Thank you to Rachel420, TheKatanaMistress, gothic girl, SomeGuyFromTheBar, mrspencil, Wolf Lover 06, WeWantTheRedhead, and Bumbletwin for their kind reviews. Also, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this through the unnaturally long hiatus. School was threatening to turn me into stew and I needed to work out some plot minutiae before I could publish the next few chapters.

"You really made it out of Oogie Boogie's in one piece?" Polly exclaimed that night. He was sitting at Jack's desk while Jack lay down in his bed with his broken leg propped up by the fabric Sally was planning on using for curtains. By his head was an empty bowl of slug soup.

Jack grinned wryly. "Well, I wouldn't say 'in one piece,'" he pointed out.

"But you made it out! What did you do? How…?"

"Sally drugged me," he replied. He stared at the ceiling. "Apparently, the only thing Oogie Boogie loves more than stew is the tortured screams of his victims." He grit his teeth and continued. "He couldn't wake me up so instead he broke my bones. He'd planned to leave me in the middle of Town Square as a warning, but Sally got there first."

Polly shuddered. "Blood and bones! Well, that doll has more sense than I gave her credit for," he commented, staring thoughtfully at the wall. He shook his head and sat back in the chair. "Bone brain, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"That's exactly my point," Jack urged. He turned his skull towards Polly. "You can't breathe a word of this to anyone. Let them make up their own stories. I don't care. Just don't tell anyone what really happened."

"Why?" he said, sitting up. "Seems to me you came out the hero…"

"Polly, I'm serious," Jack growled. "Not. A. Word."

"Alright! Alright! Keep your tails on," the clown replied, throwing up his hands. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Including when you're brewed?"

For a moment, something flickered behind Polly's eyes. His hands slowly fell to his sides. "Don't worry, numbskull," he replied. "Your secret isn't going to get out." He got up from the desk chair and wobbled over to his unicycle. "I gotta get going," he said as he opened the door and hopped onto the unicycle. "Hope you feel better soon."

Jack narrowed his eyes at the clown. He could just barely see his hands shaking. His expression softened. "Polly, it's not that bad," he assured him.

"I'm not worried about you!" Polly snapped, turning abruptly on his unicycle. He took a deep breath. "I'll tell Abby you liked the slug soup," he growled. With that, he slammed the door behind him.

Jack stared at the door for a few seconds before he closed his eyes and adjusted his head on his pillow. When he heard the door creak open, he let out a small sigh through his nose. "Polly, you don't have to apologize," he said, his eyes still closed. "If I couldn't handle your sourness, I'd have stopped being your friend years ago."

"Uhh… Mr. Skellington?" a soft voice said.

Jack quickly opened his sockets. Tet was standing in the doorway. "Tet!" he exclaimed. "Come in. Close the door behind you if you please."

Tet nodded and closed the door softly behind him, looking nervous.

Jack looked at him curiously. "Ghosts?" he whispered, looking up at the ceiling and straining to hear.

"Pagliacci," Tet replied with a shudder. "I didn't think he came over to your house."

"Well, normally he doesn't," Jack commented, blinking at the young ghoul.

"Good," Tet murmured.

Jack furrowed his brow over his sockets. "Tet, do you have a problem with Polly?" When the mummy didn't respond, he added, "He isn't a mean ghoul."

"Maybe he isn't mean to you," Tet stressed. "But every time I've seen him he's been badgering Abigail about something. And brewed out his mind. Although recently, he's been extra crabby. Probably because…"

Jack stopped him with a scowl. "Did you have something you wanted to tell me?" he asked archly.

Tet blinked at the skeleton then turned a bit whiter under his bandages. "Yes. Sorry. Ghouls are still talking about your 'accident' obviously."

"Obviously," Jack echoed sourly, letting his skull rest against the headboard. According to Tet, his performance as the Scarecrow and his subsequent punishment were the talk of the town. Those who hadn't seen him since Halloween began circulating the rumor that he'd actually been ground up into bone meal – an idea which was quickly refuted by Polly and Abigail.

"Stoker hasn't been looking for you so I think you're safe on that front. I guess he figures you're too injured to do much of anything."

"Which would be correct," Jack interrupted.

"Sally told me to make sure you're keeping off your leg. Don't worry. I won't tell her about going down to the Witches' House."

"How did you…? Never mind," Jack said, waving away his own question. Over the past week, he'd come to realize that Tet saw just about everything that happened in Halloween Town. Since Jack wasn't supposed to leave the house, Tet had gotten the idea to give him daily reports on what was happening in Halloween Town – reports that bordered into unnerving detail on occasion. "You can tell her if you want to though," he continued. "She'll just call me a bonehead and tell me not to do it again."

Tet's eye crinkled in what Jack had learned was a smile. "True enough." He straightened up. "I guess that concludes today's report. You would have learned what's happening at the Witches' House yourself."

Jack nodded. "Thank you, Tet."

Tet nodded in return and turned to face the door. He paused for a moment. "Mr. Skellington?"

Jack sighed his frustration. He'd been trying to get the mummy to call him "Jack," but it seemed as if Tet was set on sticking to formalities. "Yes, Tet?"

"The things I tell you… You aren't telling Pagliacci about them, are you?"

Jack grimaced at him. "I haven't, but I don't see…"

"Because he gets brewed!" he exclaimed, whipping around to face the skeleton. "Brewed ghouls talk more and with less care than ten non-brewed ghouls!"

Jack narrowed his sockets at Tet. "I've already talked to him about keeping the details of my… accident to himself," he growled. "And I trust Polly not to say anything that might harm another ghoul. I've known him a lot longer than you have."

"Maybe too long," he replied. "You don't realize how much of a liability he is."

"Tet!" Jack snapped, throwing off his covers and swinging his legs out of bed. "If you're going to stand there and insult my friends, I suggest you leave. Now."

Tet gulped. "Alright," he murmured, shuffling towards the door. He looked down at the floor, his hand on the doorknob. "Just… Be careful. Please."

Jack flinched as he maneuvered his splint back into bed. "Don't worry, Tet. I trust Polly completely."

Jack thought he heard a little, frustrated sigh before the door clicked back into place.

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