laughed merrily, looking to the little dog as he held Sally. "Yes, come on, boy, you can light the way through the snow for us." He winked at Zero and then turned back to Sally. "And Sally...my Sally...you have the most splendid ideas...And I'm sure we'll find a perfect tree for our happy home." He winked.

"I...I try, Jack...and I really liked the idea of going out there, through the snow and finding a tree...it seemed so...well, peaceful." Sally murmured a bit dreamily. "Shall we?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, let's. Besides, this'll give me a chance to wear my Santa hat." He chuckled a little.

"Absolutely!" Sally beamed, and pulled away, going to re-gear herself, pulling on her scarf, shoes and cloak. "And um, it looks very nice on you, too..." She added, blushing.

Jack's grin picked up considerably on one side as he moved toward the door, pulling his hat snuggly over as much of his skull as possible to keep himself extra warm. "Oh...th-thank you..." He reached the door and opened it, bowing low and gesturing forward. "Ladies first..." He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Jack..." Sally giggled, smiling back and stepping outside onto the front step. She checked for ice, making sure there was none, and then took one step down, turning to wait for Jack to come out.

Jack followed her with Zero following in tow and the two shut the door behind them. Jack smiled warmly at her. "Well, let's go then, Sa-Oh!" Jack binked and wiped snow from his face that had instantly landed there courtesy of a snowball smacking him right in the skull!

"Bullseye!" a little voice piped up from behind a snowbank and Jack looked over to see Shock along with Lock and Barrel and a bunch of pre-packed snowballs around them laughing to themselves and smirking at him.

"Alright! We got him!" Lock announced proudly!

"Yeah!" Barrel nodded happily. "Ooo and look, Jack's got a Santa hat again-are you going to steal Christmas again, Jack? Should we get the sack and the bathtub and kidnap Sandy Claws again?" The three kids burst into laughter.

Jack just blinked...and then cleared his throat and smiled just a little sheepishly. "Very funny, children..." he called out to them, doing his best to maintain hiw dignity. "No, I think we can skip that this year, though your offer is duly noted and appreciated." He laughed a little to himself.

"One two three on Sally!" Barrel tossed a snowball at her, hitting her in the side.

"Oh!" Sally jumped a bit.

"You say that when you find someone playing Hide and Shriek, idiot!" Shock smacked him with her hat.

Jack couldn't help laughing a little bit, though he did his best to keep his voice with the children at least somewhat serious. "Children, now first of all don't hit each other-it's Christmas, after all! And second of all, now good little boys and girls don't pelt princesses with snowballs...at least not every day...and only good little boys and girls get the best presents from Santa. And trust me, he knows who's naughty and nice." Jack winked. "So just keep that in mind, alright?" He smiled at the children.

"Say what? That's crazy!" Lock said in protest. "How could Sandy Claws possibly know?"

"He has his ways, children." Sally agreed, smiling. "He makes a list, and he checks it twice, he'll know if you've been naughty or nice. And he knows when you're asleep or awake." She began to hum the Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town! tune a bit.

"Whoa! That's scary!" Shock said. "..Um...heh...you know we were just having fun!"

"Y-Yeah! Fun!" Barrel nodded rapidly.

"Mmm hmm..." Jack grinned a lot more at children, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, either way, Santa sees everything...even more than I do...Even more than Sally does, actually, which is saying quite a lot since she's always so on top of you children...So always be on your best behavior, especially around this time of year. Besides, you three still have some things to make up to him what with the kidnapping incident last year...and sending him to Oogie Boogie, which was all your idea entirely." He was doing his best not to laugh at having fun with the kids like this.

Lock, Shock and Barrel all gulped, turning a little pale simultaneously and their eyes going wide at the same time.

"AHA! But YOU were the one who asked us to kidnap him!" Lock pointed out suddenly.

"But he also said for you to leave that no account Oogie Boogie out of it." Sally countered, giggling. "And didn't he also say to see that he was comfortable?"

"H-H-H-H-How did you know that?" Barrel blinked.

"First, he told me. Second, I was there when you brought him here in person."

"See, Sally does know everything," Jack couldn't help but quipping, crossing his arms over his chest and pointing to her with one of his thumbs. "And yes, she's right, you three were the biggest cost of his distress...You know, when Santa comes on Christmas Eve night to leave you presents you're supposed to leave him cookies and milk in exchange...I'd recommend you three leave him some exceptionally delicious cookies and no tricks or bugs or things that blow up, alright?" 'Good,' he couldn't help but think to himself in a touch of relief, 'I was looking for a way to nip that potential problem in the bud of those three trying to prank Santa if he visited them...Perfect.'

Lock, Shock and Barrel looked to each other and then whispered some things, then they cleared their throats and turned back to Jack.

Shock spoke up for the group. "The idiots and I have decided we'll take your advice, Jack...but...well..." she cleared her throat a little sheepishly, "We...can't really bake...a-at least not exploding and normal stuff, so..."

"So if Sally'll help us bake something before Christmas..." piped up Lock.

"...Then we can make things up to Santa," finished Barrel with a sheepish smile and shrug.

"Ooh, that's a lovely idea!" Sally smiled, nodding. "All right, well, we're going out to get a tree right now...So, perhaps this afternoon, I'll teach you three how to make cookies the 'normal' way."

The three kids exchanged conversation once more before Shock spoke up for them.

"We accept! This afternoon, at three! Sharp!"

"All right then." Sally giggled, nodding. "This afternoon at three is fine."

Jack smiled more at the little exchange. It really was so sweet. "Alright, children, we'll all see you then...But for now..." he took Sally's hand and bent low, speaking charmingly to her, "...dearest Sally, let's go get our tree, shall we?"

Instantly the three children were gagging and rolling their eyes. "Ugh, they're flirting again!" "It NEVER ends!"

"Jack, haven't you just asked her to marry you yet?" The last one was Shock, raising an eyebrow at him amidst her disgust.

Sally giggled and couldn't help blush as she playfully jumped for joy, just to tease the kids. Little jumps, of course.

Lock and Barrel stared at her before snickering.

"Hey yeah, that's true! Are you EVER going to ask her to marry you?" Lock agreed, smirking.

"It's been years!" Barrel waved his little arms.

Shock smacked him upside the head. "It's only been a year, dummy!"

"Now now children..." Sally said, still giggling. "Never mind that now." She turned to Jack and smiled all the more. "Let's go get our tree, dearest Jack..." To further tease flirt, she shimmied up beside him and snuggled into his side.

"Oh come on!"

"Why?"

Jack, not expecting this little movement of hers, first straightened up entirely as a little tremor passed through him...but then his spine slumped a bit and he relaxed against her. "O-Oh, um...yes...let's go...dearest, dearest...dearest Sally..." he cooed her name and all the 'dearest's ' that went with it, just loving whenever she called him 'dearest Jack.' He cleared his throat and addressed the children, though he was still looking mostly at Sally. "Goodbye for now, you three...Entertain yourselves, please, until we get back...and not with anything dangerous or destructive or I'll make sure to pop in every few minutes while you bake to tell my Sally how she's sweeter than all the sugar and cookies in the world." He chuckled a little and tapped Sally's nose as he started to lead her along with him through the snow.

"Ugh," Shock rolled her eyes as they left, and then turned to her two companions, raising her voice to make sure Jack and Sally would hear as she smirked and added, "I bet Jack's too afraid to ask Sally to marry him!" She laughed a little and so did the boys.

"Oooh, I never thought of that..." added Lock with a smirk. "And of course we all know Sally's too shy and afraid to ask him herself." He snorted with laughter and so did Barrel as he nodded in agreement.

Unable to help herself, Sally looked over her shoulder at them with a smile. "You caught us, children. We're going to elope right this minute. Bye now!"

"Aha! You were wrong! She said they're gonna elope!" Barrel grinned smugly.

"She was kidding, you dope! Sally would never say that, especially not like that and not out loud if it were true!" Shock rolled her eyes. "Get a clue!"

"Arf!" Said Zero as he led the way for his master and mistress, and made a noise that sounded like he was laughing.

Jack just went wide eyed for a moment, almost stumbling in his steps, and then he cleared his throat and looked over at Sally, speaking quietly so that the children wouldn't hear. "S-Sally...don't tell them we're eloping..." he smiled goofily, "...We'll never hear the end of it from them...A-And also...perhaps you shouldn't put ideas into my head..." he added bashfully... Meanwhile, behind them, the three kids just started off into a chorus of 'Jack and Sally, scaring in a tree!' and then ran off together.

"I couldn't help it." Sally giggled, blushing a bit. "I just wanted to tease them a bit."

"Y-Yes, well...now you've teased me into a whole new realm of daydreams that I have to resist...Running off all of a sudden to marry my sweet Sally..." He smiled goofily, looking forward with hazed over eye sockets as he walked with her and held her close, "It...certainly has its appeal..." He chuckled a little to himself.

"Oh dear..." Sally giggled and snuggled in closer. "Perhaps I should watch what I say, because I might just get those silly ideas all the more myself."

Jack's eye sockets lit up a little. "Oh, you'll let us run off to elope? Well, that sounds intriguing...I'd like nothing more I think than to wake up finding that you had sleep walked me into the hinterlands to head for Santa to have him marry us right away." He winked at her.

"Jack! That's just silly! ...I'd wait until you were awake first!" Sally laughed, holding her stomach with her other hand as she doubled over slightly.

"Arf!" Zero then nudged them lightly to get their attention. "Arf! Arf!"

"Hmm...what is it, boy?" Jack asked, though his voice sounded dazed and he was mostly just looking at Sally and all of her adorableness.

"Arf!" Zero whined lightly.

"Awww...I think he wants to play fetch." Sally giggled, and looked up at the sky at the falling snow. "Then again, it is the first time we have been out all together since it started snowing..."

"Arf?" Zero whined.

Jack nodded, looking to the little dog. "Oh of course, Zero. Fetch it is!" Smiling a little bashfully he reached up to his shirt and undid a couple of buttons in the middle. Then he cleared and throat and put his arms behind his back shyly. "W-Will, um...will you do the honors, dearest, Sally?" he asked sweetly, his eye sockets half lidded as he looked at her.

