Musically: (puts Victoria and Jack in a soundproof room) There. Now I can answer my fan mail! This review comes from WhittyWerewolf. Whitty writes, "Great story so far! I'm a sucker for TNBC songs. But I want to know if Jack and Victoria are going to have a romantic relationship. I'm all for Jack/Sally, are you? You mentioned Sally, but still..."

You should be pleased to know that Jack and Sally will be together (how could it be any different?) and that I have a different love interest planned for Victoria in later fanfics. And as for the singing, I assure you, there will be more.

Lastly, I apologize for the extreme boringness of this chapter. It is just leading up to the next chapter, which has another duet in it. Hoorah!

Jack/Victoria: Hey...she locked the door!

Jack and Victoria walked down the cobblestone road, making polite conversation as they went. Victoria listened to Jack's stories of Halloween Town and was instantly hooked on the many different kinds of monsters that traveled to live there. There were mummies from Egypt and sea creatures from Scotland. According to Jack, the Skellington family was the first of their kind to immigrate to Halloween Town. He, in fact, came from a long line of Pumpkin Kings and Queens and intended to pass the role down to his offspring. Victoria laughed.

"Does that mean you've found someone special, Jack?" Victoria teased. Sticking his hands in his pockets, Jack shrugged. The moonlight struck his skull at an odd angle, making his expression suddenly look forlorn and melancholy.

"No, not quite yet," Jack told her. Victoria pondered this for a minute. There certainly weren't a lot of girls in Halloween Town, as far as she had seen, that would be of any interest to Jack. However, a mental image came to mind. Victoria had seen her at the town meeting: an average sized young woman with blue skin. Silky, long red hair flowed down to her waist, Victoria remembered, and she wore a slightly tattered patchwork dress. The more Victoria thought about her, the more she recalled.

This lady had taken a seat in the tree at the back of the room, away from all of the fuss up in front. She had seemed very interested in the Christmas concept. Victoria also saw her face fall when Jack's finale became terrifying. Speaking of her face, it was very expressive; her large, prominent eyes gave her a permanently surprised look, and black, thick eyelashes lined her eyelids. Her lips were a rose red, and her mouth was made of stitches.

"There was a girl I saw," Victoria noted, "That looked rather nice to me. I didn't get her name, but she was like a rag doll with long, red hair. Sound familiar?" Jack shook his head at first but then smacked a bony hand to his forehead.

"Ah, yes! I know who you're talking about. Her name is Sally," Jack explained, "The one who's so good with sewing." Victoria nodded in understanding. Then Jack laughed quietly.

"I don't know, though. Sally and I, a couple?" Jack pondered, "I can't even remember the last time we've spoken to each other." His companion shrugged.

Reassuringly, she said, "Don't worry. I bet there's someone out there for old Jack Skellington."

Before Jack could say anything back, a large, castle-like house appeared over the grey horizon. A bony finger pointed it out for Victoria, telling her that this was his house.

"Hey, Jack," Victoria said, "Have you ever heard the saying, "Mi casa es tu casa?" Jack gave her a puzzled expression.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't speak French."

Victoria sighed, half in annoyance and half in amusement. Despite Jack's slight naivety, she felt her spirits rising as the tower loomed above. The old, grey house was constructed from stone that was not unlike the ones at the graveyard she had visited earlier, and a large iron gate barred the entrance to his home. A sense of familiarity drifted about Victoria's mind. Ignoring it, she strode over to the gate, where Jack was trying to unlock the door.

Jack pushed a silvery key through the lock and twisted, and in no time at all the door swung open. A horrible creaking noise bounced around in Victoria's ears.

"Sorry about that. I haven't been home in a while, it seems," Jack apologized. After the racket faded, Victoria shrugged.

"It's not a big deal," she muttered as she drew closer to the large, winding staircase that led to Jack's door. He went first. The steps were no problem for his long, spindly legs, as he easily glided over them like a spider on a web. Victoria followed slowly afterwards, tripping often and losing her balance. Soon, Jack had to pull her up to the top.

"Perhaps you should take up mountain climbing?" he laughed, offering a hand to help her up. Victoria felt a sting of cold as the skeleton helped her up to the top and scowled at him.

"You could at least put a railing on the side," she mumbled, "It'd be safer then."

"Ah, but what would be the fun in that?" Jack asked jokingly as he held the door open for Victoria. She entered readily, keen on seeing the home of the famous Jack Skellington. Needless to say, it met her expectations. Numerous family heirlooms filled the rooms, and pictures of the present and past Pumpkin Kings were hung upon the walls, displayed proudly for all to see.

Apologetically, Jack muttered, "It really is a bit cluttered, isn't it? Perhaps I should clean up more."

"I think it's great! Look at all this neat stuff!" Victoria exclaimed. She was now exploring the different bric-a-brac that lay around the different rooms, being careful not to touch anything that looked fragile or like a potential health hazard.

