CHAPTER 19

Running Away

Gracie led her man through the double doors into the dark, clear night. Her pace was quick as she directed her Skellington toward the street with him having no idea of her intention, but they slowed down as they left the light of the torches that were stationed on both sides of the doors. Now, they were cloaked by the dark of night; the chances of anyone finding them out here were not likely.

Just as they had walked off the last step of the city hall patio, Gracie heard loud movement. It sounded startled, yet rushed, like multiple beings were scampering away. Gracie abruptly stopped, then shot her head in the direction of the movement, but realized that she was looking to the left of city hall; where a shadow overcast it and stretched at least 10 feet. What ever it was that was hiding there had no reason to leave, because the shadow covered everything it touched like a black, weightless blanket.

Gracie was so absorbed in what the movement in the dark might have been, that she didn't notice someone tugging on her dress sleeve, "Gracie, are you alright?" the voice asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes Jack," she replied. Her voice was distant and she was still focused on the shadow, "But did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think something's hiding in the shadow beside city hall. I think…I think it's still there…watching us…"

"Come now, Gracie. It was just a cat…or…" he sneered and started to talking in a teasing tone, "perhaps it was that low-life, Oogieous Bogie, snooping around where his fat ass isn't invited-."

Threatening growling came loud and clear from the giant shadow. Gracie had a feeling that whatever it was didn't like what Jack was saying.

"Don't even joke about that monster, Jack! That's like saying the Devil himself is waiting around the corner! Let's go someplace else."

"Don't be afraid, Gracie. I'll protect you-."

"I mean it, Jack!" Gracie snapped back. Both were surprised by her sudden outburst.

Gracie took a deep breath to calm herself, "Look," she said more gently, "I'm sorry, but can we please go some where else? I…" She turned for a moment's glance back at the shadow. Then lowered her voice to a whisper, "I have a bad feeling about what's back there. Can we please leave?"

From beside Gracie, she felt her man's two loving hands gently grab her shoulders, and lead her away down the street. The two walked down the road for a good ten minutes before Gracie just randomly stopped. Gracie had one lingering question on her mind, and she decided to have it answered, "Jack, are you okay? You're acting…um…differently tonight."

"Is that bad?"

"No! No. Heaven's sakes, no! In fact, I like it." She slowly placed her hand into his, then slipped their fingers together, "I love you Jack," she said in a sexy, half whisper.

"I…I…" he was hesitant.

"Jack?" Gracie's voice was still quiet.

"I…I…"

If only she knew…

"I…I love you too…"

"Promise me we'll be together forever."

"Promise?"

"Yes, promise me."

There was an instant flash back in the man's mind.

Jack and Tim were whispering on stage, just before Gracie took him to the dance floor.

"Now listen," Jack whispered to Tim, "remember that favor you owe me?"

"I don't owe you anything. You're the one in debt with favors!"

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down! Well, I'll add this one to my tab. I really need your help!"

"What do you need now?"

"I need you to break up with Gracie for me."

"What! I thought you were mad when you wanted to end you relationship with Gracie, but having me reject her for you is completely insane! And totally out of the question! My fearless brother, what has come over you?"

"I just can't stand to see her brokenhearted. I mean, I still love Gracie, but I'm not in love with her. Do you understand?"

"Well, do you understand I won't do it?"

"Come on! This just might be your only chance to interact with Gracie. If I leave her, cold and heartlessly, she'll never want to see me again, or anything that even looks like me. You, on the other hand, will let her go gently. I know you would, my sensitive, kind brother, who has such a way with words."

"What makes you think that I care about her?"

"I never said that you did," Jack whispered with a smirk.

Tim's blood began rushing to his cheeks. Jack started speaking with more confidence in his whisper and with a devious tone in his voice, "I know you love her. Everybody does. Probably even Gracie herself. But if you ever want to have the chance to have just one intimate moment with my girl, you better take your chance now. Because if I dump her, I'll find a way to make it so that she hates you far more than me," Jack gave Tim a few seconds to soak in his words, "Speak of the devil, here she comes now. She's making her way up the steps," Tim's heart was beating so loud that Jack could faintly hear it, "Go get her, heartbreaker."

Gracie was no less then three feet away now. Tim panicked and pushed Jack away. Gracie smiled at Tim, and held out to him a delicate hand, "Shall we dance?"

"Jack? Jack?" back in reality, Gracie softly spoke the name of his brother.

Tim's spaced out gaze replied with surprised eyes, then he shook his head a little to wake up, "What? Oh, sorry. Gracie…um…uh…

"Please Jack; promise me that we'll be together forever!"

Gracie placed her hands on both sides of Tim's face, slowly pulled him in towards her, and kissed him.

The moment he felt her lush, plump lips touch his, Tim felt an overwhelming happiness surged through his tall body. He was getting the one thing that was always on his mind since he first saw Gracie. Well, maybe not the one thing.

Their kiss ended with a soft smack. Gracie's face was bright and grinning, but her sweet expression turned perplexed when she saw a small tear run down Tim's cheek and over his quivering lip.

"I can't," Tim confessed.

"What?" Gracie was taken back, "But…but…you love me-," Tim's face perked up. He placed a silencing finger on her red lips.

Tim had instantly perceived what he thought to be an ingenious plan. It was actually an impulse one and pretty stupid, but like they say, stupid people do stupid things for love.

"We can't be together here."

"Huh? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we run away together, just you and me; right here, right now. Isn't that romantic?"

This Gracie shocked, "More like crazy! What about your friends and family? Do you want them to worry?"

"You're my only friend. My only true friend. My parents are dead. My uncle favors my brother over me. And Jack doesn't care about either of us!"

"Wait a minute. What do you mean Ja-?"

"Gracie, we can't stay in Sleepy Hallow. My brother is forbidding us to ever be together."

"This-this is so sudden! What-what about my family? What about our-our-our-future? What about-?"

Tim grabbed Gracie by the shoulders and rushed in on her lips. He gave her a kiss harder than the last one, but so surprisingly good, her eyes popped open. She gradually felt more calmed, and her eyes slowly closed. Gracie didn't want this moment to ever end.

With a lot of mental convincing, Tim gently grabbed the sides of Gracie's head, and slowly pulled away from her sweet flavor, but he kept her face close to his, to the point their noses touched. He whispered with big eyes and a new, enchanting charm in his voice; a magic that seduced her heart with the power of his love, "Please, Gracie. This is the only way we'll ever be together. I don't want to lose you."

The look in Gracie's glazed. Her transfixed eyes told that she was lost in her emotions. She didn't think another moment about their consequences of leaving or staying. Her eyes told Tim, "Yes, lets run away."

But her lips said, "Where would we go?"

"That's good enough for me, love!" Over ecstatic with joy, Tim kissed her quick, grabbed her hand, and began leading her down the long, dirt off-road. The road traced the edge of town, and then stopped at the cemetery gates. From there, Tim and Gracie went through the gate, past the hedge stones, through the newly planted pumpkins for the season's occasion, around the out-of-place hill that just seemed to be really steep, pointed up, and had no reason for being there; they followed the short trail that led to the forbidden woods, then finally they where to go where no man has gone before; they would venture into the forbidden woods. The trip there was not a silent one. The entire time, Tim and Gracie were collaborating plans for the future.

"You know," Tim replied good-naturedly, "answering all these questions really takes the mystery and fun out of spontaneously running away."

"I know, silly, but we should at least know where we're going."

"Okay, you win. Do you know how the six local villages, including our own, started their own…uhhh…what were they called again?"

"Holidays?"

"Yes, holidays! Do you recall?"

"Of course, it was only five years ago that the mayor decreed our holiday be Halloween, October 31st, the date of your birthday. A day to dress like monsters, scare people, give sweets, play tricks, and-you know the rest. It was your idea, Jack. No one took to it very well at first, except for those scary Ragsdale kids. But you eventually swooned everyone's vote. You have a way of persuading people. What does this have to do with our destination?"

"We're going to Vonderleen, the only town that created and celebrates the holiday, Christmas. We'll drink their eggnog! Touch their snow! Build their snowmen! Play with their toys! And do everything else we've only heard word of! We'll live happily ever after in the town of Vonderleen!"

Tim stopped leading Gracie at the edge of the forbidden woods. He turned to face her and spoke with a wide grin, "I'll even get you that mistletoe I promised."

Gracie smiled back and spoke seductively, "Does that mistletoe come with a kiss?"

The woods that Tim and Gracie stood before contained thousands of skinny trees. Despite their size, a man could get lost for days in these toothpick woods. At the heart of the woods were six trees in a circle; each indicating the direction of a particular town, and each with their own holiday symbol craved into the tree. Who the loser was that had enough free time to go out and do this to the trees was still a mystery.

"Here," Tim gently grabbed Gracie by the forearms and positioned her back to the almost eclipsed moon. Gracie thought the anxious look on his face, and the nervous twitches of his hands were kind of cute. However, she did not suspect what he had in store. The sight of the moon behind Gracie was fascinating; only a sliver of the moon's silver glow was visible now, but Tim was to much too distracted on what he was about to do to focus on that. He wouldn't even have noticed if the world was ending.

You can do this. Tim thought to himself. You've thought about this for a long time.

Tim took one of Gracie's delicate hands in both of his, and then bent down on one knee. Gracie's amusement turned to a positive shock that words couldn't describe when she realized what was coming.

"Gracie, you may need a moment to think this over, but I was ready for this since I first laid eyes on you," Gracie's shock slowly softened into a great deal of happiness. Her stunned expression growing softer with it, "I may seem like a different man than who you knew, but that's a change for the better. If you say yes, I will give all my heart has to give, and all I have to offer. If you say no, then I will still love you more than any other man ever will. And I don't have a ring with me, but…" Tim released Gracie's hand to fiddle with the golden pinky ring he wore on his left hand. It was a ring with the Skellington family crest on it, a skull. Once he unscrewed it from his slender finger, he slide it onto Gracie's finger, which was the same size as his, "this will do for now. When we get to Vonderleen, I'll buy you the most beautiful ring money can buy."

"It is beautiful," Gracie's words were quiet and distant, but her face was radiant and her eyes glistened as she marveled at her new treasure.

"Gracie Maria Sarandon…will you marry me?"

Tim had a lot of doubt in his heart. How could anyone ever love him? No one ever has before. Why would anyone now? Who would want to spend the rest of their life with him? Who would ever-?

"Yes."

"What?" Tim said surprised.

"Yes," Gracie became excited, "I will marry you!"

Tim stood up. Her enthusiasm became mutual.

"You will? Oh, my god. You will! Oh, yes! Yes! Yes! YES!" Tim grabbed up Gracie in his arms and playfully spun around with her, "Oh, I love you Gracie Sarandon."

Gracie's giggles were uncontrollable, and incredibly adorable, "And I love you, Jack Skellington."

Tim stopped. He did not see this coming. He had forgotten all about his alias as Jack. About how much in love Gracie was with his brother, and not with him. Tim felt his arms begin to go limp, and Gracie sliding down his stomach back to the ground. His hearing had gone away; along with what he thought was his sanity. He watched the lips on Gracie's concerned face mouth out the words, 'Jack, what's wrong?' but he herd nothing. Tim felt like it was all over; his whole world had come to an end.

But when the ground suddenly shook, and everything around them started transforming into twisted, weird angles, Tim held Gracie close. Timothy thought that this really was, the end of the world.