"Oh! Of course..." Sally blushed and nodded. Yes, she was a little more than used to this, Jack asking her to remove and replace his rib bones for Zero to fetch, but it did still take her aback sometimes, to see his exposed bones like this... She approached closer, holding his shoulder with one hand, reaching in with the other to gingerly remove one of his ribs, this time on the left (his right) side. Taking hold of one, she carefully wiggled it, gently tugging it, until it snapped and cracked free. She withdrew her hand, holding the bone securely. Then she smiled, and nuzzled it lightly to tease him before she turned to Zero.

"Here you go, boy! Go get it!" She threw it a few feet away into the snow, laughing as Zero chased after it.

Jack was just kind of standing there, slumped a little in happiness...And then she had even gone and nuzzled his bone like that before tossing it for Zero...It made him think of her nuzzling all of his bones one day...Her light little touch everywhere upon him... 'N-No...t-try and stop that...N-Now's certainly not the time...M-Maybe later when you sleep, you'll dream of...well...you know...' He tremored a little.

"Jack? You all right?" Sally turned back to him with a smile, bringing her hands behind her back.

Jack swallowed. "I...I-I've said it before and I'll say it again...You are...very...good with bones, my Pumpkin Princess..." He chuckled a little, doing his best to straighten up.

Sally giggled, blushing a bit. "Well...I am your lover and you're a skeleton...I think it should be essential that I'm good with handling bones, don't you think?"

Jack went just about as bashful as could be and looked down and to the side with his hands clasped in front of himself. "I-I-I s-suppose..." was all he managed with a shy little swallow.

"And...um...well, I being a rag doll...you've certainly gotten very good at stitching..." Sally came a little closer, smiling sweetly. "Sure...we can keep ourselves together just fine...but it is always a nice reassurance to know that the one we love can still help us out."

Jack nodded, barely glancing at her eyes... "Oh yes, I...knowing you're there...that you'll put me back together if anything of me falls apart...is a joy...And I'm so happy it's the same for you, Sally...And...I'm very happy you think I've gotten good at stitching...and...also good with handling stitches too, I hope..." He leaned in a little closer and reached out and tapped a seam on the corner of her mouth before pulling back his hand and smiling more.

"Oh yes, you're very good at handling them well..." Sally giggled.

"Arf!" Zero came back with the bone in his mouth, laying it at their feet and wagging a corner of his sheet, panting with his tongue sticking out.

Jack's smile at her grew. "Good...Thank you..." Then he let out a little sigh and turned back to Zero. He picked up the bone. "Alright, here you go, boy." He held the bone up high and tossed it, upon which Zero went after it. Jack chuckled and took Sally's hand to lead them walking onward.

Some time later, they went down Spiral Hill (unable to help having a moment of a brief reminisce...), and soon came into the Hinterlands, where they decided to find their tree. With the snow falling, the snow on the ground, it made quite a lovely image, albeit slightly creepy, of the haunted forest.

It was quite a nice walk, just three of them together, with Zero leading the way...what could go wrong?

Well, for one, Sally tripped and fell down into the snow.

"Oh my! ...Oooh...wait..." She then proceeded to make a snow angel, giggling. "Look! I'm making a snow angel!"

"Arf!" Zero floated over next to her face, nudging her lightly to make sure she was okay.

Jack's smile grew into a grin and then instantly he was kneeling in the snow beside her looking down at her adoringly and gently touching her face with the back of his hand. "Well, you were always an angel to me...snow or not." He winked at her and chuckled a little.

Giggling, Sally blushed all the more, and not just from the cold. "Awwww...Jack..." She beamed. "An angel?"

"Of course..." He leaned down closer to her, "You appeared all of a sudden by miracle...you watched over me and saved me...you're innocent and kind and good...and you're beautiful enough to have come from the heavens...An angel..."

"Awww...well...I'm glad to have been your angel, Jack..." She cooed sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes cutely, and then held out her hand. "Help me up, please?"

Jack smiled a lot more. "As you wish..." And then of course he totally ignored her outstretched hand...and settled on actually picking her up fully from the ground and cradling her, an arm underneath her legs and another behind her back."

"Oh!" Sally squealed in surprise, blinking. Then she settled and giggled, snuggling into him. "Jack...I should have known you'd do that..."

"I know," he couldn't help but reply in a deep voice with a little smirk. "It's always on my mind after all. Plus you're very fun to hold. Now come on...I'll carry you through the forest and then you find a nice try and then I'll put you down and we'll cut it down and I'll carry it back to our lovely home, alright?"

"All right..." Sally giggled, bringing her arms around his neck and nuzzling her cheek against his. "Let's go then."

"Arf!" Zero nuzzled against Sally for a moment, and then zipped on ahead, his nose glowing as he led them down the path.

Jack walked after him, holding her closely and securely, nuzzling into her as well. "So...I got you your Christmas presents, my Sally..." Jack whispered eventually with a smile, "I hope you like them."

"Oooh..." Sally giggled. "I'm very certain I will, Jack... And I got yours, as well...I hope you'll like them, too..." She kissed his cheek sweetly. "It'll...ooh...it'll be our first true Christmas together, won't it? I'm so excited..."

He smiled more at her cute beaming face. "I'm excited too, my darling. And yes...it'll be our first Christmas...well, not together, but...our first Christmas where I don't spend half of it trying to be something I'm not and the other half in shock that you loved me...and that I loved you too."

"That's true, you're right...and I won't spend half of it worrying about you and an impending doom...and then the other half trying to take in the fact you loved me without fainting..." She giggled, nuzzling their cheeks. "You know...I haven't had one vision at all. By the looks of it, Christmas will be wonderful this year."

Jack's smile was just about ready to bust his skull in half and there was even a little glint in his eye sockets. "Well, if my Princess Sally says so then I know for certain that it must be true..." He chuckled and winked down at her sweetly.

"That's good to know..." Sally winked back, beaming all the more. She looked around the forest some more, exhaling as she took in the lovely sight around them.

But then, somewhere up ahead...there was something amiss!

Because sitting nearby, amidst the dead trees...was a different tree. It was tall, fairly thick, and green.

"Jack! Look at that!" Sally pointed toward it.

Jack looked forward to where she was pointing and blinked and paused in his walking. It was a Christmas tree...an actual living one here on the outskirts of the forest! What luck! He beamed! 'Perhaps Santa was kind enough to sprinkle a few of the seeds for those trees overhead when he gave us snow last Christmas, or maybe they were stuck to his clothes when the children brought him here and they fell out along the way back to town.' Whatever case there was a Christmas tree and they were so happy to have found it. "Come on, Sally, let's go get it!" And with that Jack was instantly bounding away toward the large, green figure, still holding Sally snugly in his arms.

"How amazing, a living tree, perfect for Christmas!" Sally beamed, holding on tightly as she could. "Just like in those pictures...I never would've thought..."

Jack chuckled. "Maybe it's a Christmas miracle...just like my little Christmas angel..." He nuzzled her a little as they got close to the tree.

"Oh..." Sally giggled bashfully. and nuzzled their cheeks appreciatively.

They finally reached the three. From up close, it was fairly tall, just barely a bit taller than Jack, and it was thick, but not too much. It was a fur tree, by the looks of it, with nice branches and leaves, and completely bare. Just begging to be decorated.

"Wow...Jack, it's beautiful..." Sally reached out to touch it gently. "It's perfect!"

"Arf!" Zero circled it a few times, sniffing it, and then nodding his approval.

Jack finally placed Sally down. He looked at her with a smile. "Yes, it's beautiful...Shall we take it home, my Sally?" He chuckled a little.

"Oh yes, we should!" Sally admired it some more, approaching it and feeling its branches. "I think it would fit just fine at home..."

Jack nodded. "Alright then, darling...let's see..." He reached deep into his jacket and from an inside pocket pulled out a very small axe made out of a piece of flat, sharpened stone attached to a small, thin, short tree branch to be used as a handle. "Ah here we go. I'll cut it down and then we can take it back. Just be careful and stand far enough back from the tree, Sally...I don't want to take the chance of you getting hurt when it falls, alright?" He approached the tree.

"All right, Jack." Sally nodded and walked off a few feet away, out of range, with Zero at her side to keep her safe in case.

Jack got onto his knees on the ground and began to cut away at the base of the tree, slowly and carefully, yet putting a fair amount of strength into it to get the job done efficiently. Slowly but surely, it was coming along. "Almost there, Sally..." he called over his shoulder with a smile as he plowed onward.

"You're doing great, Jack!" Sally called back, waving and smiling in encouragement.

"Arf!" Zero barked in agreement.

Jack cut through a little bit more and then finally made the final clean slice through the tree upon which he backed away from it as it fell into the snow away from him. He stood up and replaced the little axe into his jacket interior pocket, and then he moved over to the tree and lifted it up, holding it on his back. He smiled over at Sally. "I'm sorry, my darling, but I'm afraid you'll have to walk just this once while I carry the tree...Is that alright, fair Princess?" He smiled a little more.

"Of course, Jack." Sally waved it off. "Do you...need any help at all? Is there anything I can do?"

Jack shook his head. "No, no, no...I can handle it, I'm sure..." He did his best to adjust the tree a little, though it was quite heavy. He considered-he didn't want to ask her to help him...He knew it was silly but she was his pretty Sally and he was supposed to be her 'big, strong Jack'...He'd feel strange asking her to carry half a tree, no matter how much more practical it might be. But also...it really was rather a long walk back home and a tree was such a big and awkward thing to carry... He sighed... 'How to get something so very big and Christmassy from here to town-' He paused...then smlled...then tried not to laugh. Then he put down the tree for a moment, balancing it on its stem on the ground as he held it up, and he looked and whistled to Zero. "Zero, boy, come here!"

"Arf!" Zero barked and flew over to him with a smile.

Jack whispered something into his ear to which Zero smiled and nodded, and then the little dog quickly flew off over the woods and across the winter night sky.

"Jack?" Sally came over to him, looking concerned. "What are you doing? Is it really too much for you...?"

Jack blinked at her cute little face of concern and then walked towards her, gently laying down the tree in the snow, and smiled at her. "Well, to lift, no, it's fine, but...it really is a rather long and chilly walk back to our house...And I, well..." he sighed and glanced down a little, "I know it's rather absurb but I would feel so very funny asking you to carry something so very large as half a tree so..." he looked back up to her and shrugged, "I asked Zero to fly back to town really quickly and to find Lock, Shock and Barrel, and to ask them to send their walking bathtub out here to pick up the tree for us and bring it back to town. We can either wait here for it to come and then follow it back ourselves or head back home now and the bathtub should meet us back at the house with the tree within the hour-Zero will guide it. Which one would you like to do?" he asked pleasantly.

