~Chapter Fourteen~

In which Jack begins having strange dreams …

~ Jack lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Eve's journal clutched to his chest. He had told Wallace he was ready to know his former self, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Jack remembered very little on his own from his past life, save for the fact that he loved Eve. However that didn't really count as Eve's charm had made it through the years and brought back to him in Halloween Town so he could fall in love with her all over again. He loved Eve for Eve, no matter how many times he was pulled from her, forgot her; he knew that he would always fall back in love with her no matter how many times he had to. No, his problem was not Eve and whoever she had been; his problem was in rediscovering who Jack Skellington had been. For over one hundred years Jack had been completely sure of himself and who he was. He was the Pumpkin King, king of all Halloween, royalty in the circle of the holiday kingdoms. He inspired terror in the hearts of millions, recreated the entire holiday in his own, boney image. But he was no longer that man anymore, now he was Jack Skellington back from the dead, lost in the world of the living. Jack gripped the book tighter to his chest, the definition of his pectorals making a firm surface for the journal to lie on. Suddenly he felt a light breeze, however unnaturally cold, blow in from his open window. Jack sat up and grinned.

"Hey Zero! Where have you been boy?" he said stroking the plasma mist that was his dogs head. Zero whimpered. Jack raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You've been to see Eve?" he said taken aback. What you need to understand is that the other worldly people of Halloween Town are no longer bound the limitations of the living and can basically break every natural human law, that's the state of being supernatural, so naturally Jack can understand his dog.

"When? Just now? Or this entire time?" Jack implored. Zero barked sadly. Jack frowned. "What do you mean 'something is missing'?" Zero growled. Jack looked down at the journal. "I know she's a bit…different. She doesn't remember us boy….or really even who she herself is." Jack explained to his friend. Zero howled. Jack shushed him.

"You"ll wake up Wallace and I've already put him through enough …" Jack hesitated. "…..uniqueness, to put it nicely." Zero whimpered softly and Jack fell back into the bed and sighed. His mind raced and he thought of Eve, in his bed back in Halloween Town. She was just lying there, sleeping peacefully, tiny puffs of air coming in and out of her. Her dress was torn, revealing her thigh, bare and pale in the moonlight and Jack felt a longing, a sort of animal desire, but he was tired and soon drifted off to sleep.

oOo

Jack felt off balance, but then quickly righted himself. He did not recognize where he was. It was some sort of mansion, new by the looks of it. He could smell fresh cut wood and the scent of the trees outside carried on the breeze into the open window beside him. He looked ahead of himself and could see and long hallway, winding and dark, the only light piercing the dark was that of the moon shining through the shutters. Jack squinted and made out a figure making its way towards him. It was dark and moving at an anxiously, almost teasingly slow pace. Jack had an overwhelming feeling to move toward it and soon found his feet making their way towards the shadowy figure. His body moved on its own and he soon realized that he had no control over his actions. He was within himself as well as without, watching and being. As he got closer and closer to the figure he felt his heart skip a beat; it was Eve. The white light bathed her in a luminescent glow, her dark hair gleaming in the moonlight. Jack's eyes trailed further down her body and he noticed she was wearing a very thin, almost see through chemise, the color of an overcast sky. The air was cold and her breasts only acknowledged that fact all the more. He studied her further, her dressed gently hugged her curves and Jack again felt the animal desire, the feeling that his body should be close to hers, and this feeling frightened him. Finally, he and Eve were only inches from each other.

"I couldn't sleep." Eve said innocently, her voice milky yet blurred. Jack felt himself grin gently and nod.

"Neither could I." he said involuntarily, yet gently. Eve looked at the ground and then looked back at Jack with big, dark, pleading eyes. He looked from her eyes to her lips to breasts and back again to meet her gaze. Her eyes told him it was okay and with their permission, Jack slipped his hands slowly around Eve's waist and pulled her into him with a swift and almost demanding force. He pressed his lips against hers with such vigor that the two entwining bodies found themselves pushed up against the adjacent wall. Jack let his body meld into Eve's as his tongue fought furiously with hers. Their mouths opened and closed allowing quick grabs of breath in between kisses. The Jack that was without, that was watching this whole scene unfold couldn't believe what he was experiencing. He had never felt this desire, this foreign deep, ravenous need. He had always felt the deepest love for Eve, the willingness to sacrifice everything for her, but his was something different entirely. Jack let his hands wander from Eve's waist up to her supple breasts, bare beneath her dress. Every nerve in his body shook with the feeling of pure ecstasy. Jack ventured further, sliding his hands from Eve's tender breasts past her waist and to her thighs. He felt their curve and followed them inwardly until his anxious hands felt the womanhood that was between Eve's legs, wet and warm, begging to be explored. Jack almost couldn't take it anymore and just as he was about to take this even further…

oOo

"AHHHHHHH!" Jack woke with a start, shocking Zero who was snoozing at the foot of the bed. "Ahhhhhhh mmmmm ohh…" Jack grunted, sweating profusely. He could feel his arms shake as they held him upright. Zero gave Jack a quizzical look. Jack breathed heavily and as he gathered his bearings noticed that the blanket was raised where his waist was. He hesitated for a moment and then quickly pulled off the blanket and noticed that his pants had a large protruding bulge within them. Beginning to panic, Jack pulled open his pj bottoms from around his waist and peered into them. Shocked and a little embarrassed he quickly let go of the elastic and fell back into the bed. He breathed in and out in rhythm and tried to relax. Zero scuttled over to his side and licked his hand.

"I had the strangest dream Zero. Eve…" he stopped and suddenly felt this shouldn't be shared. "Erm, nevermind." Jack sighed and looked back down at his pants, the bugle was starting to go down. "Mmmmmm….being human…was it always this strange?" he wondered out loud to himself. Zero gave him a confused look. Jack shrugged, breathing in a sigh of relief when the crotch of his pants no longer protruded outward. He turned over and noticed that the journal was sprawl out, open on the floor. Jack quickly pounced out of bed and picked it up. As he did his finger caressed upon a page inside the antique book and he held it there to keep his place. He raised it to his eyes and noticed the page he had picked out happened to be the very first page of the journal. Jack hesitated a bit and after a beat began to read the first page of the book.

Dearest Journal,

I am writing to you because I know that no one else would understand…and as much as my brothers try to listen, they are still much too young to comprehend. I began my new employment today with Mr. Williams; he said he was quite impressed with my painting skills, so I shall be working on all the backdrops for the performances from hence forth. Apparently sometime next week the new patron will arrive and they will be able to decide on what play they are doing and how to go about it. They say that this new patron is quite a handsome man, kind and talented in his own right. All the chorus girls are making a big fuss about the whole thing which I find to be quite bothersome. I may be jumping to conclusions, but I'm almost positive this man will be nothing of what people say of him. I mean, perhaps he is handsome and such, but he's rich as well, and the rich do not seem to know how to be kind. Their minds are in their own shallow, pompous worlds, numbed and dulled to the plight that those of us of little privilege suffer. And so I've made up my mind to avoid this new, wealthy benefactor as much as I can. My mother presses upon me that if I keep behaving this way I shall never find a suitable husband, but father doesn't' seem to care very much, in fact if at all he seems pleased with the prospect that I am indeed to picky. Honestly, I am starting to believe there is no man out there for me and perhaps I shall make my own way as a stage hand or school teacher. Father has tutored me well enough and I believe myself to be quite knowledgeable, my writing, father says, is the best he has seen of anyone he's yet come across and I do love it so. Sometimes it is indeed hard though to balance my loves for writing, painting and music and they don't seem to do much for me out in the real world, but at least I have this new job and shall do right by it and hope that the new patron stays out of from underfoot.

Yours faithfully,

Evelyn Anne Hallows

Jack set down the book slowly, looking in awe out the window. He couldn't believe how free spirited, how independent Eve had been through both of her lives. She had had such hardship and sadness and Jack wanted to do was to end it. Give her love and comfort, a stability that she would not have to work at. Jack was ripped from his thoughts when the preprogramed alarm on his cell phone went off. It was 8 o'clock in the morning and as soon as Jack's mind was able to comprehend this, his phone went off yet again. He looked down at the screen and noticed a small box with words in it and underneath them was another set of words that read: Swipe to open. Carefully and unknowingly, Jack took his finger and moved it slowly across the screen. There was a click and then a page opened to where the message was.

Hi Jack, this is Eve Hallows from yesterday. I just learned that the signups for auditions have been posted and I wasn't entirely sure if you were truly interested in the part so I wanted to tell you before they closed signups.

Jack felt the heaviness of his heart lift a bit as he read the message. He scanned the device quickly and noticed that the letters inscribed on the bottom of the phone could be used to respond. He replied after ten minutes of trying to figure out the device.

Hello Eve, yes of course I would love to audition for the play, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about signing up for it. If it's not too much trouble would you be able to place my name on the list and I shall repay you later for such a favor?

Jack sent the message and the reply was almost instant.

:) hahahahhahah I don't see how you wouldn't able to land this part! Your manners are amazing! You're such a gentleman! Anyways, I can definitely put your name on this list! And don't worry about paying me back; it's not a big deal. Okay so what's your full name? :D

Jack sighed and replied back as fast as he could.

My name is Jack Skellington and I will of course repay you for such kindness. It is the least I can do.

He sent it and didn't get a response for a good fifteen minutes which felt like days to him. Finally after Jack was beginning to make a trail in the floor from constant pacing, his phone went off.

Okay Jack, you're on the list. Your audition is today at one. If you have any questions about it before you go in, I'll be at the coffee shop on campus. You can meet me there. :)

Jack grinned before he could help himself. He couldn't have been more excited to see Eve again, but deep down hoped that Benjamin would be nowhere in sight when he met with her and in that one feeling, Jack felt significantly less like a gentleman and rather like something else. And whatever that something else was, scared Jack indeed.