A/N:

Hi everyone!

Here's the new chapter—Jack and Sally finally have some alone time. Lol, lots of romance, lots of touching, lots of shippiness (and finally no one can possibly walk away not remembering it or thinking it was a dream! :D ). Anyway, I hope you all like it, and review please if you can! Thanks!

Dearest Friends

Chapter 22:

A Night to Remember

Meanwhile, back in the Skellington household, the night was still young, and Jack and Sally were still up in the tower…where Sally had just reminded Jack of where the two of them had left off downstairs…and Jack had nodded and said he remembered. And the two of them really did feel so warm between the fire and the memories of each other….

In fact, Sally was blushing such a distinct violet color that Jack couldn't help but eye her a little more closely. "Sally," Jack observed, "you look very flushed—you're not feverish, are you?" He frowned at the thought and took a step closer to her. 'She's been through so much lately. Maybe I should still go so that she can get rest.'

A rosy, purplish Sally just looked down more and shook her head. "No, um…it's just the fire's very warm, and this robe is very warm. That's all." She gently wrung her hands together.

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, is that all? I'm glad." He smiled, his eye sockets bright. "I can take your robe if you'd like, Sally. There is something to be said against being too warm, especially for the dead." He chuckled.

Sally smiled a little, then let out a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, Jack, if you want." Then she undid the little belt of the robe and slid the garment off of her shoulders and finished by placing it in Jack's held out hands.

Sally, now just in her nightgown, took a step back and looked at Jack hesitantly.

Jack just looked back at the sight of her with wide eye sockets: he didn't move or say a word. The only sound was the fire crackling.

When the robe accidentally dropped out of his hands though, Jack did manage to blink and come out of his daze. "O-Oh, um, I-I'm sorry, Sally, I didn't mean to drop, um…" Jack gathered up the robe and folded it quickly to lay it on an arm of the sofa. Then he looked back to Sally because he wasn't sure where else to look…and because he wanted to look at her more than anything right now, he freely admitted to himself.

Sally blushed even more purplish and just put her arms behind her back. "I finally made myself a new nightgown," she explained. She looked down at herself: she had taken the last few yards of that midnight blue silk Jack had given her and stitched herself something light and cool and wonderful. The nightgown fit her snugly, yet Sally had cut it to allow ample movement. The length of the gown went down to just above her ankles though she had added slits on either side up to her knees. And the nightgown was held in place by two simple, thin straps over her shoulders. "It's silly, I guess…" she mumbled to herself.

"No, no," Jack assured, coming forward, his hands clasped together. "It's not silly at all, Sally. It's beautiful. I never saw you look so beautiful in my life actually."

A big, beaming smile threatened to burst out upon Sally's lips. "I could never make myself a real nightgown with the materials the Doctor gave me. I always wanted one like this. Thank you, Jack." She looked up at him, her large eyes bright.

Jack just smiled shyly. "You're welcome." He let out a deep breath, his eyes looking to her face but also taking in everything below it. 'I know it's not the most important thing: I know I would love her to death whether she was a barely visible ghost or a warty goblin or a mangled ghoul…but…she's a rag doll…and I never knew her body could look like that.' Her usual dresses always left a bit up to the imagination. But in the nightgown, Jack could see the outline of all Sally's curves, he could see the full expanse of her shoulders, he could even see more of her legs. Jack felt something deep stir within him and did his best to work with the feeling instead of just suppressing it. 'It's all right,' he assured himself. 'There's nothing wrong with taking pleasure in the appearance of the woman you love. Just take it slow but steady.' Jack cleared his throat. "May we sit again, Sally?"

Sally smiled warmly and nodded as she came forward. "Of course, my silly skeleton. We still have a lot to talk about anyway," she added before gliding herself over to the sofa and taking a seat.

Jack followed and sat alongside her.

They were quiet for a moment, Sally still blushing and feeling a bit giddy, and Jack still trying not to seem too awkward. Then the Pumpkin King swallowed and observed, "For your first time making something like your nightgown, you did quite well, Sally."

Sally smiled softly. She took up the teapot and poured them each a fresh cup. "Thank you, Jack."

Jack nodded. Then he frowned a little as he took up his teacup for a sip. "And the Doctor never gave you material like that so you could make a nice nightgown for yourself?"

Sally paused in raising her own cup to her lips. She frowned a little and shook her head. "No, he didn't. I just got cloth scraps. He said it was because they were free and that was all I should need. But I only ever got enough to make a dress and a blanket and to have for rags if I needed them." She lowered her cup and set it back down on the table.

Even Jack's eye sockets seemed to frown along with his bony mouth. He lowered his cup too. "You weren't happy living with Doctor Finkelstein, were you, Sally?"

Sally shook her head. Her voice was soft and quiet. "No."

Jack moved a little closer to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sally was quiet. Then… "Not everything all at once. There's too much. He wasn't cruel, he just wasn't loving. I hated living with him." Something stern came to her eyes.

Jack just nodded. His voice was lower now, gentle. "Why didn't you tell me, Sally? Even before…us, I would have done something if I'd known."

Sally let out a soft sigh. "He treated me like his property. It's not easy to tell another person about that—being told you're a possession every day by the person who created you when you didn't even ask to be created in the first place. I was embarrassed."

"Oh Sally…" Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry." He didn't know what else to say. Poor Sally—feeling trapped and alone and ashamed. It made Jack think of his own loneliness, and tears nearly pricked at his eye sockets.

Sally leaned against him a little. "It's okay. I tried not to let it upset me too much. I'd run away to try and be free for a little while—that's when I would have to sneak past the old town bridge alone sometimes, because even the Doctor would be too afraid to look for me there. Or, if I couldn't get away from him, I'd just look out of my window and see your house and think about you." She kissed his cheek. "Sometimes I would run away just for the chance of getting to see you, even if you didn't know I was there," she whispered. Then she sighed. "But, of course, the Doctor would find me and force me to come back. Sometimes he would even catch me by one of my limbs, and I'd have to leave it behind with him…and he knew I'd always come home to get it back. Then he'd sew me up and lecture me like I was a little girl."

Jack stroked through a few strands of her hair. "Such a patient woman, Sally, to endure the Doctor and to serve him as well as you did despite everything. Whenever I'd come over, I'd always see you cleaning or bringing him soup or getting him little things that he would need." He smiled. Then he blinked and pulled back a little, an eyebrow raised. "Sally, do you think he's mistreating Jewel the same way? If he is, I'll get her out of that house right this moment."

Sally blinked but then smiled softly and shook her head. "No, Jack, it's okay. I talked to Jewel, and she seems happy at the Doctor's house. Besides, I think he likes her better than me, so he treats better. I was just another experiment to him, Jack—I think that's why he had trouble not seeing me as a possession. But with Jewel, it's different…" She smiled more. "He made her as a partner. I heard him while he built her. He wanted to have conversations with her, and he was so excited to have her finished. He even calls her precious sometimes, and…he gave her half of his mind, Jack." She looked into his eye sockets. "He cares for her, and she cares for him as well very much. I already offered to let Jewel come stay with me though if she was unhappy, but she doesn't want to leave him. She likes the cleaning and the cooking and looking after Igor and making sure the Doctor doesn't stay up too late working on experiments. She's part of the household when she does those things…but when I did them, I was just the maid. I'd been telling him to make a new creation for months, I had a good feeling about it. And I was right." She shrugged and picked up her teacup to take a warm sip.