"Oh, well... Um..." Sally considered for a moment, unsure. "Gosh...this is quite a decision..."

Jack blinked. "It's alright, Sally, you can pick...either way we'll end up with our lovely tree in our lovely home...Once we have it decorated and night falls I'll sit with you by it brush out your hair and sip eggnog with you while we sing Christmas carols together..." He winked at her.

"Oh, Jack...that will be wonderful...I've been imagining that for quite a while..." Sally admitted, now walking over to him and bringing her arms around his neck.

Jack swallowed, his eye sockets going wide in surprise for a moment...before melting back into his half lidded gaze. "Really? Well...what a coincidence...So, yes...your hair...eggnog...carols...And did you...have anything in mind...for after?" His arms slipped around her waist.

"I don't know...I might...um...what about you?" Sally looked up at him with dazed, loving, half-lidded eyes and a lovesick smile.

"O-Oh, well...I might have some things in mind too...my little Christmas candy corn...So sweet and so yuletide festive...and yet underneath it all so very spooky...and all of it making you so very alluring..." He let out a dreamy sigh and pulled her in fully against him. "But yes...I do have...an idea or two in mind...for us alone by the fire and our tree at night together...little things involving your seams and such." He winked at her.

"Oooh...do you now? Well...I might have something too, my handsome tall candy cane..." Sally cooed sweetly, giggling. "But please, tell me what you have in mind, darling..."

"W-Well..." he was starting to lose it a little, barely able to feel the cold anymore, "I would start by touching you gently...then kissing you sweetly...then cooing to you all that's lovely about you...and I would kiss you for hours...and hours...because I love Christmas and I love you, and the combination would just...melt an old Pumpkin King like me inside...and every place I kissed on you would taste sweet as sugar plums..." He cooed all of that so very gently.

"Ooooh...well Jack..." Sally giggled quite a bit and pressed a little closer, unable to help herself. "If it means we can share the holiday season together like this, that would be wonderful..."

"Really?" Jack's grin picked up more on one side. "Well, then..." his voice was deep as he moved closer to her...gently managing to slip an arm around her, resting the bony fingers of his hand gently on her waist and hip, "Here's to this holiday season...and many many many more to come...and coming home every night out of the cold and snow...to warm each other up..." He reached up with his free hand and gently twirled his fingers around a strand or two of her hair.

Sally giggled, gently kneading his spine with her gloved fingers. "I do like the sound of that too, Jack... I'll certainly greet you with a lot of love and warm your bones..." She purred sweetly.

Jack's bones were already warming considerably at this point. "O-Oh, I...I'll look forward to that...And I'll warm ever little stitch of you, my Sally...my intoxicating Sally...especially when we're married..." He added the last part in a whisper.

"Jack...you're just getting me more eager for that..." Sally smiled meaningfully.

"Okay, okay! Break it up! We come to help and we see THIS? Come on!"

"Arf!"

Right behind them was Lock, Shock and Barrel with their walking tub, along with some ropes.

Jack just let out a sigh, shaking his skull a little. "Children, you'd think you would be used to it by now..." He chuckled a little and then placed a kiss on Sally's forehead and gently let her go and moved away from her. He looked to the kids. "Thank you three for coming here and helping us. Perhaps there'll be some extra special things for you all in your stockings this year." He winked at them.

"Hey, we have to do SOMETHING so Sandy Claws doesn't give us coal!" Lock shrugged.

"Yeah yeah, sure..." Shock waved it off. "So let's get this tree tied on!"

"We can do it!" Barrel declared, waving one of the ropes.

Jack chuckled and gave them a little bow. "I have complete confidence in you three. Actually...if you children wouldn't mind doing us one more service...perhaps you could take the tree back on your own and let me and Sally have a little walk...alone?" He smiled down at them.

Shock sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh brother, I saw that coming a mile away..."

"I didn't." Said Barrel.

"Shut up, man!" Lock smacked him.

"Oh no, children. That's naughty behaviour." Sally said scoldingly. "Don't worry, you three will be rewarded for your help once we make those cookies. We'll make enough so you can have some, too."

"Whoa! Really?"

Jack nodded, seconding Sally's offer. "That's right, nice, fresh Christmas cookies...and all you have to do is have your tub bring our tree back to our house-what do you say?"

"...Guess it'd be another point to add to getting on Sandy's good list." Shock shrugged.

"And we'd get some cookies of our own..." Lock surmised.

"And pizza!" Barrel added.

Both Lock and Shock just stared at him weirdly.

"...What? I like pizza."

"I do, too." Sally giggled. "All right then, children. We can help you lift the tree onto the tub, and hold it while tying it down."

The kids exchanged glances, shrugging.

"Sure, we could use a hand, making sure everything's steady!"

"Oh allow me..." Jack offered graciously and then he easily lifted up the tree and placed it gently in the tub and held it down. "Alright, children, now tie down the tree please so that it's definitely secure." The kids nodded and did so and then Jack stood up and brushed off his hands and smiled at the sight of the tree ready to go.

"Alright, Lock, Shock, Barrel, we'll see you back at the house! And thank you again!" He gave them a wave.

"Awesome!" The kids then proceeded to tie the ropes on and around the tub so the tree would be fastly secured.

"Zero, do let us know if anything happens, okay?" Sally patted the little dog's head.

"Arf!" Zero nodded, and floated back to rejoin the kids, as part of the agreement to help make sure the tree was brought back safely.

"Yes, kids, be careful and if anything happens send Zero back to us!" Jack called with a wave to them all. "Oh...and children...?" he added, trying not to smile too much.

The three kids topped and turned back to him. "Yes, Jack?" they all said in unison.

Jack just let out a sigh and shook his head. "On your way back, please don't turn the tree into an exploding tree set to go off on Christmas morning or something. Alright?"

The three children laughed. "Oh Jack, you're so suspicious sometimes..." Shock replied playfully.

"Yeah, come on, Jack, we're better than that!" threw in Lock.

"Yeah, and besides we already had plans to send you an exploding present!" Barrel added proudly, which was quickly followed by his friends elbowing him and telling him to shut up as the kids started out upon their trip.

Jack just chuckled a little to himself and shook his head at them as he watched them go. "We really must make sure any visits they have with any of our children are supervised...Otherwise everything in our house will start randomly exploding." He laughed a little more to himself and turned back to Sally.

"I suppose that's true. And neither of them had anything crossed, so I think it's safe." Sally giggled.

Jack just smiled more at her giggling. "Well, shall we head back home then ourselves, Sally, or did you have any other place you wanted to go...or would you like to just linger here...me and my pretty snow angel..." He winked at her.

"No, we can go..." Sally smiled and winked in return. "Let's go home."

Jack smiled more at her. "When we get there...and the tree's there...after the cookies...could we trim the tree together, Sally? And make hot chocolate with marshmallow things and eggnog and...sit under mistletoe...maybe?" he asked cutely.

"You're too much, Jack...but of course... Although I might just have to fill the entire house with mistletoe hanging everywhere..." Sally winked, giggling as she smiled coyly.

Jack blinked, a touch of fluster overtaking him for a moment. "E-E-Everywhere?" he asked with a touch of a squeak to his voice and a little gulp.

"Oh dear...and I haven't even told you yet that I...have something special for later." Sally giggled, covering her mouth with her gloved hands. "And you're already flustered...oh dear, what will I do with you?"

Her continued pursuance of all her cute flirtyness wasn't helping Jack get any less flustered. The tables had definitely turned in her favor now and he sort of felt at her mercy a little. "I-I...I don't know..." Then he blinked. "And...s-s-s-special...f-for later...?" he asked with a small crack to his voice and a little gulp. "What is it?" he asked with wide eye sockets and in a quiet, curious voice.

"Well, I know it's cold, but..." Her voice lowered to a whisper, keeping the flirty tone. "I do have a special little dress..." Sally winked at him and they resumed walking aongside each other as she hid a smile behind her hand coyly.

"S-Special...l-little...dress..." Jack replied in surprise and curiosity as he barely managed to get himself walking alongside Sally. Then he gulped and barely glanced at her out of the corner of his wide eye sockets, his hands behind his back. "H-How, um...'special'...a-and how... 'little'...?" He just couldn't help asking ,and yet...it wasn't like this was the first week they were dating or something-they had been together almost a year! Very few questions were off limits at this point.

"Special because it has Christmas colours...and fairly little...enough." Now she brought her hands behind her back as well, winking once again. Oh, she couldn't get enough of teasing him so flirtatiously... Especially when the end results would come along.

Jack blinked and swallowed and turned his skull to face the snow below them as they walked. He was considering saying something...but he wasn't sure if it would be too much...Still though...nearly a whole year together...He let out a little sigh and decided to try... "W-Well...you do know how much I like Christmas, heh...A-And...And...if it's ...that little...and with it being winter...you'll need something to heat you up...won't you?"

"Yes..." Now Sally gently leaned against him in a snuggle, laying her head against his shoulder. "That's very true."

Jack was just melting inside. He was surprised he could even walk anymore. "O-Oh...well...I...wonder how we could...permeate all of that heat for you..." His breaths were so shallow...

"I'm sure we'll find a way, won't we? Don't worry about it for now, that's for later..." Sally assured, and leaned up to nuzzle their cheeks sweetly.

"Mmmm..." Jack couldn't help but moan in pleasure and anticipation. "S-Sally..." he whispered shakily, a big lovesick grin on his face. "K-Keep leaning up against me...I won't be able to stand anymore if you don't...Oh Sally..."

"Oh dear...what have I done?" Sally shook her head and continued to do as he'd requested. "Maybe I should have waited until we got home..."

Jack chuckled a little and shook his head, leaning against her entirely. "N-No, no, I...I like the...build up...Now all the way home I get to imagine...what it is exactly you've sewn and..how much fun we'll get to have with it..." He chuckled a little more.

"Oh, well...if you're sure..." Now Sally whispered again. "It's...green this time, but with a red trim, and it's thin but it's made of a soft and warm material."

