1

"So, when would be a good time for the funeral?" asked the mayor impatiently.

Jack was unresponsive.

"What coffin should we use? What about flowers? And the banquet? What about..." the mayor pressed on.

Jack responded. He did what he had only dreamed about doing for years. "Mayor. Shut. Up. My son just died, and you're asking me about funeral arrangements????!!! If I hear one. More. Word from either of your mouths, and I will guarantee you sleepless nights for the rest of your existence. Do you understand???!!" Jack screamed. His coal-black sockets now had flames burning in them. It was all Sally could do to hold him back from ripping the mayor limb from limb.

The mayor ran out of the house. Jack calmed down. He slouched back to his seat.

"By God, you're right!" the doctor said as he was checking Jake's heart beat. Jake was indeed alive.

"I'll go get my tools!" he exclaimed, quickly wheeling out of the room.

As soon as he left, Jake's sockets opened. He looked up at Suzy's bewildered face. He reached up with his good arm and stroked her hair.

"An angel..." he mumbled. "I really must be dead." He was absolutely delirious from the gas.

Suzy did not know this. "Jake?" she said, backing up and taking his hand from her face. He wrapped his spidery digits around her small stitched hand.

"No...don't leave me alone!" he cried. Suzy, confused, returned to where she was standing before. "Wha...what do you mean?" she asked. Jake swallowed. "Please, stay...don't leave." he pleaded. Suzy had figured by now Jake was wrong in the head. "I'll stay." she said gently. She watched Jake as he laid back, obviously calmed.

The doctor came back in the room. "He's awake? This is amazing!" he said excitedly. When he approached, Jake screamed.

"No! No! Don't let him hurt me !!" he pleaded to Suzy. "What on Earth is he talking about?" asked the doctor, quite bewildered. Suzy spoke calmly. "He won't hurt you. He's going to stop your pain." she explained. Jake's grip subsided slightly. He spoke to the doctor. "Everything hurts..." he said.

The doctor glanced at a monitor. "He's completely delirious from mustard gas. Now how did he inhale that?" he wondered aloud. Suzy was relieved. She'd thought Jake had gone insane.

The doctor gave Jake some pain killer, then snapped his bones back into place. He had to use bolts in some severe places.

The skull was much trickier.

"Well, you'll look more like your mother after this."the doctor joked. Jake now had a large, rough stitch from the top of his eye socket to his cheek. The doctor used the same thread he had in Sally.

"Mother?" Jake wondered. "Oh dear..." said Suzy. "Hmmm, yes, we ought to alert your parents. Suzy, would you go and tell the Skellingtons?" he asked. Suzy started to go, but Jake screamed.

"No! You promised you'd stay!!" Jake shrieked. Suzy pitied him, laying there delirious. He was in so much hurt. The doctor called it a miracle that even if he came back to life, that he lived through the pain.

"I'll be right back." she assured. Then ran out of the lab.

There was a knock on the Skellington's door. Jack stood and answered it.

"Hello?" he said solemnly. He was a bit surprised to see Suzy on his doorstep.

"Suzy?" he asked. Suzy nodded quickly. "Mr. Skellington, Jake's alive!!" she exclaimed. She had expected him to jump for joy, or burst into tears. Instead,

"Please, no Suzy...its not funny." Jack said grimly, starting to close the door. Suzy forced her way inside.

"Its not a sick joke, he is alive!!! I tell you!!" she cried out. Jack shook his skull sadly. "No...this is cruel Suzy." he said solemnly. Suzy could understand this. If you didn't get your hopes up, they couldn't be crushed again.

"I'm telling the truth Mr. Skellington!!" she exclaimed. Sally came into the room. Suzy saw tear stains running down her face.

"Mrs. Skellington, Jake is alive!! Come on!!" she cried, grabbing Sally's hand and gesturing to the door. Sally, confused and not quite ready to believe in miracles slowly went with her. Jack followed, as did Sam.

Every breath hurt. Jake's frame rattled with every exhale. He wondered if perhaps dying would be a little less painful than this. But no, the angel would be disappointed.

"The angel is sad." he said to the odd duck-faced man working on his smashed leg. The man cocked his head.

"Suzy? Sad? Why? I gave her everything she needs! Preposterous." he said finally. Jake shook his skull. "No. She's sad." he laid back. "Is my...family coming?" he asked uncertainly. The doctor shook his head.

"I just sent Suzy to get them. I'm sure they'll be overjoyed." he assured. Jake took another breath, his lungs rattling. "Now, relax...breathe slowly." instructed the doctor. They heard the iron door swing open. The Skellington's shuffled in as if in a trance.

Jake used his energy and lifted his skull. All at once, Jack, Sally, and Sam's eyes lit up with joy. Sam exclaimed excitedly. Jack and Sally rushed over to Jake.

Sally hugged Jake tightly. He yelped from pain. "Jake! We thought we lost you!!" she exclaimed. Jake looked at her confused.

"Who are you?" he asked. Sally looked as if she'd been slapped. "Jake?" she asked.

"He's delirious from the gas he inhaled, and he got hit on the skull hard. He should be fine." said the doctor.

"You mean, he doesn't remember us?" Jack asked, shocked. "Don't remember who?" Jake asked. Jack cleared his throat. "Jake? Its your mother, and me...don't you remember?" he asked. Jake shook his head. "You're not Jack, Spike." then he turned to Sally. "Do we have anything to drink Jamie? I'm under twenty one."

The doctor frowned. "Who are Spike and Jamie?" he asked. Jack palm-smacked his skull. "Of course! Those two humans Jake was with!" he exclaimed. The doctor nodded. "He must be reverting to his memory before he fell."

Jake yawned. "I'm tired...think I'll just..." he went off to sleep.

Jake drifted in and out of consciousness for the rest of the day. At times he would begin to spasim, nightmares of death haunting his delirious mind.

While Jake was confronting inner demons, the doctor told Jack and Sally what they would need to do to help him recover.

"His mind will be fine once the gas wears off. He will be bedridden, however, for at least two weeks. He has severe broken bones, and they'll need time to heal. I had to sew up his skull, and he will now set off metal detectors with all the steel plates in his bones. Come back in a month and I'll remove those.He just needs to take it easy for a while. No sports, climbing, running, that sort of thing. The town will most certainly be a little calmer with him out of commission for a while." the doctor joked.

Jack and Sally simply nodded. They were too ecstatic about their son being alive they didn't mind him being bedridden for a couple of weeks.

Jack stood. "Sally, I must go to the Human World." he pronounced. Sally was quite confused. "Why?" she asked. "Jake was helped by two humans, I must go and thank them for their generosity." he explained. The doctor groaned. "I shall fire up the portal. But please be quick about it, eh?" he said irritably. He flipped the switch on the iron arch, and it bust into a shower of sparks.

Jack, bidding a goodbye to his family, sprinted through.

"Its all my fault...I should have never suggested climbing that building." Spike moaned.

"Its okay Spike, he was confused by the gas." Jamie consoled.

"I should've made him stay home." he groaned. Jamie simply put her arm around his shoulders.

Just then, Jack burst through their front door.

"Ja..Jack?" asked Spike incredulously. Jamie shrank back a little in fear of this tall, sinister figure. Jack noticed this.

"I don't bite." he said in a teasing manner to show Jamie he meant her no harm. Jamie was back to her usual self.

"Jack? What are you doing here?" Spike asked. "Oh no! You're going to kill me...its about your son isn't it? I'm so sorry Jack..."

Jack waved his hand. "I mean you no harm. Jake pulled through." he omitted the coming back to life part, "I came here to thank you. You took good care of Jake while he was trapped in this world, and I want to express my gratitude." Jack said eloquently.

Spike didn't know what to say. "It was nothing Jack. You helped me out, so I was just returning the favor." he said humbly.

Jack laughed. "Perhaps, but you didn't need to." then he turned to Jamie and inspected her hand. "Hmmmm, forget something Spike?" he joked. Spike then realized the ring in his pocket.

"Anyway, I better leave now. I'm on a tight schedule. Thank you for taking care of my son." he bowed, then exited. Before he shut the door he called, "Happy Halloween!" (Him being the Pumpkin King and all)

"What was he talking about, forgetting something?" asked Jamie. Spike dropped to his knees.

"Jamie, will you marry me?" he asked, pulling out the ring.