Jack nodded in understanding, a special glint in his eye sockets. "You had a 'feeling'? I see." He took his hand from her shoulder and just gazed at her. "You really are quite clever, Sally. And I'm glad Jewel is safe. I'm just sorry that you had to suffer so long." He frowned a little again. "I wish I could have helped you somehow."

"You did, just by being nice to me and by being yourself," Sally replied with a small smile. Then she swallowed and added, "But either way, it's okay, Jack. I took care of myself." She blushed.

Jack smiled more and nodded. "Yes, I imagine my clever Sally had many creative ways of finding her freedom. I don't think the Doctor could fault you for that even if it did frustrate him sometimes to have you run off."

Sally looked away. "I may have gone too far sometimes." She shrugged.

Jack blinked at the reply and tilted his skull to the side a little. "No further than the Doctor went, I'm sure."

Sally bit her lower lip and then took a deep breath and replied. "Jack…over the last year, whenever I really needed to get away from the Doctor, I'd lace his food with poison so he would pass out and I could sneak away." She pushed her hair behind one of her ears and added quickly, "We both probably did things not everyone would be proud of. And it wasn't really 'poisoning'—I'd just slip some deadly nightshade into his food or tea and he'd take a very nice, deep nap for half a day…" She sighed. "I just wish headaches hadn't been a side effect: he probably would have gone much easier on me about the poisonings if they hadn't been." A deep frown came to Sally's features now. She looked down into her teacup on the table.

There was silence.

Jack not saying anything made Sally nervous. She spoke again, still looking down. "I know no one should poison people and that it wasn't nice of me. And it probably seems very strange for me to do it. It's okay if you disapprove, Jack. It's just something I did because I had to, and I tried to make it all as painless as possible. And I don't regret it. The only thing I regret are the Doctor's headaches that he would get sometimes because of me. If I could have found something safer to poison him with, I would have."

Jack blinked a few times, coming out of some thoughts (and some shock). Then he spoke again. "Oh, I…I don't think it's my place to 'approve' or 'disapprove', Sally." He looked down at his own teacup on the table. "You had your own set of circumstances, and I can't really know how painful for you they were. You're smart and good though, and I trust your judgment." He glanced at her. "If lightly poisoning the Doctor is what you decided to do, I can only guess that you truly felt it was the best or only option you had. I can't say I think it's good that it came to that between you two—it obviously caused the Doctor some distress and you as well—but I would never judge you for it, Sally." He reached over and put a hand on hers. "It would be wrong of me to judge you as your King and as your friend and as your…your more than friend." He blanched a little (he still wasn't sure what they should call each other), then went on. "But you know that already. After all, you didn't judge me when I destroyed Oogie Boogie." He squeezed her hand a little.

Sally glanced at him. "I was afraid to tell you. I was embarrassed about the idea of telling you I was the Doctor's 'property', but…I was more worried that you would be ashamed of me if you found out what I did to get away from him."

Jack looked into her eyes and shook his skull. "Never, Sally." He put a hand to her cheek. "You took care of yourself. I'm proud of you."

Sally smiled and finally looked up to his eye sockets again. "Thank you, Jack."

Jack smiled more and nodded. "There's no need to thank me, Sally, it's the truth. And besides, what man wouldn't be proud if anything to find out that his dearest friend is a master chemist? Or chef? Or perhaps a little bit of both." He gave a small chuckle.

Sally blushed a little and smiled more (and savored the feeling of those bony, delicate fingers of his gently touching the seams of her face). "I-I was just mixing herbs. I wouldn't call myself a chemist, let alone a master one, or a master chef for that matter."

A low little chuckle left Jack and he removed his hand from her cheek to glide his fingers through a few strands of her hair as he leaned in a bit more closely to her. "Now, why must you always be so delightfully modest, Sally?" He sighed softly, his eye sockets looking dreamy. "I think you must be just the most intelligent and skilled woman in town, and I do love it so very much."

Now Sally really had to giggle. "Jack!"

"Yes?" Jack asked with an intrigued grin and a chuckle of his own.

Sally sighed softly. "You're charming. And you make me feel very safe…and loved." She shifted closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

Jack blanched a little and looked down, smiling more to himself. He savored the feeling of her closeness for a moment. Then he looked forward and sighed. "Sally? I like being making you feel safe and loved. I like being charming with you and comforting, and also happy and confident and energetic like I usually am with everyone." His smile fell a little. "But we said we would be very open with each other. So I suppose now I have to ask you…could you also accept and feel okay with the other ways I can be—the ways I usually am when I'm hidden up here in this house? Brooding and lonely…doubtful…and even sad?" He let out a small sigh. "Sally, I've been so unhappy sometimes but I could never tell anybody. I was always afraid of making them uncomfortable, of ruining their happiness by telling them how I really felt about some of the things in my life. I don't think I'll feel so melancholy anymore now that you're here, but still…it can happen, and it would be nice to have someone to talk with about those feelings from the past. Will you still be able to be happy with me even if I'm not always the smiling Jack you always knew before we realized we were meant to be?"

Jack took a breath and swallowed. "And I really am a calm, kind person most of the time…but I really am also terrifying sometimes. And I like being that way. So can you still feel okay living with me and being close to me, Sally, even if I'm all of those strange things put together, and some of them aren't at all easy to be around or don't make a lot of sense for one person to have inside of himself?" His eye sockets finally hesitantly went to her eyes.

Sally was frowning, those big eyes of hers a little wide. She recalled his lament which she had heard him sing back during Halloween about being so empty and scary and confused inside and feeling so alone about it all the time. And she recalled whispering into the night that she knew how he felt. "I already do accept you all of those ways and more, Jack. Don't hide them from me." She touched his skull. "I'd be more comforted knowing you at least have me to share all of your feelings with, the bad and the good, than I would be just always seeing you happy and confident for my sake. And I love your terrifying side whenever you want to express it. I know everyone else needs you to seem a certain way because you're their King." She smiled a little, her voice softening. "But when you're with me, you're my King. And my King can be whoever he wants to be, whether it's the happiest man in town or a man full of sad lament…a man resting peacefully or the terrifying Pumpkin King…or even whether it's a shy man learning how to hold the woman he loves, or a man full of passionate fire he can't wait to express." She had their foreheads lightly pressed together now, and her eyes were hazed as she looked into his eye sockets.

Jack's eye sockets looked back at her wide in hope and then joy and then relief and then wonder. A light sigh escaped him. "I really do feel like I can be anything when I'm with you, Sally." He swallowed then smiled a little sheepishly. "Y-You know, sometimes when we're this close, I'm not even sure how I remember to breathe."

Sally giggled softly. "Silly Jack. We're dead—we don't need to breathe."

He smiled a little more, his chest clearly lightly rising and falling. "Oh. I forgot."

They laughed together.

And now that something between them—the spark—was there again. They both felt it.

Jack looked down for a moment. "We always get interrupted—first by the town when we kissed on the hill…then by the Mayor when we were at the town hall…and now downstairs by the burning stew…but we wouldn't be interrupted up here." His tone was hesitant, almost shy, but his eye sockets had a special glint to them.

Sally understood. She looked down a little too. "I wouldn't mind." A shuddery breath escaped her, and she played with her hair. "I've wanted to kiss with you for years…to be close with you." She blushed, and her eyes moved back up again. "I feel good when I'm with you."

Jack nodded, blanching. "I feel the same. I feel good too." He raised his eye sockets to let his gaze meet hers. His voice was soft. "Please don't ever tell anyone, but I'm a little scared. I've never done anything like this before. But I'm starting to feel a lot better now, and quite curious. Shall we try and see where things take us? Slowly…together?"

Sally felt like her stitches were practically buzzing with electricity. "Y-Yes. I…yes." That tone suddenly escaped her again—the one from the back of the town hall, the one of pure pleasure and eagerness. She loved it.

Jack was just doing his best to control the trembles going through his bones (and that tone of hers hadn't gone unnoticed by him either). He nodded. "From the first moment we put our arms around each other on Spiral Hill, all I wanted was to collapse with you and kiss you and be together with you forever."

Blushing, Sally nodded in return and let out a breath. Then she moved back from Jack slightly.

Jack watched, at first with confusion and then with wonder, as Sally now stood up, took two pillows from the sofa, then walked toward the fireplace and placed them on the large rug before the grate. Then she sat down on the rug with the fire to her right, and her legs pulled underneath herself but angled out to the side. She turned to Jack, and her voice was shy but sensual as she finally replied to him. "Then come collapse with me, dearest Jack."

Jack just looked over at her: all nestled upon the rug, midnight blue silk shimmering a little in the glow of the fire, her voice soft, her eyes full of love, her hair gently flowing over and around her curves.

He couldn't have helped coming to her even if he had wanted to.

Jack walked over and came to repose with her, facing her on his knees as the fire warmed both of them on one side.

Sally smiled to Jack and whispered. "Do you want me to help you with where to put your hands again?"

Jack smiled softly but shook his skull, whispering as well. "No, it's all right. I remember from before, and if we get caught up in the heat of the moment, I-I can usually figure things out on my own just from instinct anyway. Sally…Sally doll…." One of his arms found its way around her waist, and his other arm came to let his hand rest upon one of her bare shoulders from behind. His long fingers gently pressed against her. "Oh…" Jack took in a little gasp.

The only way Sally could keep from shaking was to bring her hands to his shoulders. "Jack?" she asked softly.

"I can feel your seams…" he explained in a breath. "The silk's thin…I can feel them." His hand on her back gently pressed more against her and the secret patterns of stitches hidden just below the garment's surface.

Sally blushed completely. "Now if only I could feel more of your bones…" was all she could think to say with a nervous giggle as she let her hands press against his collar area but secretly longed to run all of her fingers over the ivory bare bones of his chest and spine until he moaned in appreciation and well-deserved happiness.

Something about her reply made Jack almost remember something that he couldn't quite remember. He instantly had a feeling that it was about his nightly visits to her and decided to put it out of mind for a moment. He was nervous enough right now already. "I…wish you could too," he replied truthfully before he could make himself not say it. He rarely even let anybody else see any of his bones, let alone touch them: but the idea of her doing so was beyond intriguing.

"Jack…" left Sally, her voice light and shaking a little.

The Pumpkin King brought his hand up to her face. "Sally…" left him in that deep, undeniable tone he had found in himself recently (just like back at the town hall).

And then Jack came forward and brought his lips to Sally's. He closed his eye sockets, and Sally closed her eyes as well.

The pair remained locked in a simple kiss for a moment, holding each other, getting used to being close once again.

Finally, slowly, Jack and Sally separated. They were panting lightly and smiling.

Jack's eye sockets were hazed in the dreamiest way possible. "Oh, I hope that was as splendid for you as it was for me, my darling." A low chuckle left him. 'Flora was right, Valentine's Day was right…. There's nothing 'wrong' or 'bad' or 'shameful' about love. Love is beautiful in all of its forms.'

And Sally just looked at Jack sitting there with his adorable pajamas and that adorable grin on his face and even his adorable nightcap upon his adorable skull. Then she laughed and draped her arms completely around his shoulders. "It was beautiful," she cooed. "Let's keep going, Jack. I'm so happy there aren't any more interruptions." She brought her mouth to his once more, kissing him clearly without any intention of stopping as her arms wound more snugly around his body.

Jack's eye sockets closed again, and his arms came snugly held her as he kissed her in a lingering way in return.

They just remained like this, embracing, pushing and pulling and gently learning from each other's movements, getting back to that point of unity they always just barely managed to reach the few times so far they had kissed like this, and finally having the chance to move beyond it a little.

Sally was rather enthusiastic and Jack was still working away from being a little unsure. As a result, Jack soon fell back onto the pillows on the rug with Sally coming to rest upon him as they kissed.

Their lips separated for a moment again. They both had such smiles on their faces.

Jack looked up into her eyes, his breaths shaky, something in the dark of his eye sockets just sparkling. "I love you." He couldn't help himself; that perfect phrase that they had shared just had to tumble over and over out of his mouth to her. "I love you. I love you so much. I love you. I want to sing songs of love to you. I want to be in love with you forever."

Sally just beamed, dimples practically coming to the seams on her face, she was smiling so much. "And I love you too, Jack. Forever." She touched the side of his skull, looking down into his eye sockets. "Let me kiss you like this, Jack? Holding you like this? I wanted to back downstairs. I promise to go slowly." She blushed.

Jack nodded. "Yes, please, of course." Something almost like a frown tried to come to his smile. "Oh Sally…I've been so alone, Sally, so lonely up here all by myself all the time for all of these years. I'm the King, I couldn't lead the other women on, I couldn't even tell everybody that sometimes the master of fright just wants an embrace or a warm touch…. I've been so crazed with loneliness that I stole a whole other world just to escape from it." His smile was becoming even more like a frown now. "I don't want to be alone anymore, I don't want to always be someone I'm not or at least never entirely myself, I don't want to be sad inside deep down. I want to be warm and safe and loved and with you, and you'll never be trapped or property or hurt ever again. I know I almost destroyed Christmas when I tried to care for it, but that was because I was doing it all wrong. But I'll cherish you in the best and right ways. I promise. That's all I want now, if you'll want it with me too." His wide eye sockets were full of love and hope and fear all at once.

Sally looked down at him and felt a tear fall from one of her eyes. She put a hand to his cheek. "Shh…" She leaned close and whispered. "I understand…I do. I've been lonely too. I know how you feel. But don't worry, Jack. We'll have each other forever. And we'll make each other feel warm and safe and loved and good…" She smiled again. "Here, I'll start." Then she started to kiss along his skull sweetly as she held against him with one hand while her other hand pressed delicately against the faint seams on the sides of his cranium.

