Since everything that happened I had to admit that I started to forget who I was and where I belonged. I forgot that I didn't look like the inhabitants of Christmas Town, nor did I belong there. But it didn't stop me from feeling like I could. The more I spent with Tori the more I wanted to stay. I couldn't say I didn't think of ditching my holiday, because I did, but even I knew I couldn't do that no matter how much I wanted to. None of it became as apparent to me as it did now, staring down someone who clearly didn't have a place here as I felt I did. He had to go. I had to keep him and his cruel ways far from here. Far from Tori.

"What are you here?" I questioned, my voice low. I unconsciously shifted so that I blocked Tori from him.

"I could ask you the same question. And with one of the inhabitants too," he replied casually. My senses were going haywire with danger. He was up to something. I knew my kind were tricky. If he had any demon in him I knew it meant even more trouble.

"Leave her out of this. It's between me and you, isn't it? You're upset I caught you. Fine. Big deal. Live with your mistakes. You knew what would happen. What could you possibly gain by coming here?" I questioned, trying to remain calm.

"And you know what happens when you stray from your own holiday," he pointed out with a smirk. He was toying with me.

"What do you want?" I growled, fed up with not getting any answers.

"What I want is what they want," he answered vaguely. It wazzed me off.

"Don't speak in riddles. I'd hate to start threatening you," I warned. He chuckled, dark and cold. I could feel Tori tremble in fright where she was pressed to my arm.

"Go ahead. See if I care. I came to drag you back. We watched and waited for the perfect time to strike. I was hoping whatever you did here provided me with a little more fun and now I see that I was right," he stated, yellow eyes on Tori. I snarled and stepped forward.

"I'll go," I surrendered. I had to keep Tori out of danger. The red imp smirked, revealing a row of sharp teeth. It was my only clue to just how malicious he was if he always kept them in that state, but I was too late. He darted forward on swift wings and tore through my own, crippling me with pain. I cried out and stumbled, giving him the advantage to land a heavy blow to my jaw. I fell to the snowy ground, seeing double. He kicked me in the side for good measure before stalking past me.

"Hey there pretty girl," he taunted, advancing on Tori. She was shaking in fear, too scared to move.

"You make it so easy," he continued, stroking her cheek. She cringed from his touch, a scowl twisting her lips into a frown, and then she smacked his hand away before punching him square in the face. He roared in anger and grabbed her by the front of her sweater.

"You'll pay for that," he snarled, yanking her to start walking and then swinging her around to shove her towards the door.

"Get in there or I'll toss you in there," he warned. Tori reluctantly pulled open the door to Halloween Town before looking back at me. I was on my hands and knees now, trying to stand, when I was hauled up by the back of my shirt.

"You have company and it's rude to make them wait," he sneered with a laugh. I didn't fight him this time. Tori jumped in when he shot her a look and then tossed me in after her. As we traveled I hoped he didn't stick around Christmas Town. I had nothing to worry about because when we came out in the Hinterlands he was there. I was ejected on my face again but Tori helped me up. I wanted to thank her but the red imp grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from me. She tried to reach for me but missed and I lost my balance trying to reach for her. I fell to my knees and looked up to see the trio of dimwits. My one good wing flicked back in anger while the other hung limp and mangled.

"You," I spat, fury coiling in my gut.

"So Claude really came through for us. Didn't I say he would be a good addition?" Beck spoke up, glancing at the other two.

"Yeah, you did. And who is this?" Ryder agreed before scanning Tori. She looked so out of place and frightened. I forced myself to my feet, determined to get to her. Beck shoved me back down before I could.

"Poor Jade, wanting to befriend other inhabitants from a different holiday. She's so out of place here she can't even find friends in her own world. With proof like this Jack can't ignore you going AWOL. He'll have to see that his star pupil has been breaking the rules for quite a while now. Not to mention you brought someone back with you," he commented while circling me. I glared at him.

"You would do all this just to ruin me? Do you know what you're doing by getting help from him?" I demanded. Beck glanced at Claude before looking back at me.

"He's dependable," he said with an uncaring shrug.

"And he's a step away from a trip to the Underworld. I caught him tormenting a mortal and he might have hurt him too," I revealed. Beck just stood there, unmoved.

"Why am I even trying to tell you this? You did the same thing," I grumbled under my breath, more to myself than him.

"Enough of this. I say we kill the little elf and blame her. That way she'll be the one to get thrown in the Underworld. Problem solved," Claude stated, maniacal glee in his eyes.

"Kill her? Are you crazy?" Alyssa screeched. Tori flinched at the sound and so did I. The others must be used to it and Claude probably didn't care because they barely reacted besides an eye roll from Claude.

"Hey, there will be no killing. We don't do that. We just frame Jade and get this over with. The elf goes back and we'll be heroes," Beck ordered, turning on the red imp.

"And at the worst she'll get is, what, stripped of her title and forced to remain here every Halloween, same as you guys were, while you can now frolic in the mortal world?" Claude intoned, clearly agitated.

"Well, yeah. That was the point," Ryder answered.

"What a bunch of useless fools. Don't you know why mortals are so scared of us? Haven't you seen the things they call horrors? They're not afraid of us just because we look scary! They're afraid of us because we can end them!" he raged. The others took a step back in shock and Tori started inching away.

"And if you won't be the monsters you were born to be, then I'll just have to do it myself," he continued, grabbing Tori when he noticed her trying to get away. His claws latched on her neck and he bared his teeth at her. The sight of her in danger triggered something in me, a white hot feeling that burned. I roared and launched off the ground, claws and teeth ready to tear. My vision went violent red, and then right before my claws even touched Claude, I blacked out. The terror on his face was the last thing etched into my brain.

I woke up feeling disoriented. What happened?

I must have gone through a blackout rage. I heard of them and never thought it would happen to me. I thought only monsters like Claude got them, but I was wrong. Instead of worrying over what might have happened I tried to get my bearings. It took me some time to figure out where I was. The room was dim and spinning until I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. When I opened them again everything had settled but I still didn't know where I was. I wasn't in my room or in my house at all. I couldn't be in Christmas Town because it was just too dark. There were too many grays and blacks. I felt familiar with the room, comfortable, so it had to be somewhere in Halloween Town.

"Skirra?" a gentle voice called to me. Barking reached my ears and Zero came flying over to attempt to lick me. I must be in Jack's house.

"Sally?" I responded tiredly, recognizing her voice.

"Jack, she's awake," she called, looking to the right. Jack came into my vision and looked down at me with a mix of worry and disappointment. Ugh, no. I hated that look. What did I do?

"I'm glad. I didn't want to have to tell you this so soon, but…" he began. My stomach dropped and the worst came to mind. I hoped Tori was okay. Sally seemed to read my mind yet again because she stood to walk over and pat my arm.

"You fell into a rage and came close to severely hurting Claude, but it was to protect your friend. She's fine," she assured me.

"Where is she?" I asked, getting up with some difficulty. I could see that both of them wanted me to lay back down but they didn't make me. They knew that I wouldn't listen.

"She was taken back to Christmas Town. Sandy Claws told me that the recent incidents were getting out of hand. I took steps to remedy that. I made sure to exile Claude to the Underworld for his indecencies and the other three have been put under constant supervision until further notice. Sandy Claws and I agreed that you should be pardoned for keeping Victoria safe. I also think you should be aware that I wasn't blind to your disappearances lately, Jade," he stated, beginning to pace. I cringed at the knowledge that he knew what I had been up to the whole time. I should have known he would. I had been careless so I wasn't going to make excuses or deny it.

"I'm sorry, Jack," I whispered, looking away, hunched over so that I rested on my legs. A crackle of something in my pocket reminded me of the candy cane I stashed there, no doubt crushed.

"I don't want you to go back there. Ever," he ordered, making me further droop. My one good wing fell to join the other that was heavy with bandages.

"However…" he began again, leaning down close to me. His dramatic movement caught my attention.

"If you do happen to slip out of sight without me any the wiser I wouldn't know whether you went or not," he finished in a whisper that bordered on conspiratorial. I lifted my gaze to see him wink before he was back to business. I had to hand it to him, he really knew how to jump between moods and acts so fast even I got confused. And I knew him for a very long time. My spirits lifted a little with his words and I caught Sally giving him a chiding look but a smile from him made her drop it. Those two couldn't stay mad at each other longer than five minutes, I swear.

"I guess I should head home then," I said, acting like I was still sad. Internally I was elated. I couldn't wait to sneak off again and check on Tori. Jack basically gave me the go ahead and I wasn't going to pass it up. After all, I hadn't done anything, and even though it wasn't allowed, Jack trusted me. He knew I would never do any harm.

"Yes, get some rest and heal. Maybe you can help me with plans for next Halloween. I sure could use some new ideas that'll really make them scream," he suggested, holding out his bony hand. I took it and he helped me to my feet. I groaned at the weight of my injured wing, rolled my shoulders, and then saluted him.

"I look forward to it," I accepted.

"See you soon," Sally said, standing to give me a hug. I returned it then waved and headed for the stairs, taking them slowly. Once I was out the front door I walked home at a steady pace, eating the crushed pieces of candy cane. It was pretty good. I let my thoughts wander. It had been a long time since my emotions were this twisted up. I was happy yet sad, proud yet guilty, confused yet confident, and the list kept going. I wanted to see Tori so badly. I wanted it as soon as possible, but I knew I would have to wait. I had to play out obeying Jack's orders. I had to wait for suspicion to lessen then visit once everything was all smoothed out and settled down. I could make it a surprise visit. I grinned happily at the thought of seeing Tori again. I couldn't wait. When I finally got home it was to a quiet household. Confused and a little on edge, I searched the house. The demon spawn were gone, and in their wake was mother, resting in her room.

"Jade, come in here," she called to me, catching me peeking at the door.

"Yeah?" I replied, pushing myself to enter. My body automatically tensed and my hands clenched, my nails sharpening. I gritted my teeth and my scowl returned. Just being near her caused my anger to flourish, like I already expected her to say or do something that would upset me. I hated it.

"Your brothers and sisters have-" she began, but I cut her off.

"They aren't my brothers and sisters," I hissed. She sighed, and suddenly, she looked so tired. Usually, her blue eyes would glow in anger by now, as mine probably were. But not this time. This time they were dull and her normally pale skin looked almost sickly. I was surprised ink hadn't stained her features yet.

"They've gone with your fa-with Praxis," she told me. What did I care. It must have been obvious on my face because she continued.

"Jack came by and explained what happened. You saved two inhabitants from Christmas Town and faced down a demon-imp spawn. It's an impressive feat, seeing as you're a purebred imp with no demon heritage to speak of," she said. Instead of her words coming out proud, as they should be, I only heard mild surprise, like she couldn't believe I survived. Sure, demons were stronger than imps in nature but that didn't mean imps were any weaker in general. She was an imp for crying out loud and she didn't stick up for herself. No wonder Praxis stepped all over her on his bad days. I growled and advanced on her.

"Is that all you have to say?" I snarled. She stood, staring me down.

"No. Jack also told me that he's taking into consideration all families with demon heritage. It seems they've become a problem as of late so he wants to make sure all families have close ties so that none stray. He tries to avoid sending his people to the Underworld and he doesn't want to do it again any time soon. Praxis has been required to spend time with his children," she informed me.

"I'm not his so tell him not to bother trying to get close to me. I don't like him," I spat, turning away to leave.

"He won't be. He knows and he isn't keen to get to know you either. I thought maybe we could…" she started off strong but dwindled towards the end. I slowed to a stop at the door, looking back at her.

"I'm not like him. You said it yourself. I'm not a demon, nor will I ever be. You have nothing to worry about," I muttered, moving to leave again.

"But I do worry. I worry that ever since he became a part of our lives you became too far to reach. I miss you and I miss your father. I've just been so busy and frustrated that I haven't given you the time. But I want to. Let me get to know you again. You're my daughter and all I have left of your father. He wouldn't want this rift between us," she pleaded. I could hear the despair in her voice and sense the onset of inky tears. My wired body dropped any and all will to fight as I turned back around to meet her gaze. Her eyes were glowing, and in that moment I thought of my long gone father. His eyes glowed blue-green, the same shade I inherited, except appearance wise I looked like my mother. I wondered if she ever thought of him when she looked at me.

"I miss you guys too," I mumbled, biting my lip. Black ran down her face but I held mine back. I had shed enough tears already and I didn't want more. I didn't know if spending so much time with someone as caring as Tori left a mark on me, but it must have because I shouldn't be offering my mother any affection or solace at the moment. Yet I was. I held my arms open, a bit reluctantly, and she gripped me in a hug. I folded her into the embrace and just held her.

"I'm so sorry, Jade," she sobbed into my shoulder. I held her tighter, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"I know," I whispered, voice hoarse and clogged with emotion. We stood there a few minutes more before she pulled away, wiping at her face.

"Look at me. I'm a mess," she chuckled. I allowed a soft smile and helped wipe away her pain. We were both so broken by my father's passing that we took it out on each other equally. It was time we picked up the pieces and worked together to move on.

"You are, but it's ok. I looked pretty much the same way for months," I pointed out. She paused before looking at me with determination and strength, a sight I hadn't seen in a long time.

"Yes, you were. Half of it was my fault, but I promise you it'll be different now. Just because we haven't been close doesn't mean I haven't noticed that the ink stains haven't marred your face in some time," she remarked, touching my cheek.

"I…I'll tell you when I'm ready," I responded, averting my eyes. She made me look at her and then smiled.

"I'll be here, ready when you want to talk," she assured me. I nodded and she let me go.

"So, not to be a skunkbag, but why the heck did you even get together with that wazzbag anyway?" I inquired, hands on my hips. She laughed and smacked my arm.

"He was a charmer before all the little ones came along. You'd be surprised," she answered. I made a face and she laughed again.

"I don't see it, but if you can make it work, I guess I'll try helping out around here. Maybe," I tacked on, reluctant but looking for change. It was a big step we took today and I didn't want it to go to waste.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," she replied sincerely.

"Yeah, whatever," I grumbled, crossing my arms. At that moment we heard the return of all the little demon spawn plus Praxis. I cracked my knuckles, to the disgust of my mother, and smirked.

"Ready?" I asked her.

"Ready," she replied with a nod. We left the room together and thus began the attempt to corral all five of the little buggers. Praxis actually looked worn out. Served him right. What he was feeling was what my mother felt every day. He could afford to feel the same every once in a while instead of claiming to be buried in work. He was done scaring but he was put to good use here, fixing and repairing damage done to the town in any way. While fighting one of the many hellions off me I managed to offer him a small smile of reconciliation. He seemed caught off guard at first before raising a hand in acknowledgment along with a nod. That was good enough. After helping mother feed and put everyone to sleep I dragged myself to my room. The days that passed were busy for me. I rarely had time to myself and only left home once in a while to talk with Jack and Sally. I had to keep them updated so that they didn't worry. The two were as lovesick as ever, and watching them did nothing but remind me of Tori. I let the days pass though, trying not to think about just how much I missed her. But then I noticed the date. She must have been just as busy as I was. It looked like a break was in order. It was time to get Miss-Wrapped-Up-Too-Tight and have a day with nothing else on our minds but spending it with each other.