Musically: Sorry for the long delay, everyone. I had studying to do, and I lost track of time. So, to make up for it, I bring you a SUPER LONG CHAPTER OF DOOM. It has a song, a slightly naive Jack, and Victoria in pain! Everything anyone could ever want. Enjoy.

Victoria: (gets first aid kit ready)

Jack: Wait...I'm not naive, am I?

Victoria/Musically: Yeah. You are.

A thick curtain of mist blocked the jack-o-lantern sun the next morning, making everything in Halloween Town more drab and dismal than usual. Town Hall was no exception. The dark room looked terribly bleak as the shadows of the seats were cast over the floor. Victoria, who was sitting by the windowsill, could make out tiny droplets of rain falling onto the glass and sliding down helplessly as they gave in to the force of gravity. She propped her chin up with her palm. Bored as she was, she didn't move. Jack had told her to stay there until he said he was ready at the steps of Town Hall; he said he had a surprise for her.

The rain started and stopped sporadically. Storms normally interested Victoria, but she would rather have watched a sink faucet drip than stay here for another five minutes. She shifted in her spot. The window seat was long and cushioned, and the spiders that hung from the cobwebs above didn't seem to bother her so much. It was just that she couldn't move around. Victoria soon decided that she would make the most of her break and spread herself out onto the seat. Her head nestled down comfortably into the black pillows. In just a little while, she felt her eyelids began to flicker…

"Victoria!" Jack shouted, flinging the door open with a bang. Victoria jumped and fell off of the window seat, putting a shaky hand to her heart as if to slow it.

"I've asked you once not to do that!" she snapped.

"Twice, actually."

Victoria growled as she picked herself and the pillow that came down with her up. She put the velvety cushion back in its place. After brushing herself off, she stared at Jack with an almost suspicious expression.

"So, what's the big surprise?" Victoria asked. Jack opened the door that separated the parlor from the main lobby. Immediately, the sound of a bustling crowd and excited shouts reached them and flooded their ears.

Jack called over the noise of crowd, "Follow me!" Victoria did so, wondering what exactly he had summoned all of these monsters for. Soon they had passed through the corridor that lead to the front entrance and were now face to face with the only thing that separated them from the onslaught of citizens. Slowly, Jack twisted the doorknob open and revealed a colorful crowd that clashed with the gloomy sky. Cheers arose from the swarm.

"Friends," Jack announced, spreading his arms wide, "I believe a rumor has been spread that has something to do with Christmas being held in Halloween Town. Is this correct?" A general murmur of agreement answered him.

"Well, then, it is my pleasure to inform you that this is true," Jack called. Wildly, the audience roared out their approval, sounding like a stampede of enraged animals. Victoria tried to ignore the impulse that was telling her to cover her ears with her hands. Instead, she smiled uncertainly.

"I'm supposing you'd like to know who came up with this brilliant idea," Jack said expectantly. The whole crowd nodded, and their heads seemed to form a wavy ocean of black and orange. Jack stepped forwards, and to Victoria's shock, held out his bony hands towards her.

"You all remember Victoria from the meeting, I presume?" Jack asked. The crowd yelled out their agreement, many waving at Victoria and shouting her name in remembrance. Weakly, Victoria waved back. A freezing push from behind her caused her to inhale sharply and move closer to the audience. Jack towered over her from behind, holding out his arms to draw attention to the startled girl in front of him.

"Before you now, good citizens, is the founder of the genius idea! Victoria!" The whole crowd burst into applause. Victoria stood, dumbstruck, as the monsters and ghouls cheered along with Jack. Almost silently, Victoria began to speak. Before she could even get a word out, though, Jack interrupted her with his next statement.

"Now, to make Christmas, I have a special job for each and every one of you. Victoria and I will make sure that everything goes smoothly and that this Christmas will be the best ever!" Jack exclaimed. The crowd applauded one last time before Jack opened the door wide, allowing them to enter Town Hall. Victoria waited until the last monster had been corralled into the building before speaking to the skeleton.