Jack smiled and closed his eye sockets, resting back entirely against the pillows as she caressed him like this. His hands held her close, and his fingertips pressed lightly against the silk covering her back, faintly feeling her seams there again. "Thank you." He sighed. "I hope it'll be my turn to make you feel good too soon."

Sally nodded. "Yes. Just let me know when you're ready, dearest Jack." Her lips found his again.

"Splendid…Sally…" left him in a whisper between two slow, soft kisses to his mouth. He was already thinking about how at the first opening he got he would shift them so that he could be alongside her and then kiss along the seams of her face while she would probably just breathe softly and tell him how much she cared for him…and then maybe if he held her in just the right way, another one of those intriguing, breathy 'yesses' might escape her. And then his mouth would come to hers, and he would finally explore his desires instead of denying them to himself.

They were both so glad that at the end of everything, they had found this moment together here and now.

Jack and Sally continued to express themselves to each other in this way for some time, their kisses and embraces enduring and deepening as they learned to love together.

A while later the fire still gave off a soft, rich glow to the quiet room, the spaces between the curtains showed that night was still clearly present outside, and a skeleton and a ragdoll still reposed upon a rug on the floor.

Both pillows were underneath Sally's head, and she was lying there on her stomach gazing at the gentle dancing of the fire. Jack, meanwhile, was sitting up beside her and using his long, bony fingers to gently stroke and caress her hair and her back while he gazed down at her with a small smile.

He had recalled his second night of coming to her sleepwalking: the night after the first date they'd had here in the tower when he had apparently ended the evening by gently touching Sally and whispering words of his secret affections and past attraction to her. And as long as they were up here again now and he remembered (and as long as they, for the moment, had finally gotten so much passion out of themselves with kisses), Jack had figured it was as good a time as any to provide Sally with some relaxation in that way. And Sally had very eagerly accepted his offer.

Jack found himself rather distracted by the seams etched in Sally's ice-blue skin over the upper part of her back (which he could finally see now thanks to her nightgown). What shapes did those seams come out to make overall? Did any of them start up here and finish as some of the seams he could see upon her legs? Or did some of them wrap around to her front perhaps? What kind of patterns did they all form together to make? He was curious…. And he could still feel them through the silk…. He tried not to let himself get too lost in his ideas about the situation though. "Are you sure you don't want me to do anything different, Sally?" Jack asked politely now while his hands continued to glide over her shyly and simply.

Sally just shook her head and smiled more. "Not a thing. This is wonderful, Jack. So much better than how it was when you were sleepwalking." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I love your hands."

"O-Oh…thanks." Jack tried not to blanch too much. "And really? It's better? Um…how so?"

Sally smiled more to herself. "Well, when you were sleepwalking, you were almost too confident about this. Not that it wasn't romantic, but I was just overwhelmed feeling like I had no idea what to do and like you knew everything to do. But this way…I can feel it in how you touch me: there's curiosity. It's like you're getting to know me like I'm getting to know you. And of course it's also nice to know that you're real now." She giggled a little and opened her eyes again. "When you'd leave me after sleepwalking, I always just thought you had been a dream."

"Ah, I see." Jack smiled, his gaze warm. "Well, you're certainly a lovely creature to explore. How can I help myself?" A low chuckle left him.

Sally glanced over her shoulder a little. "That's what worried me most about the last few days when I didn't know what was going on: you wouldn't touch me. I was afraid it meant that you didn't quite feel the same way about me as I feel about you. But I didn't want to pressure you about it. I thought maybe you just needed some time and for things to move slowly."

"Oh, something like that," Jack admitted with a nod. "I didn't want to be too forward with you. I've never courted a lady before, after all. I was afraid too much touching might…well, scare you off. But now I understand everything's okay. Now I'm just happy." He laughed a little and leaned down closer to her. "Did I really tell you about every single time I saw you and felt attraction for you?"

"Yes." Sally giggled and nodded. "Did you really mean what you said, do you think, about caring for me even before Christmas, or were you just getting carried away with the candies?" She turned on her side a little to look at him more.

Jack swallowed and looked down shyly as he let his fingers glide back and forth over Sally's back now facing him (and tried not to focus on how her movement brought up the curve of her hip distinctly against the glow of the fire). "I've always found you a very pleasant lady, Sally…very engaging to talk to, very enchanting to look at, very interesting to think upon. It just took me until Christmas to finally realize I also found you a very pleasant woman. The candies just made me admit that fact."

Sally smiled more. "You've always been so kind to me, Jack, even before we were friends, even from the first time we met: that was the memory you started with actually. I was setting up a very special afternoon tea for the Doctor's very special 'guest', the King. Then you came into the kitchen, and I got startled and dropped the whole tea tray on the floor. I was so sad. But then you just smiled and apologized for frightening me and helped me clean the whole thing up and set up a new tray before the Doctor even had time to notice." She sat up now and turned to him completely. "You told me that back then the whole time you were having tea with the Doctor you secretly wished I was having tea with you too because you wanted more than anything to get to know 'the beautiful and mysterious and elegant Sally' better." She giggled.

Jack blinked and smiled too. "Oh, is that the memory I started off with? Hmm…" he thought for a moment and chuckled, "well then, as long as we're reliving that particular sleepwalking evening properly right now, there does seem to be a memory about meeting you even before that one that I clearly didn't mention. Though I doubt very much you'll recall it. I suppose it doesn't even technically count as a meeting, but I'll always think of it as one from now on."

Sally leaned closer and looked up at him with interest. "Tell me, Jack. Please?"

Jack nodded and moved an arm more around her side. "Of course. Well…let's see…" he looked to the fire and took her hand in his free hand in his as he did so. "It was a slightly gloomy rainy day many years ago in the summer, and I was in the Doctor's lab while he explained to me all about his latest and most brilliant creation. And while he talked, I just stood there watching a strange form hidden under a white sheet on a slab."

Sally instantly blushed and glanced down with a very shy smile. "Jack…you didn't see me before I was even…I…"

Jack smiled more and nuzzled her. "Just your shape. But I know now that it was you, or the beginning of you. I just wish I'd known back then I was looking at my true love—I would have brought flowers or something and waited for you to wake up for the first time." She was looking back him now, and he was just gazing down at her. "The Doctor talked on and on about creating 'life' that afternoon, but all I remember is thinking that, awake yet or not, this poor creature must be cold with only a sheet to cover her."

Sally blushed more. "Oh Jack…"

There was quiet. But then there was a little too much quiet.

"Jack?" Sally asked softly.

Jack was just sitting there with his brow furrowed and suddenly looking more down than at her.

"I remember…" Jack started, closing his eye sockets for a moment and then opening them again and looking back to her. "The first night I came to you, you only had a sheet then too…."

Sally's eyes went a little wide as she realized he was finally remembering his first night of sleepwalking to her.

Jack's eye sockets went quite wide too. Suddenly, he moved away from her, looking down and blanching utterly. "I remember." He pulled his legs up to his chest. "I'm sorry. I can't believe I put you in that position on the first night. I can't believe I let my curiosities get that much of the better of me." He sighed and put his head in his hand. "What was I thinking?" Then his voice grew quiet. "I thought you said I was a perfect gentleman every time I came to you, Sally." He glanced at her, frowning completely.

