Thanks for taking the time to read! It's that time of year again, haha! I get way too into this stuff.

Maybe she should just turn back now and forget it ever happened.

But…she'd already told him she was coming and already knocked on the door…leaving now would be rude and she would hate to be rude to the most revered and respected member of Halloween Town…doing so would certainly lead to social ostracism, at the very least. And with the Doctor still hot on her trail after she'd run away, that would be the last thing she'd need.

Sally heard the latch to the front door unlock and instinctively gripped tighter to the scraps of cloth she had draped over her arms. The small doorknob turned with a loud creak and the slender wooden door opened to reveal the equally slender Pumpkin King, who, upon realizing it was Sally in front of him, stood a lot straighter and stretched a toothy grin across his skeletal features.

"Ah, Sally!" He exclaimed, opening the door wider and stepping to the side so that she could come inside. "Do come in! Thank you for agreeing to see me today!"

Sally stepped sheepishly over the threshold into Jack's home, still clutching the fabric tightly to her chest.

"Think nothing of it, Jack…" She managed, her voice trembling slightly as her eyes scattered throughout the room.

She was here. In the humble abode of The Pumpkin King. With nothing but the skeleton himself to keep her company. Her face flushed violet at that thought, a bright contrast to her normal blue pallor. The room was large, she surmised as she scanned it hastily - more tall than it was wide. There was a small living room with a few amenities like a fireplace and a reclining chair. She could see Jack lounging by the fire, reading a novel of some kind before bed each night, something that she would love to join in on just for the sake of not feeling cold and alone every night, whether or not she was estranged from the Doctor…

"Sally?" Jack asked quietly, drawing near her with one large step. His skeletal fingers met the small of her back, causing the skittish ragdoll to almost burst from her seams with a small "eep!"

Instantaneously, Jack withdrew, blanching a bit from her reaction.

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, wringing his hands together and looking toward the ground. "I didn't mean to startle you!" And, after that, he stood straighter, extending a long hand where he had a pot of tea waiting on the table in front of an ornate black leather sofa.

"Won't you have a seat?" he asked ever so politely, smiling genuinely in her direction. "I'd like to go over a couple of details regarding my Sandy Claws outfit."

Wordlessly, Sally made, or rather stumbled her way to the couch, taking a seat as demurely as she could while placing her things into her lap. The light taps of Jack's shoes on the wooden floor could be heard behind her as the Pumpkin King walked around and joined her on the other end of the sofa before extending her an empty teacup.

"Why Sally, I must say that you look absolutely flushed! I admit, it is a cold November evening, to be sure. Even I was feeling the chill on my walk to see the Mayor this morning." He remarked, cupping the hand that was holding her saucer while he poured her the tea he'd prepared moments earlier. The scent of elderberries wafted into the room. "I'm afraid it doesn't hold a candle to what I experienced in Christmas Town, however. Did you know that they have this white substance that comes from the sky like rain, except cold? They call it snow! Isn't that lovely, Sally?"

Jack looked up from the teapot to find Sally peering at him silently, simply listening to the small tangent he'd just finished. She seemed interested, for sure, but there was something hazy in her eyes. Like she was looking at something far, far away.

"That's very interesting, Jack. I'd like to see snow sometime." She glanced down, letting the full scent of the tea fill her nostrils. Elderberry tea had been a sublime choice, if the smell was any indication. After losing herself in the dark liquid for a moment, she looked up again, freezing when she realized that he had been watching her this entire time.

To be honest, every moment of this endeavor was proving harder for Sally not to run and hide. The ragdoll was scared lifeless, unable to think or talk or even breathe. Here was Jack, someone who she had barely spoken to before this moment, and she was sitting in his home drinking his tea, all while having her back touched and her hands cradled in the most careful and innocent of ways.

They held each other's gaze for a long moment, both unsure of how to continue. Only when Jack cleared his throat was the moment lost, the skeleton taking a moment to ask if she'd like any sugar. Politely, she declined and took a sip from the cup, a small smile stretching on her lips when the tart taste met her tongue. She'd never had something so delicious.

"If I may," Jack started, picking up a few papers from the table next to him. Sally, from around her teacup, watched him steadily whilst taking another sip. "I was hoping we could go over the trim of the suit once more in detail before you continued any further with the design."

Sally placed the cup on the table and, albeit a bit shakily, raised the handiwork that she had until now been keeping close to her. It was a long, slender coat, as red as a rose in its peak of life. The sleeves had been carefully hemmed to match Jack's measurements exactly. Sally had studied them carefully, both before and after she'd received the actual numbers.

"I know you said a white, Jack," she started, peeking around to catch his gaze. "But what exactly did you have in mind…?"

The normally confident Pumpkin King faded in the face of pure curiosity when he laid his eye sockets on the jacket, taking the fabric into his hand and rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. He smiled, letting an airy chuckle escape his lips.

"It's absolutely perfect," he remarked, nodding slightly as he continued to touch different parts of the coat. He laughed softly again before looking over at the extremely embarrassed ragdoll sitting opposite him. "Sally, I can't tell you how wonderful of a job you're doing, and how much of a help you're being to me. You are truly the most talented seamstress in Halloween Town."

Were her stitches not tied so tightly – and she'd made sure to sew them extra securely to avoid any mishaps while attending this meeting – Sally would have certainly fallen to pieces. To have her handiwork so lauded by The Pumpkin King himself? It took everything in her to not swoon.

Nervous as she was, Sally miraculously kept herself composed enough to respond.

"Th-thank you, Jack…" she replied with a small smile. "I used spider silk for the coat, I hope you don't mind…"

"Splendid."

Jack shook his head slightly, as if breaking from the trance he found himself under while admiring the ragdoll's expertise. His eye sockets fell upon the clipboard in which he kept a few sketches he'd made, and held them up to show her.

"Well," he began with a slight intake of air. "I was hoping for something nice and fluffy for the trim, like a kind of dense wool. It'll be very cold where I'm flying on Christmas Eve, so I want to take every precaution to make sure that things run smoothly. But of course, I trust you to find the most practical solution."

She relaxed slightly, a bit more in her element now that the focus was primarily on business and not on her. Running the spider silk fabric between her hands, she thought for a moment about where she could find a warm, white fabric to line the collar. Perhaps she could find some nice cotton scraps in the doctor's basement…

Her mind turned to the idea of Jack soaring through the sky in a sleigh similar to the one she'd seen in all the pictures he'd showed off at the town meeting. It was beautiful, in a way, and Jack seemed so happy about Christmas – it pained her to keep the premonition she'd had plaguing the back of her mind.

"I have a few options," she piped up before the silence had drawn on too long, "I'm sure I'll be able to find something that works."

"How marvelous!" Jack's features brightened upon hearing her words, and he took a small sip from his tea. "I knew I could count on you, Sally."

She couldn't help the shy grin that rose to play across her lips as she placed her work in progress carefully back into her lap.

"It's nothing, really…" she trailed off, her eyes falling on a window by the front door.

It was looking to be a lovely evening for a stroll, she thought, her smile from Jack's praises raising her mood. Perhaps if she asked Jack if he'd like to walk with her, he might be so inclined to accept. And as they walked together, maybe she'd find it fitting to tell him about how much she was worrying about Christmas, and how much she worried about his safety. Of course, in a delicate way, as not to dash his spirits, but perhaps, once alone, Jack would listen to her, and hear the just how much she cared about him in her voice…

"Sally?"

He always broke her train of thought at the most inopportune of moments, like the sharp popping of a balloon. She swirled around to face him, red locks falling around her face as she did so.

"You seem…distracted," he admitted, looking around her to stare out the window himself. "If there's somewhere else you need to be, I completely understand if you have to leave. Please know that I would never want to - "

"No, no, Jack, of course not!" she interjected, a bit flustered. Her cheeks burned with more embarrassment than ever. "I was just thinking about…something."

"Are you sure?" he questioned, concern laced in his tone. He placed his hand ever so delicately over hers, obviously in an attempt at reassurance.

Little did he know that he was doing more harm than good. All she wanted to do was find a way to think with her head swimming with every kind of excitement she could think of.

She nodded, looking down as his hand lingered longer than she would have liked. Or perhaps not as long as she would have liked. She was unsure which she would rather admit to.

"Good, because well…I'm sure you must have realized by now that there was something else I brought you here for today."

A long silence floated between them after that moment, both unsure of what to say. Sally shakily pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, careful to avoid the gaze of the Pumpkin King at all costs. Jack, on the other end, fidgeted with his papers, looking for the notes he'd taken on the subject he was about to discuss.