"Made of a soft and warm material, huh...? Kind of like you?" he couldn't help but ask in a deep toned whisper, gently massaging and digging into a seam on her hand with one of his thumb bones.

A little gasp escaped Sally, making her writhe just a bit from a bit of suprise. You'd think she would be used to his sneaky little "Find a seam and play with it at random!" moments, but oh, it got her every time! "Something like that, perhaps. So as...little as it may be, it's quite warm to the feel."

A shuddery tremble went through Jack. "Not...too little, now, I hope...Please save something for our wedding night, my Sally..." He grinned a little at her.

"Goodness no. I wouldn't do that." Sally assured, smiling quite a bit more, blushing, and not just from the cold. Yes, she didn't mind overstepping just a teensy bit, but by now that she was a little more used to their deeper intimacy that would occur at times, she had a better sense of control. For the most part. What worked, what didn't, what may work, all that jazz. Yes, her control was slowly slipping every time they got intimate, which she supposed was inevitable, but at least she had a better grasp of what it meant. That was what counted for now.

Her little "Christmas" number was hopefully, a happy medium.

Jack chuckled at her adorable little response...Then he let out a sigh and was unable to help reminisce a bit...about his Sally...about himself...about being together...about how far they had come... "Hmm...my Sally...do you remember when we first came together last Christmas? How you were shy about even just kisses...and I was too...A-And now we've just...come so far...intimately...It always fascinates me how comfortable you've gotten and I've gotten with being very very close..." He nuzzled his skull slowly and deliberately against the side of her head and hair, savoring the perfect and familiar texture of it all that could set his bones aflame.

A thoughtful smile came to Sally's face as she reminisced that as well. Yes, just nearly a year ago today, they had indeed been quite shy in their kissing, flirting and romantic exchanges. Holding hands in public was no problem, of course, but back then they could barely look at each other without feeling like they would collapse! Their first kiss was nothing short of sweet and amazing, which even today made Sally wonder how she didn't burst at the seams!

And it was true, lately, she was so much more comfortable being closer to him. She'd snuggle against him in public, flirt, even offer sweet kisses on the cheek, right where people could see them. And in the privacy of their own home, the rest was history!

Yes, her actions did still hold a certain air of shyness and sweetness, but there was so much more within them that it spoke more than just shyly, but with warm and happy confidence, the euphoria and utmost loving sweetness about expressing love with that gesture. There was still quite an air of innocence around them, even in their deeper, more intimate moments. It was almost amazing to behold.

"I do, Jack... I...well, back then if this was mentioned to me, I might have...well, been completely shocked and unable to process it properly..." She admitted. "And...I...well, I suppose I can't help but find it amazing as well...and yet, it feels right to...well, be as close to you whenever I am."

"Oh I know, Sally.." Jack couldn't help but agree completely and fully, so warmed by her closeness, "It feels so right to me too... I used to be so worried about...o-overwhelming you...about...discovering new parts of myself and whether or not you'd like them...But now I just..." his voice lowered to a gentle whisper... "Sometimes I feel like I could just melt into you, my Sally...and that would be perfectly alright with me..." It took everything he had not to start coating the pretty side of her face with kisses just because he felt like it.

"Oh..." Sally felt moved and as if her stuffing was going to flutter and burst with happiness. She didn't know how he did it, but he had a way with words, her truly did. "That's a very interesting way to put it, Jack... And I...well, this might sound silly, but every time we kiss...it feels...nothing short of the first time we had. Maybe more so, I suppose...but I...can't help but feel as if it's an immense joy." As well as expressing her love and being more comfortable with it, she was also growing more and more comfortable with expressing her inner thoughts.

"Oh I feel exactly the same!" he couldn't help but exclaim with utter joy. "Every single time we come together it's...it's as perfect as that first time was...and I want you just as much as the first day I ever wanted you...maybe even more so. Every day is a new adventure with you, exploring you...as a person and as a...woman... Talking and living with you to you to learn all about your feelings and thoughts and passions...and then kissing and carressing you to learn all about your desires and pleasures...You fascinate me, Sally...every instant of every day, my princess.." He squeezed her hand, caressing it a little.

Squeezing his hand back, Sally just beamed with a blushy smile and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. To think, that maybe this day a year ago, before Christmas, she had been pining to hear such sweet words and wrapped in such a wonderful embrace. A wonderful dream come true. It seemed like a faraway, impossible dream. Back then, she longed to be understood. And now, this was still even today a whole new step in her life she had to get used to.

But every morning she woke, and the minute they'd share sweet contact at the beginning of the day, would be the reminder that all of this was truly real.

"You fascinate me too, Jack...you always have, and I...I just...well I..."

Jack was just beaming because of her kiss. "You...what...my cutest Christmas creature?" he asked with a little goofy chuckle.

"Oh...well I..." Sally blushed all the more, trying to find her words. "I know I've said this before, but I...just love you so much, and I...have dreamed of being with you like this for some time before...well, everything happened. And now look, Jack... It's nearly been a year, and I can see...it's not some kind of an impossible dream."

Jack chuckled, smiling down at her and shaking his head. "No, no, not a dream, Sally...And...who knows? Maybe one of these days...not too far from now...instead of looking back on our friendship now that we're lovers...you'll be looking back and on our courtship when we're...King and Queen...and marveling at how our marriage always seemed an impossible dream just as our courtship once did."

"Oooh...that's very true, Jack..." Sally giggled at the thought. "I think you're right...since I...oh, never mind." She looked away with a blushy smile.

Jack's eye sockets brightened and his smile grew. "Now, now, my Sally, you know your coyness only entices me further...Now I simply have to know what you were about to say...Won't you pretty please tell me?" he asked suavely, reaching up with his free hand to gently place a fingertip under her cute little chin.

Sally giggled, and finally looked back at him with a blushier smile. "Oh, all right... I...well, certainly have to admit I am looking forward to...when we get married..."

Jack's smile grew to its utmost. "Oh, well...that's always nice to hear. Have you...started on your wedding dress yet with that fabric I gave you for your birthday?" He played with one of her hand stitches again with his thumb.

"...Yes..." Sally admitted sheepishly.

Jack's eye sockets popped open considerably...and then they all but shone with joy! "You...have? Oh Sally! Sally, Sally, Sally, I...Oh Sally..." He was facing her and all but leaning on top of her as they walked, so utterly enamored of her he was now. "I can't wait to see it!" he had to exclaim giddily.

"Oooh!" Sally blushed all the more and giggled, nearly falling over. "I've had its design for some time...I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I'll just adore it..." He cuddled up extra close to her, and then let out a sigh and glanced at her with a grin. "Oh, but, um...promise me one small thing, Sally?"

"Anything, Jack..." Sally cooed sweetly.

He trembled a little inside at her sweet offer. "Um...promise me that...no matter how curious I get or how much I ask...that you won't show me the dress until you're wearing it during our wedding? Deep down I want to be surprised...And then it's bad luck if I see you in it at al for twenty four hours before the weddings...So please keep it all to yourself until...you wear it that day?" he asked humbly.

"Oh, of course. I wouldn't dream of spoiling a surprise like that." Sally assured seriously, but kindly and sweeetly. "Don't worry, Jack. I'll make sure you won't see until...well, that day..." She blushed at the thought.

Jack gave a small nod with a little smile. "Thank you..." he replied appreciatively. "And I'm looking foward to our marriage too, Sally..." he added sweetly.

"Oh Jack..." Sally nuzzled their cheeks, sighing dreamily. "I could marry you this very minute if we could..." She giggled.

Jack chucked a little at her sweetness. And then he couldn't hel replying back a touch playfully, "Hmm, maybe we really should elope." He winked down at her.

"Oh, but then I would have to work hard to get my dress done so fast..." Sally giggled, winking back.

"Aww, it would be okay...you could always finish it when you get back...And either way, an elopement ceremony would be so quick that it would be like just slipping into it...just to slip out of it a moment later." He did his best not to make the last part of that sound too forward but...he really was enjoying having fun with this flirtin.

Sally blushed heavily, holding her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggling. "You're right, Jack... We'll just have to go to Christmas Town and ask Santa to marry us..."

Jack chuckled and nodded. "Yes...we'll have to invite him in person...since we want him to be the one to do the honors after all. I'm sure he'll say yes-after all, he doesn't entirely hate me anymore..." Jack chuckled and rolled his eye sockets a little, "And he just adores you since 'you're the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum'." He winked at Sally.

"I like him, as well..." Sally giggled, and came to see the town coming into view. "Jack...can you carry me the rest of the way? The graveyard is deep with snow, and I don't want to slow you down..." It wasn't often she asked him to carry her, unless she was just being cute and playful.

Jack paused for a moment, causing her to pause, and then he looked at her in a touch of surprise for just a second before smiling and nodding and chuckling. "Do you even have to ask? You know I'd carry you around all the time, if you'd let me. My Sally belongs in my arms after all...and her precious feet don't deserve to get chilled and damp from the snow." And then instantly he had her scooped up and was walking them into the town.

"Careful Jack, you might have to be careful who you say that to..." Sally teased with a playful sneer. Then she smiled. "Maybe we can squeeze in a kiss or two...before the children arrive with our tree."

Jack's eye sockets widened and then he grinned and narrowed his eyes a little down at her. "Excellent plan, darling..." And instantly he wasn't just walking briskly back through the snow but rather full on jogging straight in the direction of their home.


~X~X~X~

Later that night, as the snow continued to fall over the town of Halloween...while some slept and others crept within the snowy night. But within the town, especially in one certain home, the Pumpkin King slept on...but it was soon he was within a dream. As Sally slept on as well in her bed, unaware of this turn.

In the Town Hall, backstage, Jack worked tirelessly, alone, with no one in sight. He simply worked on plans for whatever he was doing with all of his might... But then came a sound, like the coo of a dove. Only for it to be the voice of his true love.

Jack blinked and looked up, and instantly something inside of him brightened as it always did. 'Sally!' he thought joyfully. He removed himself from his work for the moment and stood up, looking around. "Sally?" he called out, wanting to find her.

"Jack! I'm right here..." A leg stepped into view, the little black, short-heeled shoe planting itself firmly onto the floor, while the wall obscured her body from around the corner.

