(*Author's Note: To everyone who reads and enjoys this fanfic, I would like to say thank you! However I need your help a little bit! It would be much appreciated if you guys could send some reviews my way, friendly or critical, either will do. This is solely so I know what you guys like and don't like. I am also open to any ideas or questions you guys have! Thanks again for reading! And thanks to all who have been reviewing.)
Chapter Eighteen
~In which much progress is made~
Jack couldn't believe he was seeing Eve, more beautiful than ever, right in front of him, beaming with a gleam that outshone the moon. He looked around; it was mid-day at what looked like a park. The trees swayed softly back and forth, the sunlight reflecting off of their green leaves creating an even softer, romantic a look to them. Jack could hear water lapping gently, the wind rippling against it. He turned and saw that it was a rather big park, complete with a pond with an old wooden bridge reaching over it and many trees for with which to take refuge from the peaking afternoon sun. Jack felt as he did when he was dreaming of Eve before, as though he was within and without himself, but this time was different. This time he could move his arm, he could blink when he felt like blinking, he had control over his motions. He grinned at Eve and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, caressing it with his thumb.
"Is it really you?" he asked gently. Eve gave him a quizzical look.
"What? …" she paused and backed away from him. "Who are you?" she asked becoming progressively more frightened. Jack knit his eyebrows.
"It's me Eve, it's Jack." Jack said in a tone that he hoped would strike her memory in the right place. Eve began to breathe erratically and suddenly jerked herself away from Jack's grasp. At once Jack's vision began to blur and he could feel a stinging pain in his head.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" Jack yelled through the pain. "Mmmmmm….ermmm, no! Eve!" Jack called out, one hand anxiously reaching towards a vision that was slowly fading, the other grasping his head. Jack felt the reality around fall off of him like a thick coat. Then a sickening feeling of his true reality literally snapping him and placing him back in his room came upon him. For an instant he could feel Myra's lips on his and in the next they were pushing one another off, wiping their mouths in distain.
"Don't do that! You're not supposed to do that!" Myra exclaimed. Jack grimaced and fell halfway onto the bed, still grabbing his head in pain.
"Aaahhhh….ermmm, do what?" he said sharply.
"You're not supposed to stray from the path that memory is set on. You're supposed to go with what you feel inside of you, you get it? Let your memory and heart lead the way, or whatever. That wasn't the real Eve, it was just a shadow of a memory. This is for you to find out more about your past, not to relive it." She explained. Jack, still huddled over on the bed gave her a pained look from under his arm. Myra just shook her head in disappointment. The pain now fading, Jack proceeded to sit on the bed, his head still in his hands.
"Why did you kiss me?" he asked. Myra looked at the ceiling.
"The only way I can access memories that lie within your heart is through an act of passion, intimacy of some sort. A kiss is the least threatening way to do that." She said quietly, her tone urging Jack not to question it further. Myra looked at the clock and shook her head.
"I have to go; I've spent too much time here. Look if you need any help just call me, let me write down my number for you." She said. Jack felt his pockets for his phone.
"Here." He said pulling it out.
"That works too." Myra said taking the phone from him, swiping it to put her number. Jack looked out the window and realized just how much time had passed as he beheld the dark sky.
"There you go." Myra said. She picked up her things and headed out the door, but not without stopping for moment before leaving. Suddenly she dug into her bag and pulled out a thick stack of papers.
"Here. I get the feeling you'll really need this. And look for the movie on Netflix. It will really help you." She said turning around and handing him a copy of the script for the play. Jack grinned and nodded in thanks. Myra gave him a once over and grinned a tiny grin in return before closing the door behind her. Jack fell against the door and slid down against it, hitting the floor with a thud. He rubbed his shoulders and closed his eyes. For the first time since his arrival in the human world, Jack was beginning to feel home sick. This emotion, mixed with is feelings about Eve, almost made it completely unbearable to sit there, lying against the door. He wanted to pretend he was back home, four years ago. Eve was sleeping awkwardly on his bed and there he stood, admiring her from the doorway. Or the time they were alone, backstage in the city hall, their lips closing in on each other for almost the first time. Jack opened his eyes and sighed. He caught sight of the clock; it was almost 8 at night. It dawned on him now that he was not tired in the least, which surprised him since not long ago he was ready to pass out. He felt fidgety, as though he wanted to move about, use some energy. Not long after wondering how he would be able to do this, he felt a vibration come from his pocket. Plucking out his phone he found a very straight forward message from Myra on it. It read, simply:
Benjamin Eve Ivan Agnes and I are going to a dance club tonight. It's a pretty classy place, no loud music or anything. You should come with us.
Jack leaned his head back against the door and sighed, but before he could think another thought about it his phone went off again.
Also Eve asked if you were going to be there. You should REALLY come with us.
Jack brushed his hair back against his forehead and couldn't help but let a small grin from on his face. Then, all at once, Jack got an idea and wondered if the right kinds of clothing would be in his closet to make his idea a reality. He quickly got up and began to shift around the clothes in his closet to find something close to what he was thinking of. After a few minutes of fevered searching he found what he was looking for.
"Voila!" he shouted happily and began to arrange the newest part of his plan.
0O0
"Thanks for doing this." Jack said gratefully to Wallace as they sped towards the dance club. Wallace sipped his coffee and shrugged.
"Are you kidding me? This is what I live for!" he said teasingly. Jack chuckled. He looked to his cell phone at the name of the club.
"Do you know of this place?" Jack asked holding up the phone. Wallace glanced at the screen and grinned.
"Hmph! I used to go there back in my dancing days….oh so long ago." Wallace said dramatically, making Jack chuckle again. "By the way, interesting choice of wardrobe tonight…." Wallace made a sniffing sound. "And do I smell pumpkin?" he asked accusingly. Jack turned slightly red.
"Yes, well, it's all part of my plan, if you will. I'm almost positive this will help Eve's memory return to her." Jack explained. Wallace shrugged.
"Let's hope it does. Anyway, you ready? We're here."
Jack had been deliberately keeping his eyes off of the road and its surroundings for the past twenty minutes. This new form he was in, and everything that came with it, was so difficult to control and predict sometimes. However, Jack knew he had to get back to who he truly was, as Myra had said. He was a king and whether he liked it or not, Halloween was a part of him, no two ways about it.
Wallace pulled over to the sidewalk in front of the club, eyeing the establishment as if he had just realized something.
"Uh-oh, they're carding people at the door. You don't have an I.D. You might not be able to get in….unless." Wallace trailed off.
"Unless?" Jack leaned into him closer. Wallace rubbed his chin.
"Alright here's what we're gonna do." He said grinning cunningly.
0O0
"Excuse me there, young fellah! I'm kinda stuck here if you couldn't tell! Can you help an old man out?" Wallace shouted to the bouncer. Jack slunk against the wall leading to the door that was being guarded. The bouncer rolled his eyes and continued to stand guard. Jack gave Wallace a wide eyed gaze and motioned with his hand to keep going. Wallace grinned.
"HEY! You young whipper snapper! My car won't start! Now I'll stand here all night and woo your crowd away from you if I have to…with my irresistible charm." He said and winked at the crowd, consisting of mostly women. They giggled and he winked again. The bouncer sighed. Jack continued closer towards the door, the bouncer now moving forward a bit, to get a better look at Wallace.
"PHFFFF!" Wallace spat. "Your job ain't so hard! What do they pay you in? Steroids? You know what the side effects of those are, right?!" Wallace shouted.
"Fine, god damn it! I'll help you with your stupid car!" the bouncer yelled, finally reaching his limit. He shuffled over towards Wallace and his definitely working car. Jack tip-toed from behind and made his way towards the door, catching the eye of several young girls. Jack gestured to them that they stay quiet and gave them a wink of his own. They giggled and turned red, but stayed quiet. Not losing touch with the skills that came with being tall and slender, Jack sneakily made his way inside the club, however not before giving Wallace a grateful wave, to which Wallace in turn winked back.
A dark, crooked hallway, cloaked in what Jack could barely make out as red velvet curtains led the way to a bigger, more spatial room, which he would have assumed to be the main dance hall, but it was completely dark. Squinting to make out the room, Jack caught a glimmer of light in the corner of his eye. A bit confounded with his recent discovery of being troubled in the dark, this was never the case for him in Halloween Town; Jack was becoming increasing more frustrated with his human form and its lack of supernatural accommodation. Jack made his way towards the light, which as he got closer, became a doorway from which he could hear music behind. After brushing back his hair, which just fell over his eyes again, and taking a deep breath, he entered the room.
