The morning sun crept into Halloween Town the first day of February. As soon as the skeleton rooster crowed, Jack opened his eye sockets and yawned. Then he cuddled even closer to Sally, who was still asleep and intertwined in his arms. Unfortunately, the morning peacefulness was interrupted by, who else, the Mayor.
"Jack! Jaaack! You up?" the Mayor's voice rang from below.
"Can't elected officials do anything by themselves?" Jack groaned in frustration as he tried to get up. However, Sally still had a firm grip on him, despite the fact she was asleep.
"Hello?" the Mayor asked through his megaphone.
"In a minute," Jack said silently as he carefully unwrapped Sally's arms from him and walked over to the window.
"Good Morning, Jack. Just thought I'd tell you that Doctor Finkelstein has the things you asked for ready. He wants you to stop by the laboratory later to pick them up."
"Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'll go in a little while."
"How terrible this day will be," the Mayor said to himself before he cheerfully left though the gate.
"Yes. Terrible. Goodbye, Mr. Mayor," Jack said, not in the mood to correct him.
"Jack? What time is it?" Sally asked as she stretched and sat up.
"Some time in the morning. How did you sleep?" Jack asked as he sat next to Sally.
"Let's just say I wish night lasted longer."
"Me too."
"Mayor bothering you again?"
"When isn't he? Actually, I have to leave for more business of his."
"So early?" Sally asked as she put her hand on his bony shoulder.
"Yes, annoying isn't it?" Jack asked as he grasped her hand.
"Very. Try to come home early if you can."
"I will. Hey, why don't you plant that flower in the back? I have some space there. You can start a garden."
"Really? The Doctor took away all the flowers I had. He said they distracted me from housekeeping."
"That's why you're living with me now, Babydoll," Jack said before he kissed Sally's cheek and walked off to the staircase.
"Babydoll?" Sally asked as she looked down the stairs.
"It's a pet name."
"Well, what do I call you then?"
"I don't know. Just not 'bone daddy'. The musicians have that one," Jack's voice said before he walked to another part of the house.
"Bone daddy," Sally giggled to herself as she picked up her flower and admired its lively beauty.
Meanwhile, as each half of the couple prepared for the day, Kitty was just waking up. The little cat girl stretched and rubbed her eyes before hearing a door shut. She carefully peeked out from beneath the steps to see Jack leaving through the gate.
"Now's my chance," Kitty said to herself as she climbed the steps and tried to open the door, only to see it was locked. "Darn!" she exclaimed to herself. However, Kitty's dilemma was solved when she heard humming, familiar humming. "Sally." Kitty said as she followed the noise up to a wall.
With grace and precision, Kitty jumped onto the wall and crawled to where the stitched, blue-skinnedwoman was planting something. When she got close enough, Kitty leapt from the wall and landed right next to Sally. When Sally turned around, she backed away from this small stranger.
"Hello?" Sally asked.
"Hi, Sally!" Kitty said.
"Who are you?"
"You don't remember?"
"Little girl, are you lost?"
"I'm not lost. I just need help."
"Maybe I can find your parents."
"No... um... wait, how did it go?"
"How did what go?"
"I... I... I sense there's something in the wind. Right?"
Right after Kitty said those words, Sally dropped her flower. Those words belonged to a song she had sung during Jack's mishap as Santa Claus. The memory came back to her. She walked the streets, only with the musicians and a black cat to accompany her. Wait... a black cat?
"You can't be. You're... you're a child."
"You're the only person who can help me. You know flowers and plants and potions and stuff as good as the witches."
"Why don't you go back to the witches?"
"I can't go back looking like this. They'll know I drank a potion and they'll hit me over the head with a broom again," the girl said with a flinch.
"They hit you with a broom?" Sally asked.
"Only when I knock over potions or eat newts and stuff. When I'm bad, ya know?" she asked as she played with the tip of her tail mischievously, "Which is a lot of the time."
"I guess that's why you were out on the street that night, huh?"
"I go out every night. I hate being a pet. Always having to rid the house of mice and be careful not to break anything or else WHAM! The broom gets me over the head. But I don't like being like this either," the little cat girl said, green eyes tearing up.
"Don't cry...um..."
"Everyone I know calls me Kitty."
"Kitty, I'll help you. I don't know how, but I will."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Kitty said as she hugged the rag doll, purring in a content way.
"You're welcome. But in the meantime, why don't you look for flowers and plants. I'll need those to brew a potion."
"Ok. Bye, Sally." Kitty said as she jumped on the wall again and ran off.
Further along the wall Kitty ran on was the entrance to the laboratory. It was earlier that Jack left to meet the doctor. Now, he was sitting on a cold, metal table in one of the experimental rooms while the doctor rolled up to him, carrying a pair of large, black-feathered wings.
"My finest invention yet, look at that wingspan," he said proudly.
"It's quite impressive," Jack said in awe.
"Yes, almost as impressive as your lies."
"Pardon?"
"I am a man of science, Jack, not an imbecile. I hear the townspeople gossip about you and Sally. Frankly, I think you are making a horrible mistake."
"Mistake? What do you mean by that?"
"There you go again with your lies and delusions. You know exactly what I mean. My boy, I lived once. We both did. From what I know of my life, I settled down into a simple existence until my very death was brought upon by a rebel of a woman. Then, fate had me create another one. That wretched excuse for a rag doll is rebellious and grows tired of the same things. She will not do housework and the moment she wants to do something she isn't permitted to do, she'll poison you with Deadly Nightshade. You'll never see it coming, believe me, I know. Jack, find yourself a good girl and leave Sally to me so that I can fix her. Perhaps it isn't too late to call her a failed experiment. I swear, she was better soulless."
By now, Jack had enough of Doctor Finkelstein's ranting. No one in his or her right mind would disgrace Sally in front of Jack unless they were looking for trouble. Oogie Boogie learned that the hard way, and it seemed Doctor Finkelstein would as well.
"Doctor, you sir are a quack. I'll take my wings as my last favor from you. Sally does not deserve that kind of treatment whether or not she is present. Goodbye, Doctor Finkelstein, may God help you out of your insanity," Jack said grimly as he got up and left the room, rushing past Mrs. Finkelstein.
"Finky, what happened? Jack looked upset."
"Youth confuses me, Jewel," Doctor Finkelstein said as he picked as what was left of his brain. "No matter, Jack will learn soon enough what Sally really is, a defective creation that should've been fixed a long time ago. Nothing more, nothing less."
Whew! Talk about burns, I'm still feeling the heat from this part, are you guys? Well, readers, looks like we have a while until the next part? Anyone still want a cookie? I have loads. (Re-edit Comment: The name Babydoll isn't mine. I've seen it used in Misa1's stories and Cryptic Ragdoll's tales. I love that little name and I give credit where it is due. Thank Misa1 and Cryptic Ragdoll for that one.)