Sally moved closer to him, her gaze never leaving his. "You were, Jack. You came to me at night—it's not your fault I was only wearing a sheet. That's probably more fabric than I'm wearing right now actually. And all you did was flirt with me. And the second time you came at night, you apologized for going too quickly the first time." She put her hand on his shoulder.

Jack's look and tone became a little dry. "You were a woman wrapped in a bed sheet, and I came up here, told you some of the more colorful things about how much I desired you, and then started to unbutton my shirt. Then you fainted." The memory was becoming quite clear and causing Jack quite a bit of internal humiliation at the moment. Even now he had to look away from her again. 'I don't know how she's stayed with me when I put her through all of that on her first night here. Even if she did think it was just a dream—how unsettling.'

Sally, however, only leaned around him to catch his gaze again. Her tone was firm. "You only started to take off your shirt because I wanted you to, Jack, and you knew it. That was all." She blushed hotly, but anything was better than Jack retreating into shame and embarrassment again. Sally took a deep breath and softened her voice as she went on. "You remembered at the back of your mind how I would rest my hands against your chest when we got close. And you were right…I wanted to see more of you." She swallowed. "And I only fainted because in all the years we've known each other, I'd never thought about you wanting to see and touch me too until you suggested it that night. The idea was so wonderful, I couldn't bear it." She was blushing distinctly again. "You aren't the only one with curiosities, Jack, or the only one who feels inexperienced but ready to burst with passion all at the same time, or who has ideas about things they'd like to try. You said there's nothing to be ashamed of, and there is nothing to be ashamed of—we're just in love, Jack, simple as that."

Jack looked back at her, his face pensive like he was considering her arguments. He blinked a few times, almost opened his mouth once, then he blanched distinctly and finally he sighed deeply and looked forward. He lowered his knees and crossed his legs. "You're right, you know. You're exactly, completely, perfectly right." He tried to smile a little, but still frowned a touch as he added, "I'm still embarrassed a little. But you are right. We're in love. And we can't be shy about everything it involves forever."

Sally sighed and smiled in relief as she moved back slightly. "I'm happy you see it that way, Jack. I want you to feel comfortable with me more than anything else."

"I do." Jack's voice was quiet; he seemed to be thinking again. "I really do feel comfortable with you, Sally," he added, shifting around to face her now.

Sally just smiled happily back at him, sitting on her knees as they faced each other.

Then Jack started undoing the buttons at the top of his nightshirt.

Sally's eyes went wide and her bluish skin went a little pale. "J-Jack, what…"

Jack swallowed, looking down as he calmly and slowly worked at the buttons. "I feel comfortable with you, Sally. And there's nothing to be ashamed of. And I'm a little warm from the fire anyway." He had finished with the buttons. There were only a few leading down from his collar: he would have to remove the nightshirt over his head now. "And now that you mention it, you do have a habit of all but kneading against my chest whenever we embrace—it might be nice to feel that directly for a change." His hands were at the hem of his shirt; he hesitated.

Sally blinked several times and then blushed a fantastic shade of purple as her hands went to her hair to play with the strands mercilessly. "Jack, i-if you're not ready, it's fine, I didn't mean to push you into it. Um…but if you really do want to…" She couldn't hide the little smile trying to curl up the corners of her stitched mouth.

Jack paused for a moment. "Sally…back after we saved Jewel and I had to put my arm back on…did you…see me?"

Sally's eyes went a little wide. She still held her hair strands in her hand, though she didn't play with them anymore. "Yes. But just a little and just for a moment."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." Then he glanced up at her. "Sally…I wear the suits and these long pajamas to smooth over the bones and make myself look more commanding. I'm actually rather lanky. I don't have normal proportions. I—mmm…" Jack closed his eye sockets as he suddenly found his lips caught up in a kiss with Sally's.

Sally continued to kiss him tenderly and then pulled back, her eyes hazed. "I want to tell you that I think you're the most attractive, desirable, and handsome man there ever was, Jack. But I think it'll help you more if I tell you after you take off the shirt." She finished with a giggle and a look of pure affection and love.

As Jack took in her words, he smiled and then blanched and then beamed. "I love you so much." Then he bit his lip with a funny smile, raised his arms, and finally removed his nightshirt.

The nightshirt fell to the floor, and it suddenly took all of the courage Jack had not to let every bone in his body tremble under Sally's gaze.

And Sally just held her breath for a moment as her eyes finally took in the sight of a Jack Skellington no one else had ever seen before.

Sally decided then and there, as the first order of business, that the sight of firelight playing over shapes and shadows of ivory was the most beautiful image in the entire world. So many complex lines and features all gliding in to a perfect skeletal specimen of the most unusual and intriguing proportions; so many parts all interconnecting like a fine puzzle of manly bone for her eyes only to trace and admire. She felt so close to him. And she knew that for him to share this much with her even beyond the touching and the kissing meant his trust of her was deep and complete.

Jack, meanwhile, couldn't decide what to do. He couldn't even move, he was so overwhelmed—he felt wonderful and shy and terrified and elated all at the same time. Part of him longed for the safety and grace of his pinstripes. Another part of him fantasized about gathering his silk-clothed Sally in his strong, bare arms right now and…. He let out a deep breath. 'Must be a residual effect of the candies talking, heh…' Sitting here like this in front of her right now, he did find it difficult again to connect with and accept his desires, and could feel their readiness to overwhelm him once more. He took in and let out a deep breath. 'Just let yourself have this, Jack. It'll be all right…'

Finally, Sally smiled softly and spoke, looking to his eye sockets once more. "See, Jack…you're still the most attractive, desirable and handsome man there ever was. Even more attractive in a way…." She blushed.

Jack sighed in return and blanched slightly. "But I'm so awkward," he couldn't help but finally suggest, looking to her eyes hesitantly, imagining his needle-thin spine with his little boxy ribs surrounding it, his collar bone that jutted out, and then his extra long arms. And meanwhile Sally sat across from him perfect in every womanly proportion—a vision of warmth and curves.

Sally just shook her head though. "No, Jack. You're not awkward. You're thin, but perfectly built. There are so many interesting parts you have." Her eyes drifted down to the bones again.

Jack blinked and considered. He took a breath. "Would you like me to teach you about the bones and their names?" He smiled a little. "I-It's not too hard. We can start with the biggest ones and work our way from there." A touch of sheepishness came to his features. "And it would make me less nervous to talk to you about something…anything." He swallowed. "Th-The typical skeleton has over two hundred separate bones, you know. I'm a little different, I also have some cartilage to let my joints move and to give me some nerve endings for feeling and some other things, not to mention somehow I ended up with a tongue." He let out a shy little sigh.

Sally moved closer to him. "We can talk," she assured with a nod. "But could we talk about something besides bone names? I-I already know them…" She blushed, and her smile picked up on one side.

"All of them?" Jack raised an eyebrow and sat up a little straighter.

A special curl came to the end of Sally's lip, and she nodded. "Yes…." And then added in a whisper near his ear, "In Latin…"

A shuddery sigh left Jack, and his eye sockets grew hazed as he felt a shot go up the nerves along his spine. It might have sounded silly, but somehow he had never heard two more sensually enticing words spoken in his entire existence.

