Author's Note: Update time! It seems that Jack is finally getting some sleep, but knowing how these stories of mine tend to go, it might not last too long. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wonderful film. If you haven't seen it, shame on you! Go pick up the dvd and watch and sing and stuff. It was crafted by Tim Burton with music by Danny Elfman. The people who put it in theaters are from Disney and Touchstone Pictures. There's word of a game from Capcom coming out in, respectively, October, so be on the lookout for that too. All that follows came from me! So it might not be as good, but I'll let all of you decide that.

As Cupid went on his misguided mission, Billy Colby had just climbed back down the spiral staircase. Jack was out cold, so it was no use saying goodbye to him now. Billy planned on just taking the child and leaving. That of course meant talking to Jack's girlfriend again. Boy, she scared the living daylights out of him back there. Is this is what people who loved Jack did to him? Billy hated to think what the skeleton's enemies ever had in store.

"Well, Sally, I better take the kid and get a move on," Billy said as his eyes nervously darted around the room.

"Are you sure?" Sally asked as she began to place Takoda in the carrier, "Would you like-"

"Hell no."

"I was going to offer you a jacket, but I suppose you don't want one. By the way, watch your language around the baby."

"Sorry. You're not going to force feed me anything for that, are you?"

"No. Am I supposed to?"

"Nope."

"Are all mortals so... fidgety like you?" Sally asked, curious to get into a mortal mind.

"Listen, I just saw you poison your boyfriend," Billy said in a slightly defensive tone.

"He's not poisoned, just sleeping. I thought you were beginning to trust me again."

"Sally, ma'am, if youhad my life, you'd constantly be on your toes too. Is he ready to go?"

"Yes. Don't forget your, um, costume."

"I get it. It's a bad costume. Whoop de doo," Billy said, sniffling as he threw the sheet on again.

"If you put some ketchup on it, you could be a bloody ghost," Sally said.

"Well, I didn't come here to get Halloween costume advice."

"You're right," Sally said as she passed him the carrier, "Are you sure he'll be ok with you?"

"I'm sure," Billy said, finally beginning to calm down.

"I'm sorry for the scare. I'm not used to scaring people at all," Sally said with a heavy sigh.

"You did pretty well for a newbie then."

"Thank you."

Billy would have said something else had he not heard the most piercing scream ever to come across his ears. At first, he thought it was the baby. However, it was more of a woman's scream than anything. Judging from the look on Sally's face, she seemed to know exactly what it was. She motioned for Billy to move to the couch with the carrier and stay there quietly while she answered the door.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, Sally!" exclaimed the Mayor with a wide grin. "Good evenin'!"

"Good evening to you too, Mayor."

"Is Jack home? I've come up with some more decorating ideas I'd like to show him."

"Jack isn't feeling well at the moment. I'm sorry, Mayor."

"Not feeling well?" the mayor asked, his head turning around as the thought registered in his mind.

"Holy crap! His head turned around!" Billy exclaimed before remembering he was supposed to be quiet.

"Am I interrupting something?" the Mayor asked as he peeked inside.

"That's Billy. He's a friend of Jack's. Billy was just leaving, weren't you, Billy?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Boooooooooo."

"I've never seen a ghost quite like that one before," the Mayor said in a tone of sincere pity.

"I'm a great ghost!"

"That's the spirit," the Mayor said as he turned his head around and winked at the 'ghost', "I see you're busy with your guest. I'll come back later. Have fun showing him around."

"I will, Mayor."

Billy didn't appreciate looking like a spook who needed first-level scaring lessons. If there was one thing he hated more than anything else, it was feeling like the odd man out. This was supposed to be the place where his soul would one day live. He couldn't just leave it now, especially when all the creatures came out to play at night. No, Billy couldn't fight the temptation. As soon as the Mayor was out of sight, he told Sally that he wanted her to show him around town.

"I can't do that, Billy. Jack would wake up all alone with a headache and wondering where we went."

"Come on! I want to see what my afterlife has in store for me."

"I don't know if that's allowed."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Billy asked."What? Is the Costume Police going to arrest me?"

"A lot can go on, Billy. Believe me," Sally warned.

"We can take the kid with us. You show me around for a bit and then I'll take him home. I promise."

"Well... alright. But we have to hurry. I don't know how long that Nightshade will last on Jack."

Billy smiled to himself with glee as he, Sally, and Takoda left Skellington Manor for a tour of Halloween Town. At least he was guaranteed an interesting evening. Back in Thanksgiving Town, two poor souls weren't having any fun at all.

"What kind of fool leaves his front door unlocked at night?" Patience asked in a huff as she plopped down in a corner of the cell.

"I didn't think they would follow me," Daniel said.

"You're still a fool."

"I will be a dead fool if we cannot come up with a way to get out of here."

"You and the Elders just couldn't share the land with the Natives, could you? It had to be all yours."

"Patience, you have no idea how many times I tried to get the Elders to compromise. They never listened to me."

"Then why did you listen to them and carry out their plans when they never listened to you?"

"You wouldn't understand," Daniel said in a near mumble.

"I think I understand perfectly, you weak excuse for a man," Patience said venemously.

"Domineering wench."

"Kidnapper."

Daniel couldn't come up with an insult to match Patience's last one, nor did he have to. Outside, there seemed to be another couple arguing as well. It was hushed at times, but both Daniel and Patience could make it out. Patience seemed to know at least one of the people, for she signaled the voices by sliding her hand between two bars in the window next to her and waving. Soon enough, Daniel and Patience had unofficial visitors.

"Patience? This isn't your house," said a female voice.

"Who is it?" Daniel asked.

"Kimi, and someone else I don't recognize."

"Oh, this is the spirit man. We've been wandering the forests for ages because he won't ask directions to get out of this world."

"I've never needed directions before and I don't need them now."

"Keep telling yourself that, Pallaton," Kimi said to the spirit man.

"Kimi, we don't need a spirit man anymore. Demons didn't kidnap the baby."

"What?" the Native woman exclaimed to the Pilgrim woman.

"Shh! Not so loud."

"Then who did?"

"Danny Boy here," Patience said, nodding to her cousin.

"Not just me. The Elders are behind everything, not the man from beyond the Pumpkin Door," Daniel said as he nudged Patience away from the window.

"I knew it! Does Jacob know yet?"

"No. Listen, you have to find him and tell him that the Elders are the kidnappers. If we leave from this place, the Elders will have us killed," Patience said, after pushing Daniel away from the window, of course.

"Understood. Pallaton, there's a change in the mission."

"I heard. Well where do we go now?" Pallaton asked.

"To Jacob's. Hang in there, Patience. And you," Kimi said as she glared to Daniel, "You sir are swine and the moment you are out of that cell, I will beat you to a pulp."

"Yes, Kimi."

"Let's go, Pallaton."

The spirit man gave an accepting nod before letting Kimi lead the way to Jacob's. Much to their surprise, their Pilgrim friend wasn't home. This meant only one thing- Jacob had already gone to fetch the innocent demon man.

"We're too late," Pallaton sighed defeatedly.

"No we're not. We have to get out of here," Kimi said.

"Where do you suppose we should go?"

"Pallaton, an innocent man's life, perhaps afterlife is at stake here."

"Kimi, I'm not going to do anything to him now that I know he's innocent."

"But Jacob's friends might. They are powerful men."

"If they were that powerful, they would not have needed me in the first place."

"Maybe so, but the longer we stay here, the worse an innocent man will suffer at their hands."

"You have a point, but you ask for the directions."

"Fine. Let's hurry, the night's growing older by the minute."

Kimi and Pallaton silently left the settlement in search of the Council of Celebrations. As the night wore on, they walked through endless forests before eventually finding a circle of trees with strange etchings. One of them had a large pumpkin; this had to be the door Daniel mentioned. Kimi and Pallaton held hands as they opened the door and jumped into the realm, spinning around and around among leaves and ghosts until the landed next toa scarecrow on a post with the a sign telling the pair where they were- Halloween Town.

It was a strange and marvelous place, this town. Kimi and Pallaton stayed mostly in the shadows, along with pretty much everything else. There were goblins, ghouls, and all sorts of creatures roaming around. However, one of them seemed a bit out of place.

"Look over there," Pallaton said to Kimi as he pointed to a couple walking with a large basket.

"What?" Kimi asked.

"Ever see a spirit with legs?"

"That one, I suppose."

"That is no spirit. Come on," Pallaton said as he dragged Kimi out of the shadows and ran up to the 'spirit', "Excuse me, sir."

"Hey, these look human," said the 'spirit' to his female companion.

"You're no demon," Pallaton said accusingly.

"Yes I am. I'm a ghost."

"How do you explain your legs?"

"Lighten up, buddy. No one else here has given me a hard time, ain't that right, Sally?" Billy asked before he realized something. "No way! Are these people the Costume Police?"

"Billy, it's time to go home," Sally said before turning to the man and his partner, "You are aren't from here, are you?"

"We're looking for someone," Kimi said, immediately noticing a look of dread sweep across Sally's face, "We mean no harm, honestly."

"In that case, I guess you'll be wanting this," Sally said as she passed the carrier to Kimi.

Billy and Sally watched the Native woman's face light up with joy when she saw what, well, who was in the carrier. Her companion gave a sigh of relief and smiled at the pair. The lady gently put the carrier down long enough to hug both Billy and Sally before taking Takoda out of it and holding him close to her.

"Oh, my little nephew, you have been a naughty boy scaring all of us like that."

"Nephew? You're not his parents?" Billy asked.

"His parents are waiting for him back at home. You've taken great care of him, thank you."

"Can Jack say goodbye to him? He's grown pretty close to your nephew."

"Jack, it's a simple name for your savior," Kimi said to Takoda before turning back to the pair of spooks, "What are your names?"

"I'm Sally. It was a pleasure looking after him."

"My name's Billy, I had nothing to do with this, ma'am. I was just taking the tour."

"I suppose we are touring as well. I am Takoda's aunt, Kimi. This is Pallaton, the spirit man."

"No need to fear me, no one's going to the Great Beyond any time soon," Pallaton said.

"That's a relief," Sally said.

"What's the Great Beyond?" Billy asked.

"Long story, Billy," Sally said.

"Everything's a long story with you people," Bill said before turning to face Skellington Manor, "Um, Sally. I think we have a situation."

Sally turned around to see a crowd forming around the house. As she got closer, Sally realized that Skellington Manor was a mess. The gates were left swinging open, windows were broken, and the door appeared to have been knocked down. Sally ran ahead of the group into the house to see what was going on. Everything from furniture to baby toys was strewn about. Someone had broken in. Only one other thought came to Sally's mind now.

"Jack!"

The rag doll ran up the spiral staircase to see if Jack was awake. To her shock, Jack wasn't even there. Their room was the messiest of all and the Pumpkin King was nowhere to be found. The only thing that was in order wasthe desk. By now, Sally had been joined by Billy and the traveling Native couple. Together, they walked to the desk, where Sally picked up a piece of paper, which was lying next to a white feather dipped in ink.

"Sally, by the time you read this, Jack will be in our custody. We know you have the baby. Bring him to Thanksgiving Town and we will not charge you with kidnapping. If you decide to resist, we will have you exorcized as well. You have twenty-four hours- CoC," Sally finished reading before bringing a hand to her mouth.

"What's C-O-C?" Billy asked.

"The Council of Celebrations," Kimi said, "They did this."

"You said no one was going to the Great Beyond!" Sally yelled at Pallaton.

"I'm the only one who can exorcize Jack, and I'm not going to. Don't worry," Pallaton said to Sally, trying to keep her from crying.

"Don't worry? They kidnapped him!" she yelled.

"Well, I'm going home," Billy said before Kimi grabbed his arm.

"We'll need all the help we can get, Billy."

"For what?"

"You and Sally are coming with us to face the Elders."

"What can I do? I'm a mortal for God's sake!" Billy yelled before he sneezed.

"You can back us up," Kimi said.

"Can I go home after that?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't you go home?" Pallaton asked.

"Alright then," Billy said.

"Come on, we only have twenty-four hours after all," Kimi said as she took Takoda in his carrier down the staircase, followed by Pallaton.

"He'll be fine. Your Nightshade probably did worse to him than anything those people could come up with," Billy said to Sally, who looked about ready to faint.

"I hope you're right, Billy. I really do," the rag doll said with one last look at the room before going downstairs with the mortal, ripping up the Council's note as she walked down the stairs.

Gasp! The Pumpkin King's been kidnapped! Hang on Jack, help's coming! Does Jack even realize he's being held hostage? How can he be proven innocent based on words alone? Is it possible that he can be sent to the Great Beyond without a spirit man? More to come. (Re-edit Comment: Poor Billy gets no love for his bad costume. At least it comes into use at one point.)