Author's Note: Sorry for the super-late update, but applications have been taking up the greater part of my writing skills. Anyway, I'll do a special double-update, which includes the end of this story. So here's to new chapters, endings, beginnings, and all the stuff that comes in between. Remember, I own pretty much nothing in this story. Nope, all the wonderful imaginative aspects of the original story and film belong to Mr. Burton, Mr. Elfman, Disney, Touchstone Pictures, and Capcom for the game.

"So all of this is over?" Santa Claus asked Venus as they, Jack, and Cupid trailed behind the rejoicing Halloween Townsfolk, "I need to be sure Oogie Boogie and that unpleasant woman from your world are gone for good."

"I will go down to the Underworld and make some special arrangements with Pluto and Persephone later. They know when to make exceptions to the rules of the living and Deities."

"I would hope so. The last thing any of us need is another attempted domination."

"Or to fall in love with reflections," Cupid added.

"You speak when you are spoken to," Venus snapped to Cupid.

"Mother, everything is fine now. I am your archer again, Valentine's Day is ours to keep, and Eris is permanently out of our divine hair."

"That reminds me, someone needs to inform that high and mighty saint of our victory. No offense," Venus said to Santa Claus.

"None taken."

"Fine with me," Cupid said, "Want to come, Jack?"

"No. I think I should keep to what I know," Jack said gloomily as he took off his black wings.

"Suit yourself, but cheer up. You have good reason to celebrate," Cupid said with a wink before flying away from the group to inform Saint Valentine of Eris' defeat.

"Jack, you look a bit deader than usual," Venus said.

"I caused all of this, all for a way to impress Sally. I can't believe how something with such good intentions can go wrong."

"I have heard mortals say that good intentions pave the road to Hell," Venus said, "It does not mean you have to stop having them though."

"You just need to know when they're too much," Santa Claus said.

"Too much? I can't be too helpful, can I?" Jack asked.

"Jack, we're never going to cover all of this on a way to what seems to be a very lively gathering," Santa Claus said. "Let me just say this- When I need your help, I will ask you for it. As will anyone else. Except for Venus."

"Excuse me! Why am I not included?"

"Because if you hadn't established Jack as your 'Archer of Love' to spite your son, much of this could have been prevented. You're going to have to earn the trust of the Council all over again."

"You monotheistic saints are all the same!" Venus huffed.

"Keep that attitude and you'll make things worse," Santa Claus said as he began to walk ahead of the goddess and the Pumpkin King.

"I guess we are two in the same boat. That one is a mortal saying too. Those mortals can be so witty when they do not try to be."

"Venus, can you tell me anything about Sally and me?" Jack asked.

"Doubting again? I swear that you do not seem to learn, Mr. Skellington."

"She asked me the question of why I went to her aid, and I answered it. I want to know if it's the right answer."

"What happened?"

"I said I didn't want anything to happen to her. That my afterlife would lose a good amount of meaning if she were to be removed from it."

"That is a very deep thought, Jack."

"I know, but is it love?"

"Do you think it's love?"

"What I think? Lady Venus, you know love, it's your spe-"

"Answer the question."

"Well, yes."

"Then it is love. The fact that she would risk any danger to herself to relieve you of any pain or trouble is also love. Jack, she loves you, and you definitely love her."

"So we'll live happily ever after?"

"Not necessarily."

"What?" Jack asked, looking even more confounded than he had been.

"Mortals, Undead, and Deities alike seem to get this wrong all the time. It would be nice if love lasted forever on its own, but that is not how it works. If it did, I would be out of a job."

"So we're doomed?"

"Jack, if you and Sally are going to be a couple in love, you need to work at it. Love is not always a grand spectacle like what you wanted to show. Nor does it always have to be unspoken and silent. The reason why love is so difficult for me to explain is because I cannot. Love is different for everyone. In your case, you need to be open with Sally and listen to her. She adores you too much to leave you now, but you make sure she is kept happy, or your love will slip away."

"You told me once you didn't understand love. You seem to get some of it. It's more than I ever will," Jack said, nodding his head at what Venus told him.

"There are things even those such as myself cannot understand completely. To know all of it would ruin its enchanting qualities. Would people be so interested in love if they knew every detail about it? I think not," Venus said before changing the subject, "Listen, you should go change into that suit of yours before you freeze even more to death. There will be a town of happy ghouls and spooks waiting to see you and I doubt you want to show up in an orange napkin."

"Yes, well... I'll be off then," Jack said, remembering just how exposed he was, "Follow the townspeople. They know where they're going."

"Try not to take too long," Venus said as she watched Jack make a break for his home.

With that, Venus rejoined Santa Claus and the Halloween Townsfolk in time to gather at Guillotine Square. Both saw the Council of Celebrations arrive from what seemed to be Doctor Finkelstein's laboratory in their usual fashion. As always, the pilgrim and the Easter Bunny were hiding and quivering out of fear. Saint Patrick and Rabbi Tevel seemed to have long tired of trying to coax them into being social. Instead, they were having a conversation with a clown on a unicycle and a man in a green coat and top hat. The two then found Sally, who looked a bit relieved to see how things had gone back to normal.

"Did things go well in your hiding spot while we fixed things up?" Venus asked Sally.

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel did break some things in their search for candy, but that was the worst that happened," Sally said.

"Where did that little furry companion of yours go?" Santa Claus asked Sally.

"Kitty? I don't know. She was here a few moments ago," Sally said as she looked around, "Poor thing, I haven't been able to help her after all."

"Help her with what?"

"Venus, I thought we had a few words about meddling."

"Oh hush, Mr. Claus," the goddess said to an offended Santa Claus, "So your Kitty needs help?"

"Well, she used to be just a regular cat. She came to me looking for a way to become normal after drinking some kind of potion. Kitty is very fearful of how her owners might react to seeing her as she is."

"Is that all? Darling, I have turned a statue into a woman and back again. I will have no problem with this."

"Venus, wait!" Santa Claus exclaimed.

It was too late. The Goddess of Love bolted away from Sally and Santa Claus in search of a black-furred cat girl. In the midst of spirits and ghouls, she found the creature she was looking for. Kitty was high upon a wall looking at all of the crowd with Zero accompanying her. She nearly ran off before Venus assured her she meant no harm.

"Now, now, curiosity would not kill you this time around."

"Why are you over here instead of with all the other holiday people?" Kitty asked, half expecting a loud, indignant answer.

"I have become aware of a certain predicament you are in. I know I can help you out of it, all you have to do is trust me."

"You won't hurt me or turn me into anything else, will you?"

"Kitty, must you be so frightened?" Venus asked with a giggle, "After all you have seen, it would be a bit odd for you to be scared of me."

"I guess so," Kitty said as she jumped down to the ground, Zero hovering by her side.

"Could you tell me to whom you belong?"

"Those two witches talking to the Mayor. The gray one is Brunie and the green one is Hilda."

"Are you ready to go home?"

"I sure am. See you around, Zero. Try not to pick on me so much when I'm a regular cat again," Kitty said to the spectral dog before Venus picked her up.

No one saw the transformation that took place except for Zero. Kitty became smaller and smaller in Venus' arms. Her face lost all humanoid qualities and became more animalistic. She became sleeker and more fidgety and the change ended. Instead of a girl, Venus now had a black cat in her arms purring contentedly. The goddess then took the time to stroll over to the witches and Mayor in a nonchalant act.

"Excuse me, but I found this lovely cat rubbing against my legs. Seeing as you are the Mayor of this town, I would like to know the right way to find its owner."

"Can it be?" asked Brunie as she got a closer look at the cat, "Kitty! About time you showed up."

"Are you sure its our Kitty?" Hilda asked, "She is usually so shy around strangers."

"Well, I believe I should return her to you," Venus said to the witches as she passed Kitty to Brunie.

"You have been slacking off on your duties. The house has become overrun with rats," the witch aid to the cat, which perked up at the word 'rats'.

"Thank you for finding her. She had been gone for days and days."

"I am not a frequent visitor here. I am glad to have made a good first impression."

"Not frequent?" asked the Mayor, "You must come to our Halloween celebration! It is always top notch, especially with our Pumpkin King."

"He always does such a wonderful job," Brunie said with a sigh.

"He makes everyone's flesh crawl. That's our Jack for you," Hilda said proudly.

"It is so nice to see you all take such pride in him."

"Well, it's what he deserves," the Mayor said with a wide smile on his face, "He scares anyone and anything better than anyone else in this town. We couldn't ask for a better Pumpkin King. Heck, we'd never even dream of it."

"How touching. Perhaps it is time I show that same gratitude towards my Archer," Venus said in a near whisper.

"There you are!" yelled Santa Claus, breaking Venus' thoughts, "You are so impulsive. It's no wonder you and Jack get along so well."

"Speak of the devil! He here comes now," the Mayor said as he looked towards the gates of Skellington Manor.

They opened to allow the Pumpkin King to stroll forward unto his subjects. His faithful dog Zero followed him as the gathering of Halloween Townsfolk and small array of other holiday figures looked upon him. Jack could feel the anticipation in the air. The townsfolk always loved for him to speak and start things off with a bang. This time was no different; Jack was certain of that the moment he stepped onto the edge of the fountain in the middle of the square.

"What can I say, really? It seems like only yesterday that the infamous Christmas preparation was taking place on these very streets. Up until a day or two ago, we were all busying ourselves with hearts and talk of love. Once again, I tried to liven things up, and once again, things went awry. Of course, none of us were planning for every bad seed in each Holiday Town to show up at the same time. That was out of our control, which brings me to my point. There are things in life and afterlife which we can and cannot control."

At this, the crowd fell into a collective murmur. The Pumpkin King was actually scaring them a little. This was good, since it meant he was definitely back to normal. Then again, it was a little eerie to think of having something control them.

"As much as I would like to help every holiday, I realize that their practices are out of my control. Every member of the Council of Celebrations is in charge of their respective holidays and nothing else. There might be a time when we can have a mix of everything, but that day has not come yet. That brings me here, speaking to all of you. You see, I've made the mistake of allowing Jack Skellington to influence the Pumpkin King."

"Excuse me?" asked the Mayor, vocalizing what everyone was most likely thinking.

"The Pumpkin King is a symbol, a name that brings the duty of bringing the terror and dark fun of Halloween to the Real World, nothing more or less. I, Jack Skellington, am the individual in the title. I'm allowed to have feelings and aspirations, the Pumpkin King is not. Twice I have allowed my personal ideas and feelings to corrupt the honor of being the Pumpkin King. I apologize for my unstable nature and wish to bring the honor back to the title Pumpkin King. I know I can control that. Thank you all for listening to me. Now, as the Pumpkin King, I would like to declare this day a victory for all Holiday Towns. Therefore, I think we have a lot of celebrating to do."

After spilling his thoughts to the crowd, Jack was rewarded with a warm applause. For once, his being honest had no ill effect. Then again, he hadn't taken on another persona. He also wasn't honest with everyone, but that was about to change.

"Excuse me," Jack said as he made his way through the crowd and headed towards Sally, "Sally? Are you busy?"

"No. Why are you asking?"

"I didn't finish my speech."

"Oh. Well, shouldn't you do that then?" Sally asked.

"This part wasn't meant for anyone else but you. Meet me at the top of Midnight Hill, I'll let you know everything."

This certainly sparked Sally's curiosity. She wanted to ask Jack more about this meeting, but when she looked, he was already gone. This meant one thing- she had no choice but to follow him.

Oh my, what does Jack have planned? Nothing insane, is it? Well, you'll all find out pretty soon :) (Re-edit Comment: Whoa, just when I thought re-editing this story would take forever, it becomes so short.)