"Feed them? I'm sure I could more than that for you Jack! I
can certainly help out in many ways! Why, I could- ", the
Harlequin demon was cut off mid-sentence by a wave of Jack's
hand.
"I appreciate the thought, my friend. However in the
interest of keeping everything as smooth as possible in our
absence, I am giving everyone a little job. That makes it easy
to remember, and insures that everything gets done! You see?"
The demon nodded. It was disappointing not to be given the
chance to impress the king with his superior management of
multiple tasks. Jack patted his shoulder. "Thank you so much
for helping out! I'll get back to you with everything you'll
need to know." Then he was off. He strode across the
cobblestones with a spring in his steps. It was the spring he
always had as a skeleton on a mission.

The afternoon stretched on. Harlequin demon had the
feedings, except if they woke up during the night. The Fishgal was
right that they should sleep in their familiar little room in the
Skellington mansion, so she would stay there with them. If they
needed anything during the night it was her responsibility.
There were assignments for giving them their bath, for putting
them down for naps, for changing, for playing with them... Mrs.
Corpse was given the sole duty of comforting Nicky and keeping a
watchful eye on his emerging tooth. Satisfied with all the
progress he was making, Jack paused by the fountain to review his
notes.
"You haven't given us anything to do! Haven't even asked
us Jack!", Shock whined. She and her cohorts approached and
climbed onto the wall near where the King stood. Jack didn't say
anything for a moment. Then he scratched his skull.
"You kids are just a little too young to baby-sit. Maybe
next time Sally and I take a trip you can help out." The trio
frowned in unison. Anything that would give them the opportunity
to hang out in the Skellington mansion unsupervised would be most
welcome. Lock tried again.
"C'mon Jack! There's gotta be something you need us to
do. Something at the house." Shock elbowed him in the side.
Jack appeared not to notice. He gave a small shrug.
"Well... The only other thing that could possibly be
needed would be someone to launder diapers. We have enough
spare that it's really not necessary, especially since we'll only
be gone a couple days, but if you are really in need of a
task, it would be helpful. The trio looked horrified. Even
getting to spend time in the mansion wasn't worth that!
"Oh you know what Jack, I think maybe you're right that's
just a little too much responsibility for three little kids like
us!", Shock said. Lock and Barrel nodded emphatically. Jack
shrugged again.
"Ok, suit yourselves." The trio slunk away wondering if
Jack had intended the conversation to go that way. Jack smiled
to himself. Lock, Shock and Barrel were improving, they were
certainly better than they had been at one time, but they were in
no way ready to care for his precious little bone babies. He
smiled again at the very thought of his sons. They had been
amazing to him since he first laid his gaze upon them. He looked
up from his notepad. Sally was moving across the square to him,
pushing the pram. She grinned and made a face at him when their
eyes met. Jack returned the grin and stuck out his forked
tongue. She stopped the pram by his side and leaned against his
shoulder.
"How is it going your majesty? Are you securing guardians
for our little demons?" Jack passed the notebook to his wife.
He leaned down into the pram and nuzzled the twins. Little Jack
laughed and wriggled while his brother let out a low howl.
"Aw...poor little Nicholas. His tooth must be really
bothering him.", Jack said. Sally nodded.
"He's been very uncomfortable. I feel so helpless not being able to do more for
him. Clove oil helps a small bit, but still..." Her eyes
returned to the pad in her hand. "You've gotten alot of jobs
assigned... That's good. We just have to make sure everyone
knows exactly what to do." Jack took the pad back and stroked
her cheek.
"Not a worry darling, not a worry. Not for you anyway. I
told you I'll take care of everything!" Jack moved behind Sally
and massaged her rag doll shoulders. She closed her eyes and
leaned back into him. Jack laughed softly, she was so cute.
He wondered if perhaps there was any chance of spiriting her back
to the house for a while. It was then that he noticed the small,
uncertain group of townsfolk lingering a slight distance away.
They nervously glanced from the royal couple to the pram
and back. The Mayor cleared his throat. He stepped forward to
the King.
"Ah, Jack? Well, some of the townsfolk are wondering when
they should begin training for their, ah, their tasks...with the
princes." Sally slipped slowly out of Jack's arms and stood
beside him. Jack cleared his throat.
"Well, there is no time like the present I suppose.", he
said.

