A/N:

Hi every one! Thank you so much for your reviews and for your patience with updates. In this chapter, things get a little complicated in a couple of ways and we find out that Valentine Town concoctions mix with Halloween Town emotions in a very unexpected way. I hope you enjoy, and please review more if you can ^_^

Dearest Friends

Chapter 6:

Jack's First Visit

"My favorite part of Christmas was…" Jack looked down with a small smile on his face… "Um…it was you."

"Me?"

Jack nodded, glancing to Sally. "Yes. Just…everything with you. Saving you and finding you afterwards and being on the hill with you and how much you helped me. I know Christmas was a mess, but…I'd go through a million aerial bombings just for how it all turned out…with you."

Sally giggled, glancing away from Jack…though she scooched a bit closer to him on the step they were currently sitting upon together—a step near the top of the staircase leading to the open tower trap door, to be precise. The light here was dim and the space a little cramped, but the whole situation was also kind of cozy. Dinner had been lovely, tea afterwards had been lovely too. And now this final time together as their date concluded was lovely too—for the last half hour they had just been sitting here asking one another playful, fun questions…and now Jack had just made Sally blush with his response about his favorite part of their Christmas. And though Sally still didn't know of course why exactly Jack could get so shy with her at times, she was working on just patiently waiting and observing until she could put her finger on it.

Jack noticed Sally's blush a little, though he couldn't tell if it was a trick of the light or not. He wondered if she even really could blush and how that might work. 'Then again, she's the only one of us around here who was actually made, 'brought to life'. She might be able to blush and do many other things I don't know about. I wonder if one day she'll maybe tell me more about her abilities and the body the doctor gave her,' on cue, Jack felt the marrow in his skull heat up, 'Just, um…for the sake of my scientific curiosity, heh,' he quickly added to himself. 'Uh…why don't you speak now and maybe move the conversation along, Jack.'

Meanwhile Sally blushed more beside him in the silence as a certain flustered thought suddenly came to her mind. 'Oh, I hope he doesn't ask me what my favorite thing about Christmas—'

"Um…so what was your favorite part of our Christmas, Sally?" Jack asked with sweet interest.

Sally swallowed and sighed and played with her hair. "You'll think it's silly, Jack."

Jack blinked but then looked at her with an inviting smile. "Sally…of course I won't think it's silly. You can tell me anything." He scooched just a tiny bit closer to her from his end.

Sally hesitated, glancing at him with a little crooked smile and a touch of uncertainty. But then she just sighed and rolled her eyes, smiling completely. "Do you promise you won't laugh?"

Her asking that cute question almost made Jack want to laugh, but he resisted and held up one of his hands with a nod instead. "You have my promise as the Pumpkin King. I won't laugh, Sally."

Sally smiled a touch more, then swayed a little side to side and finally replied in as composed and casual a voice as she had, "My favorite part was…um…your Sandy Claws suit fitting." She glanced down, taking several strands of her hair in a few fingers and starting a little braid.

Jack blinked, then smiled more and looked at her even more curiously. "My fitting. But why?"

Sally swallowed and pulled her legs closer to herself. "W-Well, um…you know, I-I got to be alone with you and to talk with you…and look at you…and touch you." A little sigh of anticipation left her as her eyes drifted over to him again, sitting there with his long limbs pulled in close and adorned with the perfect classiness of his pinstriped suit. Oh, she wanted to touch him again—and not just here and there while she took some measurements. Her mind wandered to those ribs that made up his chest she could feel through his shirt when she hugged him, and the sensation of his ribcage rising and falling against her as they had kissed last night… And she wanted to touch his smooth skull too…and those elegantly long femurs. Had Sally mentioned she really liked femurs? Next to rib bones and maybe Jack's skull (for the obvious reason that it held his lips), femurs were her favorite for their size and perfection and grace. She wanted to touch every precious part of dearest Jack. She wanted to kiss his bones…

"O-Oh. I understand…heh…"

Sally blinked, coming out of her near fantasies, and made eye contact with Jack again.

He had his long legs pulled up even closer into his chest, his eye sockets were wide as could be, and he looked shy and unsure and almost childlike really.

The effect was absolutely adorable and made Sally have to resist the sudden urge to just dote upon him with hugs and kisses and giggles. She wanted to hold him and cuddle him and take his skull in her hands and ask her darling why he was so shy and nervous with her, and what she could do to make all of the nervousness go far far away…especially as long as they were still on a date together.

But she stopped herself. It was hard…but she stopped herself. He had preferences, and she wanted to respect them. And she was starting to think that maybe she was getting a bit tired, which was why she might be having these sudden compulsions to get lost in fantasy with Jack instead of savoring reality.

Sally settled on sighing and smiling in a caring, friendly way to her flustered dearest friend. "Jack…are you all right?" she asked softly.

Jack swallowed and nodded his skull. "Oh, uh…yes. I just didn't know that you…um…had such a good time during that time." It was flashing through Jack's mind over and over now, that fitting… Back then it had seemed so innocent, so simple…but now it seemed like so much more. The memory of her soft fingers having touched here and there upon him as she measured, moving around him at so many angles, himself on display for her and she…overwhelmed by affection…fearfully yet curiously examining all of him. "Y-Yes, well, um…" Jack cleared his throat, "I-It's getting rather late, isn't i—Ow!" In his nervousness Jack had tried to stand up but had bumped his head upon part of the tower floor currently above them.

