Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the nightmare before Christmas

Chapter 10

The signing of the scroll

Sally raced along the path through the cemetery towards the town. She needed help if she was going to get Jack out of his cell before Oogie Boogie went ahead with whatever evil plan he had in store for him. She had to find the Werewolf and the Harlequin demon and send them to rescue Jack while she found the Mayor. He had to be warned that Jerod was a creation of Dr Finkelsteins and was under control of Oogie Boogie.

"Ah hello Jerod! Right on time." The Mayor stood on the steps of the town hall, the documents for Jerod to sign ready under his arm.

"Yes hello Mayor."

"If you'd kindly like to follow me." The mayor turned and swung open the double doors to the town hall. Behind him, Jerod's eyes briefly glowed red with a malice never seen by Halloween town before.

Sally had just reached the fountain when she saw the towns people filing into the Town Hall. She was nearly out of time. Pausing to catch her breath she frantically looked around for Jerod. He couldn't be seen in the crowd anywhere. Standing on tiptoes, Sally caught sight of the Werewolf and Harlequin demon approaching the hall from the direction of Jack's house and ran over to them.

"Where's Jack? What happened?"

"Don't worry." Reassured the Werewolf, "he's safe at home."

"We thought it might be safer for him to lie low for a while."

They carried on towards the hall, leaving Sally standing looking at Jack's tower.

"For all our sakes I hope you're alright Jack. We need you. I need you."

Movement on her right caught Sally's attention and she turned in time to see a long limbed figure sneaking round the back of the town hall in the shadows. Sally allowed herself a secret smile and headed towards the hall.

Around the back of the town hall was the records room which also doubled as a meeting room on matters of urgency and importance that could be accessed from both the stage inside and from the alley behind it. The door on this side was always kept locked, but there was a small window that was often propped open when it was in use.

Jack crept low to the ground, spider like with his long limbs, round the side of the building until he was underneath the window. Slowly, he stood up, and peered over the windowsill. Inside, he could see the silhouettes of the Mayor and Jerod as they stood by the door discussing the formalities one last time.

"I really need to appoint a new mayor" muttered Jack as the Mayor shook Jerod's hand warmly before the pair of them disappeared through the doors into the hall to be greeted by cheers and applause by the residents.

Hauling himself up, Jack slipped silently through the window and onto the desk below, spilling several piles of scrolls in the process. Gritting his teeth, Jack waited to see if anyone heard it.

"And I really need to appoint someone to tidy up in here once in a while." He growled.

Jack quickly wound his way through the stacks of scrolls and books to the far side of the room where the ladder was kept. He wheeled this over quickly to a bookcase right against the back wall, keeping an ear out for what was happening in the main hall the whole time.

"While we shall miss Jack, great leader as he was, we shall have many memories of many fantastic Halloweens with him…"

The Mayor was still making his speech, which gave Jack plenty of time to fetch what he needed. What he was after was hidden in a box right at the top of the case. He'd put it there himself many years ago, after he first became Pumpkin King. Opening the box, Jack grinned and grabbed at the object inside.

"Now, it is the time of a new Pumpkin King."

Sally stood at the back of the hall, grimly watching the Mayor reading out his speech. His face waved between optimistic and pessimistic. It was the first speech he'd ever written without Jack's help and he'd never appointed a new King before. He didn't become Mayor until after Jack became Pumpkin King.

Sally twisted her hands together, unsure of what to do. She wanted to yell and warn everyone that Jerod was a phoney, but she didn't want any actions of hers to disrupt whatever plan Jack had. Yet she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Her conflicting emotions were pulling her every which way and she didn't know where to turn.

One of the witches standing next to Sally mistook her panic for excitement and patted her nervous twitching hand.

"Exciting isn't it? I can't wait to hear what his plans for Halloween are like!" she grinned an awful, rotted grin and faced back to the front. Her touch was cold and slimy and sent a shiver down Sally's spine.

"If Jack hasn't appeared by the time Jerod has to sign the papers I'll…I'll…" Sally couldn't finish her thought. She didn't know what she'd do. It would have to be on impulse.

Meanwhile, Jack was quickly winding his way through the piles of scrolls towards the door to the main hall when he heard a giggle coming from outside the window. He froze in his tracks as he heard two more.

"Lock, Shock and Barrel" he muttered.

Increasing his pace he heard the Mayor's speech coming to a close and the scrabbling sounds of the trick or treaters climbing through the window behind him.

"Jerod understand his responsibilities as King and has agreed to fulfil them as best as he can. I, as Mayor, am satisfied that he is indeed Jack's heir. Though, according to our Charter, I have to present the proof to you, the town's folk."

Here, the Mayor held up an elaborate scroll that depicted the Skellington family tree. Immediately below Jacks name, Jerod's name had been scrawled in uneven writing. Sally frowned. Even at the distance she was standing from the stage she could tell something was dodgy about it.

She remembered that Jack had always told her that he had the only copy of his family tree and had hidden it.

An idea dawned in Sally's brain and her eyes shot opened wide. The Skellington family tree. She could enlist Zero's help and find it. Prove that Jerod isn't Jack's heir.

"Now, the only thing left is for all of you to witness Jerod and I, acting as Jack's representative, signing the scroll that will pass the power of Pumpkin King from Jack, to Jerod." The Mayor dipped his quill in his overturned inkpot and scribbled his name with a flourish. Turning to Jerod, he offered the quill to him.

Jack reached the door as Barrel came bounding round the corner and made a dive for his ankle. Jack jumped over the last pile of scrolls and made a grab for the door handle. Turning, he saw the little trick or treater land in the scrolls he'd just jumped over and felt the handle turning in his hand.

Sally bit her lip nervously as Jerod approached the Mayor's table and took the quill, rather unsteadily, in his right hand.

As he began to sign his name, Sally acted on impulse and went to run towards the stage.

At the same moment, Jack fell through the door from the records room with Lock and Shock clinging to his torso and Barrel to his ankle.

Jerod looked up from the scroll straight at Sally and grinned. The Mayor took the scroll from him and held it in the air for all to see.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Halloween Town, I give you Jerod Skellington, your new Pumpkin King!"

A/N: sorry this has been ages in coming...ive had my A2 exams. but i hope u all like this chapter.