"Jack, you big liar! What was that all about? It was your idea to make Christmas, not mine. I still don't even know if I'm all for it or not!" Victoria said harshly. A hint of panic could be noticed in the pitch of her voice, so Jack tried to calm her down. He shook his skull vigorously.

"No, no! You've got it all wrong, Victoria. Now that they think you came up with this thing, you'll be treated like a celebrity! A genius!" he explained. Victoria scowled skeptically.

In return, Jack said, "I'm only trying to make it up to you. What was it you said, I have two strikes left? Or something of that manner?" Unwillingly, Victoria nodded slowly.

"Whatever," she said moodily as she entered the building, "but don't expect me to enjoy this."

"At least try to smile," Jack whispered to Victoria as they pushed through the crowd. A large, sutured grin was showing vividly on Jack's face, as though encouraging his young companion to do the same. Victoria rolled her eyes. She managed a weak smile that seemed to hold the crowd over well. It wasn't long before they had pushed through the masses and reached an olden chest that was filled with Christmas toys and objects.

The Mayor of Halloween Town stood proudly beside them behind a podium. Ink was splattered all over his fine grey coat, though he didn't seem to notice. Instead, he grinned widely at the pair. A large feather quill guided by the Mayor's hand scribbled some words down on a clipboard, and then was dipped in a bottle of ink.

"Nice to see you two alive and well!" the Mayor said cheerily, "Or dead, in your case, Jack." Jack laughed and Victoria smiled faintly. While Victoria waited beside him, Jack fished around the chest until he pulled out a long, trailing list. He handed it to Victoria. The parchment smelled old and musty, but she could see that the writing was fresh and clean as though someone had scrawled it down quite recently.

It was a list. On the left side, names like "The Vampires" and "Witches" were written neatly and clearly, and matching jobs were written beside them. In disbelief, Victoria looked over the list. She elbowed Jack gently to get his attention.

"Are you sure the citizens will go for this?" she asked skeptically. Jack chortled and faced the commotion of the line in front of them.

Out of the corner of his mouth, he said, "We'll just have to see, won't we?" Victoria eyed him suspiciously from over the edge of the list. Jack seemed to ignore her and greeted the harlequin demon, whose orange and black locks curled and uncurled in an offbeat rhythm. He looked over at Victoria even though her face was mostly obscured by the parchment.

"What've you got there? Another Christmas thing?" the demon asked curiously, reaching for the list. Victoria stepped away and peered over the paper to look at him. His interesting scale pattern glistened colorfully as he walked into the light. She put the list slightly out of his reach, making his face fall, but she smiled politely back at him.

"It's a list of everyone's, um, Christmas jobs. It says that you will make the proper clothing for the holiday," Victoria said, turning sideways to Jack, "Is that right?" Jack nodded in response.

"Of course!" he said, wrapping a friendly arm around the demon's shoulders, "Who better to make our hats and scarves than our brilliant Harley?" The harlequin demon beamed with pride and puffed his chest out.

"Well, I have been working on a few ideas lately," Harley said in a forced kind of modesty. Jack chuckled happily and handed the monster a knit hat and scarf from his Christmas chest.

"Just to get you started," the skeleton said as he ushered Harley out of the building. Before he left, however, Harley looked over his shoulder.

"Great idea, Victoria! It'll be like nothing else!" Victoria felt herself redden as the demon walked out of the door. Jack returned to his post and grinned when he saw the blushing girl.

"What did I tell you?" he said triumphantly. Victoria shrugged it off and waited for the next citizens to arrive. The list went on and on, and citizens came and went.

Occasionally, the Mayor would say things such as, "How horrible our Christmas will be!" and Jack had to correct him often.

"No, Mayor, how jolly our Christmas will be!" The Mayor looked instantly crestfallen as he repeated Jack.

"Oh…how jolly our Christmas will be…" Almost instantly, the Mayor was pelted with a variety of hard objects by an unseen source. The Mayor's blue face was at first furious, but then turned to a look of uncertainty and fear.