A short while later the queen of Halloween reclined outside the town
under a twisting, leafless tree. Prince Nicholas lay bundled in her arms, nursing
peacefully. He was silent and distracted from his pain for the
moment. The Fishgal approached and took a seat beside the tree,
folding her tail gracefully beneath her. She regarded the
contented infant.
"Jack took the Mayor to your house to demonstrate care for
the young princes did he not?", she asked. Sally nodded and
stifled a yawn.
"Mm-hm.", she answered.
"Well how can he demonstrate their care effectively when he
left one here?", Fishgal queried. Sally smiled.
"I suppose he only needs one to demonstrate. I don't think
he'll be getting to that immediately. There's enough to learn
just to know where everything is...who's doing what...what gets
done when... He's starting with the Mayor since he'll be
managing things in our absence."
"I don't know how you two do it.", sighed Fishgal. "Such
complication for such tiny creatures, who would imagine?"
"I'll bet she would.", Sally said nodding in the direction
of a disheveled looking rat followed by half a dozen offspring.
The rat sensed her family being observed and she hurried them
along into a deep crevice. Fishgal laughed.
"I dare say she would, though it looked like she's coping
well. Are you going to have six next time too?"
Sally squeezed Nicky closer to her.
"No thank you. Two keeps me so busy I barely have time to
maintain my stitching." With that she passed the now sleepy
bundle of royal futurity to the Fishgal and took a small sewing
bag from her pocket. "You don't mind do you?", she said. It
should only take me a moment. I just haven't gotten to it in a
few days." Fishgal shook her head "no". She liked holding the
prince, he was so cute....so quiet....

Meanwhile, the Mayor was becoming acquainted with the layout of
the Skellington mansion. It was overwhelmingly huge, a
labyrinthine affair of corridors, moving bookcases, hidden doors
and room upon room of antiquities. The Mayor had been in Jack's
house on occasion before of course, but never beyond the kitchen
and parlor room. Jack had always been rather private about his
home. He rarely if ever invited anyone within.
"I must say, this is quite an abode Jack. I hope I can
remember where everything is.", the Mayor said. He
nervously retained his jovial demeanor. Jack seemed cavalier
about the whole thing. He continued up the large main staircase
with Jack jr. in his arms and the Mayor following behind. He
spoke to the Mayor as they climbed upward.
"Well, we will only be gone a couple days after
all. It's hardly necessary to remember everything. Just the kitchen,
parlor, nursery and bathroom. I wanted to give you the grand
tour once just in case. I can't see where as you'd really
need it, but you know. Well, I guess it's more to say, you
'never' know. They can move pretty fast my little monsters.
Little Jack is just trying to stand, Nicky isn't yet, but when
they creep along the floor they can really get quite a move on!
It's amazing how fast they can get away from you." Jack
frowned for a moment, pondering what he had just said to the
Mayor. He continued. "I just want those who are watching them
to have a simple understanding of how the rooms are laid out, so
if they do scramble away from u...not that that should happen,
truly I don't expect that it should...but if it did, you would,
you understand, be able to locate them more easily." Jack
frowned again, his ivory brow creased. The Mayor had switched to
pallor after hearing "...they move pretty fast...". Jack cleared
his throat and smiled again.
"There's no need for concern, really! Just making
sure everything is covered, you understand." He turned from the
Mayor. They reached the top of the staircase. Before them,
bedroom doors branched off at random odd angles. Between the
pair and the bedrooms was a twisty patterned little black gate
affixed to either side of the wall. About waist high to an
average human-type person, it blocked the top of the stairs from
the second floor halls. Jack stepped over it effortlessly. He turned and unhooked the gate from one side, pushing
it out of the way against the wall. Smiling once more, the Mayor
passed through.
"Interesting little barrier there Jack! It's quite nice.
I've always been partial to old wrought iron, it lends such a
nice sort of a graveyard quality to a place." Jack nodded and
closed the gate behind them.
"I'd had it in my possession for awhile, just one of those
things you hang onto. Never had much of a need for it until
the princes were born. It has to be shut if anyone's up here
with them. They like to creep around as I said before.
They can't handle steps yet though of course. It would be
disastrous for them to take a spill down such an immense
staircase. It would be nothing in the world to a skeleton man
like myself, but they are so tiny. Their little bones are still so
very very soft..." His voice trailed off as if he were imagining
the danger he just described. He looked at his son. Little
Jack's eye sockets took up a massive amount of his skull, which
was still only about the size of an blood orange. He grinned at
his father and at the Mayor. Jack handed the child to the Mayor
and the man recieved him with no small amount of discomfort.
Both of the twins had been held at one time or another by many of
the admiring townsfolk, but the Mayor had avoided this entirely
until now. The child was unbelievably light in his arms. It had
been hard to assess before just how fragile the little ones were.
The idea of it scared the man as much as any fright dreamed up by
his townsfolk. He quickly passed little Jack back to his father.
Jack kissed his son's skull and murmured some rather nonsensical
sounding sounds. The prince giggled and squealed. Jack made a
terrifying face, his teeth changing into sharp shards and his
usual friendly full moon skull becoming a site that would crumble
the most hardened human soul. The baby was delighted. He
attempted an approximation of his father's scowl. Jack laughed
and kissed him again. It was only then that the Mayor began to
truly comprehend Jack's complete surrender to fatherhood...as
well as how the King might possibly react should something,
anything, befall his offspring.