Author's Note: Whew, sorry for the delay folks. Sometimes, the world outside of cyberspace tends to cut up my writing time. Though, now that I'm back, let's cut to the chase- I am not Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, or Henry Selick. I do not work for the Disney Company, Touchstone Pictures, or Capcom. Hence, I really have no legal rights to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Just fan rights, which aren't real, but what is real on this site? (Re-edit comment: Hence, fanfiction.)
Billy was amazed. Vanessa walked right by the table of poker-playing Holiday Leaders without so much as giving them a second glance. When she stuck her head into the refrigerator, Billy tiptoed over to Jack to ask why this was so. However, the Pumpkin King shushed the mortal before he could speak. Billy didn't have to wait long before he could talk anyway.
"Finally," Tevel said as he won a pile of marbles. "There hope for the symposium yet."
"Jack, what's going on?" Billy whispered in a low tone.
"You're ruining my concentration?" Jack asked as the new hand was dealt to him.
"Not that. Vanessa passed right by all of you," Billy said as Vanessa looked deeper in the fridge.
"She can't sense us, remember?" Santa Claus asked Billy.
"That includes sight?" Billy asked.
"Obviously," Saint Patrick said before turning to Jack. "Are all the mortals that go to your world that slow-witted?"
"No. Just Billy," Jack said as he grinned slightly at his hand.
"I could still throw you out, you know," Billy said.
"Billy?" Vanessa asked as she looked to him from the fridge with a soda in hand. "Why would you throw me out?"
"What? Oh, I wasn't talking to you, Vanessa," Billy said, ignoring the sniggering from the Holiday Leaders. "I was talking to the roaches."
"They're in here?" Vanessa asked, nervously looking at the floor.
"Yeah. I get the feeling they like following me around," Billy said before clearing his throat. "Sweetheart, could you do me a favor and get the Raid can in the bathroom cabinet upstairs?"
"Sure," Vanessa said as she left the kitchen with her beverage.
"Roaches? That was the best you could come up with? Roaches?" Jack asked Billy while trying to keep a straight face.
"Those things are scary as hell. Especially the flying ones," Billy said defensively.
"Well, now that you're here, you can join in the game," Jacob said.
"No game for me tonight. I'm busy," Billy said.
"Doing what? Exterminating?" Cupid asked, causing the table to break out in laughter.
"I can cut this little game of yours short anytime you're ready to go," Billy said.
"I jest, Billy," Cupid said. "You need to lighten up," he added, the Easter Bunny nodding in agreement.
"And you all need to schedule these games better."
"We're doing alright for the first one," Tevel said as he put down his hand. "No major disasters have happened yet."
"Yet?" Billy asked as he looked right at Jack.
"Don't look at me. I've been on my best behavior," Jack said as he put his cards down proudly. "Flush."
"Full house," Jacob said when he put down his hand, Cupid and the Easter Bunny following suit in resignation.
"Sorry, Jacob, but I need some of those marbles back," Santa Claus said as he placed down a royal flush of spades.
"Amazing, simply amazing," Saint Patrick said in an irritated tone as he watched the fellow saint collect the marbles.
"Now entering round seven," Santa Claus said as he dealt the cards again. "Anyone missing all of their marbles yet?"
"I think you're all a little crazy," Billy said, not quite getting the pun.
"This coming from someone who never had them in the first place," Rabbi Tevel said.
"Funny," Billy said dryly as he got a closer look at one of Jack's marbles. "Thirteen?" he asked.
"Thirteenth of August," Jack said. "All the marbles stand for a day in the month. Whoever gets the most wins it for his own purposes."
"Weird," Billy said. "Why don't you guys play for money?"
"All we really need is already in our worlds," Saint Patrick said. "Having an extra month to influence the mortals is always a good deal to us though."
"I guess it makes sense then," Billy said before Vanessa's footsteps came closer to the door.
"Here's the Raid, Billy," she said, passing a red can of pesticide to him.
"Thanks. Go on back to the living room, I'll be right there."
"You show those roaches who's boss, Billy," Vanessa teased before she left the kitchen once more.
"I still think you could have come up with a better excuse to keep her out of the kitchen than roaches," Jack said to Billy, who sprayed him with Raid as an answer "Hey!"
"False advertisement," Billy said as he looked at the can.
"Why do you say that?" Jacob asked the mortal.
"It says it kills all pests," Billy said.
"You can't kill what's already dead," Jack said, grinning at Billy. "And if you spray me again, I'll make roaches swarm out of your popcorn bag."
"Fine. Keep the Raid," Billy said as he put the pesticide next to Jack's arm on the table and left the kitchen.
"Can you do that?" Jacob asked Jack.
"Do what?" Jack asked.
"Command roaches to swarm."
"As long as there's fear, I can make anything happen."
"But you won't," Santa Claus said.
"He was kind of asking for it," Cupid said offhandedly as he folded his cards.
"Not you too," Santa Claus said.
"Just making an observation," Cupid said.
"Is it that hard for you two to focus on the game?" Santa Claus asked to Jack and Cupid.
"Maybe we could all use a break," Tevel said.
"That is an idea I agree with," Saint Patrick said.
"Fine. But just rest, no tricks," Santa Claus said to Jack and Cupid. "Don't disturb the mortals and be back at this table in fifteen minutes."
And so they broke. Jack stepped outside of the house to get some air. That Billy. Ever since he realized Jack wasn't picking up his soul yet, he was fearing the Pumpkin King less and less. While Jack loved change, there was just something about a Billy that didn't fear him that bothered him. How could he focus on winning a whole new month for Halloween if that one little detail was in his mind? Jack sighed; he wasn't going to get three months of terror this way. Certainly not.
"Something wrong, Jack?" Cupid asked as he stepped next to the brooding Pumpkin King.
"Not really. Just trying to clear my thoughts," Jack sighed.
"How is the potion coming along?"
"Alright, I guess. I don't feel or look any different yet."
"You will," Cupid said before he looked around. "Good. Old Saint Nick is busy with something."
"Why is that good?" Jack asked.
"I can tell you have been distracted the whole game. That is an unfair disadvantage if you ask me. So, if you get a scare out of your system, perhaps you can focus on the poker."
"Maybe, but I'm not allowed to pull anything."
"What Santa does not know will not harm him. Besides, fear brings people together for reassuring and comfort. That will help me out too."
"Well, if we're helping each other out, we're not really pulling anything, are we?"
"Not to my knowledge," Cupid said mischievously.
"Well, Billy has been a bit overconfident. A good scare would set him straight," Jack said before looking at Cupid. "Why are you helping me?"
"Why not? I owe you for the whole situation in Thanksgiving Town. That and, well, the game is not fun when even one of us is distracted by something else."
"Thanks, Cupid. Could you keep this just between the two of us?"
"No need to worry about that. Mother had my lips sewn for three days after you and Sally left. I've learned my lesson."
"Ouch," Jack said before Santa Claus came looking for them. "We'd better go."
"To fear, love, and poker," Cupid said as the pair walked back into the house to resume the game, among other things.
Yay, Cupid's going to help make mischief. How on Earth are the Love God and Pumpkin King going to pull this off? Can Billy redeem himself before Jack tries to scare him like the good old days? How can poker go on through all this madness? That's for another chapter to answer, I'm afraid.