((Updated and edited))

Just three reviews on my first chapter ='( Thank you to those who reviewed nn

Lil JL - Hah, don't worry, artistic criticism is great =)
I thought it would be suitable to begin this fan fic with a poem just like the movie was began with a poem.

Jack and Sally Forever - throws hands over head Woo! I'm on a favorite's list nn Thank you very much! (I agree with your screen-name by the way)

ellina HOPE - Yep... It's going somewhere nn Well, here's the update you were waiting for ;-)

Since there weren't many Reviews (probably due to my lack of summary writing skills ;; OR just my lack of writing skills in general. OR perhaps it's my people skills… I'm gonna stop now.) I was able to reply to you who did. Thank you 3 for taking time to reply, it lets me know that someone out there is enjoying the fruits of my labor nn

Well on with the story, time to cause some mayhem in Halloween Town =D



October 28th

Jack shut the door of his house behind him, shielding his eyes from the rising sun. Walking down the steps, he made his way through the gate and out into the main square where everyone was gathering once more.

It was a cool day, winds from the northern lands blew gently, rustling the thin branches of the scattered, crooked trees. As he drew near, the jubilant music could be heard more clearly, a smile pulled on the corners of his bony mouth, everything was going so smoothly and precise. It was quite a relief from past Halloween's preparation panic.

The Mayor looked up from his parchments and grinned widely as the lanky skeleton approached. "Mornin' Jack!" He exclaimed receiving a wave from his tall friend. "Good morning Mayor, I trust you slept well."

"Jack!" The familiar voice of the Harlequin demon was heard as he hurried through the crowd with Mr. Hyde and the Vampires following, the music ceased and people's attention were drawn to the group. Something seemed to have them in distress, Jack looked to his friends and blinked once inquisitively, "What's wrong?" He asks referring to their perplexed expressions. Mr. Hyde stepped forward looking to his king, "The Wolf man, he has gone."

"Gone? Where to?" Jack inquired questionably.

"No one seems to know." The tall, thin Vampire responded with a shrug.

"No one has seen him since last afternoon." The demon stated.

Whispers erupted through the crowd, Jack's eye socket rose in a manner as if he were raising an eyebrow, "He's got to be somewhere, have you looked in his den?" The stout vampire nodded, "As well as the cemetery, pumpkin patch, town hall, everywhere he might have gone." "Including the bone field!" Added the mid sized blood sucker.

"What about the forest?" Jack asks, there was a silence for a moment. Then the demon finally spoke up, "No… I admit we haven't. But, he wouldn't enter the forest."

"Ah!." Jack exclaims, "He must be there. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, my friends. He most likely went for a walk, and perhaps lost track of time." He emphasized his conclusion with graceful hand movements.

Then the Mayor added in, "Or lost himself."

Giving a glance to the Mayor, Jack continued, "If he hasn't returned by high noon, I'll send a group out to find him."

There was a moment of hesitation before the perplexed team agreed and turned to go to work.

Sally was standing behind the wall that led to the main square when she over heard the conversation. "…Missing…?" She muttered quietly to herself contemplating the situation in her mind, she felt a dreadful ambience set in all around. Something in the rag doll's patchwork heart told her the wolf man was not simply "lost in the forest."

Turning her back to the gathering place, her hands clasped each other tightly in her lap, "Something's not right…" She whispered to herself as she began to walk.


High noon had came and went, and the shadows cast on the ground were becoming tall and lean like the Pumpkin King himself. Commotion from the town's meeting place could be heard from nearly everywhere in Halloween and though she tried, she couldn't escape the sounds. The happiness all around irritated Sally, how could they all be so happy when she was so frightened? This feeling she had bothered her to no end.

At the sound of children's bickering, Sally's eyes rose from the ground to see none other then Lock, Shock, and Barrel just leaving the Zombie's home locked in a verbal death match as always. Lock and Shock were dragging a large bag behind them, it appeared to be similar to trash, but bigger then the trio put together. Sally's eyes blinked once in uncertainty, what were Boogie's Boys doing taking the trash out of the Zombie's home?

The three noticed her not long after she had noticed them, and their little bodies seem to tense immediately at the sight of the doll. "What're you looking at Rag Doll?" Lock spat with an attitude of a teenager in puberty. (A/N: No insult intended, I'm a teenager in puberty!) Sally hesitated a moment, remaining silent, "…What were you doing in that house…?" She finally asked with her timid voice, she was well aware of the fact that, though small, the three were still dangerous.

"What does it look like?" Shock barked.

"I don't know. What are you doing?" Sally asked again, gaining courage.

The three paused and looked at her with vacant, beady eyes. Why did they have to stop and think about her question?

"It's none of your business." Lock stated finally breaking the uncomfortable silence, he crossed his arms and turned his head away in agitation.

"We were just helping them clean." Barrel chirped up in his unusual, jittery way. Shock and Lock looked at him, their faces where hidden from Sally due to their masks.

"Yeah, just 'cause we used to work for Oogie Boogie doesn't mean you need to be so suspicious like with us!" Shock cries in obviously false hurt.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry…"

"You should be sorry." Lock scoffed as the other two begin to walk away dragging the bag, then turned and follows them himself.

We were just helping them clean.

But Sally had seen the Zombies in the town square.


Jack sat in his study overlooking the final plans for his holiday with nothing but a few torches on the walls lighting the room. Looking up from his work he gazed out the window across from his desk and let out a stress filled sigh, he had yet to hear back from the search party he had sent to find the wolf man, maybe his deduction was wrong after all..

His trail of thought was interrupted by the sound of his screaming doorbell. "Coming." He called, pushing back from the table, he stood and walked down the spiral stair case to the front door and turned the knob.

Sally stood there in the door way, an anxious look worn on her face as she bit her bottom lip nervously. "Jack…Have you heard anything about the wolf man?" He shook his head in response, "Sally, what is the matter?" Just seeing her like this made him hurt inside his rib cage.

She seemed oblivious to his question, "Something's not right Jack, I can feel it." She took a step inside looking to the ground a clasping her hands just below her chin. Sally had learned after last year's Christmas "incident" to trust her intuition when it came to these kind of feelings. "The wolf man is missing without a trace, and I saw Lock, Shock, and Barrel leaving the zombie's house earlier, they were up to something I'm sure of it."

Jack placed his hands on Sally's shoulders reassuringly and turned her around to face him, "Sally, don't jump to conclusions so quickly." He smiled, "You worry to much, there's nothing to be concerned about. Lock, Shock, and Barrel are always up to something, rarely does it have an effect on the rest of us though."

Sally's eyes averted themselves to the ground once again, "I hope you're right Jack…"

"Sally, get some sleep, in the morning I'm sure everything will be back to normal." He said pulling her into a comforting embrace which she excepted gently. He had become aware of Sally's powerful intuition himself, and though he wouldn't dare tell her so, as he spoke those last words he was not only trying to convince her, but himself as well.