Sally just smiled more. He was blanching: so cute. And his small, bony chest was rising and falling lightly with shy breaths: so attractive. She shifted around to his side. "I've always liked skeletons, so I've made it a point to study them. See…" she lightly touched the top of his head, "Cranium…" she touched his collar bone, "Clavicle…" she reached around to touch his back, "Vertebrae…" She let her fingertips lightly walk down a few, and watched with her leaves practically rustling inside of her as Jack's spine actually arched in response. A light giggle left her, and she moved her hand back around to the front of him. "Sternum…" Her hand went in the direction of his ribs, but she paused for a moment and looked to Jack.

There weren't words for Jack. Though now as she paused for a moment, the ability for speech slowly came back to him.

His eye sockets hazed in elation, his smile tender, the Pumpkin King looked to Sally and nodded. "You can touch more. It's okay, Sally. As long as it's you and you've really always wanted to, it's okay." He smiled sheepishly. "I just wish I wasn't so angular. You probably won't be comfortable resting against my chest like this."

Sally smiled too and just shook her head. "I'll take my chances, Jack." Then she moved forward to grasp one of his lower ribs first. Dally giggled softly, feeling the smoothness and sturdiness of the bone as she allowed herself to apply a little more pressure and prepared to run her fingers over his whole rib cage for the first—

SNAP.

Jack's lowest rib bone had just snapped out of his spine, and Sally was now holding it in her hand, her eyes wide.

There was total silence for a moment.

Then Sally's face fell into panic. "Oh! I…I broke your bone!" She looked to Jack, her eyes wide, her frown so great. "I broke your bone, I'm so sorry!" Her hand was shaking as she held the bone and blushed in mortification. 'I can't believe this! He opens up to me, shares with me, wants an intimate night with me, and I broke one of his bones! He said he can take his bones off, but…an arm's supposed to come off, or his skull—something at a joint! Not a rib! I broke his rib!'

Jack had been in quite a bit of shock himself at first (due entirely to Sally's hysterical reaction rather than to the actual removal of his rib, of course). Now, however, he blinked and held a hand out to her. "No, no, Sally, no…" He touched her shoulder and smiled again. "Sally, shh, it's okay, it really is."

Sally just looked back at him in sad confusion, tears nearly in her eyes. "No, it's not. I broke you. We have to set the bone right away so that it heals properly. I'm sorry." She hung her head.

Jack angled his skull downward, trying to catch her eyes, his smile growing. "You did not break me, Sally. Watch, just watch, I promise." He took the bone from her hand, and Sally did look up a little. Then Jack, with a calm smile, put the bone near its usual position and gave the end a push against his spine.

Snap.

Jack took his hand away—the bone was now perfectly in place once again.

Sally raised an eyebrow, letting her gaze meet his again.

Jack explained. "All of my bones can come on or off at any joints or sockets, not just the major ones. It's just like how you can repair any rip in your cloth skin or broken seam, like when your arm came off the other day and I panicked. It doesn't hurt or bother me just like it really didn't hurt or bother you. In fact, I often play fetch with Zero by taking out a rib bone and throwing it for him to retrieve. You could play with us too next time if you want." He smiled more and took her hand to give it a squeeze.

Sally almost smiled a little again and let out such a sigh of relief. But then she glanced down. "I'm still so embarrassed. I should have realized you wouldn't break so easily. I didn't mean to panic." She smiled sheepishly. "I just care a lot about…being good for you."

Jack squeezed her hand a little more, catching her eyes with his eye sockets. "You're the best for me. You're my sanity. I'm at my best when I'm with you."

Sally's features lit. Then she suddenly came forward and caught against him in an embrace with her palms flat against his chest, clearly savoring the feel for his ribs underneath her hands for the first time.

Jack blinked at first but then smiled softly and put his arms around her to hold her close. "A-Are you comfortable?" he whispered.

Sally nodded. "Yes," she cooed. "You feel just as warm and strong and nice as I always imagined."

Jack's mouth quirked into a little smile. "You feel quite nice yourself." She had to be the softest dolly in the world. 'And with the softest hair…' he thought to himself as he ran his fingers through it a little yet again tonight, feeling like he could do so for hours if she would let him.

Sally sighed in such contentment. "Jack," she started, pulling back a little to look up at him, "I know you have a lot to do for Halloween and the town, but after everything that's happened could we spend the day together tomorrow just once more this week? I'll help you with Halloween plans, and I won't distract you from anything really important. I'd just like to spend the day together doing anything—just errands or even cleaning. I want to enjoy how close we are now."

Jack nodded. "Of course. I think one more day can be managed, all things considered. And speaking of errands, now that it looks like you'll be here for quite a while, I really would like us to go into town together and get you some nice furnishings for up here, starting with a bed." He glanced at her sofa. "You need a proper place to sleep. Even the Doctor let you have a bed."

Sally bit her lower lip. "Jack, I don't want to be a bother. The sofa is fine, really. I can save up for anything else I need up here once I get my sewing machine working and start getting customers."

Jack just chuckled and looked down into her eyes with an understanding smile. "However much I crave to shower you with satins and trinkets and the finest things any woman could ask for, I promise I will restrain myself if it will make you uncomfortable. But please, at least let me get you a proper bed, Sally. If you really want to 'earn' it then all I ask is that you continue keeping the space up here so tidy and lived-in—I'm afraid it's been sadly neglected by me for centuries. All right?"

Sally sighed and nodded, smiling again. "Okay, Jack. Maybe a bed would be sort of nice."

"And some nice spider web silk blankets and vulture down stuffed pillows to go along with it?" he asked hopefully.

Sally eyed him, grinning a little. "We'll see. At the very least maybe fabric for some new blankets and pillows would be nice. Um…just…no more flannel please, Jack?" she asked sheepishly. "It was very nice of you to buy me so much warm fabric like that, but I don't chill easily and I like things that are a bit more flexible. Silk is nice but just cotton would be wonderful. I can make a lot of comfortable things out of cotton." She smiled brightly.

Jack considered and nodded. "Oh all right, my Sally. You're the seamstress, you know best." He smiled more. "And you do look so nice in your cotton patchwork dress…and in your silk nightgown tonight." He chuckled warmly. "Well, now that we've decided about fabrics, let's talk about what kind of bed you might like—I was thinking something with a regal canopy and black gossamer curtains."

Sally giggled and shifted so she was leaning up close beside him, still resting against his chest. "Why don't you just buy us a castle, Jack, and we can call it a day?"

Jack chuckled and nuzzled the top of her head with his skull as his arm curled even more around her waist to pull her in close. "It's a thought."

Sally laughed in reply.

The two then proceeded to discuss different furnishings for Sally's little room, making jokes and laughing and coming up with wonderful ideas and cuddling all at the same time just like only dearest friends could.

The hour was so late, and neither one of them cared.

Jack and Sally had talked for a while (and Sally had let her hands roam over a few of Jack's bones while Jack had blanched and held back a chuckle every time she said one of their names in Latin). Now, however, the couple was just lying side by side on the pillows near the fire, holding each other.