From the kitchen, Jack called, "The guest room is upstairs, if you'd like to look!" Victoria took his advice and quickly scurried up the winding staircase (this time careful not to trip). When she entered the loft, she could see three doors, each brown, tall, and identical.

"Which one is it, Jack?" she shouted.

"The one on the right!" he replied loudly. Eagerly, Victoria flung open the door. The sight that lay before her shocked her, but pleased her all the same. The room was completely decked out in orange, black, purple, and red, and picture frames and old books lined the shelves that rested against the walls. A twin sized bed had been placed in the middle of the room. The headboard was shaped like the silhouette of a flying bat, and the quilt that adorned the mattress was a complicated orange and black pattern.

It wasn't until now that Victoria's feet began to feel very sore. The bed suddenly looked very alluring and comfortable, so she kicked off her shoes and walked over to the head of the bed. Carefully, she lifted the quilt back a little so she could squeeze in. Victoria was getting in the bed carefully, relishing in the coolness of the blankets and sheets. It wasn't long before she was completely tucked into the bed, lost in a world of dreams away from Halloween Town.

"Victoria?" called a quiet voice, "Victoria?" Jack tiptoed over to the guest room and pushed the door open slightly, revealing a sleeping Victoria nestled under the covers. Smiling, Jack turned off the lights.

"Good night," he whispered, and closed the door.

Victoria's green eyes fluttered open as she heard Jack's voice calling from down the hall. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep.

"Victoria, wake up! We need to make a visit today," he yelled up to her. Groggily, she lifted herself up off of the pillow, rubbing her eyes in an effort to stay awake. Her bare feet touched the cold floor below. She shivered slightly and then walked over to the door that was on the other side of the room. A pale right hand reached out to the gold doorknob, taking it firmly and twisting slowly until the door opened with a creaking noise not unlike the cry of a dying frog.

Cringing slightly, Victoria waited until the sound faded. She then stepped lightly onto the floor, which felt hard but smoother than the bedroom's. Her fingers groped around blindly for a light switch, and it took about two minutes for her to find one. She pushed the lever up. Immediately, the room was flooded with light, allowing her to see that this was a bathroom.

The walls were painted a bright orange. Victoria could see her bedraggled reflection in the mirror that stretched across the wall that was opposite her, and the counters below the glass were made of black marble. A fresh toothbrush was laid out for her. Mint-flavored "Fang" brand toothpaste was sitting, fully filled and inflated, beside it and on the other side laid a black hairbrush. Victoria smiled and gratefully began to prepare herself for the visit.

A muted sound came from the stairway, alerting Jack to Victoria's approach.

"Ah, Victoria! I see you found the brushes and things," he said. Victoria nodded cheerily and waited by the front door for Jack to lead the way. The skeleton shot her a confused look.

"What're you doing?" he asked from in the kitchen, "I've made breakfast." Victoria suddenly realized that she was very, very hungry, and her stomach growled right on cue. She half walked, half ran into the kitchen to get some food. A hissing noise came from the stove, and the scent of eggs wafted towards Victoria's sniffing nose.

"Oh, you've made eggs!" Victoria said rapturously as Jack shifted them onto a plate. He set the steaming eggs in front of her and gave her a silver fork that was engraved with a skull near the top. "And is this the nice silverware you're using?"

Jack mumbled something about not getting visitors that often, and then he said, "Go ahead and eat; it's very delicious." Victoria obliged happily, instantly shoving a forkful of fried eggs into her mouth. The taste of the egg whites was zesty and full of spice, and it made her reach around for a glass of water in no time at all. After she drank the refreshing beverage, she started in on the yolk. The yellow center was strangely sweet and gooey, reminding her of a kind of lemon pie she had once tasted. In a matter of minutes, both Victoria and Jack had finished their meals and were ready to go.

"Were those normal eggs, or was that just a secret recipe?" Victoria inquired. Jack held the door open for her as she stepped out.

"No, those were Amazonian python eggs. Exotic, I know, but that new batch I bought had a nice kick to it, didn't you think?" he replied. Victoria felt her stomach begin to churn, but she nodded faintly and headed to the gate.

With a quick turn of a key, Victoria and Jack were out amongst the citizens of Halloween Town once more. Many of them stopped to congratulate them on last night's performance, but Jack said he couldn't be bothered right now and plowed through the crowds. Victoria pursued him in the thickness of the cloud of monsters.

"Jack?" Victoria asked, "Who exactly are we going to visit?" The skeleton didn't turn around, but he replied to her question in a soft voice.

"Dr. Finklestein. I need to see if he will lend me some of his science equipment. Have you met him yet?" he wondered. Victoria nodded her head even though Jack wouldn't see.

"Yes, we have," Victoria said, remembering his furious face quite vividly. They walked in silence for the rest of the trip, which was good; Victoria had a hard enough time with keeping up with Jack, much less carrying on a conversation. Soon, they had reached the lab of Dr. Finklestein. Victoria noticed that someone had replaced every single window, and she felt slightly relieved at the fact that now she wouldn't have to pay for them.

Jack walked confidently over to the front door, pasting a large smile on his face. He rapped the door several times with his bony hands.

A cracking, pain-racked voice from inside irritably shouted, "The door is open!" Jack pushed the door lightly, and it swung open to reveal a large kitchen. Wooden cabinets full of pots and ingredients were suspended over a counter and sink, and a large, pewter cauldron had been pushed to the wall. A long, spiraling ramp led to the second floor. Victoria looked up, and to her disgust, could see Dr. Finklestein himself looking down on them. Jack hadn't seemed to notice him.

"Hello?" he called. Dr. Finklestein took his eyes off of Victoria and looked at Jack with a pleasant expression.

"Jack Skellington? Up here, my boy!" he called welcomingly. Victoria stared at him until a cold prod from Jack told her that she needed to head up the ramp. Reluctantly, she obeyed. Jack's quick step and long strides brought him to the doctor quickly, while her slow steps rivaled that of a snail.

"Doctor, I need to borrow some equipment," Jack announced, waving an arm in the air to greet him. Dr. Finklestein squinted up at him from behind the thick goggles. Victoria finally reached the loft, glad to find Dr. Finklestein and Jack deep in conversation and too busy to pay attention to her.

"Is that so? Whatever for?" Dr. Finklestein asked interestedly.

"I'm conducting a series of experiments."

"How perfectly marvelous! Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

"I know."

"Come on in to my lab; I have just what you need." The scientist started leading Jack to his laboratory. Jack began to follow, but then looked back at Victoria. She shook her head and motioned for him to go. He shrugged, turned around, and followed the noise of the wheelchair until he was out of Victoria's sight.

Sighing with relief, Victoria slumped against a nearby wall. She had decided that Dr. Finklestein was one citizen of Halloween Town that she did not care for at all. Even so, his house was pretty interesting. Several gadgets and knick-knacks lay around the floor, metallically shining in the dusty light that shone in from the window. Victoria, wanting to amuse herself, followed the trail of gizmos.

The path wound throughout the castle. She passed large generators, weird machines, and a little hunchback who called for his master piteously. In the end, the trail of gadgets ended at a large door that looked rather like a large, silver bank vault. A large wheel was mounted in the center of the door.

Victoria tested it. She tugged at the wheel, which spun easily but didn't unlock the door. To her surprise, she heard bedsprings creak and footsteps coming closer to the door.

A gentle, feminine voice coming from inside asked, "Dr. Finklestein? Is that you?" Victoria tried unsuccessfully to hide a snort.

"Far from," she replied, "Who's in there?"

"My name is Sally. Who are you? Your voice sounds awfully familiar," Sally observed. Victoria stared at the door as if she was trying to see the lady behind it.

"I'm Victoria. I was at the town meeting, remember?" she told Sally, still clutching the wheel. On the inside, Sally nodded, but then remembered that Victoria couldn't see her.

"Yes, I do. You were quite good, and Christmas sounds like fun…though that last part was a bit, well, um," Sally broke off. She couldn't find a tactful word for Jack's unsettling finale.

"You thought so too? He told me he was giving the crowd what they wanted then."

"That would explain a lot, wouldn't it? It's not exactly what I wanted, though."

"Trust me, he didn't mean that last part. Hey, Sally?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you locked up in here?"

"Oh!" Sally had forgotten that she was trapped. She wistfully ran a blue finger across the steel door.

"Well, Dr. Finklestein put me in here for trying to poison him…for the third time this month."

"Ha!" Victoria laughed. The old man had gotten a taste of his own medicine, it seemed. "Good for you!" Sally tried hard to stifle a giggle. Suddenly, the sound of Dr. Finklestein and Jacks' voices met her ears.

"Sally, Jack and Dr. Finklestein are coming," she said urgently.

"Oh, you'd better go! There's no telling how much trouble the both of us will be in if he catches us talking." Victoria turned to leave, but Sally had one last request.

"Victoria? Are you still there?"

Hurriedly, she replied, "Yes!"

"Please don't tell Jack. I feel like a child in time-out, and that embarrasses me to no end."

"Don't worry about a thing, Sally! Catch you later if I can," Victoria said as she ran down to the spot she was standing on in the loft. Miraculously, she managed to get in the right position just when Jack and Dr. Finklestein came into view. Victoria waved at the two of them. Jack waved back and lifted up a carpet bag with clinking glass inside so she could see. Dr. Finklestein merely sniffed haughtily and wheeled himself off back to his laboratory.

After a few seconds, they were on their way again, both ready to leave the castle.

Musically: So, Victoria, did Sally seem nice?

Victoria: (shifty eyes) Sally? Who's she? I don't know. I never talked to anyone in that room. Exactly what is your definition of talk? I was holding it for a friend!

Jack: (is oblivious) Science is power!