"Are you okay, Jack?" Sally instantly asked in concern, standing up as well (and making very sure to avoid bumping her head by letting it rise into the opening of the trap door).

Jack finished rubbing his skull and then nodded sheepishly, likewise moving to allow his head to pop through the opening in the floor. "Oh, uh, yes, heh. Clumsy me…" Jack shrugged and cringed a little inside. He hated to seem so silly in front of her—and he was sure the head bump thing combined with his clearly overwhelmed reaction to her fitting response wasn't exactly helping maintain that suave image he was going for. "Anyway," Jack went on, smiling normally and clearing his throat, "I was just saying that it must be so late, and you must be exhausted. I should wish you goodnight now." He finally managed eye contact again, but then blinked as a new thought occurred to him. "Oh but do you need anything first? Extra blankets, extra pillows, a drink of water?" He looked as though suddenly all of his thoughts were focused upon her well being for the evening.

Sally blinked several times. A touch of disappointment went through her—she had really been hoping for a more thorough explanation of Jack's nervous response to her confession about the fitting, which probably would have given her a clue to what was going on with him about her in general. Yet, at the same time, his concern for her was so sweet that she couldn't help but focus on that instead. "Oh, no, I don't need anything right now, Jack…I promise," Sally assured with a smile. She shrugged, playing with her hands. "But, um…could I trouble you for some cloth in a few days? It doesn't have to be new, of course—if you have any old drapes or sheets you don't want that would work perfectly. Anything you can spare."

Jack raised an eyebrow at this request but nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Sally. But…what do you need the cloth for, if I might ask? I just want to make sure to get you the best kind."

Sally shrugged, brushing some hair around her ear. "Oh, I…well, I'll be fine with just this dress for now, but I thought I might make myself sort of a…nightgown, I guess, if I'm going to be sleeping here each night." She smiled at him.

Jack blinked. "Oh! Oh yes, of course, how silly of me not to realize—you need something to sleep in…" And then suddenly a serious look came to his features, and he brought an arm behind his back and took Sally's hand with his free hand, bowing low as he gazed up to her. "I will find the finest piece of cloth I can for you, Sally. I promise."

Sally blinked and brought her other hand to her mouth, covering up a giggle. "Oh Jack…that's sweet, but really I don't want you to inconvenience yourself—any old thing will be fine."

However Jack just shook his head, straightening up and looking into her eyes. His voice bespoke so much caring, and he still held her hand so tenderly. "Sally, you are the best person I know. And you deserve the best. So I'll do my best for you, and get you the best I can manage. Okay?" He smiled at her in that happy way he'd always had of doing for as long as they had been friends.

Sally paused for a moment, her eyes wide and her mouth set in a small 'o'. "I…Jack…thank you." She barely knew what to say. No one had ever treated her so…well before. It was overwhelming. She felt… She could have just… "Thank you, Jack!" suddenly burst out of her, and then Sally wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close, her eyes tightly shut, little tears almost forming at the edges. She had a moment of just utter, overwhelming gratefulness for being here with him and for having so much in her life now—a dear friend who cared about her and listened to her instead of a stubborn creator who gave her rags and never asked or cared about her opinion at all.

Jack gasped, of course, at the sudden contact and even trembled a little. But then he smiled and sighed and put his arms around her as well. He held her close as she held him. Hugs were nice... He couldn't deny that hugs were just splendid actually. "You're welcome, Sally," Jack whispered softly in return. He pulled his skull back a little to gaze down at her and smile in wonder—so grateful all for the sake of some cloth? Jack smiled more and then couldn't help himself and didn't want to: he leaned down and placed a little kiss atop her beautiful forehead. Then Jack pulled back, and his skull almost rested against the crown of her head, they were so close.

For a moment Jack and Sally just stood there—no distractions, no holidays, no expectations…just holding each other in a special privacy they could only find together.

Jack let out a deep breath. 'Let her go to bed. It's only the first date. And you should go to bed too.' "Goodnight, Sally." Jack smiled down at her, and then with a swallow he took a step back, releasing both of them from each other's holds. "I'll have cloth for you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Jack…" Sally smiled, trying to compose herself (and feeling so warm from their brief embrace). For a moment she waited, possibly expecting some form of goodnight kiss…or rather of more intense goodnight kiss than one on the forehead…but it didn't come. So she took a small initiative herself. Sally popped forward and placed a brief kiss on the corner of Jack's mouth. She pulled back smiling and blushing, wringing her hands together lightly. "I loved our first 'outing', Jack. It was a wonderful start to our courtship. I'll never forget tonight ever."

Jack just beamed a little, unable to help reaching up and touching that corner of his mouth. Then a low chuckle left him. "I'll never forget tonight either, Sally—ever. Sleep well, Sally. And, um…" he swallowed, bringing his hand to rub the back of his neck, "perhaps, if you're not busy…we could try another little courting adventure tomorrow? Maybe we'll start with some breakfast together first and then we'll see where the day takes us?" He shrugged, smiling a little sheepishly.

Sally beamed. He wanted another date tomorrow—more dating was such a good sign. "Oh, Jack, of course, I'd love another date!" She clasped her hands together over her heart and nodded eagerly.

Jack chuckled at her cute enthusiasm. "Splendid…" he replied with a happy sigh. "In that case, I'll have something all prepared for us to eat when you wake up in the morning, and we can discuss our plans over breakfast. You just sleep in as long as you want to. You've had such a trying holiday, Sally, and so much has changed. I want you to take all the time you need to absorb everything new in our lives."

Sally smiled at him appreciatively but lowered her hands and shook her head. "Oh Jack, that's very sweet of you. But I told you already, I don't want to be waited on or anything around here. And I'm really already comfortable with how things are between us now. But if you do want to make breakfast for me, at least promise me I can cook dinner for you later? Or at least that I can do the dishes after you make breakfast?"

Jack blinked, almost protested, but then had to smile a little again. If such reciprocation on her part would make her happy, why fight it? He nodded. "All right, Sally. Breakfast from me, dinner or clean dishes from you. Until then, my dearest friend…" And then with a charming smile he took and raised up her hand and placed a soft, lingering kiss upon it.

Sally took in a deep breath and just melted into happiness of course. "Oh Jack…" She giggled.

Her cute little laugh made Jack chuckle bashfully as he pulled back and released her hand. "Bye, Sally." He gave her a sweet little wave and then descended the stairs, looking to her all the while until he was out of sight.

"Bye, Jack." Sally waved the hand he had just kissed at him until he was out of sight…and then she took in a deep breath, dashed up into her tower, closed the trap door behind her, and wobbled over to her sofa upon which she instantly collapsed onto her back with a joyful squeal! "I just went on a date with JACK SKELLINGTON!"

Sally hugged one of her pillows and kicked her blankets in joy and just beamed and beamed and beamed! "Okay, yes, parts of it were shaky, but I WENT ON A DATE WITH HIM! And he likes me and talks to me and lets me live with him and wants to court me and…oh he's so dreamy!" She started to let herself indulge a little bit in the side of her that just plain adored Jack. She had gotten to touch him and walk with him and dine with him. She had even gotten to give him little kisses. And though she did regret missing out on another warm and lengthy embrace with those bony lips of his, everything else made up for it! Jack did indeed like her romantically, it was certain…so even if some of the details were a little confusing, that was the most important part, right? Her dream coming true after so many years pining for him from afar…. It was all perfect! Her perfect life with Jack…

Sally let out a final deep sigh, getting herself a bit more under control. "Okay, calm down now, Sally. It was just a date with a man…even if that man is the man of your dreams. But really take a deep breath, otherwise you'll never get to sleep tonight." Sally nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and then finally sat up. She grabbed an extra sheet from the end of her bed and stood, walking over to the little changing area she had made for herself earlier in one of the corners of the room. Sally slipped behind it, and soon her dress was tossed over the top. After a few moments she came out with the cozy sheet wrapped around her a few body times and pinned underneath one of her shoulders so has to work as a makeshift nightgown. She glanced down at herself. "Well, my arms are a little cold since I couldn't cover them, and my neck is too, but I have plenty of blankets on my bed—I'll be warm for the night." Smiling to herself, Sally went over to the fire and sifted some logs to lower the flame for the evening, and then she went back over to the sofa then slipped into the blankets of her cozy bed there.

Sally snuggled in for the night, eyes shut tight and a big smile on her crooked mouth, fully prepared to dream happy dreams about Jack. 'Oh Jack…I know you're nervous, but it'll be all right. I'll figure out what's bothering you…and we can make it better together…and maybe with kisses.' Sally giggled to herself as she began to drift off, her heart so grateful and happy.

Jack, now in his room and dressed in his full-length nightclothes (complete with his adorable little nightcap), had just finished gargling with some bat wash and buttoning the last button on his nightshirt. And as he stood before his dresser mirror, all ready for bed, he found himself feeling caught between an awkward pout and a proud little half smile about the end of his date with Sally, and specifically about the surprising view Sally had expressed regarding his Christmastime fitting. On the one hand, Jack of course still felt a little funny that an event with that much potential intimacy had directly come up between them even before any mutual romantic feelings had been expressed in their friendship. But on the other hand…

Jack sighed. Though he would never admit this to anyone ever…no matter how much he tried to be modest and to discourage the townspeople from pouncing upon him with adoration, there was a part of him that sort of liked it all. He liked being the scariest, being the leader, being admired, being feared (in the good way, of course)…and he even maybe liked—just a tiny bit—the fact that he had never exactly been lacking in female attention. He didn't enjoy that the women seemed literally ready to crawl all over him at any moment, of course, but he didn't exactly mind the fact that even after all of these centuries he could still garner their undying devotion. And now to know, barely a couple of weeks ago, that while he had been so distracted with how his red Sandy Claws suit had looked on him in a full length mirror, Sally had been kneeling on the floor beside him trying her best to be demure and professional…but secretly trembling at every little touch she could give him, at every new view she got of his form, at every moment of closeness… Jack shuddered and his half smile turned into a small grin. He liked that she liked him like that. He liked being attractive to her. It perked up his little yet undeniable ego, and not to mention…

"It helps make us even for the fact that she's the most beautiful woman I've ever come upon." Jack sighed to himself with a full-blown dreamy grin, just gazing into at his mirror at this point, daydreaming and remembering. When he had first met Sally, he hadn't quite been able to wrap his mind around the idea of her as a woman so much as just another lady in town. He hadn't known why, he had just…She was Sally…a girl…young, nice, pretty. But then seeing her at Christmas braving Oogie Boogie, taking matters into her own hands, buying enough time by risking her life to let him come and help save the day… If there was one thing that could change a lady friend to a woman in a guy's eyes, and especially in the eyes of a guy like the pumpkin king, it was that much fearlessness. Not to mention, there was also the severe burning flame of 'could only be woman-centered' jealousy that had shot through Jack when he had looked down into Oogie's lair and seen his lovely Sally tied to a slab with Oogie calling her 'rag doll' and looking at her like…like all he saw Sandy Claws as was a plump cut of meat for his stew, and he saw Sally as an ingredient too…but also as the only functioning, breathing woman he had been near in a very long time—her passionate resistance annoying and yet a nice show for him and maybe a nice little reason to keep teasing her and letting her linger more and more before dinner all for his viewing pleasure…

CRACK!

"Arf?"

"Huh?" Jack blinked a few times, coming out of his thoughts. He looked to Zero (who was floating nearby and looking back at him with a strange and somewhat concerned expression) and then to his reflection in the mirror and then down to the top of his dresser. Jack blinked again in surprise. He couldn't remember grabbing it, but somehow he had taken a large candy cane in his hand (he recalled now: he had kept the treat here on his dresser for a little midnight snack to soothe his nerves—and a candy cane always hit the spot, after all). And now, during his thoughts, he had suddenly squeezed the poor thing so hard that the candy cane had not only snapped but its entire center had been crushed into pinkish, sticky dust. The top and bottom of the candy cane lay upon his dresser and the dust lay in a pile in the center of his palm.

Jack gulped, his eyes going wide, and then he cleared his throat and brushed away the dust into the waste basket and put the rest of the candy cane in there as well. He let out a very deep sigh, putting a hand to his forehead and closing his eye sockets. He spoke quietly to himself. "Calm down. I know you have issues about the 'Oogie' incident, but it's all over now…and you need to calm down and to stop thinking so passionately about her. There's no need to get yourself all worked up. Everything's fine." Jack took in a breath, let it out slowly, and then swallowed and finally opened his eye sockets again. He looked to Zero. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, Zero. I was just thinking about something with Sally and Oogie Boogie. But, um…I'm better now." He smiled and reached out to pet Zero on the head. "And Zero, speaking of Sally, if you're up before I am and you hear her wake up, please come get me. I know if I sleep in, she'll cook breakfast for both of us, and I really want to treat her."

Zero smiled and barked happily, giving his master a wink.

Jack smiled more and even chuckled a little. "That's a good boy. Thank you, Zero. " He scratched the little dog behind the ears a bit, and then removed his hand…only to suddenly found himself unable to fight back a yawn. Then again, it had been a very full few days…weeks...month or so…and last night he had spent the better part of his time walking out to the holiday forest and roaming around Valentine Town. No wonder he was exhausted.

'Valentine Town…'

Jack blinked, remembering something. And his candy cane was broken, so…

With a smile, Jack walked over to his nightstand, opened its little drawer and pulled out a familiar pink satchel. He opened it up, revealing the little colorful heart candies that had been given to him by that nice Flora lady back in the Valentine's Day world. He shrugged. "Well, as long as it's something sweet. And she did say they would give me dreams about the one I care for and let me tap in to all of my feelings about her." A little bit of Jack's dreamy smile returned. Dreams about Sally—he liked that idea. And he really liked his feelings about her. And if anything could give him a good, restful night's sleep (unlike his somewhat restless nap earlier), it was those two things combined. The whole notion seemed like a win-win situation.

Jack took out a handful of the small heart candies and put them in his mouth. "Mmm…" They were sweet like sugar yet something a touch floral seemed to flood his skull and senses as he chewed them…and there was almost a hint of almond…a light tang of something like sweet cream…maybe the tiniest echo of chocolate…and then the candies finished on a note of the strangest fruits. The whole flavor experience was so blissful that Jack plopped the bag of candies back into the drawer and plopped himself right into his bed and snuggled into his pillow, his eye sockets closing serenely. "Wow…I like…these…" his voice even sounded sleepy and peaceful as he spoke amid a yawn and then yawned again. "Goodnight…Zero…" He smiled a little more.

Zero, seeing his master already about to fall into slumber, gave him a small bark 'goodnight' in return and then flew over and picked up the corner of his blanket, pulling it over Jack's shoulder. Then Zero gave a little yawn of his own and flew in a circle before laying himself upon the end of Jack's bed to settle in for a good night's rest.

Meanwhile, the fire already dimming into embers and sleep indeed creeping over him now, Jack sighed to himself and snuggled more into his bed and blankets. 'Sally…dream of Sally…dream of her sweet smile…holding hands…how she giggles…cute stitches…patches…dress…hair…legs…hips…lips…against mine…kiss me, Sally…never stop…!'

"Oh!" Jack blinked, his eye sockets going very wide in the semi-darkness of the room! For a moment he just lie there, clinging to his pillow, breathing heavily, and feeling very surprised and confused to say the least. Finally, he blinked a few times and managed to talk himself down. "Heh, silly Jack…E-Enough of that, now. Slow…sweet…steady…nothing more for the moment regarding Sally. I-It's important for her…important for you. You don't want to get carried away and mess this up. And you don't want to rush into anything not knowing exactly what you're doing." He nodded to himself and then managed to relax again, his breathing slowing once more. He closed his eyes and his peaceful smile began to return. 'Yes…just sweet…sweet…Sally…' A soft sigh escaped Jack as he drifted off further into deep sleep for the night…

…Though not quite before Jack, not conscious enough to realize or care, muttered to himself… "Very…very sweet…Sally…" The ends of his skeletal grin curled upward…and something in his voice wasn't so very innocently 'sweet.'

Sally may have been a creative and almost whimsical young woman, but she knew very well from the difficult life she had led and from her own natural cleverness that there were important differences between dreams and fantasies.

Dreams were either waking hopes you had for a better life or nightly amusing thoughts that came to you regarding those dreams of the day. Dreams were good things, worth aspiring to and sharing and making real. Sally had many dreams, both of the night and the day, some about herself, some about Jack and herself, all with the hope of a better life and one that he was a big part of.

Fantasies, however, were clearly another story. Fantasies came from secret, almost selfish, whims of improbability. They were conjured up in the deepest recesses of a waking person's mind and had outcomes so unlikely, so unbelievable (if so desirable) that while the idea of them coming true was lovely, any reality in which they came true would certainly be overwhelming, to say the least. Sure, fantasies could work their way into dreams of the night, but that was rare and also those dreams tended to remain private. Still, though, there was something healthy about fantasy in moderation…and once or twice in a lifetime perhaps there could be something good about fantasy coming true in full-blown reality.

After all, Sally had had one fantasy come true barely more than a day ago on Christmas Eve night, and it had proven the happiest moment of her existence. She had fantasized forever about a beautiful moonlit moment of Jack coming to her with romantic feelings and embracing her with true love's kiss, and suddenly she had gotten that fantasy for real. Jack really did want to be with her, even though for all of these years he had never looked at her with affection beyond friendship—indeed, he had never seemed to even like the idea of romance with anyone at all! Not to mention he was the Pumpkin King and she was a servant…and not to mention he was simply the sweetest, kindest, dreamiest man alive, and she was just shy, simple Sally… But now she was just shy simple Sally living in sweet, kind, dreamy Jack's house, the two of them 'meant to be'. Part of her almost had to wonder what fantasy in her life might come true next after all of this good fortune.

Though of course, right now, Sally was tucked away in her dim room fast asleep, and so all of these new and exciting thoughts were tucked away as well in the back of her mind for the rest of the night.

Or for the moment, at least.

Right now, as the fading fire cast eerie orange shadows upon the walls, Sally was dreaming of Jack feeding her chocolate covered poisonberries while she reclined in his lap, and Jack called her 'Sally Doll' and she called him 'Bone Daddy'. Sally giggled in her sleep at the silly dream.

CREAK!

Sally shifted a tiny bit but still remained asleep.

CREAK…

She shifted a little more, her brow furrowing in a touch of unconscious discomfort.

"Sally…"

Her name whispered softly yet passionately right near her ear, though—yeah, that sound made Sally start in her sleep and her eyes pop open wide. She had to take a moment to recall her location—sofa…tower…Jack's house…courting…. But then she remembered, and—

Two taps came to one of her bare shoulders.

Fear coursing through her, Sally's eyes turned to look up at whatever had come for her in the night…!

…Only to see a smiling skeletal grin beaming down at her from a very familiar skeletal figure currently hovering over her bed.

There was dead silence for a moment.

Then…

"Boo, my dearest…dearest…friend…" left the pumpkin king in a low voice with a little chuckle.

"Ah!" Sally gasped and sat up straight, breathing heavily, the blankets falling away from her. She recalled then that she didn't have any nightgown on but only a pinned up sheet around her body, which in her sleep had started to slip off a little. She quickly gathered the sheet around her, repining it with fumbling fingers as she stuttered in surprise and fright, trying to respond to her dearest friend's sudden visit. "J-Jack! Wh…how…what are you doing here?" Not that she minded of course, and it was technically his house after all, but still…it was the middle of the night! And this felt too real to be a dream! So WHAT WAS HE DOING HERE!? Sally felt so underprepared for him! Now that her 'nightgown' was fixed, she pulled a hand through her hair a few times and tried to straighten the seams of her face, but she still felt awkward and only hoped the dim firelight would soften how unkempt she must look.

If only Sally could know, though, how appealing she was to Jack like this—glowing in the firelight, sheet wrapped hastily around her body, hair part curled, part mussed, part straightened, her eyes wide with surprise, and her lips and face all flushed and aglow…

A little curl came to the ends of Jack's skeletal grin. He sat down upon the edge of her bed and leaned close to her, not wasting any time. "Sally…dearest Sally…"There was something daring in the gaze of his eye sockets and something heart-pounding in the tone of his voice that Sally had never encountered before. She listened with rapt attention as he continued to address her. "My most humble apologies. I didn't mean to startle you, Sally. But can't a man check on the sleeping conditions of his…dearest female friend?" He moved even closer to her, his eye sockets taking in the sight of her with pleasant eagerness. And he almost smirked. "I almost don't want to get you that cloth you asked for earlier, you know—the cloth for your nightgown? This look on you is by far the nicest…" His gaze fell to the soft, bare blue cloth of her shoulders and collar…followed by the thin sheet wrapped snugly around her frame.

Sally…

Her breathing started to pick up, though the breaths were shallow. 'Th-This is a dream…This is one of those dreams you have about him, one of the really intense ones. But it's starting to make you feel a little strange, so maybe you should—' "Ow!" Sally had just pinched a seam on her arm to wake herself up because, quite frankly, something about this dream was starting to feel real to the point of making her very dizzy. However, after her pinch, Sally blinked and looked around and found herself still sitting up in bed wearing her sheet nightgown…and with jack in his pajamas still sitting close to her and still with that strange grin on his face and something in his eye sockets that she had only ever imagined seeing there.

Sally blinked a few times. "J-Jack? I…um…" She reached out, wanting to touch his skull just to make sure it felt real.

Jack reached up and stopped her before she could though, gently taking her full arm in his hands. "Oh Sally…" His whole manner dripped with that natural charm he always seemed to exude in little moments (and that Sally and all the other women in town had always suspected was just bubbling underneath the surface of his mild demeanor and waiting to come out). "You said 'ow'," Jack went on dotingly. "Did you hurt yourself? Here…I'll make it better…" He stretched out her arm, and then Jack's lips came to the seams on the inside of her wrist upon which he tenderly proceeded to work his way up the length of the limb with soft kisses.

"O-Oh…" Sally half moaned, half sighed out. Her arm went completely stiff and then utterly limp in his grasp, and the hand of her other arm clung at the top of her sheet nightgown near where her heart would have been, had she had one. "J-Jack, you don't have...have to…" It was so much, and she was reverting to her shyness—words could barely escape her as she trembled and struggled to catch her breath. Oh this was real…it HAD to be real! Nothing in a dream could ever feel so wonderful, so intense…so…good.

"Oh, but I must…" Jack cooed to her in that deep tone of his between his continuing slow kisses. "After all…we can no longer fight our passions…we've agreed to court…and what kind of man would I be not to tenderly care for the ravishing woman in my life, hmm?" Jack finished with a lingering kiss to her shoulder, and now looked up into her eyes with an inviting smile.

Sally just looked back at him, her own eyes half lidded and dazed. "I'm a ravishing woman to you…r-really?" What a nice thing to hear—it made Sally grin dreamily. She had felt so stifled earlier when he had kept his distance from her during parts of their date—so much like a young girl with a crush being handled delicately by the object of her affections. But the way Jack was speaking to her and looking at her here and now made up for everything, made her feel desirable and mature and special. Sally sat up a little bit more, slightly tilting her head to the side and down with a coy smile, hair softly framing her face. "Jack, do you really feel that way about me?"

"Mmm hmm…" Jack nodded, reaching up to put a hand into her hair and then gently pulling his fingers through the strands. "You're every inch a woman—the perfect woman. You must know, when we first met, perhaps I was foolish and only took the time to see you as a girl, but…after seeing all of your fearlessness with saving Christmas, I'm finally noticing what a woman you really are. When you kissed me upon that hill, it took all I had not to collapse in the snow with you and not stop…not stop forever…" He moved close to whisper the last words right into her ear and then pulled back with a charming little smirk.

Meanwhile, Sally was just melting! She couldn't breathe! "J-Jack…" she didn't know what else to say, so bits of dreams and fantasies and the truth just started tumbling out of her, "I…I've always seen you as a man and…I've always wanted to collapse too…with you. I've wanted…oh Jack, I can't even tell you some of the things I've wanted." Sally took some strands of hair in her fingers and nervously played with them, looking down. "J-Jack…I don't understand—why…why now? Why did you act so distant earlier, and now you—"

"Shh…" Jack suddenly laid a single bony fingertip over her lips. He shifted closer, his gaze just catching hers. "The night brings something out in me, let's say. And as for your wants, Sally…please share all of them with me. Whenever you're ready, you can tell me anything. After all, how can your King serve you properly when he doesn't know your deepest desires?" Jack suddenly took her other arm in his grasp and was kissing up the length of that limb too now, this time with a bit more fire in the gesture though. "I want to know…Sally…Share with me…"

"I…just this is more than enough…" Sally managed in a shuddery breath, this arm now going limp as the other one had done. "Oh Jack…I've always dreamed of you kissing me like this…" she let him know, unable to help herself.

"I'll make every dream you have come true. Oh Sally…" Jack kissed more of her lovely arm, heading closer to her shoulder. "How could I have taken so long to see…and how could I ever resist you? Beautiful, beautiful creature—my vision of frightful femininity." His left arm started to come around her waist while his right arm continued to hold her limb like a precious treasure he was still coating in kisses.

Trembles of anticipation coursed through Sally as she managed to look to him, blushing slightly. "O-Oh…no, I'm not beautiful right now. I must look so unkempt, Jack…" followed by a giggle was all she could manage in her modesty, smiling more and more.

Jack just gave a low chuckle and shook his head, ending his kisses at her shoulder and pulling her in close. "You look haunting. Your hair, your seams…I've never seen you look so natural, so free. I've never seen all of your arms, your shoulders, your neck. You look so comfortable, Sally, so touchable…" Somehow his other arm had slipped around her waist now. His forehead was laid against hers, and their torsos were flush against each other. "Are you comfortable, Sally?" Jack asked, grinning down at her all the more.

Sally was shaking in his arms—shaking and shaking…though she did manage a nod and to reply in a whisper, "Y-Yes, Jack, yes…I'm comfortable." Suddenly she gripped against his shoulders and looked up into his eye sockets with longing. "Are you comfortable too?" Her hands came down to press against the shirt covering his collar and the tops of his ribs.

Jack's skeletal grin grew. "Why don't you tell me?" And then released his hold on her for a moment to place his hands upon hers over his chest. He lifted her hands up, moved them to the few buttons leading down from the top of his nightshirt…and then started to unbutton them with her, slowly, deliberately, one at a time… "Have you ever seen a skeleton before, Sally?"

Sally was spiraling out of control and into disbelief. She let him guide her hands and murmured some sort of reply. "I…Y-Yes…s-sometime…I can't remember. Oh, the lab…the doctor's books…I used to sneak them away and look at pictures…and w-wonder if you looked the same or different in any way. I knew you must be different from the hanging tree's hanging men, at least—much bigger, I…" Half of his buttons were undone and they were working on the other half but she was already losing it. She could feel her nightgown sheet loosening a little from her deep breaths, but she was too overwhelmed by Jack to care. Could this moment really be as real as it felt? She hoped so in her perfect fluster.

Jack just chuckled at her little admission, seeming as confident and suave as ever. "Getting a preview, huh? Oh, and yes…I do look very different from the hanging men…a little different, at least. You'll see, don't worry." He winked. "We'll go slowly, just like we're doing with the buttons."

Sally could barely breathe. "J-Jack, I…but, why? I…"

Jack grinned charmingly. "I've felt how you press against my chest whenever we're close. I thought maybe you were trying to tell me something…at least, at the back of my mind. "

They were almost to the last button, and Sally's eyes were wide with eagerness. She would get to see his bare chest…touch it…run her hands over it in the firelight and moonlight and darkness just like she had always secretly imagined.

"And perhaps once we're done with me, I might see some more of you as well?" Jack took his hands away from hers all of a sudden and brought his palms to rest upon her bare shoulders!

But sadly this gesture and his suggestion were too much for Sally. It had been mind-blowing enough to think about Jack being exposed to her any further, but the idea of herself being in any way further exposed to Jack…. A little squeak escaped Sally, upon which she utterly passed out and right into Jack's waiting arms.

Jack blinked, a touch of a frown coming to his features for a moment. But then of course a kind and understanding and affectionate smile came to his skull as he held Sally's passed out form against him. He sighed softly and shook his head. "Oh dear, dear, dear…now this will never do. If you can't give me permission, Sally, and let me know exactly what you desire and what will make you happy, how can I explore our passion with you?" He gave the top of her head a little nuzzle with his skull and gently patted her back. "I'll let you sleep for a while, my ghastly lady. Perhaps tomorrow night you'll be better able to handle the undead fires of our destined romance." Jack pulled away slightly, admired her for a moment, and then placed a gentle kiss atop her yarn-covered head before releasing her and laying her down upon her pillows. He tucked her in. "I'm sorry for stealing that small favor, sweet specter of the night, but I simply couldn't leave you without a goodnight kiss. Until then, my love…" Jack leaned right near her ear, and his voice dropped to a tone quiet and private and deep as he finished… "…my Queen."

Jack stood up and paused for a moment just to gaze down at Sally. She was lying on her back and he had the blankets all tucked in warmly around her. Her head lay upon the pillow with her hair spread out like a dull, warm fire behind her, and her scarlet lips trembled…yet smiled.

Jack's chest swelling with joy, he gave her a graceful bow and then reached into the pocket of his nightshirt and gave lay a small token…a single dried flower…upon her chest in an almost funeral like fashion before slipping away from her for the rest of the dark night.

The next morning would find both Jack and Sally in very interesting states.

Meanwhile, just past the outskirts of town in a familiar frightening tree house on this dark and cold night, three familiar trick-or-treaters were huddled around a fire, trying to sleep and trying to keep warm and also trying to keep look-out, though as usual the three friends were a little too dysfunctional to succeed in their goals, to say the least.

"Shock, quit snoring and get up! It's your turn to look out for Jack!" Lock pocked a sleeping Shock with his pitchfork.

"Grr…" Shock sighed in disgust and rolled her eyes, sitting up in her sleeping bag to glare at Lock. "No, I'm tired, and this is getting stupid!"

"It won't be stupid when Jack comes by in the dead of night to finally punish us for working with Oogie to nearly kill Santa Claus!" Lock shot back with a scowl. "Now, I've been up since midnight, and it's your turn, so move it!"

"Get Barrel to do it!" Shock whined, collapsing back to the floor and putting her pillow over her head.

"Hey, if you can wake him up without having to completely maim him, be my guest." Lock gestured to Barrel with a dry look, who was currently lying flat on his back and snoring away.

"Ugh…" Shock sighed again, turning in her sleeping bag, "I'm getting sick of hiding out in here and sleeping in shifts and jumping every time a floorboard creaks—if Jack hasn't come to reign down the mighty terror of the pumpkin king on us yet, chances are he's not going to. You know how much of a softie he can be, and that big jolly guy ended up okay in the end, and Jack waved us off and said something about forgiving us when the Mayor drove us all back to town. We're overreacting." She yawned. "Now go to sleep, Lock—for once, Barrel's got the right idea, and we should follow along with him." Shock closed her eyes.

Lock still frowned down at her but then he finally sighed and tossed his pitchfork on the ground near his own tattered sleeping bag. "Oh fine, Shock." He yawned. "But if we wake up tomorrow in stocks in the town square with Jack scowling down at us and telling us that we're going to have to spend all of our free time cleaning out the pumpkin patch for the next century or two, I'm blaming you."

"As long as I can sleep, blame whoever you want. Dummy." Shock yawned again, and then let out a deep, sleepy sigh.

Lock rolled his eyes and got into his sleeping bag. "Whatever…" He sighed, putting aside his mask with his pitchfork. Lock turned onto his side, ready to pass out for a good night's sleep…but instead his eyes went wide at the sudden sight of a rather large bug on the floor before him.

The bug looked at him with wide eyes, trembling a little and taking a step back, making a little chirrup sound.

Lock raised an eyebrow. "Huh…what are you doing there?"

Of course, the bug didn't make any reply back.

Lock yawned, pulling up his sleeping back more around his body. "Just be grateful we don't have Oogie Boogie to feed anymore, otherwise you'd already be snapped up in a trap and sent down to him." He grinned, closing his eyes.

But then there was another little chirrup sound…or two or three.

Lock opened his eyes again and blinked. Suddenly there were three bugs on the floor looking at him curiously. He raised an eyebrow and finally sat up.

Then there was another, much louder chirrup sound—one that seemed to be composed of quite a few more bugs than just one or three.

Lock peered into the dark, but, unable to see anything clearly, quickly stuck the end of his pitchfork into the fire and then held it out so that the flame's glow lit up the better part of the room. What he saw made Lock's eyes go very wide. "Uh…Shock? Shock?"

Shock huffed in her sleep.

"Shock?!"

"Grr…" Shock started to sit up. "So help me, Lock, this had better be important or I'm going to…uh oh." Shock had just opened her eyes, and now she was seeing what Lock was seeing too. The little witch trick-or-treater didn't waste any time—she grabbed the lit pitchfork from Lock, and poked the hot end into Barrel hard.

"Ah!" Barrel gasped, flinging himself up. "What happened!?" He blinked a bunch of times, looking around. "I'm up, I'm up, I'm…" Barrel paused and raised an eyebrow, looking to where Lock and Shock were looking now as the fire-lit pitchfork cast its light over the room again. "Uh…okay, what did I miss?"

"We have a problem, you idiot," Shock remarked, her eyes not leaving the 'situation' before her, though a scowl now came to her features. "That's what you missed."

And indeed, ' a problem' was before them—'a problem' was probably an understatement for what was before them actually.

Right now, covering quite a bit of the floor of their tree house, there were many, many, many bugs…all just staring up at them with wide, fearful eyes…and more were coming forth out of the old pipeline the trick-or-treaters had used for sending things down to Oogie's lair.

Shock just sighed deeply, frowning in frustration. "So much for a peaceful night's sleep."

"What should we do?" Lock asked, turning to her. Barrel just looked desperately to Shock too.

"Get the cages." Shock yawned. "Put 'em in, then deal with it in the morning." She glared at her two fellow trick-or-treaters. "But whatever we do, we don't tell anyone what's going on here—agreed?" Then she smirked a little.

Lock and Barrel raised eyebrows at her at first and then looked to each other…but then looked back to her and smirked as well, nodding. "Agreed," they said at the same time.

The children all smiled at each other and then burst into nefarious laughter.

A/N:

That's all for now! I hope you liked the chapter : ) I know, I know, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger with Jack and Sally, but I'll try to update again very soon, I promise. There'll be more dates, more complications, and also some DoctorXJewel very soon. Thank you again for reading!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna