Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone! Let's start the new year off with a little bang, shall we? Alright. The Nightmare Before Christmas came from someone else's head, not mine. It's music was not composed by me nor did I sing in it, unfortunately. I did not market it or put it in theaters, but if I had the chance to, I would have. I'm not making it into a video game, that's someone else altogether. What I am doing is writing this and shamelessly plugging my other stories every once in a while. Thank you for sitting through this disclaimer and on with the show. (Wow, I wrote this around New Year's? Feels like forever.)

Daddy. Yes, that was a nice word. Jack could picture hearing it many times. He wondered how long it took for humans to learn how to talk before he came to his senses. No. This little boy was not his child, even if he had found him in the woods.

"Who would leave you there anyway?" Jack asked aloud to the baby as he finished changing him. "You're so small, and not scary. You're helpless out there. It's a good thing Zero and I found you. You're safe now," Jack said as the baby opened its eyes and let out a yawn. "Sally! Come over, he's awake!"

"Awake?" Sally's voice came from the staircase as she appeared once more. "Can he talk then?"

"Babies can't talk, Sally. Not what we talk anyway," Jack said as he picked up the infant and noticed its gray eyes for the first time. "Hey, his eyes look like rain clouds."

"He looks kind of frightened, Jack." Sally said as she inched closer.

"Hmmm, I better cheer him up then."

Jack then went on to stick his tongue out for the baby. That had the completely opposite effect. Instead of laughing, the child let out a piercing wail. It was worse than any banshee scream or ghostly moan. It was so bad, that Sally covered her ears and Jack winced at the sound.

"I don't think he found that funny," Sally said loudly.

"I really scared him. I didn't mean to," Jack answered. "Shhh, shhh, I'm sorry. Please calm down."

"Maybe he's hungry. What do babies eat?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know!"

"I've never been around one long enough to notice. We could give him candy."

"Are you sure?" Sally asked as the cries grew even louder.

"Never mind," Jack said as he looked into the child's mouth. "He doesn't have any teeth."

"I have some pumpkin juice downstairs. Do you think he'll drink that?"

"It's worth a shot."

Sally bolted back down the stairs and looked everywhere for that juice. She found some bottled up in a cabinet and quickly returned upstairs. Both she and Jack sat on the bed with the baby and tried to calm it enough to drink from the bottle. They found that if they tipped it slightly, the child could drink it easily.

"He likes it," Sally said.

"So he was hungry," Jack said as he kept both the infant and the bottle balanced. "Well, I'm still not going to stick my tongue out at him again."

"It's not your fault, Jack. It's your job to scare."

"I know. Listen, I'm going to sneak out into the Real World and find my contact. I doubt we can keep our sanity for much longer if we have no idea what to do with this baby."

"Come back soon."

"I will. Is there anywhere you can go for help, in case he gets to be too much to handle?"

"We'll be fine. Just hurry back."

"I won't take long. I promise."

Jack kissed Sally on the cheek before carefully handing her Little Jack and the bottle and leaving, but not before tapping his right leg twice. Zero came back to his side before the pair left Skellington Manor and reentered the woods. As the two made their way through trees, a man in Wolf Creek, Kentucky was calmly walking past the park with an acquaintance who took down notes.

"I'm glad you could talk to me outside today, Doc," he said. "Spring's always so warm around these parts."

"Yes, Rosie seems to have a penchant for the outdoors as well, Billy," the psychologist said.

"Everyone should. Especially when everything's going right in the world," Billy said as he fanned himself with his right hand. "Whew, sure is hot out here."

"Oh really?" Doctor Flaherty asked as he shivered in his light jacket. "At least one of us is warm then. It's also good to hear you've settled everything with Mr. Unlucky. I see you've made a complete turnaround since six months ago. Why is it that you've been out of touch?"

"I've been busy, Doc. I've been getting my life back together. I got a new job downtown and I got a raise there last month. I've been going out more and I think I might have found a steady girlfriend," Billy said before he sneezed. "Shoot, must be a lot of pollen out today."

"That's wonderful, Billy. Congratulations," said the psychologist before changing his tone. "Billy, I'd hate to be a wet blanket, but you seem to becoming down with a cold. Maybe you should go for a physical check-up."

"Nah, my body and mind are perfectly fine. I owe it all to you, Doctor Flaherty. If you hadn't listened to me that day, I would never have gotten the courage to talk to Mr. Unlucky."

"If you say so,William Colby. Now, if you ever feel down again, you just come by my office. It was nice speaking to you and let me know how things are from time to time."

"I will, Doc. I'll invite you to my wedding."

"Don't rush now, Billy. I'll see you around," Doctor Flaherty said happily as he walked back to his office.

"I'd hate to ruin a good moment, but I need your help," said a voice.

"Excuse me?" Billy asked before turning around.

Facing Billy was, of course, Mr. Unlucky. That skeleton always had a knack for showing up at the wrong time. However, even this was off. It was almost the end of April for crying out loud. Billy figured that this had to be a very late April Fool's joke, if anything.

"What are you doing here?" Billy asked before noticing the skeleton was not alone. "You brought the mutt?"

"Don't call him a mutt. Remember the last time you upset Zero?" Jack asked.

"I'd hate to tell you this, but Halloween isn't for another six months," Billy said before he sneezed again.

"I know, bless you, but that's not what I'm here for. Billy, do you know anything about babies?"

"Babies?" Billy asked before letting out a chuckle mixed with a cough. "Let me get this straight. You came all the way from Halloween Town to ask me about babies?"

"Yes, I want to know everything about babies."

"Why? Unless... holy crap! You have a lady at home who's expecting!"

"No, that's not-"

"Heck, I didn't know skeletons could have babies."

"Billy, you're not letting me talk again."

"Sorry. But damn, that's a miracle if not impossible."

"The baby isn't mine, Billy."

"Well, you're a sport for sticking with that hussy. Sorry for opening up old wounds, Jack."

"First of all, never call Sally a hussy again. Second of all, I found that baby in the woods, so it does not belong to either of us. I don't think so, anyway. Finally, will you please let me talk!" Jack exclaimed as Zero shook his head, dizzy from following the conversation.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

"I found a baby in the woods and brought it home. But I have no clue how to take care of it, neither does Sally. We want to look after it until we find it a mortal home here in your world, but we don't know how to go about taking care of it or looking for parents. That is why I need your help."

"Well, for one thing, you'll need plenty of diapers."

"Oh, we have cloth at home."

"Not that kind, the disposable kind."

"They make disposable diapers?"

"Jack, you have a lot to learn."

In less than one hour, Billy had told Jack all he could about babies. He told him about disposable diapers, formulas and baby food, clothing, toys, behavior, and all sorts of baby things. He even bought some items for the skeleton, although it was odd for a single man to go into all types of boutiques and baby stores and appear to be talking to himself at times and coughing and sneezing at other times.

"Alright, I have you set up with diapers, formula, bottles, bibs, clothes, pacifiers, and some rattles and toys. I even found an old Doctor Spock book for you in that last store. Now go out there and be the best dead papa you can be."

"I can't thank you enough, Billy."

"You can tell me more about Halloween Town."

"Better. I can show you."

"No thanks, I still kind of spook easy sometimes."

"Not today. You can stop by when we're arranging to find mortal parents for Little Jack."

"So that's his name."

"Well, until we find a home for him."

"Fine. You stop by, just not Friday night, I have a date."

"Right. See you soon, Billy."

Billy couldn't help but laugh as he waved goodbye. It was just so weird to see a formally dressed skeleton carrying bags full of baby items with a ghostly dog balancing a basket on its head. Had he seen a sight like this before he had come to terms with Mr. Unlucky, Billy would have been sure he was going insane or having a feverish delusion. Now, he knew it was just Jack Skellington making an offhanded visit.

Speaking of offhanded visits, Jacob Miller was just walking back into his home after his meeting with Kimi. He saw a stack of papers waiting on his table. Alas, he had forgotten to grade tests again. Perhaps the schoolchildren he taught wouldn't mind if they had their tests in late this once. They certainly didn't mind school was canceled for a time while he and the rest of the Council were taking care of the Valentine Incident.

"I'll grade them tomorrow," he said to himself before hearing a knock at the doorframe.

She looked rather bold to even be knocking at his door, this maiden. She dressed as modestly as everyone else in the colony: black dress, black shoes, black bonnet, and the occasional white apron. Still, she was different. For one thing, this maiden did not live up to her name.

"Well, it is about time, Mr. Miller. I have been waiting forever to see you."

"Come now, Patience. It hasn't been that long," he said as he walked over to the frame. "Since when do pious women vocally demand visits with unmarried men?"

"You will be married to me soon enough."

"Not too soon, I'm afraid. You're starting to rub off on me."

"You know you love me."

"Aye, I do."

Patience kissed him before remembering they could still be seen and then entered. She may have been bold, but not that bold. She took off her bonnet to let her blonde hair loose. Patience always hated wearing it in the spring, it made her so uncomfortable and since she and Jacob were marrying anyway, there was no harm in letting him see her without it.

"I hate them sometimes. Fanatical old codgers, the whole lot of them. Even the one I'm related to, nuts."

"Something wrong, Patience?"

"The Elders saw a strand, a strand,of my hair. They gave me the whole hellfire and brimstone speech in the square. They've been after me since we were betrothed after your return."

"Aye, they're set in their ways and try to make everyone else follow them."

"I'm glad you're not like them. You're educated, you educate others."

"Patience, something troubles me."

"What does? Please tell me. I can keep a secret."

"I spoke to one of the Natives today. A child from their village has gone missing."

"That's horrid!"

"I know. I want to tell the Council about this, but I fear it will get me into even more trouble with the Elders."

"You do what is right, Jacob."

"I hope they had nothing to do with this, I really do."

"You'll think of what to do, Love. I know you will." Patience said as she hugged him. "I had better go," Patience said before beginning to imitate an older man, "Chaste women don't spend time at the houses of unmarried men."

"I'll keep you posted."

Patience nodded as she put on her bonnet and left Jacob's house. Jacob watched her through his window before going back to his thoughts. The council had to know, there was no doubt of that. Still, he couldn't help but feel something gnawing at him. Alas, he decided to ignore it and grade those papers after all.

Uh-oh, something's brewing over Takoda's disappearance. Can it be that the Elders had something to do with it? If they did, why would they kidnap a baby? And how will Jack use the knowledge of babies he received from Billy? Those are all questions for other chapters to answer.