Jack paused for a moment, just...taking in the sight before him...and a rather curious sight it was... Why just her leg? "Sally?" he asked again in puzzlement.

"Yes...?" That was when Sally stepped into view.

Wearing an incredibly revealing blood-red dress. The shortest, thinnest, silkiest, tightest, she'd ever worn, along with a black see-through slip. It left most, if nothing, to the imagination.

Jack's jaw all but came unhinged as it fell open and the rest of him was just frozen entirely, practically numb with shock. 'What...is she...w-wearing...?' barely processed in his mind. He had never seen the shape of her body so perfectly defined before...every single curve... "S-S-Sally...what...I..." was all he could manage, taking a small step back from her.

"Jack...my dearest, darling Jack..." Sally cooed as she stepped toward him slowly, smiling in that innocent, sweet, loving way she always did. "I...must confess...I...I can no longer wait. ...I desire you far too much beyond words..."

"Wh-What?" Jack spluttered out, suddenly backing into the table he had been working at and nearly tripping as he did so. He gripped the edge with his hands now to steady himself. "Sally, wh-what are you t-talking about?" He could barely process it, barely function...She couldn't mean...mean...

Sally simply smiled, lowering the straps of her dress to further expose her shoulders. "Jack...I want you...I want to be as close to you as I possibly can be...I love you, my darling...my King..." She was now so much closer.

Jack was just leaning back on the table farther and farther from her, his eye sockets so very wide. "S-Sally...n-no, you...you don't know what you're...S-Sally, I..." He barely knew what to say anymore.

Now she came to him, her slip dancing from an unseen source of wind. Sally grasped his shoulders, and cooed, so seductively... "Don't be silly, Jack... I want you...and I can't wait any longer...and I have a feeling you can't either..." She was up against him now.

"Mm!" A little squeak escaped Jack and he was now almost entirely laid back on the table. "I...I c-c-can...w-wait...i-if I want..." He gulped, his breaths shallow to nonexistant.

"Mm-mm..." Sally then smirked, quite menacingly, which long ago seemed to be impossible for her muster, before it melted into a look of pure love and seduction. She actually gently but still firmly pushed him back completely on the table, so he was laying there on his back. And then she climbed onto the table over him, her legs on either side of his reed-thin frame. "You're mine, Jack Skellington..." She purred.

Everything was a buzzing, whirling blur! He couldn't feel anything but not because everything was numb like before so much as because everything was so on fire that he couldn't find an awareness of any part of himself except the pure heat coursing through him. And what she had just said... He didn't blink, fully on his back, just looking up into her eyes, and replied with the only words that came to mind. "I...I know..."

Sally giggled then, and then leaned toward his face. "And I...am all yours, Jack...I'm your doll...you can play with me all you like..." Her hands were running down his chest, toying with his buttons, and then...

She pulled his shirt open! Undoing all the buttons!

"AH!" Jack gasped forcefully at just about everything that had just occurred in the last two and a half seconds then the air hit is ribs and he was just dying! She had never seen all of him like that and the idea that she was doing so right now...plus...the idea of her being his 'doll' to 'play with' whenever he felt like it... He was so torn, a mixture inside of shocked and fearful and embarrassed and...passionate. "S-Sally...Sally, I...I..." he didn't know what to say!

"Shhh...it's okay..." Sally placed a finger on his lips. She then lowered his jacket off his shoulders, pulling it down. Her dress lowered slightly more, exposing more of her body. "Jack... my darling, my Pumpkin King...my savior, my heart, my everything..." Her hands ran along his bones now as she leaned in toward him, her voice dropping to a soft, sweet, seductive whisper. "Make love to me..."

Jack just couldn't articulate words...Her hands...all over his bones...touching everywhere...And what she had just... He closed his eye sockets, his breaths shallow, he gripped the table top. "S-S-Sally..." he barely managed to croak out, "Y-You m-must stop or I...don't know if...I'll...b-be able to...r-resist that...Oh p-p-please...Mmmm..." Despite his please he moaned in pleasure, unable to help it.

"Who says I wanted you to resist, Jack?" Sally cooed, giggling. She continued her ministrations, now throwing his jacket, along with her slip, aside completely. "I'm yours...you can do anything you want to me...let it all out Jack...don't hold back...love me...and I...will love you, too..." Her hands continued caressing his bones, before her devilish red lips lowered toward them, about to give them attention with her mouth.

"No!" Jack saw what she was getting ready to do and put his hands on her shoulders, holding her back for a moment, his breaths coming deeply now. "S-S-Sally, you...m-musn't...! A-And we musn't...any of this! I-I...I-I should get back to w-work and w-we c-can...th-think about this with calmer heads and...and, uh..." For a moment his eyes had found their way to the top of her chest and he was focused on it now and a little distracted just for a second... "Uh..." but then he blinked and shook his head and looked up at her, "P-Please...if you kiss me...there...I don't know what I'll do..." He looked up at her with so much uncertainty...and yet there was a glint of passion brimming behind his eye sockets whether he was admitting it or not.

"Your lips say no..." Sally said seductively, stroking his skull with one hand. "But your eye sockets...and your bones...say yes yes yes..." She kissed him, sweetly, still stroking his skull, and then rose up again. She lowered her head, down to his collarbone and where his ribcage came along, and planted a kiss along the bone there.

"Ah!" Another sharp gasped escaped Jack and he trembled all over at the little kiss and her seductive words... "S-Sally...Sally, I..." He was weakening, he was melting...his heart was starting to find 'perfectly reasonable' excuses for...doing things his head had forbidden him to do... "Mmm..." he moaned a little again.

"I knew you'd like this, Jack..." Now her hands caressed his skull, thoroughly, while her lips placed sweet kisses along his ribcage, going slowly.

"Oh...Oh Sally..." he whimpered out in pleasure, his eye sockets hazed over and half lidded, looking upward to the ceiling as his fingers gripped more and more fimly into the table. "Sally, I...are you..." he couldn't not ask it any longer, "Are you sure that...this...right now...is what you really want?"

"Yes...it is, Jack...I want you... I can't wait anymore..." She now leaned over his face again. While seductive, her eyes were pleading. "Please...Jack...please make love to me..." She pleaded.

Jack hesitated...but for only a moment...And then a breath escaped him...and then he nodded... "I...Yes...I will..." he said, unable to control it any longer. "But...But Sally...in the back of the town hall...on a table? Sally, you deserve...such a better place than that..." He looked up at her with concern, and, no longer afraid to touch her, gently brought his hand to her cheek. "I...want it to be...the best it can be for you, Sally..."

For a moment, the "real" Sally returned, and she placed her hand over his, smiling a bit more... "Oh, Jack... Maybe you're right...perhaps a bed...your bed?"

"O-O-Our...bed..." he corrected... "S-Sally, I know it doesn't matter as long as we're together but...I so very much wanted to make love to you in our bed...in our private bed...where we could explore and take our time and...lose ourselves to one another and...and..."

And then Jack suddenly felt like the table underneath him was...softer...and more familiar...And something about the space they were in was softer and more familiar too...and the scents...the quiet...the lighting...They...were in his...their...room? He blinked. 'But...how...' He was about to pursue the question further but then his eye sockets locked onto Sally's eyes and he just...could only think of her... "Sally, are we...how did we...are we in our bed now?" he asked in blissful wonder.

"Shhh...it doesn't matter now...we're here...where we truly want to be..." And then there were candles lit up all around them, dimly, but so beautifully... "Jack...my love, my King...kiss me..."

"Shh..." he merely replied back with smile, gently reaching up and resting a finger against her lips. "First thing's first..." Then he sat up a little, and then with a little extra smile removed his open shirt entirely and tossed it to the floor. He laid back down, looking up at her again. "Now...come under the covers with me, my Sally...hold me...kiss me...touch me...and I'll do the same for you...And I'll make love to you, Sally...for as long as you'd like... Sally, come alongside me in our bed so that we may begin..." He looked up at her pleadingly. This was it...and he wasn't going to turn back.

"Oh, Jack!" Sally cooed passionately and then her dress rose dangerously high up her legs, approaching her hips as she crawled forward and met his lips with her own, her fingers running along his ribcage.

Jack really was no longer holding back and instantly he pulled her down to the bed with him, holding her and touching her and kissing her, his breaths coming heavily through his nose. He was so excited and yet so nervous...He just hoped he could do this well enough for her, make this as good as she was probably hoping it would be. He had his arms around her body now, pressing against the thin fabric of her dress and soon enough on instinct he had rolled her and now he was on top of her and he felt his hands taking on a mind of their own... "Sally..." he panted her name between kisses as things started to progress, "Shh...I know I'm going quickly but I'll try to be slow at first...Sally...Oh Sally, yes, Sally...hold me...touch me...there...everywhere...Sally..."


Back in the real world...a sleeping Jack Skellington had started actually out loud saying those last few things in the throes of his passionate dream...quite audibly and loudly as a matter of fact, in particular Sally's name.

It was morning by now, and Sally was pulling on a white long-sleeved shirt, then a pair of long johns, slipped on her socks, her shoes, and then pulled on her usual patchwork dress over all of that. Since the weather was colder and there was snow on the ground, she'd taken up to wearing this little combination.

'I wonder if Jack is up yet...' Sally thought, pulling back her curtains and looking outside at the snow-covered town, smiling. 'Though this is the scariest place...there's some kind of a strange, lovely peace to see all the untouched snow covering everything...' She admired the sight of the falling snowflakes before she departed her room.

She knocked on his bedroom door. "Jack? Jack, are you up yet? Hello? Darling?"

His door was slightly ajar, so she gently pushed it open. "Jack?"

"Oh Sally...Shh...I know...Yes, it's alright...O-Oh..." Lots of chuckles, "Oh my, you're...Yes, touch me...I must confess, Sally, I felt like I couldn't wait much longer myself...O-Oh...Yes, I won't stop...not ever if you'd like...Just tell me where to go...Oh Sally, tell me you love me again..." While all of this was being said quite enthusiastically by one Jack Skellington in his dreams he had his long arms wrapped around a pillow, and he had that pillow crushed against his torso with no sign of being about to let it loose.

Needless to say, Sally stood there, her hand on the doorknob, her eyes completely wide. What was going on? What was he dreaming of? ...Obviously of her...which made her blush, and...why was he hugging a pillow?