With a sharp clear of his throat, he let the papers fall back into place on the clipboard before he heaved a deep sigh in and out.

"Truthfully, Sally, I'd like to ask you for advice."

Her ears perked up at that moment, hands folding in her lap over the jacket precariously as if it would help her to listen more intently. Was Jack about to express his doubts about Christmas? Was he going to truly confide in her about his lonely strolls into the hinterlands? Or perhaps, was he going to admit to something even more personal that she couldn't even begin to fathom?

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, placing a hand to rub the side of his neck. The large bat-shaped bowtie graciously moved to allow him to do so.

"There has been one matter in this Christmas endeavor that has left me quite stumped, to be honest." He started, standing and stepping to face away from her. She could see his eye sockets search for something along the high ceilings. "Sally, have you ever heard of 'Mary Christmas'?"

A confused look crossed her face. "Of course I have, Jack – it's just as you would say 'Happy Halloween', isn't it? It's the greeting used especially for Christmas."

The skeleton turned to face her with a swift turn of his heel. He was unable to hold back a small snicker of amusement by her response. Normally he was easily frustrated by ignorance, but paired with Sally's curious eyes and interested tone, he couldn't help but be enamored with it.

"I'm afraid you're confusing her with 'Merry Christmas'. The two do sound quite similar." He explained. "Mary Christmas is a person, more importantly, a woman."

Sally waited patiently, hoping to hear where he was going with this, and how she played into giving him advice. Was this Mary Christmas important to the idea of Christmas Town? She assumed that if her name had any say in it, she was quite the important woman indeed.

"Mary Christmas, although she is also known by many other names, is the bride of Sandy Claws. A, um, Mrs. Claws, if you will." He explained, unable to meet her gaze. "She oversees the elves in making toys and takes care of the reindeer, and helps Sandy Claws prepare for his Christmas outing. She's a very important person in Christmas Town."

Sally's cheeks burned brightly in under an instant – so quickly she was sure she would burst into flame. Was Jack speaking privately to her about…marriage? The idea of it made the threads of her stitches tighten and suddenly the room felt very, very small. Although the steam coming off of the tea was beginning to wane, Sally picked up the cup and took a long draw to soothe her nerves.

"I was thinking of asking the Mayor what to do since I have a duty to make this Christmas as authentic as possible," he continued, placing his long bony arms behind his back. "But I'm afraid the Mayor takes everything far too seriously and would put the needs of the town over anything. The Pumpkin King, as you may know, is not required to marry, but if I want to make things right for Christmas, I clearly need to have someone, and you're so sensible, Sally, I was hoping that you would be willing to -"

A stale breath caught in Sally's throat as her mind finished the sentence for her, causing her to swallow hard and almost choke on her tea.

" – help think of a proper candidate for the job."

And just as she'd caught her breath, she'd lost it again. Was it fair to be taken on such an emotional roller coaster like this? To be thrown around as if dragged along by a thread? But, her spirits plummeted as she came to the true realization that she wasn't in consideration. If anything, it confirmed her suspicions that she'd never be anything to the Pumpkin King, despite all of her wishes and dreams to the contrary.

"Of…of course I will, Jack." She replied, wearily.

"Oh, thank you, Sally! I don't know what I did to deserve such a good friend." He replied, grinning. Sally's stomach churned nauseously, and the elderberry tea that she once found so enchanting was now the most revolting thing she'd ever laid eyes upon.

If Jack noticed her tone, he didn't respond to it. He now paced about the room, stopping every once in a while to tap a long bony finger against his nose, or stroke his head ever so slightly.

"Well, there are the witches in town…" he began, chuckling softly to himself while taking a few small steps forward. "But they're so nosy, and far too self-centered for any one of them to fit the title. And of course, there's Bertha, but she's already wed and had a child with Ned…" he paused for a moment. "I suppose that there is that fetching Undersea Gal as well, but she…well, she wouldn't really fit the part. Mrs. Claws needs to be able to move freely and help where she can, and I can't see how that would be easy while needing to stay within reach of water."

Sally, through the fog of her thoughts, could see that Jack was definitely racking his brain about this. It was so important to him that he make Christmas right, he was certainly willing to sacrifice everything for this one holiday. And so far, she'd done nothing to give any kind of advice to the Pumpkin King – he was perfectly content in shooting himself down on all accounts he'd mentioned.

"Oh, dear, none of the fair ladies in our town really fit the part of a Mrs. Claws." He sat down in a huff, placing his chin in his hands and gently rapping his fingers lightly against his jawbone. "Mrs. Claws is supposed to be clever, and selfless and kind and always willing to help. She needs to be…" Suddenly, the skeleton's eyes widened, and his voice trailed off, leaving him speechless in the moment. His head lifted from his open palm and he turned to look at an extremely distressed Sally, who had been sitting very quietly and very stiffly in her seat, watching Jack's entire thought process unfold. A small, shy smile caught the corner of the Pumpkin King's lips and he drew closer towards her, taking the tea cup from her slightly trembling hands to place it on the table next to them.

"Sally, it's you. You're perfect." His voice came, barely above a whisper. "You're unbelievably kind and clever and you always put everyone else first – I can't believe I almost didn't recognize it when you were in the room all along!" Jack's grin intensified, and he wrapped his hands around hers before bringing the both of them to their feet; the Sandy Claws jacket fell from Sally's lap to the floor, forgotten. He swept the doll elegantly off her feet, spinning her around excitedly as if walking on air. "Tell me you'll be my Mrs. Claws, Sally! It has to be you!"

A dark, dark embarrassment sunk into Sally, as not only was she being lifted into the air and spun by the most cherished being in her life, but she was also, in a way, being proposed to by him. Her arms sheepishly locked around his neck, holding on as the Pumpkin King slowed them to a stop.

"I…Jack, I'm much better off as a seamstress, don't you think?" She stammered, still almost completely unsure of what to say. It was all she could muster at the moment.

"As talented as you are, I'm sure we could find someone else to make my Sandy Claws outfit! And of course, we'd need a costume for you as well! Oh, this is already going so swimmingly!" He replied, holding her tighter to his chest, which was rising and falling with his excited breaths.

"Jack…" was the only thing that was able to pass her lips, and even then, the word was barely loud enough to be heard. To be sure, Jack's enthusiasm for having her as his bride was infectious, and all but seemed to shoo the dreadful premonitions of a disastrous Christmas from her mind. Replacing them were fantasies of the two of them working side by side, never apart – she was able to fill the empty place he was missing within him, the one he spoke of while lamenting on the Spiral Hill, and he was more than anything she could have asked for. They could be happy, easily happy together.

But at what cost? Marrying Jack would only further Jack's desire for the perfect Christmas, and if her vision were true, things would still end in a burst of flame. No amount of kindness or gifts she would oversee would change that.

The Pumpkin King waited for her to finish her sentence, searching the ragdoll's face for any kind of response. But when all he found was a very quiet, very flustered dear friend, Jack's smile faded, and he carefully placed her back on the ground.

There was a long moment of silence between them, the awkwardness palpable as the two of them refused to untangle the other's gaze. Jack carefully let go of her, and, almost inherently, she nervously played with a soft lock of red hair before tucking it behind her ear.

"I'm a fool, Sally." He came out with after a while.

"You're not a fool." She replied quietly.

"I am. I was going to take advantage of you." He half-spat, a little disgusted with what he'd just done. "Just like Halloween Town is too blind to see me as anything but their King, I almost lost sight of someone who I consider to be one of my closest friends. And for that, I'm sorry. Truly, I am."

"You were trying to do what's best for Christmas." She explained, a little pleading in her tone. Deep down, she knew Jack to be slightly more fragile than he appeared to be, and demeaning himself would not help matters in the slightest. "Your intentions were pure, I knew that."

A sad smile cracked itself along the skeleton's mouth as he nodded at her, taking in what she said. There she was, reliable Sally, always there to cheer him on. He would be nothing without her reassurance.

Jack sighed, leaning against the back of his reclining chair. "I'd never thought about marriage until learning of Mrs. Claws. The idea never even occurred to me. But, as time went on, the thought of someone to share ideas and work on Christmas projects…I guess it seemed enticing, for some reason."

Sally listened intently, very much flattered that he was opening up to her. Jack, as himself, was rather private, so willingly being able to hear something about the inner workings of his psyche were sweeter than the taste of raspberries plucked by moonlight.

"But," he began again, after taking a small pause to compose his thoughts, "I realize now. Taking a wife would be a commitment that I wouldn't be making because I loved the person I was making the commitment to. By marrying someone only for their role as Mrs. Claws, I would be making the commitment to Christmas, and that isn't fair regardless of who would be my bride."

Sally watched him closely as he came to this conclusion, a small smile lighting upon her features. He was so eager to do this right – she hoped more than anything in the world that her premonition would be wrong. Jack wanted this so badly, and she wanted to want it for him too, but…

"You know…" Jack thought, his eyes once again wandering to the ceiling, as if there were some kind of magical words written there to solve all of his dilemmas. "I wouldn't mind getting married someday. Sharing all the scares of Halloween with one person alone would be actually…pretty good…"

And then, with a sharp intake of air, he pushed himself off from leaning against his reclining chair and nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "All I know is that now I'm determined more than ever to make this Christmas a success, and for that, I'll work doubly hard! Even without a Mrs. Claws, this Christmas is going to be the best Christmas they've ever seen!"

Sally kept a strong smile for the Pumpkin King, despite having gone through a very emotionally distressing time while here in his home. It was hard to keep up a brave face believing that everything would end up being a disaster, but when Jack's face lit up, she couldn't help but be hopeful. It just meant she would have to look out for him in the event that things did go sour, she guessed.

Sally's eyes turned to the discarded jacket that still remained crumpled in a heap on the floor. She stepped over to it carefully, leaning over and picking it up to fold it over her free arm. Jack hastened to her side, picking up the pot of tea on the table that had now gone cold.

"Well, Sally." He began again, a bit more of a professional tone in his voice, "You're always good company. Thank you again for being such a fine help. And do let me apologize again for how ungentleman-like I was…"

"It's really all right," she replied, looking down at the jacket and then up once more at the skeleton.

He cleared his throat. "I'll see you again soon then?" She thought she saw the tiniest bit of concern cross his face for a moment as he spoke, almost as if he was afraid that his outburst might scare her away. It made her heart flutter and she couldn't help but let the airiest chuckle escape her.

"I'm sure you will."

And upon hearing that, he grinned that terrifyingly beautiful grin that she always loved to see because it meant he was truly happy. In fact, he grinned all the way to the door, and she could have sworn that they held their gaze the entire way there. And with a pair of partly sheepish, partly wistful, and partly melancholic goodbyes, The Pumpkin King watched his ragdoll friend descend the stairs leading up to his house before slowly closing the door.

Sally held tight to the fabric in her arms, feeling lighter than air every step she made down. Her stitches, warm and cozy, clung tight to her in a kind of embrace – she'd never felt so recognized, so respected, so wanted by anyone before. Jack was so kind and so understanding, and the fact that he was able to see such admirable and beautiful qualities in her…well, to say it was heartwarming would be a statement she'd never felt before. Because she didn't have a heart. But the fact that Jack would have chosen her as his Mrs. Claws, his "Mary Christmas"… it set something aflame deep within her that made her want to throw caution to the wind, and any premonition that came with it. Now, to sneak back into the doctor's workshop for that cotton scrap…

Jack drew the blinds closed, turning about on his heel to face the spacious living room. Carefully, he kneeled before the fireplace and set the logs afire before noticing how positively empty it looked now that his company had gone. Why, her presence, he noticed as he slowly stood, had made his house feel so lively and so full of vigor and had made him so lively and him feel so full of vigor that…looking at it now, he…

He could soon feel Zero's chill from underneath his fingertips, and he looked over to find his loyal pup looking up at him, worriedly, as if concerned that Jack may be thinking a little too much. The dog let out a little whine to match, causing the skeleton man to crack a wry smile. The Pumpkin King chuckled – maybe Sally would have made a good Mary Christmas. Now, he might never know.

"Well, Zero," he nodded his head, lifting his hands to place them both behind his back. "We'll see if she ever speaks to me again."

The ghost dog yipped tentatively, almost to say 'I hope she will,' but perhaps Jack was projecting his feelings.

And with that, he rose up the spiral staircase, but not before one more cursory glance out the window and a thought that the evening seemed suitable for a walk.

Thanks again for taking the time to read! If you liked it, please leave a favorite or a review! :) See you again soon(ish)!