*Author's Note* Welcome to Chapter Five! Oh, we do hope you'll enjoy your stay. In this chapter we meet everyone's favorite Trick-or-Treater, Lock DeVille! ( I apologize if he seems somewhat OOC, but hey! We all act dumb around pretty people!) As well as this, introducing the The Raven, and it's proprietress, Miss Ullalume Lee. (That's pronounced YOU-la-loom) Ullalume Lee is all mine, mine, mine! An original character from Hal's Universe! A fabulous ghost and a former burlesque dancer, her hobbies are making money and fools out of men. Here's an interesting fact: She's the only woman who's ever won Oogie Boogie's respect. And that's saying something! Anyways, I'd like to give a shoutout to VlightPhase, who was the only person *glares menacingly at the readers* who gave me a review! Thank you, friend! Your words are always encouraging! Guys, come on. Review. It's easy, and my writing won't get any better unless I get some feedback. Also I did (a minimal) amount of research on this story, so I'd appreciate it if you would tell me what you think. *Disclaimer* I don't own nothing. That said, thank you for your brainspace. I now encourage you to read, REVIEW, and enjoy. Thanks.

The Darkest Nightmare

Chapter Five: Me and the Devil Blues

Ever since he had been a little boy, Jack Skellington had always had the uncanny ability to be earshot of a conversation he was not supposed to be hearing. Take now, for instance. Here he was, backstage at The Raven Nightclub and Speakeasy, preparing for the Tuesday evening show, when who should happen to walk in, but Mr. Lock DeVille, Oogie Boogie's right hand man, looking as slick and oily as last week's mackerel. Jack sharply drew in a breath, and ducked behind the curtain. Even though The Raven relied on Oogie Boogie and his boys to get them their blood supply, that didn't mean that Jack had to talk to them.

Lock stood impatiently for a few moments, looking absolutely ridiculous in a flashy, baggy red suit, pointed tail thrashing behind him. Jack scoffed silently at the man's obvious youth. His horns hadn't even come in yet; he could stand to wait.

"Hey! Boss Lady!" he called, irritation creeping into his voice. "Look, I know you're here, so you might as well come out now!" His voice cracked on the word "here", and Jack shook his head. Why Oogie Boogie had decided to choose someone who was practically a child to be his right hand man was, and always would be, a mystery to him. A few seconds passed until the soft pattering sound of "The Boss Lady's" feet signaled her arrival. So she decided to be corporeal for this exchange, Jack thought amusedly. Interesting.

"Why, Lock, honey!" said Miss Ullalume Lee, proprietress and manager of the nightclub. She spoke to him sweetly, like he was simply dropping in for a friendly visit, instead of coming to shake her down for "protection". "How are you? You haven't been around here for…hmm…let me think," Here her voice dropped to a somewhat menacing growl. "Two weeks. What does the Boogie Man want now, hmm?"

Lock stammered, blushing, which made Jack smirk. Miss Lee tended to have that effect on people, especially men. She was a stunning woman, a ghost, with ample curves and beautiful dark brown skin. Many poems (ranging from dreadful to desperate) had been written to her impenetrable black eyes. But on top of that, she was shrewd business woman and a clever performer. By the age of 26, she'd been able to garner a small fortune. And now, five years later, she was the richest woman in Scarlem. She wasn't afraid of anything or anyone, especially not Oogie Boogie. It was one of the many things Jack admired about her. She didn't take anything from anybody.

"Sit down, honey, sit down!" she said cheerfully, dispelling the previously tense mood. She gestured to a chair, but when Lock hesitated, she practically forced him into it. "There! Nice and comfy, aren't we? Travis?" she called to a nearby ghostly waiter. "Travis, get this boy some tarantula juice. He looks simply parched! The good stuff, not the watered down coffin varnish." When she saw the alarmed look upon the young devil's face, she smiled reassuringly. "Just a figure of speech, dear, just a figure of speech."

"Coming right up, ma'am," said the waiter, and briskly floated off towards the kitchen.

Ullalume sighed impatiently. "Oh, what this Prohibition is doing to my business! First the blood, and then the booze! It makes you wonder what this world is coming to, doesn't it honey?" Lock was so confused and flustered he could only nod along with her somewhat dazedly. She turned to him, a suddenly serious look upon her face. "Now how is my old friend, anyways? He got my shipment in, right? It is so nice of him to let little old me have such a wonderful place like this to myself, anyways. Tell him thank you for me, next time you see him, alright honey?"

Lock coughed, face red. "I…I will. Now, about your payment-" At that moment, Travis came, bearing a bottle of what Jack surmised was "the good stuff" and two glasses.

"Your drinks, ma'am," Travis said, expertly cutting the devil off. Ullalume smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you kindly, Travis. Travis is just the best, isn't he?" she said somewhat absentmindedly as she turned towards Lock. "So, what did you want to talk to me about again, honey? "

Lock gaped like a fish for about a minute before he realized that he had indeed come for another reason that had absolutely nothing to do with staring at Ullalume Lee. He struggled to put an intimidating expression, but came up short. In the end he only managed to look painfully sheepish.

"I…well…ahem." He began awkwardly. "Miss Lee-"

Ullalume cut him off with a wave of her ghostly hand. "Call me Ullalume, honey. Save that formality for the court."

