Chapter 17: A longing that I've never known

Lock hurried back to the mausoleum, slamming the door shut behind him. He rushed down the stairs. Shock gave him a look of confusion as she watched him run.

"What's going on with you, now?"

Lock slumped against the far wall, staring at the stone floor.

"We're in trouble..." The devil muttered, with a hint of fear in his voice. Barrel looked over.

"Why?"

"Just keep calm okay guys? No matter what I'm about to tell you..." Shock and Barrel listened in disbelief as Lock retold his meeting with Alistar, unable to say anything.

"Well?"

"We're not in trouble...We're DEAD." Shock corrected him.

"I can't believe Oogie has a son!" Barrel exclaimed. Lock and Shock both looked at him.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"You idiot!" Lock got up and grabbed Barrel by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off the ground.

"Oogie is blackmailing to reveal our secret to Meg, unless I turn her over to him, and all you care about is that has a son?! What about Meg?! She's our friend! She's-"

"LOCK! Stop it!" Shock pulled Barrel from his grip. Lock took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"Sorry, Barrel...Alistar just has me..."

"Angry. We understand. Lock we may be new to the whole 'being-good' thing, but we have to save Meg. You know what Oogie will do to her...If her knowing our secret will keep her away from them, then we have no choice." Shock said sadly. Lock looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Are you kidding me?! She'll hate us! She'll never speak to us again..." Lock was rewarded with a hard whack from Shock's broom stick.

"OW!"

"Stop being selfish! Besides you don't know that! She's kind...Maybe she'll understand and forgive us. And even if she doesn't, at least she'll be safe."

Lock bit his lip, thinking about her words. He knew she was right...He just didn't know if he could let her go. He denied it at first, but he knew all along, deep down inside, that he had in fact fallen in love with the Pumpkin Princess of Halloween. He didn't care she was a Skellington. He didn't think he could live without her. But he also couldn't bear anything happening to her.

"Alright, fine...I'll tell her the truth...Tomorrow night."

...

Meg was seated at her mirror in her room, brushing out her long pumpkin-orange hair. A knock at her door caught her attention.

"Come in!"

Sally stepped into the room and stood by her daughter. "Hello pumpkin...Did you have a nice time?"

The young skeleton smiled up at her mother.

"Yes, mama I did. Mama, can I ask you something?"

"Of course Honey. Ask away."

"Say there's this...guy that you hang out with. You really really really like him, but he's an...outcast. No one else likes him or his siblings. What should you do?" Meg asked. She fidgetted with her brush. Sally smiled and took the brush in one hand, holding the girl's hair in her other. Meg relaxed as the ragdoll began brushing her hair.

"Well I would follow my heart and tell him how I feel. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks of him. What matters is what you think of him..." Sally smiled warmly, gently running the brush through Meg's hair. Meg smiled.

"How did you and papa fall in love?"

The woman was momentarily caught off guard by the question.

"How did we fall in love? Well...I suppose it happened on my first day...Your grandpa had just created me and I was eager to get out of the lab. I snuck out while he was taking a nap. I explored the town square on Halloween night. That was when I saw . He came dancing about in his pumpkin king costume, waving his long bony arms this way and that. He had ...charisma. I couldn't help fall in love with him. Then he shed his costume and he looked straight at me. After the celebration we introduced ourselves. He didn't know our feelings went deeper than friendship yet. But that one Christmas Eve changed that. He returned my feelings on Spiral Hill...I will never forget that night." Sally finished brushing Meg's hair.

"Does that help?" Meg nodded.

"Yes mama, it does. Thanks. I better get some sleep." The skeleton hugged her mother goodnight before getting ready for bed.

"Goodnight, Pumpkin. Sweet scary dreams."