A/N: -bangs head on the wall- FINALLY! For a very long time the Doc. Manager wouldn't let me upload a thing, not to mention I went skiing all weekend. But here it is! An update! And I'm now on Feb. vacation!
The Noticing
Cricket snapped her eyes open at the same time that Jack let out a cry of anguish.
"WHERE did they go?"
She sat up and saw Jack glaring down at Willy, who was shifting uneasily from foot to foot and looking uncomfortable.
"Well, Jack, I saw them sneaking out and…" He shrugged, as if to regain his coolness. "No idea after that."
Jack smacked his forehead. "We've still got some work to do and some of our best minds are gone."
Erik snorted and bit into a piece of toast.
"Good riddance, if you ask me. Holli was hyperactive and Victor was a coward."
Pebbles squeaked her Vincent plushie. "Victor was pretty nice. You can throttle me for creating Holli, though-"
"With pleasure."
Amanda let an arrow loose, which stuck into Erik's bit of toast and caused him to jump in alarm. "Not LITERALLY, you nut."
Cricket just buried her face in her pillow and groaned. Willy, noticing she was up, nudged her with his cane. "Wake up, sleepyhead. We've got some searchin' to do."
"NO." The change in character made Pebbles furrow her brows. Cricket was normally very bouncy and cheerful, but this morning she seemed to be…cranky.
Oh, I see! Must be a flaw in character. She's probably not a morning person.
Jack sighed. "Someone kill me."
Pebbles managed to crack a grin, the first one all morning. "You're already dead."
Erik, who had gotten up hopefully, plopped back down into his chair with a pout.
7 hours before- Oogie's Hollow
Holli slunk down the rope, trying as hard as she could to be quiet. Victor was sneaking afterward, keeping his eyes on the wall. Holli had covered his eyes before he could get a glimpse of Oogie. Now she had unrolled a rope down the wall and instructed Victor not to look up, so he still had no idea what Oogie looked like.
Holli examined the wall underneath her, noting any possible weak spots and going the way she thought looked strongest. She prayed that her feet and eyes wouldn't betray her, that she would get down safely without making a sound.
Unknown to her, the same thoughts were running through Victor's head as well. He prayed that no one would hear them and that Holli knew what she was doing, and he willed himself not to look up, as curious as he was to see how bad Oogie could be.
Time seemed to slow down as they snuck down the wall. It stopped about a few feet from the bottom.
Holli heard something crack underneath her foot. She screwed up her eyes in a "Crap, we're dumb-asses" expression, her mind furiously hoping that Oogie didn't hear her.
"Well, well, well! Looks like we got some EXTRA munchies for this sleepover!"
Uh…oh…
She gently but firmly placed her head against the wall. Her voice cracking, she whispered to Victor:
"Victor, you can turn around now."
Relieved, Victor turned his head around and let out a shout. This was NOT what he was expecting, not in his wildest thoughts. He started whimpering, forgetting Pebbles' instruction not to show fear in this town.
Never had the thought crossed his mind during this entire adventure, but he thought it anyway.
PLEASE let this be a dream!
Oogie simply laughed hysterically when he saw Victor's reaction, Santa wearing a confused expression.
Holli, seeing what was happening, jumped down from the rope and pointed at Oogie, putting on her best "don't mess with me" look on her pale face, which had turned paler at the sound of Oogie's voice.
"Leave. Us. Be."
Oogie laughed harder, and Holli managed to spot a bug or two coming from his mouth. "Like that's ever gonna happen."
He advanced toward Holli. Victor tried to scramble back up the rope, but Holli yanked him back down.
"Escape Route V.3!"
"What?"
Holli bent her knees, ready to jump.
"GO!"
Present
Jack tried his best to pay attention to the construction of his Christmas going on around him, but his mind kept wandering back to what Pebbles had told him before he had left.
They had had a bit of an argument, seeing as both were on extreme edge from Holli and Victor mysteriously going missing. Jack had left in a huff, but couldn't close the front door in time to block out Pebbles' last words:
"Because I care!"
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A/N: YOU figure out what the words mean. As for Holli and Victor…that's the last you'll be hearing from them for a while.
