SC: Okay, normally, this is where I bitch about not getting any reviews. But, I'm in such a good mood right now, that I won't. Why am I in a good mood you ask? Well, for starters, my band made finals at our marching contest! WOOT! I LOVE SOJ!

Sure, we only got ninth in the finals, but we got rained out not even halfway through, so everyone had to use the scores from this afternoon, but our band has NEVER made it to the finals! This was the first year!

Puck: And this perky little boost of energy has cracked her writer's block a lot more, so…

SC: I can update again! Yea! Oh, and because I've been looking over To Walk Among the Dead and found that I'd screwed up Aubrey and Sandy's birthdays and days of admittance to The Towers, so kindly ignore my screw ups. I have reposted the correct (I think) ages at the bottom author's note, so please look there.

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Chapter 7

Broken Bonds

School the next week was weird. Not that it's ever normal, mind you. I mean, we learn how to set things on fire. That's not anywhere near average vicinity of 'normal school curriculum'.

But school wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was Sandy. Don't get me wrong, I've only known the girl for like two days really, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let her get away with pulling a trick-or-treater away from the group!

The person I'm speaking of is Aubrey. Ever since Sandy had been up and about, our table had been reduced from four back to three. She wasn't even spending time with Lock. They used to be attached at the hip, but now, it was like nothing had even happened between them.

This, of course, meant that our favorite devil was even grumpier than the rest of us.

Now, everyone's probably asking, why do I care? I can hear you saying, 'Shock never really liked Aubrey anyway.' And if even one of you makes some crude comment about getting Lock, I'll turn you into a slug.

Do you know how boring it can get being the only girl in a group that consists of two other guys? I don't look it, but sometimes I need to talk about girl stuff!

In other words: our tight knit group was falling apart at the seams.

Gym that next Tuesday was more than a little weird. Vida was, as usual, being a pain in the ass as I walked in to change back into my uniform, but for once, her snide little comments weren't being directed at me.

Instead, they were being directed at Aubrey.

"What's wrong, princess? Are you too high and mighty for your lowlife friends?" Vida asked, flanked by three of her lackeys; Yuri Blunt, Patty Reilly, and Octavia Kinas.

Aubrey didn't say anything, but I saw her grip on her locker door tighten. I frowned. Aubrey may not have been the greatest friend in the world this past week, but she was still my friend! "C'mon, say something!" Vida grabbed a feather on Aubrey's wing and pulled it off, hard enough to make Aubrey let out a cry of pain.

My fists clenched. That was the last straw.

"Lay off Vida!" I growled, stepping between her and Aubrey.

Vida narrowed her eyes at me. "Or what? You can't do anything to me or you'll be expelled, you bitchy little witch."

I raised a hand. "You know, I wasn't going to do anything to you, but you just crossed the line." I began to review painful spells in my mind when Vida suddenly found herself sprawled across the floor. I blinked and Sandy was suddenly standing there.

She cracked her knuckles. "Your voice is REALLY annoying."

Vida held her cheek in shock (a/n: haha… puns galore!). "You… you punched me!"

"Yeah, and I'll do a lot worse if you insult my friends again."

The cat-vampire scrambled up and ran out of the locker room. Sandy sighed and turned toward us. "You okay Aubrey?"

She nodded, touching her wing lightly. "Yeah. It'll grow back."

Sandy turned toward me next. "Sorry. That was supposed to be your hit wasn't it?"

I shrugged. "Whatever. Saves me the trouble of explaining why I got expelled to Jack." I turned to walk out, grabbing my bag.

"Shock, wait up!" I stopped, a little surprised. Lately, all I'd heard from Aubrey the past few days after class had been 'Go on, I'll catch up.' Needless to say, she never did.

She ran up next to me, guilt clear in her eyes. "Um, Shock… I'm sorry for being such a bitch lately."

Well, that was a little blunter than I expected. I blinked a few times, trying to wipe the surprise off my face. "Whatever." I muttered. Suddenly, I stopped and put her in a headlock. "Just don't do it again!"

"Wha-? Hey!" She pushed me off, falling back on her butt. Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, she gave me an obviously fake glare. "Meanie."

"Ooh, I'm hurt." I said sarcastically. I looked back to see Sandy standing in the locker room doorway. "Are you coming or not?"

Aubrey pulled herself up. "You don't mind?"

"She just decked Vida. Anyone who does that is good in my book." Sandy caught up with us as I finished.

"God, is she always such a bitch?" She asked.

Aubrey and I looked at each other. "Yeah, pretty much." We said at once.

Sandy looked at us. "That's creepy."

Both of us started laughing.

A month later… (a/n: it's now sometime in March, just so you all know)

I couldn't help smiling a little as Aubrey dragged Lock off to, ahem, quote unquote, 'talk'. I looked over at the other side of the table at Sandy and Shock, who were brooding over a copy of an 'Advanced Magic' spell book. Things had almost gotten back to normal since Sandy had started hanging out with us. Sure, Shock and Aubrey hung out with her a little more than they did us, but they're GIRLS. I don't try to understand them.

But I couldn't help worrying a little. Lock, who had confided this to me after making me swear to keep it the utmost of secrets, seriously, he even made me spit-shake on it, didn't trust Sandy.

.o0o.

"Barrel?" I looked up from doing my homework to see Lock standing in my door. I waved for him to come in; I had a sucker in my mouth. "Can I tell you something?"

I sat up and pushed my homework over to my pillow (yes, I was doing it on my bed.). Pulling the sucker out of my mouth, I joked, "Do you really have to ask?"

Lock didn't laugh. Hell, he didn't even crack a smile. Instead he shut my door. "You have to swear that what I say never leaves this room."

Now I was a little worried. "Yeah, sure."

He held his hand up.

"Oh no Lock! Don't make me spit swear!" That was SO gross, even for me.

A minute later…

I wiped my hand on my jeans, scrunching my nose. "I hate when we do that…" After my hand was dry, I looked up at him. "So, what's up?"

Lock walked over to my window and stared out of it. "I don't trust her."

I got up and looked out. Aubrey, Shock, and Sandy were sitting out next to the fountain, giggling about something. My eyes widened. "Aubrey?!"

"No, stupid! Sandy!" He growled.

I blinked. "Well, why not? I mean, Shock and Aubrey like her… she can't be that bad."

"I just don't." He stated again. "I can't help it. Every time she's around, I just get this weird feeling. It… it's like…" He frowned. "It's like the feeling I got around Oogie Boogie."

I stared. And stared. And stared some more, until I found my voice again and yelled, "WHAT?!"

Lock winced. "Quiet!" He gripped the windowsill. "Look, I don't know WHY I get that feeling around her. I just… do." Lock moved his stare from the girls to his hands. "I don't like her. At all."

I looked out at the girls again. They were getting up and heading toward Skellington Manor. "Maybe… maybe you're just being a little paranoid."

Lock's death grip on the windowsill loosened, and I could see the gouges he'd carved in it with his claws. "Yeah. Maybe."

I heard the door open downstairs. "Lock, Barrel, we're back!" Aubrey called.

As I grabbed the doorknob, I felt Lock put a hand on my shoulder. "Remember. This never leaves this room."

I nodded and shoved open the door.

.o0o.

I saw Shock make a gagging motion as Lock and Aubrey kissed. Then, she looked down at her watch. "Are you timing them?" I asked, a little grossed out myself.

"Mm-hmm." She replied. Then, moments later. "Minute thirty."

"Guess it kinda helps when you don't have to breathe." Sandy laughed as they walked back over. Aubrey stuck her tongue out, then turned to Shock.

"You need a hobby."

"I do not."

"You're timing me and Lock KISSING."