"J-Jack! It's B-B-Boogie's Boys!" he stammered quietly. Victoria raised an eyebrow in confusion and craned her neck to see who exactly Boogie's Boys were. When she saw the culprits, she tried to stifle a gasp. A witch, a devil, and a skeleton stood side by side, giggling mischievously at the sight of the unnerved Mayor. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were there.

The Mayor turned on them with an angered countenance.

"What are you three doing here?" he asked accusingly.

"Jack sent for us," Lock replied.

"Specifically!" Shock added.

"By name," Barrel finished. The mayor shook his head and returned to his papers, trying to ignore the tiny menaces.

"Lock? Shock? Barrel?" Victoria asked incredulously. Upon seeing her, the trio closed in on her from all sides, nearly pushing her up against the wall.

"Victoria," Shock said coolly, "nice to see you again."

"Especially after that window thing," Barrel noted, sounding a little upset. Victoria looked to see if Jack was listening. He wasn't. Quickly, Victoria bent down to their level and hushed her voice.

"Oh, he didn't find out it was you, did he?" she asked worriedly. They laughed.

"That old geezer?" Lock snickered, "He wouldn't have found out if we'd given him a signed confession."

"I hear he almost caught you though," Shock told her, "So what'd you do?"

"I lied about it."

"Why? I thought people weren't supposed to do that."

"It's nothing you three wouldn't have done in that situation."

Lock, Shock, and Barrel nodded in understanding, ending the conversation just as Jack swiveled around to face them.

"Ah, Halloween's finest trick-or-treaters!" Jack announced, drawing the children closer with his long, bony arms.

Jack continued, "The job I have for you is top secret. It requires craft, cunning, and mischief." Shock snickered.

"And we thought you didn't like us, Jack," the witch giggled, almost collapsing with her companions in laughter. Jack was quick to straighten them out and get their attention so he could finish his statement.

"Absolutely no one is to know about it, not a soul!" Jack said, pointing at each of them for emphasis. The children listened attentively. Jack bent in closer so he could whisper, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel did the same. Victoria could see the mayor trying to listen in with his megaphone and ending up getting bitten by a hiding spider. Small bits of the conversation could be heard such as, "tree", and "Christmas Town", but Victoria couldn't make out much else. Finally, Jack rose and the children backed away.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel started to leave, but then Jack tugged on Lock's tail.

"And one more thing," he said harshly, "Leave that no-account Oogie Boogie out of this!" The children put on simpering smiles.

"Whatever you say, Jack."

"Of course, Jack!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Jack."

Victoria could see the demonic children crossing their fingers behind their back. With that, the children scurried out of Town Hall, cackling madly as they went. Victoria, who was quite interested in this 'top secret' job, prodded Jack in the ribs.

"What?" he asked, rubbing his side. Victoria had poked him a bit too hard.

"What kind of job did you give them?" she asked apprehensively. Jack looked unsure about something for a split second, and then he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I believe I can tell you," Jack said. He leaned close to Victoria and whispered in her ear.

"They're going to kidnap Sandy Claws so that I can take over for this year! Isn't that great?" the skeleton said giddily. In shock, Victoria pulled back.

"Are you kidding? That'll never work!" she shouted. Jack motioned for her to quiet down, and she did so reluctantly.

"It's just like giving him a vacation," Jack explained in a quiet voice, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. It's going to be a surprise."

"It surprised me, all right," Victoria muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing…Jack, I've got to go. Here take this," Victoria said, thrusting the long list into his skeletal hands. She ran out the door, ignoring his calls. When she got outside, she could see that the sun was setting rapidly and that the clouds had gotten darker. To her relief, though, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were still in sight, barely standing over the horizon.

Victoria ran as fast as her legs would take her. She was careful not to let them see her; she didn't want them to know that she knew what they were doing. By hiding behind random trees, Victoria managed to stay out of sight until they reached the tree house. Her breathing slowed down as she stopped. Her back was against the smooth bark of a birch, arched in an uncomfortable way.

Curiously, Victoria peeked around the edge of the tree. She could hear the children singing and laughing as they crossed a rickety wooden bridge. An odd birdcage was sitting on the other side, and they entered it swiftly as they sang.

"Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws?"

"I wanna do it!"

"Let's draw straws!"

Victoria watched them in a kind of awe. Were they seriously going to this? She saw Shock smack Lock in the face with her hard mask as she closed the door to the birdcage behind them.

"Jack said we should work together."

"Three of a kind, birds of a feather, now and forever!"

The birdcage rose into the sky as the rope pulled tight, and the kids sang an annoying little tune as they ascended. Victoria snuck out from behind the spindly tree. She sprinted over to the tree house just in time for the cage to fall down again, but this time it was empty. The children disappeared into the house above her. Awkwardly, Victoria crawled into the birdcage and closed the door, triggering the pulley to lift her up. The cage swayed dangerously but brought her up to the top with little effort.

Victoria opened the door quietly and stepped inside. The lobby didn't look inviting or safe; the walls were lined with maces, battles axes, and bear traps that were caked with red rust. She raised her eyebrows slightly. Then she shook her head, remembering what she had come to do. Victoria followed the sound of the high-pitched voices until she came to an open doorway, where Lock, Shock, and Barrel were plotting the kidnapping of Sandy Claws.

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws,

lock him up real tight!

Throw away the key and then

turn off all the lights!"

The children didn't seem to notice her. Lock watched while Barrel produced a small, metal cage out of thin air and placed his lollipop inside. Shock tugged on an axe that was wedged inside the wooden walls. It came out with some effort. She fondled it with a wicked grin.

Victoria watched, horrified, as a small green bug crawled into the cage. Shock swung the axe around wildly, cutting the rope that held the door open and encasing the bug.

"First we're going to set some bait

Inside a nasty trap and wait," Shock planned.

"When he comes a-sniffing,

We will snap the trap and close the gate!"

The cage was passed to Lock, who sat beside a bubbling cauldron. He inspected the beetle with narrowed eyes, and then smiled widely. The devil dipped the whole cage into the acid and brought it out proudly. The beetle seemed to groan.

"Wait! I've got a better plan

to catch this big, red lobster man!

Let's pop him in a boiling pot

and when he's done, we'll butter him up!"

Lock held the box as he hopped off of his seat. The beetle inside was now a sickly green color and was dripping with the liquid that it had been drenched in. Shock and Barrel joined him. They all circled around a large tube that was fashioned to look like a monster's mouth, and the bug was unceremoniously tossed to Shock. The two boys bowed down as she sang.

"Then Mr. Oogie Boogie Man…" she sang, throwing the bug down the tube,

"can take the whole thing over then!" The boys got up and peered into the pipe.

They sang, "He'll be so pleased, I do declare, that he will cook him rare! Whee!"

The children giggled madly and collapsed into a heap of laughter as Victoria walked over to them, thoroughly disgusted. She began to talk, but it came out as more singing, since she couldn't get their song out of her head.

"Lock, Shock and Barrel!

I can't believe you three,

You can't kidnap Santa Claus,

You'll have to go through me!

Children all around the world

Get presents from him.

If you kidnap Santa Claus,

What will happen then?"

Lock, Shock, and Barrel all seemed equally surprised that Victoria had found their secret hiding place, if not more so by the fact that she didn't want Sandy Claws kidnapped. Lock's astonishment seemed to wear off the fastest. He smirked naughtily, and ran over to a nearby cannon. Barrel followed dutifully after and sat on the weapon.

"I'll tell you what will happen," Lock said. He then started to sing again.

"I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door and then

Knock three times and when he answers,

Sandy Claws will be no more!"

Lock pulled the lever to the cannon, causing Barrel to soar through the air and land in an open closet. Shock and Lock scurried over to help him (his head had gotten stuck in a pot). As they pulled, Shock started to criticize Lock's methods.

