Musically: Hi, everyone. Sorry it took so long to update; it was a mixture of writer's block and being so freakin' busy. I'm back now, though! Just in time to see what happens next.

Jack: Is that Victoria? Oh, no. It's just an old rag.

Random Ghost: That's Mr. Rag, to you, pal!

Musically: 00

Sally awoke with a start as the iron gate creaked behind her. She realized that she must have fallen asleep after seeing her disturbing vision. Loud, stomping footsteps worked their way around the gate, which was slammed rather noisily as it was passed, so Sally pressed herself closer to the stone column that hid her from the stranger. She looked forward, expecting to see Jack storming out of the house. But no, no one was there.

Sally waited for a few minutes to see if anyone would show up. No one passed the column. Soon, though, Sally heard a slight thump on the other side of the rocky pillar. Sniffling noises behind her started to soften her fears, so she carefully peeked over the column. To her surprise, she saw Victoria sitting with her back to the wall, and Sally could hear her trying to stifle her cries and saw her wiping away the salty tears. Soon, she'd seen enough.

"Victoria?" Sally whispered, putting a soft hand on her arm. Victoria jumped. She then looked over at Sally, remembering the face and voice from times past. Quickly, Victoria began to quiet her crying and dry her eyes, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of the other girl.

"Sorry, Sally, it's just…Jack, he-"

"I know a better place where we can talk about it, if you'd like. I know how Jack can be sometimes," Sally offered. Victoria seriously doubted Sally knew that Jack had inadvertently tried to kill her, but she nodded anyways, grateful for the compassion. Sally stood up and helped Victoria to her feet. The rag doll led Victoria away from the Skellington manor and to the winding road that led to Spiral Hill.

Minutes passed like seconds as Sally and Victoria sat on the hill. The pumpkin sun had begun to set gloriously over the hill, smearing muted reds, oranges, and pinks across the navy sky. The two girls talked like old friends. Victoria explained the situation to Sally, who listened with complete attention and an unbiased ear. After a while, there was nothing else to say, so they dangled their feet out over the edge and stared off into the horizon, watching the sun sink into the ground.

Soon, Victoria broke the silence by asking, "Sally? Do you think Jack will ever…you know, go through with it?" Sally watched the last sliver of light fade away, giving into the inky black sky above. She gave a half-hearted shrug. The vivid picture of a flaming evergreen was impressed upon her mind and wasn't going away. Sally wondered if this was a vision of the future. Worriedly, she bit her lip.

"I don't know, Victoria. I certainly hope not," Sally admitted. Victoria gave her an empathetic look. They looked back at the beautifully eerie landscape that was laid out before them for a while, until Sally said, "I need to tell you about something." Then Sally began to tell her all about her strange vision.

Jack walked slowly through the town. No inch of the dismal place was left undiscovered by the determined Pumpkin King, who was having no luck. Victoria was nowhere to be found. The worst part was that the citizens wouldn't leave him alone about the Christmas thing, as someone seemed to have spread a rumor that it was going to take place in Halloween Town. Jack would have been excited, had Victoria felt the same way. He had to find her.

"Ah, Jack!" a cheery voice from behind him called, "Is it true?" Reluctantly, Jack spun around on his heel to face the pudgy mayor with a fake smile.

"What would you mean by that, Mayor?" Jack asked in a forcibly pleasant voice. The Mayor's expression flickered to confusion for a second before he put a happy face back on.

"I mean, is it true that we're planning to have Christmas? Right here in Halloween Town? If so, we have a lot to do, you know! I have plans somewhere around here," the Mayor said. He began to feel around in his pockets for the plans for the celebration. His grin widened as he extracted a scroll of paper from his front pocket, which extended down to the ground when it unrolled.

"See? If we get started now, we can even-"

Jack intervened, "Mayor, I'd love to talk. At the moment, though, I've got other obligations that are quite urgent. We'll see about those plans later!" Without bothering to hear a reply from the Mayor, Jack turned away quickly and headed further into the bustling crowd. He checked the sarcophagi, the Werewolf Woods, and finally, the pumpkin patch.

Orange gourds surrounded Jack. They formed together in a sort of maze, as though trying to prevent him from looking for Victoria. Angrily, he kicked a pumpkin. Tangerine goo sprinkled with moist seeds spilled out onto the spongy ground below and got all over his shoes. Cursing quietly, he stepped out of the mess and headed north.

Jack stepped over the large pumpkins awkwardly until he came to the base of Spiral Hill. Tiredly, he leaned against the grey mound and crossed his thin arms across his chest. He couldn't even begin to think about what had happened to his young friend; it was too depressing to bear. Slowly, Jack slid silently down to the ground until he was sitting, holding his skull in his hands in defeat. Voices drifted down to him from the top of the hill. They wrapped around his head, telling him to look up to the summit.

Slowly, Jack lifted his head up from his palms and glanced upwards. He couldn't see anyone clearly. To get a better view he got up and crept around Spiral Hill, walking in a cat-like manner uphill so he wouldn't make any noise. Jack's spirit soared as he saw Victoria and Sally sitting in front of him.

"Victoria! Sally!" Jack cried. The two girls jumped in surprise and twisted around quickly so that they could see who was calling.

"Jack!" Sally called, stunned. Victoria stayed silent and glared at Jack as he approached them. As soon as he was close enough, Jack knelt down to Victoria's level and hung his head. Victoria's eyebrows rose slightly when he started to speak.

"Victoria," Jack said, "I'm sorry. I got so carried away! I didn't even see you there, I was being so foolish. Please, please say you'll forgive me! I can make it up to you."

"How?"

"I can show you the best Christmas that Halloween Town has to offer if you'll say that I'm forgiven."

Victoria thought for a second or two, and then answered coolly, "I forgive you Jack, but only because you realized that you were being stupid about Christmas. I don't know about having Christmas in Halloween Town; the citizens might not understand it."

"Hey!" Sally objected. Victoria corrected herself.

"Most of them," she said apologetically. Jack couldn't help himself, so he smiled widely.

"Oh, contraire! I spent all day looking for you, and everyone in town kept asking me about Christmas. They really want to have a Christmas of their own! Just give us a chance, Victoria. We can show you," Jack said. Victoria looked away uncertainly.

"I can show you."

Victoria looked back at Jack. The angry look in her forest green eyes had been replaced by a final, consenting gaze. Smiling slightly, she nodded.

"I guess that's strike one. Two more and you're out!" Victoria joked.

Jack and Sally exchanged confused glances.

"That means that Jack messed up once and if he screws two more things up, he's not getting any more chances," she explained exasperatedly. Sally and Jack laughed weakly, not getting the idiom. Victoria shook her head as Jack helped her up, and Sally lifted herself up off of the ground.

Moonlight cast them all in a melancholy light. Sally's bright eyes seemed darkened, and Victoria's face appeared gaunt and thin, but Jack's white skull looked as though it were glowing. He was relieved. The feeling of forgiveness could be a powerful one, especially if it was mixed with the anticipation of what was yet to come.

Musically: So, what's yet to come? Only I, the all-powerful writer, know! Yes, grovel in fear at sight of my terrifyingly awesome fanfic, which rules over all of the pathetic lives that exist on this planet!

Jack: My. She really has gone insane, hasn't she?

Victoria/Sally: Ooooohhhh yeah.