Light gleamed in his face, causing him to squint a little as he tried to make out faces in a sea of people. The music was loud and jolting, but as his vision returned, Jack could make out, in the corner of his eye, Myra waving to him, beckoning him to come over. Jack straightened his jacket in hesitation and headed over, gulping down his fear, desperately hoping it didn't show on his face.
0O0
Eve was laughing and she was doing a pretty good job at making it seem real. In all honesty, she did not want to be there. But Myra, her best friend of four years, insisted that she go. When she question why, repeatedly and sometimes annoyed when she did, Myra would simply shrug and say, "Just go, okay?". Eve would shrug back and grumble, but if Myra wouldn't give her a reason to go, it made her all the more curious, thus actually getting her to oblige. Benjamin was supposed to be meeting them at the dance club after work, which had ended a half hour ago, but he text her explaining that the professor he worked for was going over time, answering student questions, and that he would be there as soon as he was done. Eve tapped her foot, anxiously waiting for Benjamin to arrive.
Suddenly she noticed Myra waving to someone, who she immediately figured it must be her boyfriend, Nicholas. However, something told Eve to turn around and see who it might be; perhaps it was Benjamin? The lights flashed as the song hit its bridge and Eve turned, her hair flipping as she did so. Oh my god, Eve thought as she saw who it was. Emerging through a mist being projected by the mist machines attached to the ceiling, was Jack Skellington, a man that Eve had known for a little over two days, but seeing him now made her feel otherwise.
He wore a black casual suit, with thin silver pinstripes going up and down it. Around his neck loosely hung a gray tie, with a design of a spider web on it. Something about his outfit made Eve feel uneasy, as if she had seen something like it before, elsewhere. It also wasn't doing any favors to her emotions, which, as Jack strutted toward her and pushed back his unruly, black hair, went out of her control. The light danced off of him and Eve couldn't help but stare at him for a great long while.
"Hey, Jack. Glad you could make it." Myra said happily as she got up to retrieve Jack a seat. Jack merely grinned and Eve let her hair fall over her face, so as not to let her face give away too much of her emotions.
"Hello Eve." Jack said kindly, attempting to peer at her from behind her long hair. Eve glanced sideways at Jack and gave him an awkward grin.
"Well hello there Jack." She said enthusiastically, her surprise at his presence evident in her voice. Myra placed a chair down for Jack, which he took gratefully. Suddenly another chair found its way to the trio, being placed by a tall, blonde man.
"Hey babe." Myra said to the stranger, who turned out to be her boyfriend, Nicholas. He kissed her forehead and sat down.
"I assume we are still waiting for Benjamin, huh? Per the norm." he chuckled. Myra nodded as she took a sip of her drink.
"And Agnes, she said she might stop by." Myra said as she finished. Nicholas nodded, but stopped as he caught sight of Jack.
"And who's this?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, babe, this is Jack. Jack Skellington. He's a friend of Eve's." Myra said quickly. Eve gave her an irate look. Nicholas smiled, got up, and offered Jack his hand.
"Hi, I'm Nicholas." He said grinning. Jack shook his hand and grinned back.
"Jack." He said simply. The four of them sat in a circle, Myra and Eve drinking their drinks uneasily. Jack tapped his foot and Nicholas cleared his throat. Slowly the music began to change and the song Africa by Toto began to buzz of the speaker. Eve grinned and began to hum to it; it was one of her favorite songs. Myra looked at Jack and then at Eve and grinned.
"Well instead of just sitting here, doing nothing, how bout we dance?" she said to everyone, but turning to Nicholas. He nodded and led her out to the dance floor, but not before she was able to nudge Jack and then Eve. Both sat there in silence for a moment before Jack got up from his seat. Eve could feel her nerves getting to her and began to tap her foot even faster.
"Would you care to dance?" Jack said to her, debonairly offering her his hand. Eve looked up into Jack's eyes; they were dark as midnight, but also kind and gentle. She sighed and gingerly took his hand, feeling tingles go up her arm as she did. What was she getting herself into?