The week goes by incredibly fast, and that's because of how much time she spends of her afternoon reading. She slips the covers back on the books in case Finklestein stops by her room and checks on her, which he does multiple times and even asks her about the material. She manages to slip by attempting to sound as sophisticated as possible and the Doctor, thankfully, leaves her alone. But when Friday comes, she spends a lot of time thinking of how her evening with Jack will transpire. She has lots of questions about Romeo and Juliet, but the shy part of her makes her wonder if he'd even find them worth answering.
She twiddles with her fingers as she waits for Finklestein's meal to cook. She slipped some Deadly Nightshade in it beforehand, so the moment he takes a bite, she will be out of there. Her gaze finds its way out of the nearby window and she notices dusk is approaching soon. She assembles the meal on a plate, careful to make sure none of the nightshade is showing within. Once that is done, she comes outside and places his plate in front of him at the table.
Finklestein notices right away she isn't having any. "You aren't hungry, my dear?"
She shakes her head. "Not tonight."
"Ah. So tell me, then..." He picks a piece off from his plate. "How have the books been? Do you like them? They're from Skellington, so I expect you do."
"Oh, yes. They're very interesting." She replies, eager for him to take a bite already.
"What is the quantum theory, Sally?"
He looks up from the piece before it even reaches his mouth, looking at her expectantly. She twiddles with her thumbs as she thinks of an answer. She really hasn't the slightest clue. But it's bound to deal with science and...stuff...right?
"I-It's a theory. A scientific one." She clarifies nervously. "Doctor, why don't you take a bite of tonight's dinner and tell me how it tastes? I spent quite a long time on it."
"Don't avoid the question." He points his fork at her accusingly. "Your eyes have been glued to those pages for days now, girl! You can't tell me you don't know what it is?"
She bites her lip. "Well, it takes me awhile to just...piece it all together. There's so many com-components to it. It's such a complicated theory-"
Her rambling doesn't matter in the end, because in the midst of her explanation, the Doctor had taken a bite. It was only a matter of seconds until his head slammed on the table and he passed out. That's because of how much she added. She remembers practically emptying out the bottle into his food. She grabs a blanket and drapes it over his figure, leaving him and the Tower as quietly as she can.
She finds Jack sitting on the hill already, resting his skull in his hands and gazing in the direction of Halloween Town. It looks as if he's absorbed in his thoughts, but as she comes through the gates, his face changes the moment he sees her. She had no chance of sneaking up on him as she had planned, for he positioned himself to the entrance, so she approaches the Spiral Hill with an embarrassed smile. But he thinks nothing of her partial lateness or sudden appearance, as his eye sockets go half-lidded the closer she gets to him.
"There you are," He greets warmly.
She brushes her hair behind her back. "Hi, Jack..."
She makes no hesitation as she climbs the hill and joins him by his side, sitting close to him and facing the same direction as he is. It's new for her to be looking towards the gate. She can finally see the buildings of the town for herself, admiring the irregular patterns of them. It leaves a lot to stare at, and as she gapes at all the interesting figures as well as the night sky filled with endless a mounts of stars, the skeleton watches her from the side.
"I left early," He mentions. "You're almost always here before me, so I thought I would've caught you here."
"I'm sorry about that..." She apologizes quietly. "The Doctor was being a little difficult before I left."
"What did he do now?"
"He asked me about the quantum theory." She admits sadly. "The Deadly Nightshade kicked in before I could answer."
He gives her an amused smile. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time it saved you, wouldn't it?"
She giggles at his comment. He chuckles along with her before his gaze is directed back to the town. She follows his sight to look at the dark buildings again. It's hard for her to believe how many there are. Especially out of town like she had seen...it was even harder to come to terms with the fact that Jack reigned all of it. Everything she sees, he practically rules over. It was...incredible to think about, and how seemingly lucky she is to be involved with the man who seems to have it all. Yet it could affect him less. That was another thing she had to admire about him.
"You see my house there?" He suddenly points in its direction. She follows his finger and nods.
"Yes, I do."
"It overlooks the town. I can see most, if not, everything." He moves his arm. "And behind it...beyond my garden, I mean. There's your Tower. Right over there."
"I see it."
"All this time I've been looking at things in one direction," He rests his skull in both of his hands again. "I've been overlooking the Town for so long that it all looks the same to me. I can never find something new in it. But just last night did I finally look at things I hadn't thought twice of before."
"What do you mean?"
"I can see your house through my window. You've always been a glance away from me, Sally, and I hadn't noticed it until now. It felt like such a wake-up call to me."
"I can see your house through mine all the time," Her cheeks heat as she finishes, "I look at it as much as I can, actually."
"...You do?"
She goes quiet, unsure of what to say. Now he's going to think she's some sort of creep for looking at his mansion all the time...she scolds herself for even letting that slip. He can tell how worked up she is getting and taps her shoulder carefully. She quickly turns towards him but finds that understanding smile on his skull again. It assures her instantly without any words, and she no longer feels embarrassed.
"I guess, then, my confession won't seem so disgraceful..." He looks away from her to fixate his sockets on the small silhouette of her tower. "I've been looking at your place ever since I found it. Sometimes I find you at your window and...I just wonder what you're doing. You make me very curious."
She understands. She shares that same curiosity, but with him. She, too, gazes at his figure and wonders what he can be doing, or what he can be thinking. What can be going on in his mind when she's not there to hear it. She relates to that feeling all too well. But she fears to say it, for if the words left her tongue, her heart would come with it and possibly burst out of her chest. She is overwhelmed with emotions of similarity, and he spares her the effort by changing the subject.
"By the way, what did you think of the books I sent to you? Have you read them yet?"
She releases the breath she'd been holding. "I finished Romeo and Juliet. I thought it was quite a tragedy."
"Isn't it? That's why I adore that book so much. I love reading about death. That's my favorite scene too - when they both kill themselves."
She smiles at his enthusiasm. She thought he'd have said something about the love portion about the story, but it was so much like him to focus on something like death. She knows that, now. But she's also blessed with the knowledge that he appreciates the romantic moments as well - that's something she wants to pry at while she's at it. The questions stir in her mind from the other night.
She admits, "I quite...liked Romeo and Juliet's relationship. It seemed so natural to me. I felt like they were really in love."
He goes quiet. She looks over and notices that he's thinking. She pokes at his side, beckoning him to snap out of it and look at her in surprise. Leaning closer, she asks, "-What did you think of Romeo and Juliet's relationship?"
"I don't think they were ever in love," He replies.
"Really? Why?"
"To me, love is a little more than meeting someone and deciding right away that you want to marry them," He replies. "Romeo decided he was in love with Juliet even if he didn't know a single thing about her. I think that tells you that he was infatuated with Juliet - not in love."
She finds herself genuinely curious. "What's the difference?"
"Infatuation is a false sense of long-term love, I'd say." He shrugs. "It's where you feel strongly for someone, but it's only shortly lived. Like how Romeo felt about Rosaline. He was quick to change his 'love' for her the moment he saw Juliet."
She slowly nods. "I think you're right...But I like the idea that someone would go as far as dying for the sake of someone they love. Even if Romeo's wasn't genuine..."
"You and me both," He winks.
Before she has a moment to react, his hand snakes his way into hers, and her knees buckle when she feels that squeeze again. Then her mind races as another question comes to mind. A blush grows on her cheeks far before it comes out of her mouth. Her breath feels shaky and her chest grows cold. She's going to ask him a question she's always wanted to know ever since she befriended him - an overwhelming curiosity that she had yet to tame.
"...What DOES love mean to you, Jack?"
She hears him take a breath and open his mouth to say something, but he closes it abruptly. He places a hand on his mouth for a few seconds as he stares at the ground. She presses her fingers together as she waits. She really wants to know what love means to him...Especially when she knows that SHE is in love with him. And now that they're becoming something together...she needs to have this final confirmation - so she no longer feels uncertain.
"I think love is something that grows," He finally replies. "At first, it feels different. But over time, it grows so much to where the person you're IN love with can never leave your mind. You'll do things for them that you wouldn't ever think of doing before. The moment you find yourself to where you're missing them whenever they're not with you, then you're in love."
. . .
There is a very long moment of silence afterwards. She doesn't realize she's holding her breath until he stops talking. She slowly exhales it and she thinks further on what was said. What he described now is...exactly how she feels about him. She turns to him and finds his stare is on the ground, as if something is on his mind.
"...I feel like love is the support you give someone," She starts softly. "Like you said, it's where you're thinking about them all the time...taking risks you wouldn't normally take. In the end, it's where you're hoping for the best of them and staying by their side no matter what. That's what I think love is."
"-Then it seems like you and I have very similar definitions." He comments coyly as her fingers dig into his palm. She trembles slightly, trying very hard to keep her composure.
"I-I want to know how you feel...about something..." She bites her lip. "-Do you think that Romeo and Juliet's titles mattered? That Romeo was a Montague and Juliet was a Capulet?"
"Of course not. I think the whole 'title' excuse is ridiculous. You can't control who you fall in love with. Where you stand or where your status is could really be less of a factor if you're truly in love."
"...So, you don't mind that I'm not a princess, or a queen, or...or someone like Juliet?"
His look changes and he quickly glances over to her. She stiffens at this, and feels stupid for ever asking. But then comes his smile again, as well as that soft titter of his. "-Is that what this is about, Sally? You don't think you deserve me because you're not royalty?"
She's quick to defend herself. "We-well, the Doctor used to say that you were most likely to fall in love with someone of a higher class...no one like me."
"Well, first of all, there's no one else around in royalty. So there's no chance I could have fallen for a princess or a queen." He leans down further until she can feel his breath on her hair. "You know it doesn't matter to me. I hope it doesn't to you?"
"No. Of course not." She breathes a sigh of relief, letting her shoulders relax. "I can't believe I let the Doctor's bias get to me...how I used to believe those things..."
Her eyes narrow as her thoughts drift. Jack really is too good for her. Here he is telling her about all his good morals and how humble he is. He seems like an angel sent from heaven itself. There is nothing bad about him she could find, for how long she has known him now. There is no flaw...nothing that draws her away from him. Every part about him only makes her fall further in love. But she wants him to know that...she wants to hear it fall off of her own tongue, and to hear it from him, too...
"Jack..." She starts. "I have something to confess..."
"What is it?"
As long as she has prepared herself for this, all the mental determination and words of encouragement she has given to herself, she still struggles to find the right words. "Th-the reason I bring all of this up is...is because...wi-with the Doctor-"
She takes a deep breath and steadies herself. It's now or never. This is the best chance she has to confess it to him - after their discussion about love, feelings, and what they have together...she has hidden it from him so long now, and she needs to uncover the truth. With a firm nod of the head, she turns to Jack and begins confessing, in a heartfelt manner that leaves her words spilling and her sentences ongoing:
"What you said about love, just now...how you can't stop thinking about that person, and how you take risks that are new to you...I-I realized I feel that way about you. I've done things I'm not so proud of just to see you, and I think a lot about you every night. You don't leave my mind no matter what I'm doing and you're the reason I leave that tower so often. You're why I always want to come outside and celebrate."
She has the courage to look him in the eye sockets, and finds that they're full of emotion. His face is undergoing many expressions, but she has no time to read them all. "-You've always been so supportive of me, and you've taught me a lot about...well, everything. You saved my life the first time you met me, and I owe you so much for all the things you've done for me. I wouldn't be as happy as I am now if it weren't for you."
He starts softly. "Sally..."
She can feel a tremendous blush growing on her cheeks, and her chest very well may be close to combusting. But she doesn't care - she likes the fiery feeling in her neck, and the hotness of her body. She says all of these things with truth and care, because they're all things she has been holding back until now. She continues spilling her emotions, finding no reason to stop:
"What I'm saying, Jack, is that...I care about you. So much. I-I think about you all the time. I always want to be with you. You've showed me that life is worth so much more than the Doctor has told me...that I truly belong here with everyone else. And I don't want to be with anyone but you." She stops to fiddle with her hands, and draws her gaze into his slowly. "I love you, Jack. I've loved you ever since you showed me this new world."
When she finishes, she shuts her eyes tight, preparing herself for what may come. She hears him take a sharp intake of breath, but then he lets it out slowly. When she opens her eyes, she finds he has a look of affection, and before she can say anything more, his hands find his way into hers, bringing them up to their chests. He sets his large palm over her hand, and from that warmth can she feel many other things.
"Oh, Sally...you're so different. So very different...you're the only one who has kept me up all night." She grows breathless as he says this. "-Never have I met someone like you. Someone who was interested in me FOR me. You're the only one who's ever looked to me as a person more than a King. More than anyone else ever has." He chuckles. "You very well may know more about me than this whole town does put together."
Their fingers entwine once more. She starts to shake. Shake as his touch travels from the top of her hand to her arm, slowly finding its way onto her shoulder. The world around her spins as his figure draws closer to hers, and she reacts to her instincts by inching closer to him. By the time she can see the details of his stitches, where she can feel the fine fabric of his suit and the wings of his bow tie brushing against her neck, he gently tells her:
"I love you, too."
His hand finds its way to the side of her face. His thin fingers prod along along the stitches on her cheek before finding their way to her jaw, where they cup the side of her face. And she melts in this contact, turning into complete jelly as she allows him to bring their faces closer. She purses her lips and shuts her eyes, but she doesn't need to do anymore than that. She feels his lips brush against her own, then deepen passionately as his other arm wraps around her figure to draw her against his chest, where she is left to hold the sides of his arms as to not break away.
She's finally kissing him.
It's as unadulterated as Sally has dreamed, and to say she's in a state of bliss is an understatement. She was right - this feels nothing like when he kissed her forehead. This is so much more. It feels as if her phantom heart has left her body and in its absence is the heat of pleasure. Every part of her body grows warm the longer she kisses Jack, and as her fingers trail over the back of his neck, he feels colder than her. She relaxes against him - letting her chest collapse onto his own and clinging her arms around him. She is unsure if she can feel anything at that moment, but Jack's lips pressing against her own very softly.
They both eventually break away after a few minutes, neither of them desperate for air. For as long as it lasted, Sally wishes she could have more - that the feeling would have prolonged, where her ruby lips would never had to have left his stitched ones. But in this period she stares at him dreamily, her arms still around his shoulders and her body resting against his. He returns a look similar to her own as his hand combs its way through her hair, the other that has been tightly wrapped around her body gently rubbing the side of her thigh.
This period of relaxing silence is cut off when Jack speaks. His voice sounds very calm, and more quiet than usual. She loves the sound - it makes her melt even further in his grip. "-That felt like something I've been waiting for my whole death."
She squeezes her legs together, reliving everything she felt in that moment. "Me, too."
The kiss adamantly took their breaths away, both physically and figuratively. They substitute this silence by resting themselves on each other. She lays her head on his chest and brings her legs around his figure, breathing in the scent of his cologne while the tingling still lingers on her lips. There are no words needed to be said in this period - the silence is comfortable, and feels perfectly at ease.
Their embrace continues as the night goes on, and at some point, he feels Sally go completely limp in his grip. He waits a moment before finding that she has fallen asleep in his arms. He combs the strands of hair from her face before gently lifting the two of them up, holding her carefully in his arms as she climbs down the hill. She doesn't stir in this time - she appears to be completely asleep. He uses this to his advantage on his way back to Finklestein's, where he can hopefully place her in her bed without any notice.
As he walks through the Outskirts, listening to the sounds of howling and the creatures skittering in the shadows, he observes the sleeping figure in his arms. She looks so peaceful with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes gently shut. He felt such close contact with her once before - in a similar situation, where she was asleep in his arms. Except the circumstances are different, now. She fell asleep like this. After everything they had confessed to each other...after their kiss, and their long embrace where they did nothing but hold each other.
He moves a finger slightly along her cheek. She shivers under his touch. He chuckles quietly and instead stares at her face. To observe the stitch lined along her right eye, the way her blood hair is brushing along her shoulders, and how tightly her small hands are clutching the lapels of his suit. Everything about her is beautiful. Now he was finally able to confess his undying love for this ragdoll that he's kept down for so much time. The urge to touch Sally, to look at her, to kiss her...the overwhelming desire to make them something more...he has that now. And right now, he has the woman he loves in his arms, innocently tucked away from reality...kept safely in his arms and away from the cold and the lingering creatures of the night.
"Look at how peaceful you are," He speaks to her, so quietly that it goes unheard to her unconscious ears. He sighs blissfully a moment after. "How beautiful..."
He arrives at Finklestein's tower, and attempts the front door. When it resists, he has to use his trusted skeleton key to open the door. And when it opens, he's quick to make his move. The door creaks as it closes only a second after Jack is already inside. He rushes up the ramps as quietly as possible. He ensures she doesn't stir in this time, holding her close and shielding her from the rush of the cold air as he approaches her room. He slips through the gap of the door easily with her in his arms, and looks around the silent room in search for her bed. He finds it in the same spot as last time, and leans down to open the blankets for her. When he slowly goes to remove her from him, he feels Sally resist. Her grip tightens around her neck and she emits a slight whine, her body insisting to stay wrapped around his.
"Don't go..." She whispers. His ribs ache at her tone. She sounds so afraid of him leaving.
"You'll see me again." He insists, applying a small amount of pressure to unclasp her hands. "I promise."
She flutters her eyes open for a moment. His chest contracts when he sees her black eyes, and he wishes they were still back at the Graveyard so he could have a moment's more of a kiss. He lays her in her bed, against her pillow, and tucks her in. This reminds him so much of what he did before. Except this time he doesn't want to leave as soon as the job is finished. He wants to be here all night, by her side, so she won't have to be alone. Before he even takes a step away from her bedside, her arm reaches out and grabs his hand.
"But what if...." He words fail to finish. With much effort, she finishes, "What if he won't...let me see you again...?"
He wants to laugh. "I know you, Sally. You'll find your way to me. You're more capable than he grants you for." He reaches forward to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now, you need to sleep. Can you do that for me?"
Her hand squeezes his own, though it is very gentle. He can tell she's weak from fatigue. "..Okay..."
He feels guilty as he slips his hand from hers. He hesitates a moment before leaning over pressing his lips on her forehead once more. His spine tickles slightly as he pulls away. As badly as his body demands for more; the selfish feeling prying at his bones to spend more time with her, he has to resist. As his eye sockets gloss over her figure, tucked in the blankets and settled comfortably on the bed, he runs his hand along the side of her face and whispers his final words to her for the night.
"Goodnight, Sally."
He doesn't hear a reply, but she doesn't need to say anything. She nuzzles the side of her face further into his hand instead. He feels the ends of her eyelashes brush against his phalanges as she finally closes her eyes, and he waits a few moments more before removing it. He takes this cue to finally leave, taking a few steps to reach the door and closing for the night. When he's alone, he cautiously peers about the tower and finds it's still empty. He climbs down the ramps with ease before leaving Finklestein's Tower for the night, locking the door behind him and starting his way back to his own home.
The next morning, Sally wakes up in pure bliss. She doesn't forget everything that has happened the night prior because it is all she dreamed about. Something she has wanted for a very long time, and thought about for as long as she could remember...it actually happened. She has vivid memories of everything exchanged last night, and the same events repeated in her dream. Her and Jack, alone together, holding each other, engaged in a passionate kiss...confessing their love for each other whenever they broke away, only to lock lips again when their yearning became too overbearing. It all felt so real, but this time she knows they are for certain.
The Doctor acts very disappointed when she finally shows her face that morning. He makes sure to guilt trip her every opportunity he has while she prepares their breakfast. But everything he says falls on deaf ears - she is too far gone in her own world, thinking about her first kiss, and her confession to Jack. She even goes as to hum while cooking the food, ignoring Finklestein's angry outbursts from above. When she's finally finished, she goes into the dining room to present their breakfast for the morning, setting down plates of rotten eggs, sausage, and glasses of juice to accompany it. Both the Doctor and Igor perk up as their servings are set down, and Sally happily skips over to her own chair as she joins them.
"Well..." Finklestein picks up some of it with his fork and sniffs carefully. "Someone seems to be in a good mood this morning..."
She says nothing, cutting her foot into pieces and swirling them around on her plate. Igor happily chows down his food while the Doctor squints his eyes at her suspiciously. She notices his look and sits up attentively in her seat, properly eating her food and clearing her throat. She can't let anything slip...if he knew of her and Jack - well, she was sure everything bad that COULD happen to her WOULD...
"Oh, um, yes, Doctor. I guess it is a horrible morning."
He takes a bite and chews. She tenses while he does this, but then he relaxes in his seat and nods in admiration. "This is good, my dear. A fine meal to wake up to. Nothing like what you prepared for me yesterday, where you poisoned my poor old body and left to who-knows-where..."
She sinks in her seat. He tsks at her lack of a reply and continues eating. She pokes at her eggs as she tries to uplift herself - pretending it's Jack telling her he loves her instead of the Doctor scolding her for leaving again. That itself brings a smile back to her face, and she finishes the rest on her plate with confidence. She stands to gather the rest of the dishes from Igor and Dr. Finklestein, and happily skips back into the kitchen, where she can be alone with her thoughts again as she washes them.
Dr. Finklestein watches all of this with observant eyes. He notices the new aura about her - from the way she's adding an extra skip in her step to the way she trotted to her seat. She is never usually this perky, and her mind seemed elsewhere when he spoke to her. This was the first time he's seen her finish her own cooking, or be so willing to eat with them at the table. He can already sense there is something different about her - as if she had done something after he was poisoned, or something happened to her...
"Hmmm." He muses to himself, rubbing a tiny gloved finger on his chin. "Something smells like rotten fish again, Igor..."
"-Igor get more food? Igor hungry for more good food!"
"Yes, yes, Igor...in time...we'll know in time..."