WARNING: This one is a little dark. I still think it falls under the T rating but I want you to know it's a little dark and creepy.

Written for the Christmas Collection Competition using prompt:

61. (Story title) The Nightmare Before Christmas.

It was a lovely day. There was a bright sun out and the day was hot. There was freshness to the day that is unexpected around Christmas time, even in Australia.

Harry wouldn't be able to tell you why he was in Australia for Christmas but he was and he was having a blast. He wasn't sure where his family was but with a quick look around he found an old basket holding perfectly wrapped presents. Harry wasn't sure how, but he knew that they were for his lover. If asked, Harry wouldn't be able to say what was inside the presents but he knew that she would love them.

Looking up he spotted a beautiful green pine tree that he was facing and underneath it his wife was standing with a cane picnic basket in hand, a red blanket covering the contents inside.

She was beautiful today. Her hair was pulled away from her face with a light scattering of white and yellow flowers. Her dress matched her dirty blonde hair to perfection and her smile was blinding. Harry couldn't prevent his own smile as he approached her. Each step he took caused the wind to pick up but he didn't pay it any attention. By the time he reached his beautiful lover the wind was blowing his hair into his mouth and snapping his clothes across his body. Luna was unaffected. She continued to smile and reached a hand out to him, holding the basket in the other. Harry could see her lips moving but couldn't make out the words.

"I can't hear you!" He called out. If anything her smile widened and she slowly lowered her hand. The instant her hand gripped the basket again the wind halted, leaving everything eerily still and quiet.

"Run Harry." Luna said with a smile plastered on her face.

Harry started to lose his own smile, dread settling into his gut.

"Run or IT will eat you." Luna lowered her hand to the basket revealing the contents.

Inside was a mess of blood and teeth. Human teeth. Harry stared in morbid fascination at the contents of the basket. There were at least ten mouths full of teeth collected inside.

"Run Harry. Don't lose your teeth."

With Luna's words the wind picked up and the sun went behind a cloud. Harry watched as if enchanted as the wind started attacking his lover, tearing her away from him. He was sure he called out but the words were stolen from his mouth. He started to run, to where he wasn't sure but he ran.

He ran.

And ran.

He didn't stop running because he knew it he did he would be dead. In the end it didn't matter. He was knocked down by something heavy, wet and slimy. The sun disappeared.

He couldn't move. He couldn't feel. He couldn't make a sound. He was dead, except he wasn't. He was surrounded in inky blackness that covered the whole of existence. He couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear anything. Yet he knew, without a doubt, there was something out there. It was haunting, evil, deadly.

And it was hunting.

Hunting flesh.

Hunting blood.

Hunting him.

No. Not just him. It was hunting her as well. She was here, somewhere. He wasn't sure how he knew, he just did.

No. It couldn't have her.

He struggled to move his limps, his head. Even his tiniest finger would be an improvement. There was no movement. He still couldn't move, yet he struggled harder. He had to free himself. He had to.

He heard a scream.

He knew that voice.

He knew that scream.

His struggles continued, even harder and finally managed to move a finger. It didn't matter

It was too late.

The scream continued and continued. The sound echoed around him, creating colours in front of his face. Horrid, mocking colours.

Red.

Green.

Blue.

Silver.

Christmas was surrounding him, mocking him. The colours merged together. The swirled and curled until they were a blob of dark red. Blood.

The scream continued. The colour started to form shapes. Shapes he didn't recognise. Shapes he didn't want to recognise. The shapes danced around his head, mocking. Calling out to him. Using her voice.

He could feel his heart.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

He could hear it. It mixed in with the scream. It became louder.

Louder.

Louder.

The shapes continued to circle him. A circle of dark red threatening shapes swirling around his head, making the sounds all the more terrifying.

He was going crazy with fear. Fear for him. Fear for her.

He could hear her voice, calling, calling, calling. It was full of pain.

He couldn't handle it. His mind couldn't handle the pressure, the pain. Her pain was his.

It stabbed inside his brain until it wouldn't work anymore.

The calls continued.

"Harry!"

"Harry!"

"Harry!"

Harry shot out of bed like he was on fire, except he was drenched. His eyes were wild as he looked around the room and landed on his terrified and troubled wife.

"Harry?"

He just stared at her with wide eyes. Until water started to leak out of them. Her whole body softened into sympathy and she crawled towards him.

"It's okay. You're okay." She said as she pulled him close.

Harry didn't sob or cry loudly. He didn't close his eyes but he did wrap his arms around her. He gripped her tightly as tears leaked out of his eyes. She ran a hand down his head and tried to calm him down.

"It's okay, it was just a dream." She said after a while.

Harry shot out of her arms at those words.

"What if it wasn't?" Harry knew he was being illogical but the terror he felt still itched at his skin and the scream still echoed in his ears.

"It maybe... I mean we were celebrating Christmas in Australia and... It was so nice at first... It was so dark... I couldn't... it wasn't... and the scream..." Harry covered his face with his hands.

Luna approached and pulled her husband close. She stroked his hair and calmed him down again.

"It was most definitely just a dream." She said strongly.

Harry looked at her. He knew she was right but he just couldn't believe it. "How?" He asked.

"Because we aren't in Australia silly, and we never will be. The Grettars are too wild there, especially around Christmas time."

Harry looked at his wife and realised her words took away his fear. Her logic, however skewered, made his own logic click.

He could do nothing but laugh.

WolfWinks -xx-