"You're so stupid! Think now,

if we blow him up to smithereens,

we might lose some pieces, and then

Jack will beat us black and green!"

With a final tug, Barrel came out of the cauldron. His face was black from ashes, but his smile was wide and white. Lock and Shock tossed him into a bathtub so the dust would wash off.

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws,

Tie him in a bag!

Throw him in the ocean,

Then see if he's sad!"

Victoria had to avoid being splashed as water flew up from the basin, splattering everywhere. In frustration, she began to sing again.

"You three just aren't making sense,

I can't seem to understand

And also, who's this bad guy

That you call the Boogie Man?"

Victoria crossed her arms as the children began to grin evilly.

"Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around!

If I were on his Boogie list, I'd get out of town."

With that, Lock and Shock jumped into the tub with unpleasant thumps. Victoria peered over the rim, getting knocked out of the way when the bathtub reared up on its feet. Now aggravated, Victoria chased after them.

Barrel sang, "He'll be so pleased by our success,

That he'll reward us too, I'll bet!"

"Perhaps he'll make his special brew

Of snake and spider stew! Mmmm!"

The bathtub came to a screeching halt in front of Victoria. The rim of the tub collided painfully with her stomach, making her double over. The kids' voices could still be heard.

"We're his little henchmen,

and we take our job with pride.

We do our best to please him

And stay on his good side."

Victoria recovered quickly and rushed into the room where Shock was collecting weapons. Barrel had managed to get his foot caught in a ball-and-chain.

Shock sang, "I wish my cohorts weren't so dumb."

"I'm not the dumb one!"

"You're no fun."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

Shock shook her head and retrieved a small, wooden box from the closet, showing it to her two companions. She shook it a little. Something inside it rattled unpleasantly, and it made Victoria cringe.

"I've got something, listen now!

This one is real good, you'll see.

We'll send a present to his door

Upon there'll be a note to read.

Now, in the box we'll wait and hide

Until his curiosity entices him to look inside!"

"And then we'll have him,

one, two, three!"

Shock lifted the lid of the box, making three black scorpions fly out and land on Barrel. Barrel brushed them off casually. The three children leapt into action, collecting all manners of sharp objects and throwing them into the tub. Victoria also saw Lock grab a large trick-or-treat bag.

As the bathtub became fuller and fuller with their 'toys', Victoria tried one last time to get through to them.

"Why would you kidnap Santa Claus?

He's done nothing but good.

Please don't kidnap Santa Claus!

Forget it like you should!"

The trio grinned maliciously at their weapons. They sang as they threw the final items into the basin.

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws, beat him with a stick! Lock him up for ninety years, see what makes him tick!"

Victoria's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. They hadn't listened to a word she had said! Lock, Shock, and Barrel had certainly seemed more eager to listen to Jack, at any rate. Well, if they wouldn't listen to her, she would block them physically. The moving bathtub had begun to exit the tree house. Speedily, Victoria ran to the other end and pushed with all her might, trying to force the children back into the place in desperation.

Unfortunately, this didn't work. Victoria found herself getting pushed backwards by the tub, sliding slowly down the spiraling tree branch. Her footing lost eventually. She tumbled down painfully on the limb, getting scratched by stray branches and sharp leaves until she landed with a thump on the ground. She lay sprawled out in the dust. Still, the sound of Lock, Shock, and Barrel's singing reached her ears through the hurt:

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws,

chop him into bits!

Mr. Oogie Boogie is

Sure to get his kicks!

Kidnap the Sandy Claws,

See what we will see,

Lock him in a cage and then

Throw away the key!"

The sound of their song faded into laughter as the trio disappeared into the forest. Victoria was left alone.

Musically: See? What'd I tell you? Okay, okay. It wasn't the most eventful chapter ever, but it's going to get better. Way better. Here's a hint: Victoria and Oogie are secretly connected in a way...

Victoria: I can't feel most of my body right now.

Musically: Don't worry! You're supposed to feel that way!