'Oh dear...he's dreaming about me!' Now she blushed heavily, her hand squeezing the knob as she observed the sight, unable to tear her eyes away. 'I should get out of here! I can't invade his privacy!' She took a step back.

SQUEAK!

She had stepped on one of Zero's squeaker toys that was lying on the floor.

The little squeak entered the ears of Jack 'in the real world'...and got translated by Jack's ears 'in the sleeping world'. He chuckled, low and warm, squeezing the pillow twice as hard. "Oh, my darling, what an adorable sound...Is this too much? Should I be more gentle...?...O-Oh, I...w-well, then, if you're sure..." his voice deepened a little, "... 'no holding back', it is..." He suddenly pulled the pillow so tightly to his skeletal frame that it was surprising the poor thing didn't burst at the seams, scattering feathers everywhere!

"Oh my gosh..." Sally took one more step back. She had to get out of here, now!

Hearing the squeak, Zero awoke from his basket bed, and immediately floated over to his master. "Arf! Arf! Arf!"

Once again, the sound (this time of Zero's barking) entered the ears of Jack 'in the real world' and got translated by Jack's ears 'in the sleeping world.' "Z-Z-Zero! What are you doing here? P-Please leave, boy, um...Daddy Jack and Mommy Sally are just p-playing a special game, heh! I..."

"Arf!" Zero just looked over at his master in his bed curiously.

That new 'Arf!' made Jack cringe. "No, no, it...oh no, Sally, the mood isn't ruined, please don't go...Please, I beg you...Oh yes...shh...it's alright...Now where were...OW!" Jack's sudden, sharp exclamation of pain (plus his eye sockets suddenly popping wide open) was the result of Zero (sensing from how strange his master was acting and how...utterly shocked his Mistress looked) had decided to take matters into his own hands, upon which the little ghost dog had flown over to Jack, found a joint on his most exposed hands (joints being Jack's weakest areas) and he had given him a small, sharp little nip right there and then flown back with a worried look on his face.

And now Jack was just sitting there, straight up in bed with his arms entwined around a pillow and his eye sockets wide, breathing heavily as he tried to figure out what had happened and...where his Sally had gone...and why he had all of his clothes on again...

"Arf?" Said Zero, still looking worried.

"Jack...are you all right?" Sally managed meekly, taking a step forward.

Jack gasped at the sound of that voice and instantly whipped his skull around in the direction it had come from. 'Sally...' She was standing there. The first thought that popped into his head was why in the world was she so very...dressed? But somehow he just...had a feeling that..he was not 'all together' at the moment for some reason... "Sally..." he merely started, breaths shallow, "What's...going on?" he asked in genuine utter perplexity.

"You were dreaming...and Zero got worried, and tried to wake you up." Sally said softly, and felt herself blush all the more. "Are you okay?"

"Arf!" Relieved, Zero floated over to his master and proceeded to lick his face.

'Oh no...oh no...' was the next thought that slowly started to drift through Jack's head. 'Dreaming...Dream...' Yes, granted, the town hall and a table magically transforming to their house and bedroom when convenient probably should have tipped him off that all of that had been a dream but...sue him, he had been far too distracted with the part of it involving a scantily clad ragdoll begging to be played with and ravaging every bone of his she could get her hands on to notice! But now though...And suddenly such a horrible thought occurred to him and he looked to Sally almost in fear. "H-How...D-Did you, um...Did I..." he tried to find the words to express his enquiry without coming off as too suspicious "I-I...was dreaming...H-How could you tell exactly?" He gulped. And then suddenly he became aware of the fact that he was still holding his pillow fast to his body and instantly he pushed it away and cleared his throat and straightened his collar a little for no particular reason other than as a distraction.

"You were sleeping and...hugging your pillow and..." Sally blushed more, clearing her throat. "A-Anyway...I just came to see if you were all right and if you were up...I'll go make breakfast then!" She was gone in a flash.

She had done her best to excuse herself but...Jack knew in an instant...She wouldn't have run off like that otherwise. 'I must have been saying things...Oh dear but WHAT things! How much of it?' He cringed in utter mortification, utter shame... Oh he just wanted to crawl under a rock and...But no, he couldn't be that cowardly. And so Jack got up and quickly changed into his suit and pants and tie, and then he decided to go out there and face the music... "Sally?" he started quietly, glancing around for her.

Sally was actually crouched beside a box, which revealed to be a box of decorations that hadn't been brought out yet, probably from the attic where they had originally been stored. "Oh, Jack! H-Hello there..."

Jack blinked and looked into her direction...and then frowned more completely than he ever had before. Just that little stutter in her 'hello' was enough to tell him...how horrible she must feel...how disappointed in him she must be. "Sally..." he started very quietly, very humbly, approaching her very slowly, "I..." he barely knew where to begin.

"It something wrong...?" She asked in concern, feeling the blush return to her cheeks yet again.

Jack gulped. His skull was angled downward but his eye sockets were looking up over at her. "Yes...I think so..." he replied quietly.

"...What is it? I mean...oh..." Sally stood up then, holding her hands to her chest. "Did you...was it because of what you were dreaming?"

Jack swallowed very distinctly. Then he gave a tiny nod. "Do you...know what I was dreaming...Sally?" He felt more nervous than he ever had in his entire life.

Sally looked a bit confused, and shook her head. "No. All I know is that you said some things...and m-my name...so I...surmised you were dreaming about...me... And that's all right, really! I mean, I dream of you...a-a lot..." She said and looked down with a shy blush. "S-So, it's okay...but...why does dreaming about me bother you?"

Jack just looked at her with so much sadness in his skull. 'She's so innocent and sweet...Little dreams about me...Probably about me giving her flowers and brushing her hair and telling her she's pretty and giving her little kisses...And here I am, just...insulting her honor by dreaming about her just...' As his thoughts went on his face just took on a look of deeper and deeper shame, and he'd almost forgotten about Sally's question to him.

"...Jack? What's wrong?" Sally approached him, looking concerned. "...Please tell me what's wrong..."

"Oh...Oh Sally..." her sweet voice saying his name just did it, "I'm so sorry...!" And then instantly he was walking off and over to the couch where he sat down and pulled his legs into his chest and buried his skull in his arms against a throw pillow.

"Jack...! Jack, oh...what's wrong? What are you sorry for?" Hesitating for a moment, Sally went and sat down on the couch as well. "Please talk to me..."

Jack just let out a deep sigh and shook his skull, lifting it up from the pillow a little at least but not looking over at her. 'I don't deserve to ever look at her again...' he couldn't help but chastise himself, starting to get a little dramatic about things as he was prone to do with most things involving his passions (Christmas always being the shining example of that).

"...Jack, please? If it had to do with me, you can tell me..." She now reached over to squeeze his shoulder.

Her touch just...both made him cringe in shame and made him...remember her touch...all of her touches...from his dream last night...Oh he felt so horrible mixed with good! And yet, despite everything, she had asked him a question and...after how deeply he felt he had insulted her, he couldn't insult her further by lying or denying... "I had a dream about you...a-and sometimes I have s-similar dreams a-about you but this was the most... 'thorough'...one...and I have a feeling you...heard things from it and..." his skull turned to face her, his eye sockets drooping in sadness, "You must be so uncomfortable...You must be so very disappointed in me..." His sad little frown trembled a little.

"...Oh...Jack..." Now She came closer and gently brought her arms around him from the side in a bit of an awkward but still sincere side-hug, nestling her head against his. "I heard things, and it sounded like...a good dream...why would I be upset or disappointed that you had...a good dream about me? I could never be disappointed in what you dream, good or bad. I mean...we can't help what we dream, do we? Don't worry, I would never fault you or make you feel bad for what you dream of, especially when they have to do with me."

Her words warmed and soothed and caressed Jack...and her hug helped very much too. And yet still her sweetness here couldn't help but inflame his guilt just a tiny bit more...and so he felt the need to let her know exactly what she was dealing with here before she forgave him and went back to adoring him as her love... His voice was quiet as he told her, "E-Even if I was dreaming about...making love to you?"

For a moment, Sally stiffened at his blunt but still very nervous response. He had dreamed about...that? Her face was bright pink now! "Um...oh...well...I...uh..." She shook her head, trying to compose herself. "Okay, I'll admit I didn't expect that, but...no, no, don't say that...why would I be upset about that? I-I mean...as I said...you can't help what you dream...and I...well, there's nothing wrong with feeling that way..." She snuggled more into him sweetly.

Jack couldn't help but tremble a little at her snuggles and words, though overall a great wave of relief overtook him that she hadn't responded to his admission by smacking him and running off to her room crying. "I...But, Sally, I...I konw people can't help...what they dream, but...still...dreams are...a part of you, and...I can't help but feel ashamed for indulging that part of myself...and imagining you...so very compromised..." He held her a litle for comfort, a little pout still on his face though at least it wasn't that deep frown from before.

"I...I understand you feel that way, Jack." Sally assured. She would, after all, more than likely feel the same way if she dreamed of that. She hadn't, so far, not to her knowledge, but could understand why he felt ashamed. "But it's all right. You don't have to worry about it. It was just a dream. ...A fantasy, if you want to call it that too. There's nothing wrong with that. Just...what did happen exactly?" She was quite admittedly curious.

Jack's eye sockets popped open so wide he was surprised one of them didn't crack at the edges. He stopped breathing. "W-Wh-What, um...What h-h-happened in them?" he couldn't help but repeat her question with a little gulp. Could she really be asking that? 'Oh dear...Oh dear dear dear dear dear...'

"I just...I want to know... You can tell me, Jack...really... And you did dream about me after all, so..." She pulled back a bit, playing with her hair.

Jack gulped very distinctly. He put his hands in his lap and began to twiddle his thumbs. "I...I...I c-couldn't o-offend you by t-t-teling you...that! N-No, I...I musn't! What in the world would you think of me... What if you thought I really wanted you to do things the way they were in that dream? You musn't think that, Sally-it was just a fantasy, like you said, but I'd so very much prefer your sweetness and shyness and humbleness in real life..." He looked at her sincerely.