Sally was quietly finishing up a story to Jack. She didn't smile and she didn't look to his eye sockets as she spoke, though Jack looked intently down at her.

Sally swallowed, continuing her narrative. "…So, um…while my hands were untying Santa, Oogie stopped stroking my leg to take off my shoe. Then he started stroking it again and tickling me and saying things that I tried not to hear."

She was quiet for a moment.

Jack waited, the frown on his skull so deep.

Sally sighed and went on. "Santa started climbing up the rope ladder I'd lowered down. While that was happening, I guess Oogie got bored with touching just my ankles and knee. So he pulled my leg up against his body and started to touch up my thigh." Sally blushed very much. "B-But then, of course, there wasn't anything above the thigh, and he realized and then turned around and caught us. Then Oogie did a big, screaming inhale and pulled Santa and me down to his lair." Sally had her legs pulled up to her chest a little. She paused again for a moment. She still didn't look directly at Jack.

Jack wished more than anything that she would look at him though. He continued to wait for her to finish.

"Um…" Sally went on with a swallow, "Once we were down there, he tied Santa back on the slab. I had just enough time to get my hands to stitch themselves back on my arms. But Oogie still had my leg. He walked over to me with it and threw it at me. Then he told me to sew myself back together because he…he liked his meals whole and not in pieces. Then he grinned and made me let him watch me while I sewed the lower part of my thigh back to the upper part of my thigh. Then he had me go over to the slab, and he tied me up too next to Santa. He told me that it was a shame a woman of my 'talents' had to perish like this. Then he said more mean things to both of us. And I yelled some things back at him. And that's the end. Then you came later."

Her eyes finally came up, but Jack noticed Sally still wasn't looking at him—she was looking over him, past him, through him almost into the fire. Her features reminded him of earlier when they had started talking about the Doctor but worse—she looked almost beyond anger. Then she blinked and just looked tired. And finally now Sally let out a breath and rested her head on the pillow, closing her eyes.

Jack let her be quiet and still for a moment. Then he put an arm around her and pulled her close. Her head came against his chest. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, shaking his skull. "Oh Sally…" He stroked her hair. He heard her let out a deep sigh and then he became aware of a strange feeling on his rib bones—wetness? He blinked, but then realized…she must be crying. He frowned all the more and hugged her even more tightly. "It was wrong that all of that happened to you. I'll never let anything hurt you for the rest of eternity. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Sally let out another deep sigh and pulled back a little. She really hadn't been sobbing; she had just closed her eyes and found a few tears there that had escaped. She wiped them away now though and explained to him. "It's not that, Jack. I know he can't hurt me and that you're here for me. I know it was bad, but I can live with it, I can get better about it. It's just…" she frowned more, "I'm not scary…or powerful…or intimidating…. And so the only asset I have in an emergency is that the Doctor decided he wanted someone pretty to look at puttering around his house when he was creating me. I finally had my chance to really help the town and you and save Christmas when things got bad, but I couldn't do it by being frightening like any other person in Halloween Town would. I could only do it by doing just what I told Lock, Shock and Barrel—showing a little leg." She cringed. "I couldn't scare Oogie. I didn't even think to try."

Jack touched her cheek and sighed and spoke. "Oh Sally—yes, you are an attractive woman. But that doesn't mean your physical appeal is your only asset. Not at all, never. Listen…" he gently raised her head to let her teary eyes meet his, "you're so clever and so brave and so loyal. Do you think just anybody could have come up with the plan of getting Santa to safety all by herself? No. Do you think anybody could have deduced where Santa was in the first place in the middle of all that chaos on Christmas Eve? Absolutely not. Do you think anybody could come up with elaborate plans for escaping her troubled home or could have brewed up a basket of potions and good omens for me during my holiday studies like what was in that little basket you left for me outside of my window that one time? Never. And do you think anybody would have been brave enough to face Oogie with any strategy at all, scary or not scary? Absolutely not."

Jack angled his skull downward, looking even more into Sally's eyes. "You understand the kindness and the beauty and the wonder behind Halloween and horror in a way I've never seen anyone else around here even come close to. You do have skills in so many areas other than just looking pretty. And I should know—I adore you for all of those complex and captivating traits you posses, my Sally. You're an asset to Halloween in every way." He smiled tenderly into her eyes and then added in a whisper, "I love you. You're brilliant inside. And terrifying too in whatever way you want to be, whatever way is best for you."

Sally finally smiled again. Then she instantly came forward and clung to Jack. "Thank you…" Her voice was barely a whisper. "My dearest Jack."

Jack just gently patted her on the back and smiled as well, cradling her in his arms.

They didn't need words right now. They only needed to be close to each other.

However, the happy couple did find themselves needing quite a few more kisses a little later as they night wore on and the moonlight through the curtained windows increased and the fire started to dim.

This instance of intimacy wasn't quite as intense as earlier when there had been so much passion and romantic tension for both of them to finally give in to. For now, Jack and Sally just rested close, propped up with pillows on their rug and smiling as they shared soft, peaceful, happy kisses between saying sweet things to each other.

"You know, Sally…" Jack grinned. "I was quite worried when we were fighting earlier. But, um…now I think fighting might not be so bad. Making up seems like a lovely thing so far. And I wouldn't mind the chance to make up more in the future," he finished with a chuckle as he cuddled close with Sally and kissed the seams of her soft cheeks.

Sally giggled in return and nodded, kissing his bony lips a few times and the edges of his skull before replying. "I like making up too even though I'm sorry we have to fight first to do it." She looked down a little, though she still smiled. "I didn't mean to get so jealous earlier, Jack, about Flora. I know you'd never really see another woman while you were seeing me. And I didn't mean to say that you thought me and the town weren't good enough for you anymore. I know that you love us all even if you like to try new things." Her eyes came back up again.

Jack nodded. "It's all right, Sally—I'm just sorry I made you feel jealous by hiding Flora and my Valentine Town trips in the first place." He gave her nose a little kiss and chuckled again. "But of course I love you and our town more than any other woman or place. Who could betray the perfect woman or the perfect holiday?" He grinned, touching her cheek and then her arm. "You're so splendidly soft and warm, you know. I'm probably going to start hugging you a dozen times a day just to savor the feeling." He chuckled again.

Sally's eyes went hazed and she reached up to gently trace his jawline with one of her fingers. "You can hug me all you want, Jack. I like hugs…I just hope they come with kisses." She shifted a little closer.

Jack swallowed and smiled more. "I-I…" he nodded, "yes, certainly, of course…"

Sally kissed his lips softly, then whispered, "Jack, kiss me deeply again, like we tried earlier when we were together…please. I loved that." She swallowed, her voice a whisper. "For someone who's never kissed before, you seem very, um…advanced at it."

Jack smiled shyly too. As they had laid together finally physically expressing themselves to each other earlier, he really had let himself get carried away and start to explore those passions she had assured him she wanted to get to know. "Just because I never kissed before doesn't mean I never thought about it privately…or considered different ways I might go about it." He swallowed, then he looked at her with a touch of interest, an eyebrow raised. "You liked that then, what we tried?"

