As they made their way through the trees in the dizzying, swirling landscape of the Hinterlands, the magical protective forest that stretched around Halloween Town, the Holiday leaders said very little. They were all anxious as they saw the trees opening up into the cemetery, and they paused for a moment as they broke through, looking around as they realized they lacked an important piece of information.
"Where does Oogie live?" Bunny asked, his fur ruffling as it turned smoky grey.
"In the Treehouse," a soft, musical voice said, and they turned to see Sally sitting on a tree stump, stitching on something. The young woman stood up and stored her project in her bag then walked over. "Good to see none of you changed your minds. Jack was worried."
"We couldn't do that to him again," Eros said, running his fingers through his hair.
"He says he trusts Oogie," Squanto said stiffly. "So we shall, too."
"Or try to, at least," Sam amended.
Sally smiled, then she gestured for them to follow. They made their way out of the cemetery and away from the town. A towering tree loomed up in the distance, and as they got closer, they saw that it was a dwelling. Rooms were built off in the upper branches, and around most of it was something like a moat without water. The thick roots of the tree wove together across most of the moat, and then plunged even deeper into the earth. It was an impressive sight, and the leaders gazed in astonishment at it as Sally walked up to a door set in the tree trunk. She tapped twice then walked inside. After a minute or two of hesitation, Sandy led the others into the Treehouse.
It was dim in the entryway, and Sandy strained for light. He silently wished for Jack's fire as a familiar earthy smell combined with rotting leaves and a peculiar, unique odor filled his nose. The last time he'd smelled that particular combination, he'd been tied in the basement. The glowing paint on the walls reminded him of Oogie's lair, and he was trying to remain calm as he led his friends inside.
Quite suddenly, three masked figures leaped around a sofa and shouted at him.
"Trick or treat!"
Sandy screamed, jumping backward in his panic, and the others fell back, grasping him and looking around in terror. Then they heard laughter. The three masked figures were rolling on the ground.
"What's going on in here?" Jack asked, coming in from a dark doorway. Firelight flooded the room from a fireplace, illuminating Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who were still laughing. "What are you up to?" Jack demanded.
"We scared the great Sandy Claws!" Shock squealed, taking off her green mask. Her brown eyes shone in the firelight as Lock and Barrel removed their own masks to grin at the leaders, who were beginning to look sheepish about their own fear.
"That's all well and good. But you were told to behave. This is not behaving," Jack scolded. "Off with you. Dinner's almost ready, so wash your hands and come back to the table."
The children scowled at Jack then stormed off up the stairs. Jack watched them go then sighed and turned back to the leaders. He studied them then grinned.
"A bit nervous, are you?" he teased. They looked away. Jack laughed in a good-natured way. "They're mischievous but mostly harmless. Come into the kitchen. I'll make you some absinthes. Oogie's finishing dinner."
They walked cautiously into the kitchen behind Jack to see Sally sitting demurely at the table, her hands busily icing cookies. She looked up.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were right behind me."
"It's not your fault," Sandy assured her.
"Course not. Those kids were born making mischief."
Everybody turned to Oogie, who had his back to them as he checked a casserole. They eased along the wall and sat down, keeping their eyes on him at all times. Jack was getting glasses down out of a cabinet, and he smiled kindly at them then pulled out sugar cubes and a large green bottle.
"What's that?" Eros asked distractedly.
"Absinthe," Jack said cheerfully. "It's my favorite drink."
"Can't beat beer," Sam replied. "Boston brewed is the best,
"Mead is better," Patrick argued. "A good old pint of Irish wine is far superior to anything else."
Jack noticed the glint of a gold-edged lucky clover tucked in his hair, no doubt as a precaution. "As I recall, whiskey's not too bad. Not to my taste though," he said casually as he began to prepare the drinks.
"We had no alcohol before the white men came," Squanto said thoughtfully. "We made sassafras root tea. It is still my favorite. And Pocahontas excels at making it. I should bring some."
Eros smiled. "Wine is my alcoholic beverage of choice. So romantic."
Sandy thought for a moment. "Spiked eggnog, if I can pick something that wasn't around before my Holiday."
"What about you, Bunny?" Jack asked.
Bunny laughed, his fur changing to bright yellow. "I never drank before I got my Holiday. Animals can't make alcohol. Though I did have some fermented apples once. Couldn't walk straight to save my life."
They laughed, and Oogie bumped Jack's arm as he pulled open the oven door. Jack yelped, sloshing absinthe on the counter.
"Watch it, Crawly!"
"Watch it yourself," Oogie replied.
Jack looked at the others, who appeared wary, then he grinned and flexed his hand. Fire erupted from the oven, and they all realized that it was still an old fashioned cook stove with hot coals in it. Oogie yowled and stepped back as he was engulfed in flames. He turned and spat out a mouthful of coals.
"Watch it, Creepy!" Oogie barked.
"Watch it yourself," Jack replied,
"Ha ha," Oogie snarled. "I'd skin you alive if I could."
"A bit late for that," Jack laughed. "The coals are burning through the rug, by the way."
Oogie grumbled as he scooped up the coals in his points and tossed them back into the oven. Jack had a smile on his face as he finished up with the drinks and passed them around. He picked up the last two and held out one for Oogie, who glared at him as he took it.
"Watch your back, boneman. The Bogeyman's gonna getcha," Oogie said grimly.
Jack stared at him thoughtfully then they both grinned and clinked their glasses. The Holiday leaders watched with interest as the two friends teased each other. There seemed to be no tension between them despite all that had happened over the last few hundred years. Oogie put the casserole back in the oven as the children came into the kitchen.
"Dinner ain't ready yet," Oogie said. "Why don't you three go out and play?"
"But we washed our hands!" Shock exclaimed.
"Sorry," Jack said. " I didn't realize it wasn't ready."
The three children glared at him then stormed out. Jack tapped the table.
"I'm pretty sure that was bad," he said nonchalantly.
"Them kids ain't too fond of water," Oogie said. He looked into the oven then tossed in more wood. With a wave of his point, the flames roared with heat and he closed the heavy iron door.
"Good home for them then," Sandy said idly then snapped his mouth shut.
Oogie turned to peer intently at the Christmas leader then he grunted. "True enough. But I actually have a reason to not like water."
Taking his seat, he swallowed a mouthful of absinthe then they all sat in awkward silence. The Holiday leaders could think of nothing to say, and Oogie didn't seem to want to say anything. They all nursed their drinks for a while as Oogie gazed thoughtfully at the wall.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, breaking the quiet. The Holiday leaders looked at him in astonishment.
"Beg pardon?" Eros said politely.
"I'm sorry for what I put you through;" Oogie replied. "I've never known anything besides Halloween Town. I had to take extreme measures, and I didn't consider that you didn't comprehend Halloween Town. Spooks and horror is all I've ever known."
"So you decided to take over our Holidays?" Patrick asked, making a face.
"I figured if Jack would come back for Halloween, then he'd come back faster for all of them. But when Bunny didn't want to come quietly, I got angry and decided to make everybody come whether they wanted to or not. I went a little mad, all things considered. But I was angry at Jack, not all of you, and I shouldn't have taken you hostage."
"And try to kill me?" Sandy asked coldly.
Oogie stared at him. "Can you die?" he asked, tilting his head curiously.
Sandy opened his mouth for a sharp retort then paused. "I… I don't know," he said, stunned by the question. "I don't age, and I certainly can heal just about every wound imaginable. I've never considered if I can die."
Oogie nodded at Jack. "He can't. So I just assumed that you couldn't neither."
The Holiday leaders went quiet. "Funny thing to assume," Sam said. "But considering you weren't ever human…"
"You all have magic," Oogie said, shrugging. "Pretty sure that gives you more than you think."
"But we never told you that," Patrick argued.
"Didn't need to. You're buzzing with it," Oogie said.
A confused look passed over most of their faces, but Squanto actually smiled.
"That is true. I was unaware that anybody else noticed such things."
"Really?" Oogie asked. He turned to Jack. "Can't you sense it?"
Jack smiled. "Of course. But I've never thought to tell the others. Besides, considering our centuries of study on the subject, it's unsurprising that we are more sensitive. As far as I know, they've never had to study magic like that."
The Holiday leaders shook their heads.
"I know only what my shaman uncle taught me. And he taught me little," Squanto said. He inclined his head at Oogie and looked at the others. "What Oogie says is true. All of us buzz with magic. Including Oogie, which surprised me for a long time."
"What for, Injun?" Oogie asked.
Squanto stared intently at him. "You buzz at the same frequency as Jack. I have never felt the magic of one of us being so similar to any other. Even our wives feel different from us, because of their different magic as well as their feminine souls. But you and Jack are different. And it was made clear to me when Jack explained that he made you at the beginning. You are both men, and you build off of each other magically. The fight we witnessed last month was spectacular in the breadth and scope of your magic. And also how well you compliment each other."
Oogie grinned and held up his glass. "Glad ya think so, Injun." He paused. "I hope you'll think about forgiving me. Eventually."
"What exactly was it that made you take extreme measures?" Bunny asked. His fur shifted to a dark, rich green.
Oogie hesitated and looked at Jack. Jack's lips tightened. "If Jack leaves Halloween Town any time but Halloween, he's in danger," Oogie said carefully.
"From what?" Patrick asked.
Jack snapped his cup down abruptly.
"Crawly, the pumpkin biscuits are burning," he said tersely.
Oogie hopped up surprisingly fast and went to the oven to pull out the biscuits. Sally stared at Jack in surprise. He was tense, uneasy, and she wanted to know why. Oogie piled the pumpkin biscuits on a plate and grabbed some cinnamon butter to go with them then set the plate on the table. He took a few biscuits and a bit of the butter to the children, who were sulking behind the sofa.
"Doing okay?" he asked.
They shrugged and Oogie sighed then lumbered back into the kitchen. The children ate their hot, fresh biscuits without comment, despite how much they loved them. Setting aside the plate, they continued to brood. Then they heard footsteps and Jack's voice as he spoke toward the kitchen to be heard.
"Would a game of cards be okay?" he asked. "The casserole's not nearly ready and it'll pass the time."
"Sure," came the voice of Sandy Claws.
The soft rustling of Sally's cloth steps reached them as Jack rifled around in a drawer for a pack of cards.
"Jack?" she asked gently.
"Yes, Sally?" he asked.
"You changed the subject." The noises stopped.
"And?" he asked tightly.
"I was wondering about it," Sally said gently.
Jack exhaled sharply and his voice took on a stressed note. "I suppose you have a right to know. But not here. Not now."
"Okay. But are you in danger now?"
"No. It's only when I leave Halloween Town outside of Halloween."
"So when you left last year, you were in danger?"
"Yes."
"From what? Does it have to do with your magic?"
"No, Sally. A very powerful person is very angry with me. He can't touch me on Halloween, but he can on every other day of the year. That's why I usually stay inside our magic worlds. He can't get me in them."
"And you won't tell me who?"
"Not now. We have guests."
"Jack…"
The Pumpkin King cut in. "He's the reason I have night terrors, Sally. Does that help you to see why I don't want to talk about him?"
"Oh." She paused. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't realize."
"I know you didn't, Sally. I will talk about it with you eventually. Just not now. I'm not ready."
"Is there anybody you can talk to?"
"Oogie and your father both know about him. I can talk to either of them about it. But until Riker calms down, I won't be speaking to him."
"I understand. I love you, Jack."
A warm smile was in his voice as he said, "I love you, too, Sally. Ah! Here's the cards. Let's go play. Ever play poker?"
They walked back into the kitchen, and Lock and Shock shared a gleeful grin. Shock skipped into the kitchen and told Oogie that they were going into town, then the three of them bolted out the door. Barrel was uneasy as they made their way through the cemetery.
"What are we doing?" he asked.
"You'll see," Shock said. "Where would the mad doctor be, Lock?"
"It's time for his weekly shopping trip," Lock said.
They strolled into town and headed for the Witch's Shoppe. Shock whipped off her hat and slipped her fingers into a small pocket sewn into the lining. With a grunt, she tugged out a small silver coin. Barrel's eyes widened.
"Are you sure?" Lock asked uneasily.
"I've got other stashes," Shock said shrewdly, adjusting her hat. "This will be worth it if we can stick it to Jack."
They strolled into the store and began to look around at various sweets. Just as Lock had said, it was clearly the doctor's shopping day. He had several potion ingredients in his lap and was buzzing around the other side of the shop. The older witch, Elda, was tending to a big brew in the back room, and the smaller, younger witch, Hazel, was stocking across the room.
Lock, Shock, and Barrel moseyed over toward the doctor, and then Lock and Shock nodded at each other.
"Can't believe the Boss invited Jack over again," Lock groused in a voice the doctor was sure to hear.
"Why can't that busybody just stay away?" Shock complained.
"Wish we could scare him away," Lock said.
"But what scares the Pumpkin King?" Barrel asked uneasily.
"No idea. He doesn't talk about his night terrors with me, dummy!" Lock growled.
"Besides, whatever happened can't possibly happen again," Shock said disdainfully. "Jack is so old that anybody involved must be long dead. Hm. What about a spider's web candy?"
"Ooh, yummy!"
The doctor wheeled over to the counter and laid out his things. He payed quietly then tossed down extra coins.
"For the children's candy," he said.
They beamed. "Thanks, doc!" Lock exclaimed.
"Have a spooky evening," Hazel said cheerfully, scooping up the coins.
The children held open the door and the doctor wheeled out. As he angled himself away, they heard him murmur to himself.
"Yes. Good idea. He will certainly make them pay."
The children grinned at each other then skittered away as the doctor wheeled himself back to his home. The empty house was still too much for him. He was used to coming home from his shopping trip to a hot, delicious meal. But Sally had betrayed him. And so had Jack. All for that ridiculous Oogie Boogie. And he finally had an idea for how to get back at them.
After a frugal supper of bread and some cold spider stew, he headed back up to his lab. Without a word, he began to gather the potion ingredients he would need for a long-term walking potion, and he began the base with some water and herbs. As it boiled, he began to think on just what he could offer to him that would be an acceptable price. He wanted to make Oogie pay. And Jack and Sally, too. But what to give him? And could he be found at the same place? Riker was determined to find out. And then they would suffer, just like him.