"...Jack...I understand you don't want to tell me, but it's really okay. After all, it's just a fantasy, right? If you really don't want what happened in your dream to happen in real life, then...what is the harm in telling me?" Sally then pouted a little bit, looking downward. "We've been together for nearly a year now, and you can tell me anything, you really can... I understand you're not ready nor willing to share...certain details, and that's all right...but I do wish you wouldn't treat me like a child about this."

Jack blinked. He hadn't even considered that angle. Treating her like a child...He really was sort of treating her like that... But it was so hard not to sometimes-whenever he looked at her he saw his sweet, humble, innocent Sally...well, alright, over the course of the last year there had definitely been a few choice times when she'd done something to strip away that image and reveal the vibrant, desireful woman she was underneath... But it didn't change the fact that he still had this compulsion to keep her from certain aspects of life and romance...But he knew that was a losing battle and he had to accept it-she had just as many desires as he did...and one day they really would make love...a-and not just the one time, obviously...but for as long as their undead lives would go on. And how else did he expect to have all of those children they always joked about? And also, last night...yes, it had been rather 'enticing' but he really didn't have a very strong desire for Sally to be like that the first time, on top of which he knew that much forcefulness and disregard for his feelings wasn't part of who she was...Granted, of course, he wouldn't mind some...slightly 'naughty' things but...not all of that... And so, finally, Jack let out a small sigh and nodded his head. "Alright, Sally...I'll...I'll tell you..." he gulped a little, unable to help it.

"...All right then." Now Sally rose up to sit on her knees on the cushions, taking a throw pillow and hugging it to herself. Despite what she had said, she did indeed resemble a young child waiting for a parent or trusted loving adult to tell them a bedtime story. And with the snow falling outside at the window, it didn't help matters either. "If there are...some certain things you'd rather not say, you can...tell me the gist of the matter."

Jack gave a tiny little shy shrug, his skull downward but his eye sockets glancing up at her. "A-Alright...And Sally...I...I do apologize...b-but not for the dream this time. I-I mean, for...if I ever do treat you like you're a child. You're right, it's unfair. I...I think I have this sort of hang-up on you being my sweet, innocent little Sally and me keeping you that way for as long as I can but...you're not a little girl, you're a woman...and however sweet of a woman you are, that doesn't mean you deserve to get treated like you're ignorant...like you don't have your own 'passions'. Can you forgive me, Sally?" he asked sincerely.

A surprised look came to her face for a moment, then she smiled sweetly, nodding. "There isn't anything to forgive... But for what it is worth, of course I forgive you. I do understand you'd see that about me at times, considering I am quite young compared to you. But...thank you, I'm very glad you said that."

Jack smiled, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, my darling. I'm glad you're glad." He smiled warmly at her...and then he let out a sigh and swallowed. "Well...I supposed I should start about my dream then...and...I'll probably tell you most everything in it...A-After all, I...s-sort of woke up when we were just starting to, well...you know..m-make love..." He straightened his collar a little and then started. "Well, so...I was at the town hall, in the back behind the stage and I was at a table working on some holiday plans...And then I heard you call my name from somewhere and I turned around and stood up, looking for you..."

The blush on her cheeks deepened quite a bit. "I-I see..." A peculiar place to have started, but she just rolled with it. "And then what...?"

Jack let out a little sigh, doing his best to be as casual about this as possible and to not let it blow up into too big of a deal. "Oh, um...well, you said my name again and then I saw you stick your leg out from behind a curtain...a-and then the rest of you came out with it...Y-You were dressed...very nicely..." His voice cracked a tiny bit.

"Very nicely? ...How do you mean?" Sally tilted her head curiously.

Jack gave a little swallow again and admitted as quickly and neatly as he could, "Red dress...shortest I've ever seen...tightest too...very thin...l-little black lace thing over your shoulders...string straps..." He looked at her hesitantly, hoping that would go over alright.

"Ooohh...okay..." Sally blinked, nodding as she blushed. It sounded a bit like one of the little dresses she had, though different.

"Y-Yes, well...um...then you...came over to me...and started saying things about...how you wanted me...and didn't want to wait anymore...a-and I was very surprised to say the least...i-intrigued but...surprised..." He looked to her with a touch of concern. "Sally, are you really certain you're comfortable with this?"

"Of course...please, go on." Sally assured kindly, nodding her head.

Jack hesitated for a moment longer but then a small smile finally came back to his mouth. "I...alright. Thank you, my Sally. I'm sorry, I'm just very sensitive about this...i-intimacy and stuff..." He let out a breath. "A-Alright, well then, um...let's see...you got closer to me...up against me actually...and then...p-pushed me back on the table...climbed on top of me...and said...erm..." He cleared his throat.

"Oh my..." Her eyes went wide. "Oh...I'm sorry Dream Me had to be so forceful..."

Jack blinked...and then he couldn't help but not only smile but chuckle a tiny bit. "That's sweet of you, Sally, but...don't worry...However she acted is all my fault and none of yours." And then he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead and then pulled back and resumed his narrative...and strangely he was feeling a lot better about all of this now...calm and relaxed and much less awkward... "Alright, now where were we...Ah yes..." he let out a sigh and smiled at her, "...you had just pushed me back onto the table and climbed on top of me...and then you looked into my eyes and said 'You're mine, Jack Skellington' in a way I'd never heard you speak before...and I was so surprised at that...that all I could nervously say back was... 'I know...' " He chuckled a tiny bit. "I really do have some imagination, don't I, Sally?"

"Oooh..." Was all Sally could say, and shook her head a bit. "No, I think that Dream Me is crazy." The whole referring to themselves featured in their dreams had been a little inside joke between them whenever they'd playfully share what they had dreamed of one night (When they were innocent and fun), and had fun with that. Dream You, Dream Me, Dream so-and-so...it was all silly fun. "But...well, you certainly do have quite an imagination...and being able to be your own best friend and own worst enemy."

Jack chuckled a little bit more. "Oh, she's not so bad and she means well...But she could never compare to my real sweet Sally..." He reached out and gently tapped her on the nose.

Sally smiled and giggled, glad to see things were a little less tense between them now. "I suppose I see what you mean...okay, then what did Dream Me do next?"

Jack looked down with a little bashful smile on his face. "You leaned in close to me and said that you were all mine too...You said you were my doll...and I could play with you anytime I felt like it..."

"Oh...well that's certainly an interesting way to put it..." Sally giggled again.

"Then you got my jacket off of me...Then you touched my shirt buttons...and then you ripped open my shirt...a-and...there was...t-touching..." he spoke in a shy whisper.

Sally blushed quite a bit, trying to picture herself doing all of that. Oh, it was crazy! And yet...yet...quite... She didn't think of that. "Oh my...Dream Me is bold..." She then playfully added. "I'm kind of jealous..."

Jack blinked and his breath caught in his throat a little. He looked to her with a touch of surprise. "Oh...um...oh...w-well, I...well...if you wanted to be kind of like that ever...I-I'm certain you've got it in you to try..." he added almost blushingly... "As long as you were still being yourself...please be as bold as you want to be, Sally...However, you are, after all, I'll always love you..." He gave her a small, sincere, warm little smile.

Giggling, Sally smiled sincerely in return, bashfully rubbing her sleeve. "I'll keep that in mind. And I...well, I'll always love you, too..." She blushed a bit.

Jack smiled a little more. "That's...splendid to know..." He reached out and placed his hand on hers. "Would you like me to tell you the rest of what happened in the dream? Are you still okay with hearing about it?"

"Sure, I'm all right hearing it." Sally assured, nodding. "Please, continue."

Jack nodded in return and then took a breath and went on, squeezing her hand a little as he did so. "Well...like I said, there was touching...mostly you touching my, um...rib cage...a lot...And I was worried-I wanted us to stop before we did anything in haste but...it felt...so good...it was hard...And then you leaned in close...and you...asked me to make love to you...And I begged you to please stop before...I couldn't resist the idea..." He gave a little shy shrug.

"...Oh my..." Sally blinked, turning bright red. "You begged me to stop? ...And I didn't?" She looked ashamed.

Jack shook his head. "You told me that you didn't want me to resist in the first place...and threw yourself at me...told me not to hold back...and to make love to you...and you said you'd make love to me too..." He let out a small sigh and glanced at her. "You see-I told you I don't really want you to be like that in real life...I-I mean, I guess it was nice for a thrill in the dream but...you're too good to act like that in real life, too considerate...and I'd be considerate of you too of course when the time comes..." He squeezed her hand a little.

"...Oooh...okay..." Sally looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, I suppose I was a little off-guard since Dream Me did and said all that...but all right, I understand..." She smiled. She couldn't imagine her real live self doing that. If he'd shown even one ounce of resistance and even said for her not to do things, holding back or not, she would have immediately stopped and felt ashamed. But wow, her dream self didn't play around, did she?

"No, no, don't be sorry, dearest...See, look how sweet you are-even apologizing for a figment of my imagination...Such a darling." He chuckled and moved a little closer to her, slightly snuggling up against her. "The dream's almost over...Shall I finish up for you?"

Sally blushed at that, giggling as she realized he was right. She had a tendency to apologize a lot, and now over a figment of imagination that wasn't even her own! "Goodness, you're right..." She smiled then. "Yes, go ahead and finish it."

Jack chuckled and nodded. "Okay. Well, um...you..went to...kiss my bones..." he cleared his throat a little, "At that point I actually sort of had to physically restrain you and tell you that you had to not do that or I wasn't sure how I'd respond...if I'd be able to fight things anymore..." He sighed and chuckled a little again, "But Dream You really wanted her Jack and so you told me that my lips said no but my bones said yes...And then you began to kiss my bones...my collar and chest, and...Sally, I...try to have a lot of willpower about things but...I was sort of getting at the end of my rope a bit..." He shrugged and smiled a little sheepishly at her. "You understand..."

"Oh...well..." Sally blinked, and cracked quite a smile. "Dream Me actually said something you would say... But yes, I understand..."

Jack blinked, then realized what she must be talking about-how sometimes he could say something like that about her lips and seams whenever he wanted to tickle her. "O-Oh, um...yes, I suppose you're right...More proof that she's just a figment of my imagination, heh...B-But, um..." he looked at her sincerely, "Sally, you know...I would never say something like that and do whatever I wanted in a situation as...serious as that one..."

"I wouldn't, either." Sally promised. "And I know you would never force me like that. Tickling me to death is one thing..." She giggled. "But something that serious, I know you wouldn't. I trust you."

Jack let out a happy sigh, a smile coming back to his face at her comforting and trusting words. "Oh and I trust you too, my darling..." He lifted up her hand and kissed the back of it. "And yes, of course...I would be so gentle with my sweetest Sally..." He gazed deeply into her eyes with love. Then he cleared his throat a little and glanced away, deciniding he just wanted to wrap things up now already so that they really could just go back to their normal snuggling and cooing. "Well...anyway...at that point in the dream I asked you if you were really sure...that you wanted to...right then...And you said yes, that you wanted me...and then you begged me to make love to you again, and then finally I just...w-well, you'd said you really truly did want to, and I...I'll want to more than anything else when you're ready so...I said yes, that I would..."

"Ooh my..." Sally turned even pinker, staring with wide eyes, and offered a little smile at his sweet gesture from a few seconds ago. "So am I to guess that...it...um...came to happen?"

Jack trembled a tiny bit, his smile small and bashful. "N-No, not...quite yet...You see, I...w-well...Sally, we were...in a public building...a-and on a table... I...I told you I would but that you deserved so much better than that-Town Hall and a Table...I told you I wanted it to be the best it could be for you, Sally..."

"Oh...that's true, at that point we were still in the Town Hall on a table... Goodness, that's quite a place, isn't it?" Sally couldn't help but giggle. "So what happened?"

"You suggested my bed...I told you it was our bed...A-And I told you that...well, that..." he cleared his throat a little and glanced away, "I-I'm sorry, Sally, it's just...what I told you i-is the truth about a certain...intimate thing...o-or I guess, preference of mine..."

"It's all right..." Sally assured, smiling. "You've told me that before, and I...well, I realize it and accept it. I suppose Dream Me is a creature of habit?"

"Y-Yes, dream you is...h-has a lot of...priorities..." He smiled a little shyly and then looked into her eyes. "In the dream...I told you that when it came to making love to you for the first time...I'd always wanted it to be in our bed...where we could explore and take our time and...lose ourselves to one another..." He held her hand up tenderly in both of his own...trying to keep the flirting out of this but...it could be very hard sometimes, especially considering what they were talking about right now.

"I understand...and...well, I certainly would like that, too..." Sally admitted with a blush. "So... What happened next?"

Jack let out a soft, shuddery sigh at her wanting that too... Then he inhaled and moved on to the next part... "Well...somehow...we were both wishing to be in our bed...and then we actually were in our bed... I was confused but...you told me not to worry about it...told me to kiss you...But at that point I...started to have my own priorities...So I told you to wait just a moment. Then I sat up in the bed and, um...took off my shirt entirely...then asked you to come under the covers with me so that we could start. Then you screamed my name and dove on me and then it...sort of became a blur but...we were together and coming so close and kissing and moaning and, a-and..." He had felt himself getting carried away, and he knew he had to stop...The dream had ended there anyway... "And then...there was that whole thing where I thought Zero was there for a moment but then his bark woke me up...and that was the end of my dream..." He let out a breath and looked to Sally's eyes now, squeezing her hand a little. "Do you hate me, my darling, for all of that?" he had to ask with a small, sheepish, slightly embarrassed little smile.

"Of course not." Sally said immediately, and was blushing heavily. "Goodness, I just can't believe it made it that far, and...and..." She shook her head to gather herself. "This is where I came in, I suppose...seeing if you were awake, and then hearing you utter all of that. ...Jack...I just have one more question. ...Was it...was it...good?"

Jack blinked, looking at her curiously, not understanding for a moment what she was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"Well...you know...what happened so far...before your dream ended..." Now she looked down sheepishly, blushing all the more as she played with her hair. "Was it...well, was it good at all...?"

Jack froze up. His eye sockets were wide again. "You want to...know if our...lovemaking...our 'a-almost' lovemaking...was good?"

"...Yes..." She mumbled softly.

Jack looked down in utter shyness. "I...it was...W-Well, I don't, um...r-remember a lot...It really was sort of a blur...but..." Then he glanced over at her and saw how nervous she looked, and how important this might be to her... "But..." he let out a breath and smiled and did his best to put aside his embarrassment for her and be open about this... "But..." he lifted up her hand again, "What I do remember...was warm..." he kissed the back of her hand, "...and soft..." another kiss... "...and...very...very...promising..." another kiss. He was fairly certain that in another couple of seconds he would have to awkwardly clear his throat and find something to distract himself with and run off to that in a fluster but...for just this moment...he wanted to do his best to be calm and to give her the truth about what she needed to hear.

"...Oh...well..." Sally wasn't sure what to say! It was just so...so...she didn't know how she felt. Amazed, really.

When she opened her mouth to say something else, a string of garland became completely askew from where it was hanging along the wall.

Bingo, that'd do it! Jack cleared his throat and finally brought his eyes away from hers and let her hand gently go. "O-Oh dear, um...I-I should fix that, heh...And, um, w-well, then...guess dream sharing time is over, heh..." And then he instantly and nervously moved away from the couch and over to the wall to fix the decoration.

Sally giggled, shaking her head as she got up as well, tending to the box she had been rifling through earlier. "Whatever you say, Jack..."

Jack had to smile a bit at that familiar little refrain of hers. He was in the middle of fixing the garland, when, after considering for a moment, he smiled a tiny bit and let out a small sigh. He glanced over his shoulder slightly. "Sally?"

"Mm-hmm?" Sally responded, still rifling through the box.

Jack smiled a tiny bit more. "You know...underneath all of dream Sally's...boldness...there's a little bit of the real you that comes out every now and again in my dreams...And...although I can't remember much and although we didn't get very far...considering the special thing we were doing...my mind couldn't help having just a little piece of that real you come out when you came under the covers with me...And...from the little bit of that that I was privileged to experience...you will be a beautiful lover...when the time comes..." He let out a blush worthy breath and then turned back to the garland to keep playing with it a little even though it was already fixed.

Now Sally blinked, and looked up over her shoulder, blushy and quite wide-eyed. She then smiled, and went back to rifling through the box again, pulling out a box of tree ornaments they hadn't gotten the chance to hang. "Thank you..." Was all she could say in reply, but with the sweetness and emotion attached to how she said it, she just hoped it was enough.

Jack let out a shuddery sigh at her response, feeling a little tremble go all over himself. "You're...You're very...very welcome..." and then he added very quietly under his breath so that she wouldn't hear... "...my soon to be fiancée..."

"What was that?" Sally looked over her shoulder at him again with a curious smile.

Jack cleared his throat a tiny bit, just smiling away to himself as he turned from the garland and walked casually across the room. "Oh, nothing, darling..." His smile grew and he came up beside her. "Now, how about I help you with this last box of decorations and then I'll bake you a fresh batch of your favorite kind of Christmas cookie and I'll read you 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' while we sit together by the fire. Would you like that, Sally?" He smiled warmly at her.

Giggling, Sally nodded agreeably. "Sure, that'd be lovely, Jack..." She beamed.

Jack nodded back to her. "Splendid..." He took out a decoration or two to hang up to start the rest of their plans for the evening, but decided to mention one more thing before they went on with their day. "Um...and, Sally?"

"Yes, Jack?" Sally smiled, taking out a couple of sprigs of mistletoe from the box.

Jack caught sight of the mistletoe out of the corner of his eye socket. He chuckled a little. "Well, first of all..if that's all the mistletoe we have then we'll definitely have to get more soon...and second of all...um...thanks for...making me feel so much better about my dream and everything...I can't tell you how much I appreciate it, my dearest..." And then he gave her a little kiss on the cheek before reaching over and taking a spring of mistletoe and hanging up on a hook from the ceiling.

Sally giggled and blushed from his little kiss, smiling all the more. "Awww... And you're very welcome, Jack. Thank you too, for telling me and being honest with me. I'm glad you feel better about it." She then held the other spring of mistletoe above her head and wiggled it, smiling coyly. "Jack..." She cooed in a singsong voice.

A smiling Jack turned to look at her and then he instantly blinked and fumbled a little in his reaching up. Righting himself, he looked at her with wide eye sockets and blinked several times. "Yes...?" he merely replied back with shyness and coyness, looking at her 'innocently'.

Smiling, she gently wiggled the mistletoe again. "Come here, you..." She beckoned him with her free hand.

For a moment Jack was reminded of that Sally who 'knew what she wanted' from his dream. He smiled goofily, trembling a little as he pointed to himself with a little coy grin. "Who, me?" He chuckled a little, just liking playing with her for a moment.

Sally giggled and nodded. "Do you see any other lovable skeleton here, named Jack, with the ability to scare someone out of their pants and make the woman he loves feel very happy?"

"Hmm..." with a little laugh Jack looked left and then right and then back to Sally and shrugged, "No, no other skeletons here named Jack who scare people out of their pants and make you very happy...So I suppose it's me you...desire..." He took a large, coy step toward her, his voice having deepened a little at his last word, and now he stood right up close to her, looking down at her with warmth and love.

"Ooh..." Sally nearly lost her footing as he spoke to her that way. Oh, how it got her every time! "Would you like a kiss?"

"Would you?" he countered flirtatiously, raising part of his brow and his grin growing on one side.

"Of course I would..." Sally flirted right back, her smile growing as well as she took a step toward him.

"Well, then..." He bent down low so that their heads were almost at the same level, "Why don't you come and get it?" And then an arm was around her waist and he was dipping her back almost fully horizontally.

"Ooh!" Sally let out a squeak of surprise, but immediately smiled as she brought her free hand to his shoulder. "Absolutely..." She then leaned up locked their lips together.

"Mmm..." Jack instantly moaned in deep pleasure, closing his eye sockets and angling his skull and leaning down more as he dipped her back more. 'Real world Sally...will always be better than silly dream Sally... Oh my sweet real Sally...Oh how I adore you...'

Though part of him couldn't help but be very aware of her body in his arms right now, considering his dream and their last conversation...he liked just kissing like this right now better. It had all been too soon in his dream, all too in the heat of the moment, all too forced...He just wanted her like this for now...and when the time came, he wanted slowness and sweetness and to savor everything... And it would happen soon, in their perfect bed, but for now he would just kiss his Christmas Sally and make her cookies and read to her until she fell asleep in his arms by the fire, and all of that would be its own dream come true.