A/N:

Hi everyone! I wanted to try for an update quicker than two weeks since I left you with such a big cliffhanger last time lol. Anyway, thank you all for reading and for your reviews—I'm away for the weekend right now, but I'll be responding to any review for this chapter (and any I haven't responded to yet for the last chapter) Sunday night-ish once I'm back home. Thank you all for your patience and support!

Dearest Friends

Chapter 7:

A Splendid Day to be Dead

"Ah!"

Sally sat up in her makeshift bed in the morning light with a gasp, breathing heavily, hands clasped to the blankets over her chest!

For a moment she just remained frozen in this position, chest rising and falling against her 'nightgown' sheet, her eyes wide…and her face bearing a purplish flush almost the color of garnet in her cheeks.

She was remembering something—something she must have dreamed last night. Jack…Jack coming to her…touching her…kissing her body…letting her touch him…wanting her and…

A deep, shuddery sigh escaped Sally and she closed her eyes, relaxing a little, though she still held the blankets close. She whispered to herself. "It was a dream. Calm down. You've had dreams about him before, and that was when you barely spoke to him. Of course you're going to have more intense ones now that you're living right near him and being courted by him and going on dates with him."

Sally let out one final sigh, nodded to herself, and then opened her eyes.

But suddenly she was frozen in fluster again.

Her sights had fallen on the single dried flower clutched in her hands over her chest along with the blankets she held there.

Where had that come from? She had not gone to sleep grasping a flower.

So who could have brought it to her?

There was a pause.

Then Sally blushed all over.

"Ah, yes, I…Oh! Oh don't burn, don't burn! Gotchya! Ha ha!" Jack smiled to himself in triumph as he held a pan high in the air above the oven, having just gotten it off the burner in the nick of time before its contents could start to overcook.

This really was turning out to be a splendid morning—Jack had risen very early after a particularly refreshing night's sleep, the pumpkin-shaped sun was shining outside, the air was crisp with winter, the snow still sparkled in the Halloween Town streets, he had a beautiful dearest friend in his life now, and for the first time in a long time he didn't feel himself drawn to live in the regrets of the past or doomed to dread the predictability of the future—he was living in the delightful present full of excitement and wonder and good memories and hopes, and he was adoring every minute of it!

"Hmm, what a splendid day to be dead." Jack sighed to himself. "I should have taken Sally in my arms and kissed her on Spiral Hill ages ago—everything's just been so splendid ever since I did that, and now especially this morning." Jack chuckled to himself and then brought the pan of food up to nose level and gave it a quick sniff. His smile grew. "Ah, yes, perfect! Oh I hope she likes scrambled vulture eggs, and I hope that the cheese is pungent enough." He lowered the pan and couldn't help but sigh a little and add, "But somehow her own recipe for them would be better, wouldn't it?"

A soft, dreamy smile came to Jack's skeletal grin, and he started to muse. "…Such a splendid cook she is. I never knew she was so talented. She's probably good at so many things I've never even dreamed of. And I'll get to find out about them all now that we're together. Hmm…" He chuckled and began to daydream for a moment. Waking up every morning to a lovely Sally breakfast where he and Sally would share their plans for the day and their dreams from the night before…And then later cooking lunch together while Sally helped him with little tips about spices and seasonings and he shared some of his Halloween ideas with her as they ate…And then him surprising Sally with romantic dinners each night, and maybe the food wouldn't be quite as good as what she might prepare herself but she was so nice that maybe she would like it just the same, and as they ate they could talk about their days together and their feelings… Then dessert would come as the next as part of yet another night together, of course. And for dessert…well, for 'dessert' they could—

CLINK!

Jack blinked, snapping out of his (ever-more-romantic-becoming) thoughts and turning around at the sound of something lightly knocking against something else behind him. His gaze fell to the kitchen doorway, though all he managed to see to explain the sound was the very brief appearance of a pair of beautiful eyes on a blue head, which then quickly flew back around the corner of the doorway, causing the some of the head's pretty red yarn hair to fly up at the swift movement before it disappeared too.

Jack just looked toward where (obviously) Sally had been peeking into the kitchen and tilted his skull to the side. He put down the pan on the stovetop again and walked toward the doorway. "Sally? Is that you? It's breakfast time." Jack smiled and chuckled at her shyness. But then he frowned and blinked, a new thought occurring to him. 'What if she smelled what I was making and doesn't like it but is too shy to tell me?' "U-Unless you'd prefer something different for breakfast!" he quickly called out, pausing just before exiting the kitchen and looking down in a touch of distress. "Oh I'm sorry, I should have waited until you were awake and then asked you what you'd prefer, shouldn't I have? Sally, it's all right, really—if you don't like scrambled vulture eggs I'll make you something else." And now Jack (doing his best to smile encouragingly, though he was rather nervous inside) peered around the doorway and into the main section of the house.

"Ah! N-No, I, um…I like sc-scrambled, um…vulture eggs!"

