CrusaderTransformer1: (Hides behind a shield) I know that's it's been a while since I've updated on this story and I'm sorry, so PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! Someone I never thought would come to do the disclaimer is here today.
Raziel (From the Legacy of Kain: Defience): This authoress does not own Nightmare Before Christmas, and she also does not own the company which made this movie. She owns herself and her sisters own themselves as well.
CrusaderTransformer1: Thanks Raziel, I never thought you would do a disclaimer for me.
Raziel: (Walks out)
CrusaderTransformer1: Well...okay then. Enjoy this chapter.
I headed towards the stairs where the bow and quiver were lying in wait, when I felt a hand upon my shoulder.
"What?" I asked, thinking it was Cassandra or Tara.
"Is that any way to greet a guest?" I heard a musical voice ask playfully.
Whirling around, I saw what I thought was an angel from heaven at first. The woman that stood before me had soft-looking golden hair, the bluest eyes, peach-colored skin, and a beautiful face. She wore a pink silk robe that clung softly on her body and her wings were rain-bow colored. As I stared at the angel-like woman, I noticed that she had a circlet of hearts around her head and that she held a heart-tipped rod in her hand.
"Tiffany, I am Venus, the Queen of Hearts in Valentine Town." The angel-like woman said to me, "And I know that you and your sisters stole something from one of my cupids."
I blinked, coming out of the slight trance I had been in.
"We didn't steal!" Cassandra said, coming to my defense as well as my side to stand there, "We borrowed the bow and quiver to..."
"To make Jack and Emily fall in love." Venus finished for my sister, nodding in understanding, "I know. I knew about it ever since you came into Valentine Town."
"Wait! How did you..." I started to ask.
"It's a secret of mine." Venus said cutting me off, "Now please return what you stole."
"But we need them!" Tara said, also coming to my side, "Jack's falling in love with Tiff and Tiff doesn't..."
"Wrong." Venus said, making Tara stop, "Jack isn't falling in love with Tiffany, it's someone else."
All three of us stood there staring at her for a moment before the news finally sank in.
"WHAT?! WHO?!" All three of us yelled.
I winced after I realized we had been screaming and I looked around for anyone that might have heard us. I couldn't see any sign of Emily in the house windows and Jack was still with Duke at the fountain, talking with the local residents who looked confused about the sudden affair of the Mayor and the little witch. I was relieved to see that no one was coming or had seemed to hear us, I didn't want Jack to ask why Venus, the Queen of Hearts from Valentine Town, was here talking to us.
"You'll see in due time, just be patient." Venus said to us rather calmly despite our outburst from earlier as she held out her hand, "My cupid's belongings...please."
I looked at her pleadingly for a moment before I sighed and then went to the stairs, the girls watching me like they couldn't believe what I was about to do. I was completely un-satisfied with Venus' answer to whom Jack was falling in love with, but I also thought that it was none of my business as long as it wasn't me who he was falling in love with.
Don't get me wrong, I like Jack a lot and I would like a guy like him anyday, but in this case he was more like a big brother to me than a love-interest. Besides, Emily had more in common with him than I did and she needed somebody...
It better be Emily she's talking about. I thought as I bent down to my knees, looked under the porch for the items, and fetched the bow and quiver with one hand, slightly dragging them out, Heaven knows Emily deserves love after all the crap she's been through.
As I straightened up, I jumped as I realized that Venus was right beside me and looking down at me with a gentle expression as she held her hand out again. I looked up at her for a moment before I sighed mentally and put the two items in her hand, pulling my hand away as the Queen of Hearts closed her fingers around the items.
"Thank you, and so long." Venus said, waving her specter at us before disappearing in a puff of sparkling pink dust that was full of those dreaded hearts.
The dust had just disappeared when Jack suddenly came through his gate, and I was extremely glad that Venus was gone as he came up scratching his skull.
"I can't understand how this happened." I heard him mutter as I stood up and as I moved, he looked at us, "You were here when the Mayor suddenly fell in love, right?"
"Um..." I said, pretended to think as I looked to the ground casually and scratched my head in my usual thoughtful manner as Jack watched me, "Probably, why?"
"Sigh, it's just the darnest thing!" Jack said in a frustrating tone, going past me into the house, "I just can't seem to figure out what happened and no one saw anything. Boogie's Boys aren't around, they haven't been in Halloween Town for a long time and you guys couldn't have done anything!"
How little you know, Jack. I thought, my heart aching from guilt.
I wanted to tell him so bad about what had really happened, but then that would lead to why we had the Cupid's things in the first place and I had no idea how Jack would react if he found out that we were trying to get him to fall in love with Emily.
As Jack went up the stairs to his house, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me.
"You'd better pack tonight if you haven't, Tiff." Jack told me, making me look at him in surprise, "We're leaving first thing tomorrow."
"Oh...okay!" I told him and he smiled at me before he went inside.
We all stared after him until the door closed and then the girls kinda got onto my case.
"Why the rush, yo?" Cassandra asked, coming close and looking up at my face as I also looked down at her.
"I don't know..." I said thoughtfully, turning my head to look at the house again, "We just talked about this last night, so you would think that it would be a while before we took off."
"So why does Jack wanna leave so soon?" Tara asked, and she was twirling her umbrella in thought, making it sparkle in the sun.
"I don't know, but I don't like this." I said, trying to think of why Jack wanted to leave so soon.
Venus had seemed so honest when she said that Jack wasn't falling in love with me, but what if Jack didn't know that himself and he thought he was falling in love with me?
I believe that I scared myself with those thoughts, because nervousness began to arise in my chest while my hands started to shake and the next thing I knew, I was hugged from behind by a very unwelcome person.
"What's the matter, babe?" Duke asked and I growled as I turned my head.
"Duke, if you don't get your hands off me, I'm gonna..." I started, but the girls beat me to it this time.
"LET GO OF TIFFANY, JERK!" Both girls yelled at him as their Ice Storm and Flame Torch grabbed him by the wrists, making him let go in surprise.
"Hey, WHOOOOOOOA!" Duke yelled as the girls held him in place by standing apart so that he was held prisioner by his own outstretched arms.
They then made him turn towards the gate, both of their combined strength being too much for Duke to resist and soon they had him turned, Duke looking both at them one at a time, obviously wondering what they were planning to do like I was as I just stood there.
"Slingshot time, Tiff!" Cassandra then told me and I grinned evilly as my Lightening Strike unwound itself, it's little finger-like objects moving in anticipation.
As I approached, Duke looked over his shoulder at me and looked very calm despite the fact that he was about to be slingshot.
"C'mon babe, all I want is a kiss!" Duke told me in a begging tone and I looked at the girls before I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, fine." I said as I walked up to him, "One kiss..."
I gave him a quick peck on the cheek while he tried to turn his head all the way to get at my lips, but I backed away in time.
"TO GO!" I finished, wrapping my Lightening Strike around his waist and pulling on it as hard as I could before I let go and the girls let go of Duke.
"WHHHHOOOOOOOOOYOOOOOOOOO!" Duke yelled as he flew over the gate and went at a fantastic speed as he managed to do a cannonball before he went right into the fountain, splashing water all over the nearby people.
"Dang it!" I said as I shaded my eyes and looked at where he was as he stood up dripping wet while the other citizens of Halloween Town were yelling at him to be more responsible, "I was aiming for a farther distance than that!"
"HERE I COME, BABE!" Duke yelled as he ignored everyone as he climbed out and came running back to Jack's house.
"CAN'T YOU TAKE A FRIGGIN' HINT?!" I yelled back as all three of us ran into Jack's house and locked the door.
All three of us leaned against it while sliding to the floor as Jack suddenly appeared, coming down the stairs while giving us a funny look.
"What's the matter and why is the door locked?" Jack asked as he leaned over and looked at all of us while his hands were on his hips.
"Duke's the matter and we're trying to keep him away from Tiffany." Cassandra told him and then there was a couple of knocks on the door, making all three of us jump up and run past Jack, who nearly lost his balance.
"Tell Duke I'm not here!" I told Jack over my shoulder as all three of us ran up the stairs and then girls went to their bedrooms while I ran into mine and went to the bed, kneeling down. I then pushed the bedspread aside and the monster-under-the-bed looked at me in surprise with his glowing red eyes.
"Move over!" I told him as I pushed him aside and crawled under the bed, the monster-under-the-bed moving over so that both of us had room under the long skinny bed.
As I laid there with that monster-under-the-bed, I could hear the door being unlocked and I could hear the conversation going on.
"Hello Duke and..." I imagined the confused look on Jack's face, "What happened? Why are you all wet?"
"I was flirting with Tiffany again and the all three of the girls sling-shot me into the fountain." Duke replied and I had to cover my mouth to hold in a chuckle at the memory.
Good times, good times! I thought to myself while I got the look that the monster-under-the-bed was giving me, "What?"
He didn't answer and both of us just lay there as I continued to listen.
"Well...that explains why Emily and I heard a huge splash not a moment ago." Jack said and I figured he was trying not to laugh, "But Duke, please don't bother Tiffany anymore. It's obvious to everyone that she doesn't like you the way you like her."
"C'mon Uncle Jack, girls always do stuff like that before they'll finally admit that they like a guy." I heard Duke say and I rolled my nonexistant eyes twice.
"I wouldn't be so sure, Duke." Jack replied, "By the way, Tiffany isn't available right now."
"Wha...what do you mean, Uncle Jack?" Duke asked and I grinned at the confusion in his voice, "I just saw her and her sisters run in here just now!"
"Sorry nephew." Jack said to him and heard the door starting to close, "I'm just following orders, see you later!"
Then the door shut and I let out a sigh of relief as I crawled out from under my bed. As I was fully out, I turned around and looked at the monster-under-the-bed, who looked relieved to have his space again.
"Sorry about that, but believe when I say, it was an emergency." I told the creature as he looked up at me with his 'teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red', "I'll make it up to you somehow. How about a bone or something from supper?"
The monster-under-the-bed just looked at me with a blank expression at my offer.
"Okay, nevermind that." I said and I tried to think of something else while I suddenly felt one of the monster's tenacles creeping up my pants' leg and around my ankle.
I glared down at the monster-under-the-bed while smacking the tenacle away, making it flinch and back away from me into the darkness, disappearing completely from my sight.
"Nice try." I growled at the direction where the creature had gone and I put the covers back down, "Stupid..."
As I walked out my door, I ran into something tall and wearing black/white stripes waiting for me outside my room.
"Hey, I don't remember a pole being here." I said and then looked up at Jack who was smiling in good humor, "Oh, it's you Jack. What's up?"
"Duke is really trying to get you as a girlfriend." Jack replied, looking very amused as I gave him a little space, "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him try this hard to get a girl."
"Well, what can I say?" I asked in mock vanity, batting my eyelashes at Jack while running one hand through my hair, "I'm adorable."
Jack laughed at what I did and we were walking downstairs when both of us heard something outside that made both of us freeze on the steps. It sounded like three guys singing and they were very good, but they weren't Jack Skellington or Josh Groban, that's for sure!
Jack and I exchanged a look before I hurried to the nearest window, Jack right behind me.
"Please tell me that's not who I think it is." I said to Jack and as we both looked out the window, I groaned.
Duke, along with a vampire and a fish-like monster I had never seen in Halloween Town before, were singing and Jack opened the window so both of us could stick our heads out to look down at them.
The vampire looked almost exaxtly like the second oldest of the four Vampire Brothers, and he had red high-lights through his loose black hair while he wore an outfit that was almost exactly like Dukes, except it was red and had black bats.
The monster looked like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but he had white scales which made him look ghastly and he was also tattooed over over his right arm with words that I couldn't read from where I was. He wore a pair of green shorts that had flaming skulls and what looked like dice or something to me as I was looking at him.
"Oh Lord, here we go!" I told Jack as the three guys sang this song...
All:
Show me the meaning of being lonely...
Duke: So many words for the
broken heart,
It's hard to see in a crimson love,
So hard to
breathe,
Walk with me, and maybe...
Monster: Nights of light
so soon become,
Wild and free I could feel the sun...
Your
every wish will be done.
They tell me,
All: Show me the meaning
of being lonely,
Is this the feeling, I need to walk with?
Tell
me why,
I can't be there where you are,
There's something
missing in my heart...
Vampire: Life goes on as it never
ends,
Eyes of stone observe the trends,
They never say forever
gains, if only...
Duke and Vampire: Guilty roads to an endless
love...
There's no control,
I can end it now,
Your every
wish will be done!
They tell me...
All: Show me the meaning of
being lonely,
Is this the feeling, I need to walk with?
Tell me
why,
I can't be there where you are,
There's something missing
in my heart...
Monster: There's nowhere to run,
I have no place
to go,
So random my heart, body, and soul,
All: How can it be
you're asking me,
To feel the things you never show,
Duke: You
are missing in my heart...
Tell me why,
I can't be there where
you are,
All: Show me the meaning of being lonely,
Is this the
feeling, I need to walk with?
Tell me why,
I can't be there
where you are,
There's something missing in my heart...
I had started to lean on my elbows which were on the windowsill in the middle of the song and I was still in that position as they finished.
"Did you teach him how to sing, Jack?" I asked as they drew out the song somewhat dramatically.
"I taught him a few times, but he taught himself most of the way." Jack replied, still watching his nephew as the three now stared up at us.
"Oh, so he has your musical genius?" I asked as I looked at him.
"Well, I wouldn't say genius." Jack replied, scratching his skull while there was a cute little blush on his cheeks.
I was about to tease me about his modesty when Duke yelled up at me and I looked down at him.
"What does he want?" I asked Jack while looking at the trio below.
"So babe, what did you think of the song?" Duke asked me as he looked up at me, having a ridiculous but extremely cute hopeful expression on his face.
"It was pretty nice." I replied honestly, "You three have good harmony."
"So you'll go out with me?" Duke asked, his face just so full of expectation and I snorted.
"No." I said firmly and closed the window.
CrusaderTransformer1: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
Duke: Why are you always so mean to me?!
CrusaderTransformer1: Because, you're after me all the time!
Duke: T-T