A New Nightmare
Disclaimer: Never owned them, never will, nuph said.
Author's Note: Digging into the depths of my computer I found this old fic, and thought "why not?" and so posted it once again. It's an old one-shot, post TNBC, but hey, enjoy. :)
That night, like many before it, reached its end as the sun's grinning; amber face began to emerge over the spiny hill tops of Halloween Town. But this sunrise, while as normal and rhythmic as the town ever got in its strange ways, was different.
One could have said it was the fresh snow that blanketed the once stark ground; or the resident monsters ignoring the rooster's shrill call and sleeping in that was peculiar, but they would've been wrong. Or at least, they would've been wrong in Jack Skellington's eyes.
For he, the Pumpkin King of Halloween, the Master of Fright, and the Demon of Night, found the morning's dawn different because of one thing, "Sally". Grinning at the sound of her name, he bent his neck to look upon said rag doll, who, was sleeping peacefully in his arms.
Suddenly remembering the night past, both with chagrin and jubilation, he continued to watch Sally's sleeping form as if for reassurance that he wasn't dreaming. That they'd actually shared a passionate kiss on the same hill they'd fallen asleep upon wrapped in each other's embrace. But with this revelation of remembrance came too the horrifying experience of the Christmas Take-Over Fiasco, and how his foolish longings had nearly cost him everything he'd held dear, even it he hadn't known at the time what he held dear in the first place.
Watching his beloved rag doll sleep only confirmed what he very well could've lost, but instead found, and how he wanted to spend the rest of eternity showing her how precious she was to him. 'Could any creature be more beautiful, more perfect?' He pondered. Not for him, his conscience confirmed blissfully. And while he would've been content just to stay locked in each others' arms forever, his wishful thinking was quickly dashed as the soft sounds of Sally stirring came to his attention.
At first, all she did was groan softly, making warm emotion once again flood his hollow bones even more than the night before. But slowly, she became aware of her surroundings and adjusted her sleep lined eyes to the bright sun now encompassing them and the curled hill.
"Jack?" she asked softly, as if not trusting what her still drowsy eyes were telling her was the love of her life lying beside her.
"Yes, I'm here," he assured her, raising a bony hand to caress her stitched face as if to only confirm his words.
"Oh Jack," she whispered, tightening her embrace around his chest so that it made him wonder that if he were still alive he'd hear ribs begin to break underneath her arms.
"I was so scared, so scared that I'd wake up and you'd still be gone," she continued, "that everything that happened last night between us was all a dream."
"Well, as you can see I am not gone, nor am I planning to leave for some time either," Jack again assured her, the small laugh that bubbled up from her chest making him deliriously happy and relieved that he'd banished her nightmarish thoughts.
"Thank you," she whispered, moving her head so it again rested on his chest and inhaled his scent, noticing for the first time that his familiar odor smelled curiously like candy corn and caramel apples, both smells just as comforting and reassuring as his arms were around her waist.
"Sally?" he asked, watching as her head looked up again to his face expectantly.
His confidence boosted by her caring look filled with love, he found the courage to finally ask the question that had been on his mind all night, "Sally, would you do me the greatest honor I could ever ask for by becoming my queen?"
Her eyes filling with shock and surprise, Jack mentally kicked himself for being too forward, and tried to make up for his supposed mistake.
"Sally, I'm sorry, if you're not ready for such a step I can wait, I would wait a millennium if you need me to, I would…"
His fast words abruptly cut off by her small hand, Sally waited for his full attention before starting.
"Jack, you don't have to be sorry for anything, you just surprised me is all. And I would love to become your queen, that is, if you still want me to?" Sally finished; now waiting for his reaction, which came instantly.
An ear-to-ear grin spreading across his face, Jack wasted no time in telling Sally his answer to her question. In one swift movement his lips again were on hers, the vague memory of how unexpectedly soft they were on his refreshed instantly as the kiss began to deepen.
Pulling back before he became totally lost in the raw emotion and love he felt for her, and completely void of self-control, he smiled at the rag doll. Putting a hand into one of the pockets of his black pinstripe jacket he produced a small box seconds later, its contents shown immediately after that to Sally; who moments later found her breath stuck inside her throat along with her heart.
For inside, was a ring, the oval cut stones in its placement shining brightly in the morning sun. The band was gold, one stone in the middle a brilliant ruby and the other two surrounding it being black pearls of remarkable shine and value, such information being what Sally understood about such things outside Halloween Town.
"Then I suppose you'll be needing this if you're to become my queen," Jack said with delight, taking the precious ring from the black velvet box and placing it on Sally's small ring finger, which to her surprise fit perfectly.
"Oh Jack, it's beautiful, but where did you get it on such short notice?" Sally asked; admiring the priceless gift he'd given her as it glittered on her finger.
"It was my mother's, when she died she gave it to me, and wrote in her will that if ever I should find a love of my own one day and find the need to ask her hand in marriage that I give it to her to confirm the engagement. I've always kept it in my pocket ever since her passing so I could keep my promise to her when I found "the one". I never took my mother's words lightly, she was always the person I would turn to in my times of need as a youngster and a request from her was like a request from God. So in promise with her I give this ring to you, my love," he finished his story, noticing for the first time that tears had begun to threaten Sally's large eyes.
"What's wrong? Sally? What is it?" Jack asked worriedly, concern covering his face at the onset of her crying.
"Nothing's wrong Jack, it's just that you've quite possibly made me the happiest person alive, that's all," Sally laughed through her tears, suddenly and swiftly pouncing onto her surprised new fiancé. Her actions, however, unexpectedly made them both start to roll down the larger side of the hill in the snow, leaving the one snow-free spot where they'd slept and into a bank of snow at the bottom.
Both unable to control their laughter, it rose from the very hearts of the love-struck pair; making all of Halloween Town wake and wonder where it came from. And for those that knew, and for those that were about to find out, Halloween was never going to be the same for a long time to come.