"It's lunch. I don't need a hobby during lunch." Lock came over and sat down next to me, glancing at Sandy, who was watching Shock and Aubrey argue with a small smile. I frowned a little bit. Maybe it was just because of Lock, but I couldn't help being a little nervous around Sandy. It was something about her eyes… they never showed ANY emotion. Like… like one of those creepy dolls with the freaky glass eyes that look like they're watching you no matter where you move.

Okay, so maybe Lock's paranoia was rubbing off on me a little. Okay, more than a little. But he had some really good points.

When we got home that afternoon, Sally was over at Dr. Finklestein's getting a checkup and Jack was off doing… Pumpkin King stuff.

"I'm so bored…" Aubrey sighed, flopping down on the couch.

Lock shook his head. "Not even in the house for a minute and she's already bored." Aubrey stuck her tongue out at him.

"She's got a point." Shock said. "I mean, we can't even prank the Mayor because Jack's with him!"

"We can't prank ANYONE because Jack could show up anywhere in the town at any time and catch us." I muttered. "It is boring."

Lock sighed and sat down in the chair near the end of the couch Aubrey's head was laying at. "God, you guys are mood killers."

I looked over at him. "What mood are we killing? There is no mood in this house EXCEPT boring."

Sandy pushed Aubrey's legs off of the couch and sat down. "Well… I have an idea… but it's not very good."

"It's better than nothing." Shock reminded her.

Sandy bit her lip. "It's just something that's been bugging me for a couple of weeks. You know how you guys found me in that old part of the Graveyard? Well, I want to find out how the heck I got there."

Lock's gaze changed from bored to shocked and angry. "Are you saying that we should go back there?!"

Aubrey looked wary. "I dunno… dad said that we shouldn't… and he seemed really mad last time."

"Well, it's not like he has to find out." Shock said. "It doesn't sound like that bad of a plan. We can sneak out when Jack and Sally are sleeping."

Aubrey started tugging at her hair, something that she did whenever she started to get nervous. "I-I guess, I mean, if dad doesn't find out…"

Lock stood up rather quickly. "Aubrey, can we talk? Alone?" She nodded, surprised. They walked upstairs, Lock pulling Aubrey along more than a little forcefully.

-Lock's POV-

I shut the door to my room before turning back to Aubrey. "Are you going crazy? You do remember what Jack said, right?"

"It's just an idea, Lock. Besides, dad's not going to find out about it!" She protested.

"Aubs, please, just listen to me. I don't think Sandy get-"

"What do you have against Sandy? If Shock or I had suggested it-"

"You and Shock are smart enough not to suggest it!" I said, trying to keep from yelling.

Aubrey turned away from me, her arms crossed over her chest. "I can't believe this… Sandy was right."
Okay, now I was just pissed. "Right about what?!"

"That you're jealous about how much time I've been spending with her and Shock."

I'll tell you right now: I have a temper problem. But I have it under control most of the time. This moment was not one of them. "JEALOUS?!" I yelled, not even trying to keep my voice down now. "You know what, forget trying to help you! We're over!" I stormed out of the room, down the stairs, and straight out the door.

Aubrey's POV

I stood there, shocked, confused, and, most of all, angry. Lock's words rang through my skull like an alarm that I couldn't shut up. "We're over!"

Of course I didn't want to end me and Lock's relationship; I loved him. Or, at least, I thought I did. But over the past few weeks… well, let's just say I was having my doubts.

I walked downstairs, ignoring Shock and Barrel's questions about what had happened. I looked at Sandy, who seemed eerily calm for just seeing Lock storm out of the house. "Let's go. Tonight."

The rest of the day progressed fairly normally. Mom came home and told us it was likely she was having not just one baby, or even twins, but triplets, nearly causing a few fainting fits. Dad couldn't have been happier. He picked her up and danced her all around the room when she told him.

Lock came home about an hour after he left, but he shut himself up in his room and would only let Barrel in. He skipped dinner and didn't even come down to congratulate Sally (a/n: There are times when names must be used and not mom and dad. Sorry!).

Around twelve thirty, we got going. Climbing out a window isn't particularly hard, considering Skellington Manor has plenty of dead trees around back to use as ladders. Barrel came with us, even though Lock didn't, and we headed toward the graveyard. Shock unlocked the gate easily, it didn't squeak (someone must have oiled it finally) and we slipped through, careful not to disturb any tombstones.

The back gate seemed higher than it had the first time we'd climbed it, but it must have only been my imagination because Sandy could lift one leg across and touch the ground on the other side.

We headed deeper into the trees, and it gradually got darker as the branches overhead got thicker and allowed less light in.

"How much farther?" Sandy asked.

I stopped, searching the area with the flashlight I'd hidden in my room earlier. "Um… not much, I think. Shock, Barrel, see if you can find that trail." Both of them started looking for it. Shock let out a triumphant cry after a few minutes and we followed it deeper into the woods.

3rd Person, earlier that day

"Jealous, Barrel! She thinks I'm jealous! Of Sandy, of all people!" Lock ranted. Barrel grimaced. He'd been listening to Lock rant for a while now, but it usually helped the devil let off steam. Now it just seemed to be making him angrier.

'Well you're sure acting like it right now…' He thought treacherously. "I'm sure Aubrey didn't mean it." Barrel said in a futile attempt to calm the older boy down.

"Oh yes she did." Lock growled, his tail thrashing angrily as he paced the floor. "She swallows ANYTHING Sandy tells her." He sat down on his bed, still angry. "Barrel, I need you to do me a favor."

The younger boy looked wary. "What is it?"

Lock looked up, his yellow eyes boring into Barrel's black ones. "I want you to go with the girls tonight. Just to…"

"Keep an eye on Aubrey for you?" Barrel questioned. Lock nodded with a sigh.

"I might be mad at her, but Aubrey's still Aubrey and I still want her to be safe, alright?"

Barrel nodded. "Don't worry about it; you can count on me!"

Now…

'Sorry Barrel.' Lock thought as he slipped watched the group from his window. 'But I have to make sure.' As soon as the group was out of the Skellington Manor gate and to the fountain, Lock slipped his window open and climbed out. The tree branch groaned and protested as he set his weight on it, but Lock ignored it and swiftly climbed down.

As he reached the square, he didn't see anyone. 'Damn it! Did I wait too long?' Lock asked himself, looking around desperately. He caught sight of a flash of moonlight off of something white. 'Aubrey!' They had already made it to the back fence.

"I definitely waited too long." He muttered to the air as he ran toward the Graveyard. He followed after them quietly, making sure that he kept the light from the flashlight in Aubrey's hands in sight at all times. Twice he almost lost them, the first time from tripping on an unseen root or rock, the second time by turning and running into a tree branch that gave him a splitting headache, but he luckily managed to catch up both times.

Aubrey stopped as the trail turned into a dark stain on the ground. "We're here."

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SC: Woot! I love when I have long chapters… Sorry it's taken so long, I was grounded for a week, so yeah. It's kinda hard to sneak onto the computer. It's a little more noisy than my Gameboy SP.

Age thingy ma jig for anyone who cares:

Aubrey: 13 at the beginning of To Walk Among the Dead, 14 when Oogie kidnaps her (duh, it's her birthday), 15 when she dies (again, DUH)

Sandy: 16 at the beginning of TWAtD, 18 when everyone finds her in Halloween Town

Lock: 14 in the beginning, 15 when Aubrey's kidnapped, 16 in Like Father, Like Daughter

Shock: Same as Lock

Barrel: 13 at the beginning, 14 when Aubrey's kidnapped, still 15 in Like Father, Like Daughter

Oh, and just to let everyone know, LSB died on July 13. Why? I don't know. I just like the numbers 7 and 13. If I got the ages screwed up, tell me please!

Ja ne

SC

PS: Read and Review!