This sudden response, made in a high-pitched and somewhat nerve-ridden voice, met Jack's ears.

He blinked and paused at the sight of its deliverer.

Sally was standing against the wall in her normal patchwork dress. She was looking down, she was fidgeting a little, she seemed flushed, and she was playing with her hair so forcibly in her fingers that it looked like she might cause the yarn to stretch and break.

And also she had a little flower in one of her hands.

Something about the flower looked familiar to Jack though he couldn't quite place it. Actually though, come to think of it, the flower made him remember the nice feeling he had woken up with this morning. Indeed, come to think of it now, he couldn't recall ever having had a more delightful night's sleep, and then when he had blinked open his eye sockets this morning he had just felt so…refreshed, invigorated, spruce, plucky: he had grinned and sat right up and hopped out of bed, ready to greet the day! There had even been a little extra bounce in his step when walking to the kitchen for breakfast. He had felt…to be honest, he had felt better than he had felt in a few centuries! He felt practically alive!

Jack blinked, coming out of his thoughts, and focused on Sally again—Sally and her little flower and…what in the world did she look so utterly terrified about? He blinked, worry coming over him. "Sally, are you okay? Is there something wrong with your accommodations? Did you sleep poorly? Is anything troubling you, anything at all?" he asked in the most caring tone he had, approaching her with an understanding smile. "Did you have a nightmare perhaps? You know, a bad one….?" He frowned a little again. What if she had had a nightmare about Christmas and Oogie and all of the danger and…the very thought made him gasp and come even closer, the look of worry growing on his features. "How can I make whatever's on your mind better, Sally?" was all he could ask, softly now. "Please let me know."

Sally just watched him…just watched him and felt more and more flustered…but also more and more puzzled as the seconds went by and all he did was look at her in that polite, considerate, sincere way he'd always had of doing ever since she had known him.

He didn't notice her flower, he wasn't embarrassed at all, he wasn't amorous…he wasn't even acting awkwardly! He seemed utterly clueless as a matter of fact! And now he wanted to know about a nightmare or something…?

Sally eyed him cautiously, still not taking a step forward to meet him. "Jack…" she began, starting to feel a little less sure of herself, though how real last night had felt made her at least try and see her investigation through, "About last night…." She raised the flower in her hand slowly, her eyes never leaving his eye sockets as she awaited his response.

Jack just nodded, the sad look his eye sockets becoming so melancholy it seemed like they might never hold happiness again. "Yes…what happened last night, Sally? Did you have a bad dream about…um…Christmas?" He gulped, almost afraid to ask.

Sally paused and then blinked. 'Christmas?' "Christmas? Er…no, I didn't dream about…um…. Jack, I'm talking about…you know…" She eyed him curiously and then finally took a little step forward with one foot. She held out the flower to him.

Jack just watched Sally blankly. She seemed like she was waiting for something from him, but…what? And why did she have and hold forth that flower? Did she want him to take it? And yet, she didn't seem to be giving it to him with her gesture so much as just showing it to him. "Talking…about….?" Jack prompted kindly, smiling a little.

For a moment both Jack and Sally were just looking at each other in quiet confusion.

"Um…n-nothing!" Sally quickly stammered, instantly retracting the little flower to her chest. "I mean, um…" She let out a breath and smiled normally, putting the flower in her pocket. "Nothing, Jack. I-I'm sorry, I think I'm just a little, um…disoriented. After all, this is only the second night that I've woken up here." She looked down, clasping her hands together in front of herself. "Thank you again for taking me in, Jack. It's been very sweet of you." She felt so embarrassed. 'What if it really was just a dream? Yes, it must have been, and somehow in the night I must have grabbed one of the flowers he gave me yesterday. Oh I can't believe I almost told him what I dreamt! O-Oh…' Sally almost wobbled on her feet at the thought. What if she had actually shared with him her dream of him crawling into her 'bed' and kissing her arms and telling her he desired her and letting her undo the buttons of his shirt, and… Sally felt herself ready to blush even at the notion. Just because she was ready to be courted by Jack and to kiss Jack and to live with Jack didn't mean she was ready for him suddenly to know every deep, intimate, private fantasy she'd ever had about him. All of that was something she had always imagined sharing maybe a few years into their marriage one night over a pot of tea after their first child was asleep and just for fun. She had always imagined him looking so bashful when she told him about all her secret thoughts from the past, but then a certain glint might come into his eye, and then who knew where the rest of the evening might take them?

"Oh Sally, I understand," Jack replied meanwhile. "Of course, all of these new surroundings are probably going to take a while for you to get used to. Here now, why don't you sit down and I'll get you some hot tea and a blanket and then finish making us breakfast, hmm?"

"Oh! I…" Sally snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes going up to look to Jack again. He was smiling as he spoke so kindly to her, and now he was graciously bowing a little and offering his hand to her.

The sight positively made her leaves flutter. Sally smiled and couldn't help giggling. And she started to feel some relief as she accepted that she had thankfully avoided a truly awkward moment with Jack by not accidentally bringing up what must have been just an intense dream. 'Just focus on now—he's made you breakfast and he cares if you're okay and he wants to help take care of you. That's what matters.' "Thank you, Jack," Sally replied with a nod. "That's very sweet of you, Jack…" She demurely reached out and took his hand. "But I don't need any tea. Just breakfast with you will be nice. And maybe that blanket you mentioned too, just for now until you're done cooking—it's gotten so much chillier ever since Santa made the snow fall."

'Sweet…She thinks I'm sweet.' Jack smiled brightly to himself and nodded to Sally, lacing his bony fingers with her soft cloth ones and leading her over to the sofa. "Yes, I know what you mean. Don't worry, I'll make sure we have plenty of extra firewood for the tower and down here and for the kitchen as well. And you're very welcome, Sally—I just want your transition into staying here to be as smooth and happy as possible." They were in front of the sofa now, and as Sally sat down Jack picked up a blanket from the back of the sofa and laid it around her shoulders. Jack smiled down at her: she made such a pretty picture, all smiling and bundled up. He frowned just a little though and couldn't help adding with a touch of worry, "And…you're sure you didn't have any bad dreams about Christmas?"

Sally looked up to him sincerely and shook her head. "I didn't, Jack. I promise." A little bluish blush came to her features and she glanced away, hoping he would drop the subject of dreams.

Jack looked at her curiously for a moment but decided from her shyness and her growing smile that she must have something else on her mind besides any sort of nightmare. He looked at her for a moment more and blinked—were her soft cheeks blushing again? They really were, weren't they? It hadn't just been a trick of the light last night sitting atop the tower trapdoor steps—her cheeks now bore a pretty purplish bluish color. Jack's bones warmed a little. 'Beautiful creature…' He almost had a sudden sense of déjà vu—as though he had been in this position before, Sally sitting before him and blushing and looking away, and he moving toward her…soft blankets falling from her shoulders…

"Jack, I…." Sally paused, her breath catching in her throat. She had just looked up to him again, and the sight of his face utterly caught her off guard. He looked just like in her dream—there was so much desire and passion in his gaze that it made her tremble. "I-I…" she stuttered, feeling overwhelmed again.

Jack blinked, instantly snapping out of his sudden state, and straightened up so quickly that he nearly toppled backward. "Wh-Whoa! I, erm…y-yes, Sally?" He did his best to smile normally though he looked rather sheepish and nervous to say the least. But how else was a gentleman supposed to look when he had just caught himself daydreaming about grasping a beautiful woman in his arms and leaning her back and….Oh he refused to articulate the thought any further. He would never make it through this breakfast if he did.

Sally just looked up at him with wide eyes for a moment, not saying a word. Then she swallowed, her eyes still never leaving his eye sockets, and said simply, "I…A-Are the vulture eggs burning?"

Jack blinked and then practically tripped over his own feet, the scent of the eggs cooking (and quite possibly for a little too long) finally hitting his nose. "Oh! Oh no, oh no, I must have put them back on the burner before I left the kitchen…." He scrambled off toward the kitchen (tripping several times along the way, of course), and Sally just looked after him with an eyebrow raised as he disappeared. A couple of seconds passed, and then suddenly Jack bolted back into the room with the eggs on a platter in his hands…and, while not burned per say, the eggs certainly on the 'very thoroughly cooked side'. "I hope I saved them in time! Oh Sally, I really wanted to make a lovely, perfect breakfast for you for our first official morning together." Jack seemed utterly melancholy, utterly disappointed with himself—truly crestfallen as could be (as per his usual dramatic tendencies). "Your first full day here, and I couldn't even cook you breakfast right."

Sally just watched him and the eggs with wide eyes for a moment longer…and then she just…. She giggled. And then she laughed a little. And then she laughed a little more, warmly and happily. She truly tried to keep the response inside, but she just couldn't help herself.

Jack blinked at the sound, and then, if possible, his face fell even more. He felt so foolish now and actually almost started hiding the platter behind himself a little, looking down. 'Undead King of an entire holiday world—I should be able to give her a buffet of the finest delicacies each morning, but I couldn't even do eggs right.' "I'm sorry," he replied humbly. "I-I could try again if you w—"

Jack froze. Sally had just stood up from the couch and blankets to give him the sweetest lingering little kiss on his cheek.

Sally pulled back now with a soft smile. "Oh Jack, don't worry about it, please," she pleaded. She brought a hand up to his cheek and looked into his (rather surprised-appearing) eye sockets. "I'm sorry I laughed, but I…it's just, you're so nice to me, and no one ever made me breakfast before, let alone cared how good it was. It's so kind of you to care so much about the food. It made me happy, and that's why I laughed. But really, Jack, the eggs smell wonderful, and they didn't burn, and I don't mind them well done. So, um…how about you and I sit down together, and we can just eat the lovely breakfast you made us and talk for a little while, okay?" She smiled brightly up at him.

Jack just blinked a few times, and then he gulped, and then he actually felt a little weak in the knees. "I…well…" 'She likes everything I did, and she laughed because she was happy. I make her happy. And she's got the cutest laugh.' The platter wobbled in his grasp for a moment, but he managed to keep it steady and suddenly beamed at her. "I…yes…Okay, Sally. Thank you." He looked down with a little humble smile and had to add softly though, glancing up to her with wide eye sockets, "And are you really sure you like eggs a little…'overcooked'?"

Sally nodded, smiling more. "I'll love them, Jack…" She tried not to blush again as she then took his free hand and walked them over to the dining room table to eat. 'I'll love them just as much as I love you, Jack, because you made them for us,' she thought to herself, her leaves fluttering inside. "Thank you for cooking for me," she added aloud to Jack, taking her seat as they reached the table.

Jack smiled and nodded to her, setting down the platter at the center of the set table and taking his own seat. "You're welcome, Sally. Though next time if you're up I hope you'll give me a few more cooking pointers like last night. I'm sure you must have the most excellent recipes for eggs and many other things for breakfast."

Sally smiled a little more to herself, pouring herself some pumpkin juice from a pitcher nearby. "I don't know about that. But I did learn lots of little cooking tricks from living with the doctor. Maybe we could cook a meal together sometime soon, and I could teach you some things and you could teach me some things too." She set down the pitcher again

Jack's whole countenance brightened as he took up the pitcher now to pour himself some juice too. "Really? Oh, I think that would be splendid, Sally. We'll have to do that very soon then. Maybe we can even make some pumpkin spice cakes since they're your favorite food, and worms wart tea for me, and then we can share together." And suddenly his near slip-up with the eggs didn't matter to Jack so much anymore as he watched Sally happily serve herself from the platter and he found himself feeling just so wonderful and so content inside in that way only Sally could bring to him.

And Sally was feeling quite wonderful and quite content inside herself as their meal started and their conversation grew and she realized that every morning from now on might be like this between them—so close and so happy and so warm and so good. She even started to forget more and more about the awkwardness of her near slip-up about her dream last night.

Needless to say, both Jack and Sally thoroughly enjoyed their breakfast—it was a truly lovely start to their first full day together.

"Sally, I think I ought to go into town to, well…" Jack sighed, putting away the last of the breakfast dishes that Sally had just finished (and truly insisted upon solely) cleaning, "Well, to get some things for the house, of course, but also probably to let the townspeople see that I'm really all right before they break into song about my brooding again like with Christmas." He smiled a little sheepishly and turned to her as he shut the cupboard door. "Anyway, since I'm going into town, could I get you anything? Extra thread, some new needles, any books, anything for your hair or cloth or…I-I mean, I tried to provide you with whatever you might need up in the tower but I've never, um…lived with a woman before, so I'm not really sure if here's anything extra I ought to be taking into account." Jack gulped, finishing his little question which had started out quite casually and ended (of course) somewhat awkwardly.

Sally, meanwhile, was just looking at him with a little smile and trying not to giggle at his sweet courtesy and shyness. She put down the dishtowel on the counter and took a little step toward him, her arms behind her back. "Oh Jack, you did just fine. The brush and the needles and thread and the little mirror—that's almost more than I've ever had to myself before." She looked down humbly. "And if I'd like anything else, well, I'll…I'll just make whatever it is myself or sew some things and trade them in town for whatever I can." She shrugged a little and looked up at him again. "I really don't need much, Jack, and you've already given me so much anyway. And I appreciate all of it, really, but I promise you don't have to worry about me—I can take care of myself." She smiled confidently.

Jack just blinked a few times, looking at her in interest. He took a step toward her as well. "Sally…I…" he spoke slowly, barely knowing where to begin and smiling away as the words left him, "I'm so glad that I did well with trying to guess your needs. But, my dearest, darling friend…" His smile grew and his eyes hazed a little. "My darling…" Jack paused in surprise—he wasn't even sure where that little term had come from, yet now that he had said it he couldn't deny that he liked how it sounded very much. Jack went on, taking one of her hands in his and raising it up a little. "My darling, you deserve more than just the basic essentials—you deserve enough to make you as comfortable and happy as can be. And, Sally, I know you're very intent on not being a 'burden' to me but I assure you, you're not." He blinked and for a moment his eye sockets moved away and grew contemplative. "In fact, you're the best thing that's happened to me in a while." He swallowed and blinked few more times, clearing his throat and smiling again. He looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand. "Anyway, I…my point is that if you need something, you don't have to make do or barter for it. I'll get you whatever you need. I've been around for so long, Sally, and I'm the King. I have plenty of means and unlimited credit anywhere for anything, and I've never had a single person to use any of that on in my whole life. I respect that you can take care of yourself, Sally, and that you want to. But if you need it and would be willing to accept it, I wish you'd do me the honor of letting me care for you too when and how I can." And now Jack gently kissed the back of Sally's hand, his eye sockets still not leaving her eyes.

Sally just stood there, blinking, mouth partly open in surprise. She was just so moved yet again by his kindness and caring words. Her dearest jack was so wonderful and yet so tragic too in a way—he didn't just want to help her just to spoil her or because he felt obligated, he wanted to help her because he sincerely liked the idea of it and because he had never had anyone to help before. He even thought she was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. And, most beautiful of all, he had just called her his darling.

As Jack's lips left her hand, Sally lowered their hands and smiled and moved forward. "Jack…" she cooed softly, her gaze still meeting his, "…Thank you, my dearest Jack. I didn't realize you felt that way. And if you really wanted to, I…well…" she swallowed, looking down a little, "There is one thing that I'd never be able to afford for a very long time and that I'd rather not go back to Dr. Finkelstein's for. So if you wanted to get that for me, I'd appreciate it very much. Anything else—little things—I'd like to make and earn for myself, but if you could help me get that one big thing, it would mean a lot to me."

Jack sighed softly, feeling lost in a daze and liking this sudden closeness between them. Somehow they were warm together—a skeleton and a doll, dead, yet warm. He savored the warmness and then sighed and replied softly back to Sally, "Yes, of course. What is it that you want, Sally? Whatever it is, I'll do my best to get it for you, my darling." Using that affectionate term again made Jack smile more.

Sally smiled more too. "A sewing machine. If I had one of those, I could sew lots of things, including some new clothes for myself and a nightgown, and also anything I could think of to trade for anything I needed, and it would be so much quicker and easier than sewing all by hand, and plus I…oh, I love to sew, Jack." A little purplish blush came to her cheeks. She took a small step closer to him. "I used to sew at my window all of the time and watch your house and wish that I…w-well…this." A shuddery, warm sigh escaped her. Their bodies were gently touching now, they still held hands and their foreheads lightly came together. Sally felt such a sudden longing to kiss him in this moment. They could kiss and hold and touch each other gently, warmly, completely, as though they could not live without each other… 'I don't need a silly dream like last night—right here and right now is so much better.' Sally did her best not to giggle at the thought.

Meanwhile, Jack was just melting at her small confession about her past thoughts of him—gazing at his house from her window at Dr. Finkelstein's manor all those secret times. He had never smiled as much as he was doing right now, whether or not he realized it. 'O-Oh…' A little tremble suddenly went through Jack's spine. He had just inhaled deeply through his nose. Sally smelled of autumn spices and fresh pumpkin pie and midnight—it was an intoxicating combination. "You used to sew and watch me…really? And you'd imagine doing this? H-How splendid…" left him in a soft gurgle with a little chuckle. "And what in the world was I doing during all of that instead of wishing for…this…too?" He moved in a little closer and now they were just wrapped in a warm, soft little cocoon of each other.

Sally giggled, starting to let her eyes close. She could have just rested in his presence like this forever. And the whiteness of his skull seemed to be brightening in fluster again—he was so cute! "Oh, you were doing all of those very sweet…and brilliant…and wonderful…and cute things you do all the time, Mister Pumpkin King." She giggled more. "I didn't want to impose."

"Oh, Miss Sally…" Jack chuckled, and somehow the arm of his hand not still entwined with hers found its way around her waist.

In return, Sally gave a soft, lingering kiss to his cheek and pulled back with her little crooked smile picked up on one side. "Jack, now what did I say about calling me 'Miss'? Do you want me to start calling you Pumpkin King? My handsome…charming…strong…suave…splendid…Pumpkin King?" She giggled so temptingly, so teasingly right near his ear.

Jack just trembled deeply right down the full length of his spine. "I-I…" he started in a daze, eye sockets half closed and a big grin still on his face. "I…" He had never felt so flustered in all of his death. And he felt his skull starting to heat up so much. What a perfectly pleasant sensation. "I-I don't know. I suppose you can call me whatever you'd like, my kind…sweet…pretty…perfect…splendid Miss Sally. A-And you did already just call me Pumpkin King—I figured I was entitled to call you 'Miss' just once for that." He paused for only an instant and then couldn't help giving her a little, lingering kiss on her cheek in return.

That simple action from him lit up Sally's eyes with joy. They were having a moment, a real romantic moment, and he was reciprocating everything instead of just avoiding their intimacy shyly or reverting to their former purely friendly interactions again. 'Oh…progress!' She practically beamed! "Oh Jack…Dearest Jack…" she cooed dreamily, lost in sweet daydreams and the effect of his sweet compliments.

Jack, meanwhile, couldn't help but smile more at the sight of her (and at her little affectionate name for him—'dearest Jack'.) She was so lovely and kind. And he really liked this—giving each other compliments and whispering sweet nothings and holding each other. Sure, perhaps it tempted him toward more passionate things—things he might mess up or be unsure about—but perhaps having moments like this with her could be all right from time to time as long as he took things slowly.

Yet, not because he wanted the moment to end, but because of his desire to care for her in the best possible way he could no matter what might tempt him to put off such responsibilities, Jack had to sigh now and shift just slightly away from her. "Sally," he whispered softly, gently twirling a piece of her hair around his fingertips. "Sally, darling, I…I do hate to leave you, but I really must get more food for us for the house, and more firewood too. And the citizens need to see me after I've worried them so much lately. And of course I want to look into a sewing machine for you right away. So…can you do without me, darling? Can you do without me for just a little while? And then I'll come back and…maybe we can pick up where we left off? We are supposed to have another date tonight after all." Jack smiled a little sheepishly and gave a small shrug.

Despite the fact that he was asking to leave, and thus getting out of another deeply romantic moment, Sally simply couldn't be cross with him or even very upset about his request. She was just so moved by his tenderness and the gentle way he cooed his reasons to her for leaving and how sweet he was to want to get her sewing machine right away and also his care for the welfare of the other citizens. Besides, her leaves were fluttering like crazy inside of her body at this point and her knees were getting weak—she almost felt grateful at the idea of getting a little time to herself to savor and control her fluster and of course to bask in this sudden progression of Jack's romantic tendencies and how happy it made her. And so Sally nodded to Jack, gazing up at him in adoration. "I'll be all right. But will you hurry back, dearest Jack?" she asked softly.

Jack nodded with a soft smile, taking up her hand and kissing the back of it again. "You won't even have time to miss me." He winked. "And then when I get back, perhaps we'll discuss our date this evening? I want it to be just as special as the first one."

Sally lit up and nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, Jack! I'd like that so much. Thank you!" She wrapped her arms around him and suddenly hugged him tightly in her happiness.

Jack blinked and blanched a little at first, but then hugged her gently back with a chuckle. "You're welcome, Sally." He nuzzled her head and her soft yarn hair for a moment, savoring the scent of her again, and then gently pulled them apart. "Bye for now, my darling. I'll return shortly. In the meantime, you think of something fun to do on our date tonight. Oh, and while I'm looking into your sewing machine, I'll also get you some fabric for that nightgown you want to make." His smile picked up on one side. "You really can't think I'd just give you some old drapes or sheets to work with—you'll have something nice and new and that suits you. I insist." He gave her a small bow.

Sally smiled, clasping her hands in front of herself humbly. "Thank you, Jack."

"You're quite welcome." Jack straightened up and nodded, and then headed toward the door, giving her a little wave over his shoulder. "Goodbye, Sally."

Sally reached up and gave him a little wave in return. "Goodbye! I'll come up with some very fun ideas for our date while you're gone, Jack, I promise!" On an impulse she kissed her palm and blew it to him.

Jack blinked at the gesture as he paused for a moment by the door, but then he smiled bashfully and looked back to her, quickly kissing the palm of his hand and blowing her a kiss as well. "I'm sure whatever we end up doing will be wonderful, Sally…so long as I'm with you. Farwell, Sally." And with that and a smile in her direction he slipped out of the door and closed it behind him.

Sally just beamed, and then she clapped her hands together and her clever mind instantly got to work thinking. "We should do something really romantic tonight. Something very special and unexpected…but also something subtle so that Jack doesn't feel overwhelmed again. I'll have to start planning right away." Instantly she dashed over to the living room window and leaned out of it. "Zero!" she called for the little ghost dog.

After a moment, a bark met her ears, and then soon a smiling Zero flew into the house and kissed her many times.

Sally giggled and began to head up to the tower, Zero following alongside her. "Come on, Zero, you can help me think of the most romantic evening ever for me and Jack! I want it to be extra special."

"Arf! Arf!" Zero replied with a nod, and soon the two were up in Sally's tower room ready to plan everything out.

The bell over the witches' shop rang as a certain familiar skeletal customer exited to the street outside after completing his purchases…and as Helgamine and Zeldabourne just watched him go with confused looks.

"Did Jack seem…strange to you?" Helgamine scratched her head, still staring at the door.

"Strange in a good, scary way or strange in a bad, confusing way?" Zeldabourne asked, looking up to the taller witch.

(At this point, behind the witches while they conversed, three familiar trick-or-treaters could be seen dropping down stealthily from the ceiling or coming up through a trap door or popping out from behind a shelf. And as the witches spoke, the three children silently but quickly gathered some cheap cloth with plans to hightail it back to their tree house as soon as they had swiped their necessary supplies.)

"Strange in an…odd way," was all Helgamine could reply. She looked down at the smaller witch. "I've never seen him act that way. He came in, we said hi charmingly like we usually do and complimented him and fawned over him and told him how wonderful and glorious of a leader he is…

"Well, of course we did—he is Jack, after all," Zeldabourne added, throwing her arms in the air. "He's perfect! And scary!"

Helgamine sighed. "But instead of just thanking us and changing the subject like he always does since he loves to play hard to get, he…he just looked away and smiled and he laughed!"

Zeldabourne giggled. "I know. Wasn't it great? He has the dreamiest laugh!"

"But that's just it—he's never laughed before, not like that." Helgamine went on. "And then when he asked for all of those unusual cuts of cloth and you told him he had exquisite taste, instead of changing the subject he smiled again and gazed off a little bit again and said he was sure his taste was no more exquisite than yours."

Zeldabourne sighed dreamily. "Yeah, he did, didn't he?"

Helgamine rolled her eyes. "And then when he was getting ready to go and I asked him if he was feeling back to his old, spooky, 'making walls fall and mountains crack' self now that Christmas was over, he didn't nervously back away! He just smiled a lot and said he was feeling even better than ever and that it was such a splendid day to be dead."

Zeldabourne sighed and shrugged. "So what's your point?"

Helgamine put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Like I said, my point is he's acting strange. I just hope that crash on Christmas Eve didn't rattle his skull. He's not playing hard to get but he certainly didn't start flirting back with us. He just…took it in stride and acted so perky! That's about as unlike him as it gets!"

Zeldabourne considered. "I don't know, I guess he was acting a little different. Do you really think we should be worried? He did seem kind of distracted, now that you mention it. But he did buy all of those strange colors of cloth—maybe he's just got a new project he's working on?"

(In the background the three trick-or-treaters had everything they could carry, so they met as a group, winked at each other, and then Lock used his pitchfork to get himself back up into the ceiling, Barrel squeezed himself through the trap door…but Shock lingered. The conversation had caught her attention.)

Helgamine sighed. "Oh…I suppose it's fine. And maybe you're right about the project. The point is he's safe…even if his head is a little in the clouds. But then again, this is Jack we're talking about." She smiled. "Maybe we should just enjoy this new easygoing, daydreamy streak of his. After all, as you say, he is the master of fright…he's made countless generations weak in the knees in fear, and he's the essence of scariness on Halloween night. If he wants to smile to himself and be a little more charming than usual, who are we to complain?"

The two witches sighed dreamily together and then laughed at the idea.

(Shock, meanwhile, rubbed her chin in thought, and then a distinct grin picked up on one side of her face. 'Jack's distracted…That's very, very, very good for us.' And then she finally slipped out of the back door with the cloth, laughing to herself as the group met up again and made their way back to the tree house).

About an hour later, Jack Skellington was coming in sight of his home, a few small bags of groceries and other items in one hand and a box full of something under his other arm. And he had a smile on his face and was whistling 'This is Halloween' as merrily as could be to himself. And indeed, what was there not to be merry about—he had successfully purchased every necessary item he could think of for the house and his and Sally's comfort plus some different fabrics for Sally to choose from for her nightgown (it had been 'fun' for Jack, by the way, buying several yards of multiple fabrics in somewhat feminine colors and picking up much more food than he usually ate and searching for a sewing machine all in various shops without arousing any of the citizens' suspicions or outright lying to them about Sally). And speaking of the sewing machine, Jack had indeed (somewhat) successfully managed to secure that special item for Sally. And he would now get to spend the rest of the day with his darling Sally hearing about what wonderful plans she might have thought up for their date tonight. Perhaps sitting by the fire and reading? Or letting him watch her embark upon her sewing projects and helping her plan her future enterprises as a seamstress? Or they could even just go on a little walk again. Yes, the possibilities were endless and all just splendid!

"Jack! Welcome home!"

These words called out to him in a happy, familiar voice made Jack pause before opening his front door. He looked over to a window of the tower to see Sally smiling and waving out of it down to him. He instantly smiled back up at her. "Thank you, Sally!" he called back warmly. "It's…It's good to be home." Someone to welcome him home—Jack had never realized how much he might like that idea until this moment in his life.

Sally smiled more. "I'll be right down to help you with whatever you bought!"

Jack smiled but replied politely, "Oh, it's all right, my darling, I can manage. No need to trouble yourself."

Of course, though, Sally just gave him a little smirk and replied, "Oh Jack, don't be silly." She winked and then disappeared inside, and he knew she was heading down to the main part of he house to help him. The idea only made Jack smile more to himself as he managed to push open the door with his hip.

"Oh Jack, here, let me take that. What in the world did you get?" Sally, finishing her descent from the attic passage, instantly dashed across the living room to meet him at the door and took some of the bags from his one hand, placing them on the sofa. Then she couldn't help but turn back to Jack and eye the box under his arm curiously.

Jack smiled (and put down the rest of his bags to tuck the box just a little more behind him, teasing her a bit). "Hmm…well, I got some spices…" he listed things slowly deliberately, smiling more and more as he went along and her curiosity clearly grew, "…and some new kind of tea….some rotten eggs…moldy cheese...mashed pumpkin…pumpkin juice…Ooo, some chocolate worms wart candies for you." He chuckled and winked at her.

Sally's eyes lit up with happiness at all he had bought for them and especially at that last little present for her. "Oh Jack, that was very thoughtful of you." She smiled sincerely but then still couldn't help peering over at whatever he was hiding again. "And, um…anything else?"

"Fabric," Jack replied, though he gestured to one of the bags on the sofa rather than to the box still held slightly behind himself. "Dozens of yards of several kinds for your nightgown and for anything else you might like to make or wear. It's all for you."

Sally's eyes went wide as she looked at the bags. "Ooo…thank you, Jack!" Her smiling face then turned back to Jack, and for a moment it was obvious that she was torn between wanting to express even more gratitude for and give even more attention to the fabric and really wanting to know what was in that box he kept hiding from her.

Jack just chuckled, recognizing her dilemma. "Oh and, yes, there was one more thing I got…" He brought the box forward a little. "I checked around and unfortunately no one had a spare sewing machine, Sally. But I did get several parts for one and some plans…so I've decided I'm going to build you one! What do you think?" His eye sockets lit up in eagerness.

Sally blinked, her eyes going wide for a moment, and then she smiled ear to ear. "Oh Jack!" She dove right at him, crushing him in a big hug. "You're so…so…Oh Jack! Thank you!" She laughed happily.

Jack smiled and laughed too, hugging her back with his free arm. "You're welcome, Sally. I'm glad you're so happy about the idea." They embraced for a moment longer and then Jack pulled back a little. "Now, I'll just take these parts up to my workspace in the tow—oh, I…" Jack blinked, realizing his error: no more workspace. For a moment he felt a little bad about that loss, but then of course the memory that the reason he didn't have a tower to work in anymore was because a beautiful, clever, caring woman was using it as a bedroom quickly completely outweighed any regrets. He smiled again and shrugged. "I'll just put the parts in my room and work on them later." He winked and walked toward his bedroom door, opening it to place the box down inside and then closing the door behind him and returning to Sally.

He was met with a slightly frowning Sally who was looking down and biting her lower lip.

Jack blinked and came closer to her, his skull tilted to the side. "Sally…is something wrong?"

Sally sighed and glanced up at him. "Oh, I..I just…" she shrugged, putting her hands behind her back, "I guess the tower was sort of your private work space, wasn't it? And now I've sort of taken it over. I'm sorry about that, Jack. I hope it won't be too much of a bother to you." She looked at him sincerely.

Jack blinked at her reply. "Sally…" A smile picked up at one side of his mouth and he almost chuckled, taking one of her hands in both of his. "This house is huge—I can work anywhere in it, really. Besides, I like how the tower is now much better—it's clean and neat and pretty and cozy…much better than being strewn with holiday decorations and half overturned furniture and full of dust because I'm so lax about the housekeeping. And also…" something soft and kind came into his eye sockets as he finished, "I would trade a thousand towers to work in for my one little tower with you safely bundled up in it. I promise."

Sally eyes went wide and then she just glanced down, looking the shyest he had ever seen her (and smiling the most he had ever seen her do so far). "Jack, I don't know what to say…" left her softly. She beamed and yet seemed so very overwhelmed.

"You don't have to say anything, Sally…" He smiled, squeezing her hand a little. "I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you a little. But you are very special to me, and I think it's important that I keep letting you know it."

He watched as Sally sighed softly and then finally glanced up to his eye sockets. "Thank you again for the tower, Jack." It was a simple statement, but full of all the sincere gratitude she felt toward him as her friend, her King, and now the man who was courting her.

Jack smiled more. "You're welcome, Sally…for the tower and for whatever else I've ever given to make you happy." He hesitated but then moved forward and wrapped his free arm around her in a gentle hug.

Sally let out a soft, happy sigh, nestling against him. "Jack? Do you want me to make us some tea and to share my chocolates and then maybe talk about our date for tonight?"

Jack nodded, pulling back a little to look down at her with a smile. "That all sounds perfectly splendid, Sally darling. Let's do just that." He blanched just a little and added, "And…is it okay that I call you darling sometimes now? I think it's starting to grow on me."

Sally nodded, smiling more. "Only if you don't mind me calling you dearest Jack sometimes."

Jack nodded. "It's a deal."

The two pulled apart and then went about unpacking the groceries and preparing the tea. Soon, Sally would explain her plans for their evening to Jack (though not all the way, wanting to surprise him a little) and then she would dash upstairs with her fabric to begin setting things up for the evening.

A/N:

That's all for now! Stay tuned for more as Jack and Sally's relationship progresses (and the town gets used to Jack's new outlook on life…and the trick-or-treaters continue with their plans…and the Doctor and Jewel come into play soon…and I promise, Jack has a few more 'visits' to Sally up his sleeve ^_^). I hope you all enjoyed and thank you in advance for any reviews!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna