I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to write this chapter- midterms and the workload afterwards have been murder. I should be writing another DBE and a research paper now, but I need a brain-break.

Disclaimer: Just the kids are of my own invention. Everyone knows that the rest of the characters are Tim Burton's.

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Chapter Five

Paul was torn in two. He had always been raised to believe that Oogie's Children were evil, but here was Shock, begging him to trust her. Of course, it could just be part of her plot to kill him, but he didn't think that an actress would let herself look so bedraggled and wasted away. And there was something in Shock's eyes. Something that told him he could trust her.

"Alright," he said, giving Shock a hug. If she was going to kill him, it would be on her conscience.

Shock almost cheered aloud as his arms enfolded her, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you, so much," she whispered.

They stood there for a few moments, lit only by the dim crescent moon, embracing. And then they heard the sound of cemetery gate opening. Together, they tried to hide behind a tombstone shaped like a tortured horse from a chess game, but as they peered around the tombstone, something tapped Paul's shoulder.

He jumped, startled, and whirled around. There was no one in sight. "Paul?" a small voice asked from somewhere near Paul's knees. He looked down, and to his surprise, he saw Mary.

"Why, hello there, little miss," said Shock, kneeling down to shake the little skeleton girl's hand. "What's your name?"

Charmed, Mary looked down at her feet bashfully. "I'm Mary Skellington, ma'am," she said. "Paul's my big brother. Are you his wife?"

Shock laughed. "No, I'm not. My name is Shock." As Shock had expected, Mary's eyes filled with fear.

"You're Oogie's kid, right?" Mary asked, slowly backing away, into Paul's legs.

Shock nodded, and looked up at Paul pleadingly. He bent down and scooped Mary off the ground into his arms, holding her at an angle that forced her to look up at him. "Shock's good, Mary. Just pretend that she's just like Janey."

Mary's face screwed itself into one of her comical expressions of puzzlement. "But Janey's not that nice."

Both Shock and Paul laughed. "Pretend that I'm nicer than Janey," Shock suggested, taking Mary from Paul's arms.

Her eyes scanned Shock's face, and then Mary grinned. "You're a lot nicer than Janey." And then to the surprise of both Paul and Shock, Mary promptly fell asleep.

"Where'd she come from?" Paul asked, suddenly worried. "Everyone was asleep when I left the house."

Shock looked towards the town. "It looks like they still are. Perhaps she had a bad dream," she speculated, but Paul shook his head.

"Mary can sleep through anything, and she's never had a bad dream. I have a bad feeling about this," he said, taking Mary from Shock. As he shifted her into his arms, she popped her bony thumb into her mouth and sucked on it contentedly, and without a word, Paul led the way out of the cemetery. "I have to take her home," he said apologetically. "Do you want to come too?"

Shock nodded, understanding Paul's predicament. "Sure."

They walked to Paul's house in silence, and when they reached the gate, Paul sharply inhaled. The front door was open, and as he opened the gate, he realized that there was a light on in the kitchen. As Shock followed him into the house, two figures watched them from the kitchen.

"It's a bit late to be out, isn't it Paul?" the taller one asked. The light was dim, and Paul couldn't even tell where the speaker was, but as the front door slammed shut, the lights grew brighter. The speaker stepped out into the light, and Paul bit back a scream as he backed into the staircase, keeping Mary in his arms. "What's wrong, Shock? I thought you'd be happy to see your big brother. I didn't get to see you at all tonight," Lock said, approaching his stunned sister.

"What in the name of Halloween are you doing here?" Paul demanded furious, his voice low. "And where the ghasts is my family?" He deposited Mary safely on the steps and took a step towards Lock.

"Shut up, boy," Lock ordered, giving Paul a mighty shove. Paul went flying across the kitchen, slamming into the stove, banging his head on the floor. Shock gasped and tried to run to him, but Lock caught her wrists and pulled her close to him. "Why are you sneaking around with that pile of bones?" he demanded, squeezing her wrists tightly as his eyes flashed dangerously. "Have you forgotten what we swore to do when our father was killed by his?"

Shock gasped as Lock continued to apply pressure to her wrists. Through her teeth, she responded, "Jack's family has done nothing wrong, Lock."

Lock released her wrists and slapped her face, hard, sending her reeling over to the kitchen table. "You have betrayed your oath! You must die along with the rest of them!"

"Brother! Please, think about what you want to do. The town will have you killed!" Shock said, nursing her left cheek.

"I'm afraid that it's too late for that, Shock. You're going to die with the rest of the Skellingtons," Lock said. He walked over to the stairs and shouted, "Are you almost ready, Barrell?"

Dimly, they could hear Barrell reply, "Whenever you are, Brother dearest!"

Lock grinned and then approached Shock. "Now, you can come with me or I'll make you wish you had."

She spat at him, hitting the tip of his pointed tail. "No."

"Fine then." And with that, Lock fell upon Shock, slamming her head against the floor, knocking off her pointed witch hat and sending her into welcome blackness. He slung her over his left shoulder and then managed to get Paul's limp body upon his right.

He climbed up the twisting stairs to the floor where there was an empty, windowless room. Barrel was waiting for him. "They're all in here, Lock," he said as Lock threw Paul into the room. "Isn't that Shock?" Barrel asked as Lock tossed her in after Paul.

Lock shook his head. "It's some witch that Paul was canoodling with," he said. "She does resemble Shock, now that you mention it…"

Barrel shrugged and closed the door. Locking it securely, he followed Lock downstairs and out the front door. With a gleeful cackle, Lock lobbed a large burning torch into the open house, and with in seconds, a satisfying wave of smoke billowed out the door.

"Let's go, brother," Lock said, slinging an arm around Barrel's shoulder and walking away from the soon-to-be inferno.

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Sorry this one's so short, but I have to go write those essays. Please, review and I'll get up the next chapter as soon as you do.