"Right…uh… Ulla-Ullalume… Your….Your payments…Your payments! You're late on your payments! For your protection! And uh…you know what happens when you don't pay…" he trailed off, realizing how pathetic he sounded. Ullalume leaned over and patted his knee sympathetically.

"Oh, honey I know. I know. We've both been down that road before, haven't we?" Here she bit her bottom lip and widened her eyes just so. Jack clasped a hand to his mouth, holding in his fierce desire to laugh. Damn, she was good. She had the little fop exactly where she wanted him. As expected of the most powerful ghost in Halloween Town. "Couldn't you extend my time, for just a little bit? Just a little? Besides," she murmured, leaning in, and fluttering her eyelashes. "I bet I could find all sorts of interesting ways to pay you."

Lock's face was completely red now, clashing with both his suit and his hair. He was practically drooling. Jack couldn't hold it in any longer. This little display of theirs was just too funny. His low, pleasant, albeit somewhat menacing laugh rang out through the nightclub. Lock jerked away from Ullalume, and turned to stare at Jack as he walked out from behind the curtain. Jack gave the devil a cheeky little wave, and laughed again at the expression on the poor devil's face.

"Skellington!" Lock yelped, face suddenly paling to a chalky-white. "How long have you been there?"

Jack gave him wide, fake smile, barely concealing his distaste for the gangster and his flashy, ridiculous suit. Honestly. It was 1927, though that didn't mean the youth had to wander about looking like ragamuffins.

"Long enough, Mr. DeVille, long enough. Ah…nice suit, by the way. And do my ears deceive me, or are you coming to collect our payment? I thought we had another week, at the very least."

Ullalume looked up at Jack amusedly. They loved working together to intimidate Oogie's gangsters. It was one of their favorite joint hobbies. "We do indeed, Jack! Mr. DeVille and I had just finished settling it, hadn't we, Mr. DeVille?" She said, giving Lock a saccharine smile.

Lock's yellow eyes flicked around the interior, desperately looking for a way out. "Yes we…wait, what?" he asked bewilderedly, turning his gaze back to the pair of them, who were grinning at him in a mildly disconcerting manner. Jack jumped off the edge of the stage, and strode over to them.

"We…will…pay…you…in…one…week…" he said slowly, as if Lock was a very small, not very bright child. Which he basically was, Jack thought condescendingly. Lock just stared at him, seemingly hypnotized by his hollow eye sockets.

"O…okay…" The devil said weakly. "I'll give you a week." He slowly got up, suddenly aware of his loss of face at the hands of two beautiful nightclub performers.

"Oh, and tell the Boogie Man I have two new recruits for him, if he's interested. A gun moll and a witch, if he needs them," Jack called to Lock as the devil trudged to the front door. He nodded blearily.

"Will…do…" he sighed as he opened the door and stepped into the soft glow of the afternoon. It shut with a heavy thud.

Ullalume turned to Jack, an elegant brow raised.

"Good work, Mr. Skellington. Job well done. But I'd like to know who the hell got you mad enough to be put on your bad list?" she asked sharply. "I knew you were a sadist, but I didn't know you liked sending people to their deaths."

Jack sighed. Crap. Now he would have to explain this whole mess to Miss Lee, something he really, really didn't look forward to.

"First off, I'm not a sadist. You caught me at a bad time. And besides, those spiders were asking for it. Secondly," he continued, "I'm not sending anyone to their deaths. You know Sally Finklestein, right?" he asked, earnestly hoping that she would go along with it. The look on her face told him that she didn't, but she looked willing to bite. "Anyways. She's a cop, and she's my friend, aaaand she needs my help for a case. A very important case, if you get my meaning. She and her partner need to go undercover, and I thought, since the crime bosses hang out here all the time anyways, why don't we make The Raven their base?"

Ullalume just glared at him.

"Are you out of your damned mind?" she asked stonily. "Jack, listen. I don't have much tolerance for those pigs, even the ones we employ to keep us informed. Why, in God's name, would I allow two dicks to poke their grubby little noses around my club? Hell, I don't even let Oogie Boogie do that, and he's our supplier!"

Jack took a deep breath. He hated asking for favors, but Sally was worth it.

"Miss Lee, I really need you to help me. This cop…isn't just your average cop… She's …she's pretty much nigh incorruptible, and if I don't help her, she's just going to do it by herself anyways. And then she's going to get killed, and if she dies…" Jack sighed. Sally had been his best friend, ever since they had worked in the shirtwaist factory together. Hell, they had even grown up in the same tenement building. "It… I don't want her to die, do you understand? She's very important to me. If you could just help me keep her safe, I would owe you, so, so much."

Ullalume was looking at Jack with a very strange expression on her face, something almost akin to pity. "Alright, Jack. If this girl really means that much to you. But I'm cutting your pay in half for the next two months."

"That's fine, ma'am." He said softly. He didn't care. Half of his pay would be plenty, thanks to his ingrained frugality. Her shoulders slumped, disappointed that her ploy had not worked, and she started to transform, turning into a brilliant ball of floating white light.

"I hope to God you know what you're doing, Jack," she sighed, before zooming away. Jack watched miserably as she phased through her office door, nothing more now than a pinprick of light. I hope I do too, he thought tiredly. I hope I do too.