Sally nodded. "Yes. It was very exciting. And it felt very nice." She giggled, her eyes completely hazed and all but sparkling in the glow of the firelight.

Jack smiled and gazed back at her with a similar dreamy look, his eye sockets so dark and inviting. "Oh. Well, then…" And then he put an arm around her waist to pull her a little close and smirked just a little for fun. "Kiss me, my delightful dolly?" His eye sockets narrowed, and something of the 'terrifying Pumpkin King' twinkled in them.

Sally beamed a little and then giggled more. "Jack!" She sighed and nodded, then threw her arms around his neck. "Yes, my Pumpkin King, I'll kiss you…" Then she put her lips to his and left them parted slightly.

Jack let out a deep sigh through his nose and then pressed his mouth against hers, shifting to let his bare chest touch her silk-clothed one. He kissed gently at first, and then his hand came to cup her cheek and his bony lips parted. A light gasp left Sally, and as Jack held her even more closely, a sigh escaped his nose. His hand on her back all but gripped against the fabric over her cloth skin

The two of them separated after many moments.

Sally smiled blissfully, breathing shallowly, her lips still slightly parted. All she could think about was something Jack had said to her a few days ago when he had been preparing to sew her arm back on for her and wasn't sure about wetting the thread in his mouth to thread the needle. 'But Sally, my tongue's forked—will it still work for wetting the thread?' She had blushed at the question. And now she blushed at knowing his mouth (and that fascinating tongue) more intimately than she had ever dreamed.

Jack was in a similar state. Kissing her like that felt so intimate, he had no idea how he didn't burst. He caught his breath and looked into her eyes. "Sally? Can I ask you something?" Jack released his hold on her a little and raised an eyebrow. "What are we…exactly? I-I mean…we're courting but…Lock, Shock and Barrel suggested 'boyfriend and girlfriend', but I feel like a teenager thinking about it that way. And besides, I'm meant to be with you: I want something that captures how deep that is."

Sally let out a sigh and gently pressed her hands to his chest, smiling in understanding. "You're right. I don't like boyfriend and girlfriend either. Did you have a suggestion for something else? I have one too." She blushed a little.

Jack shrugged and glanced down. "I had one. But it's too soon for it." He blanched, but then looked up and saw her looking at him with such sweet curiosity. He sighed. "I thought it would be nice if I was just your king and you were just my queen. B-But considering the official titles, I'm not sure if that would be best until, um…well…we probably shouldn't go by that unless we were married, that's all." He looked down completely, suddenly finding the pattern of the rug beneath them very interesting.

Sally was beaming. 'He does want to marry me.' Her leaves fluttered as she held back a giggle and whispered softly to him in return. "Okay. We'll save that then until we get married." She kissed his cheek and went on before he could say anything else. "My idea was just that we were lovers. I'm your lover and you're mine. What do you think?"

Jack looked back at her with wide eye sockets for a moment. Then he blanched and grinned. "Erm…" 'I can't believe I just talked about marrying her. And she…talked about it too.' "I…lovers would be perfectly fine, my Quee—erm…Sally." He chuckled, unable to help himself.

Sally giggled and gave his lips a few more kisses, which he did in return to hers too.

Then Sally yawned once…then again, and found herself blinking a few times.

Jack looked down at her warmly. "You're tired, Sally. I've been keeping you up rather late this evening. But you deserve to go to sleep now: we can always have more nights like this."

Sally blinked a few times, coming out of her slight sleepy daze. "I…yes, I'm tired." She sat up. "But…" she blushed and looked down, biting her lip.

Jack sat up too. "Yes, Sally? What is it?"

She let out a breath and then let her eyes meet his eye sockets. "I asked you before not to leave before morning if you accidentally sleepwalked and came up here. But you didn't sleepwalk…but I still don't want you to go." Her features were rosy, and it took everything she had to keep eye contact with him. "Jack…I want you to stay the night with me up here." She blinked. "I-I mean, sleeping on the sofa with me. Only if it wouldn't bother you. I understand you're still a little shy, but I just don't want you to go. I love you."

Jack just sat there with his eye sockets very wide. He was quiet at first.

Was Jack more than a little nervous about possibly spending the night closely wrapped up with his silken-clad Sally in a warm cocoon of blankets and especially after all of the intimacy they had shared this evening? Yes. Was he also starting to like that kind of nervousness? Yes, very much so. And, at the bottom of everything, he didn't want to leave either. So… "I don't want to go either," Jack replied to Sally's unsure look. "And I'm tired too. I'll sleep with you, Sally." He blanched brightly. "I-I mean, sleep by you, go to sleep with you…" A final deep sigh left him. "I'm sorry, I-I've never spent the night with a woman before."

Sally's smile was warm. She reached out and took his hands in hers and looked into his eye sockets. "And I've never spent the night with a man before. We can share our experiences together. I'm sure it'll make for a lovely memory."

Jack's gentle smile returned completely. He nodded. "Yes. I'm sure too." He swallowed. "Um, I'd prefer to put my shirt back on before we go into bed together." Jack felt like the marrow in his skull was on fire.

Sally only nodded and then took his nightshirt from its place folded up on the floor and handed it to him. "Here, Jack."

"Thank you, Sally." Jack took the shirt and pulled it over his head again. He tried to do up the buttons but fumbled a little in his nervousness

Sally came close and put her hands on the buttons. "Here, let me." Her nimble seamstress fingers got them together in barely a few seconds.

"Thanks," Jack whispered shyly.

A blushing Sally nodded and stood up. She took the pillows and walked slowly back over to her bed.

Jack remained on the floor for a moment, rather distracted by the sight of her standing again in that lovely garment she had sewn, watching how she moved away with just the lightest sway of her hips as she prepared to fix up their bed. Oh, and how the firelight glowed in patches on the midnight blue and black silk, not to mention the warm hue it added to her cloth skin… Jack let out a shuddery sigh and stood up now. As soon as Sally had the bed made up once more, she climbed in under the covers and looked to Jack expectantly.

Jack stood and approached. He only hesitated a moment but then slipped into the little bed beside her.

Though the sofa was small, between Sally's petiteness and Jack's thinness, they fit all right together side by side.

Jack wasn't sure what to do or say or how to move for a moment.

Then a tired Sally settled things by smiling and turning towards him to cuddle up against him. She closed her eyes. "Goodnight, my dearest, Jack. I hope you have pleasant nightmares. I love you."

Jack melted under her touch and nodded. He let his skull rest on some of her yarn hair and closed his eye sockets as one of his hands came to rest over her side. "I hope you have pleasant nightmares too, my splendid Sally. Goodnight. And I love you too."

They both let out soft breaths.

The room became quiet except for the final crackling embers of the fire as it lowered and lowered and then eventually died completely, leaving Jack and Sally slumbering together in the cozy darkness of the tower (and in the warmth of their shared embrace) until morning.

A/N:

That's all for now! I hope you liked the climax of Jack and Sally's romantic time (but I promise there'll also be more romance to come!). Things are pretty interesting when the two of them wake up the next morning actually lol. I'll try to have the next chapter up by the end of the month (I'm going away next weekend for the holiday, and it's throwing off my update schedule a tiny bit ^^). Thanks for reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna