Jack was so busy assisting everybody at once that at first he didn't notice Oogie. In fact, he didn't notice him until his points snagged him and Oogie shouted to everybody else, "He's done for now. Everybody to bed. Sleep is best for now."

Without waiting for a response, Oogie melted them into the shadows and dashed toward Riker's house, dragging Jack with him. As soon as he was in the shadow realm, Jack relaxed and allowed Oogie to take him wherever he was going. A part of him was grateful that he was done for the day. He hadn't been so tired in years. Then again, he rarely used so much power at once. When Oogie reformed them in Riker's front hall, Jack swayed and looked around. It was strangely cold.

"Is Riker's furnace down?"

"No, Jack," Sally said, coming down the ramp. "But Bodach let it go out. It won't be warm for a bit. I have a fire lit in the fireplace in the guest room. Father's in bed. He's not doing well."

"At least he has you to look after him," Jack said, smiling a little. Then it faded and he sighed. "We need to talk, though."

"Not tonight, Jack," Oogie said sternly. "You are going straight to bed. No excuses."

"Not even a shower?" Jack asked, pouting a little.

Oogie looked over Jack, smeared with dirt and ash and littered with angry red weals on his bones from Bodach's dark fire. Then he grinned.

"As long as you go to bed afterwards, sure."

Jack nodded and Oogie guided him upstairs, past Sally, who stood at the bottom of the ramp. She glanced upward then headed down into the kitchen. Riker hadn't eaten in days, and Jack would need some food, so she decided to cook for them. After turning on the stove and stoking up the fireplace, she set to work.

First she rearranged the kitchen the way she liked it then she prepared a nice, large dinner of her father's favorites. She filled a plate full and carried it upstairs to the guest room. Oogie took it with a grunt of thanks then shut the door again. Sally headed down the ramp to make a plate for herself and her father.

When she tapped on his door, there was a loud groan. "Come in," Riker croaked.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I made dinner," Sally said.

"Oh, Sally, you cooked for me?" Riker asked. He laid on his side on his bed, his grey eyes squinting at her as he groped for his glasses on the bedside table.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sally asked. "Am I not allowed back home?" She carried the plate over and set it down as he pushed himself into a seated position.

"Do you want to come back?" Riker asked miserably. "I wouldn't blame you if you don't. After what I did, I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see my face again."

Sally sat down in the chair in the corner of the room and reached over to pluck up some pumpkin casserole. "Everybody makes mistakes, father."

"Yeah? Well not like this. I can't believe I was so stupid to think Bodach could help. That thing has never helped anybody but himself." Riker pulled the plate over and took a large forkful of casserole mixed with wartsgrass and took a bite. He grunted. "But I must say, I have missed your cooking. Jack's a lucky bone man to be getting a wife like you."

Sally straightened. "Father?" she asked hopefully.

"There's no reason you shouldn't marry Jack if you want to," Riker said. "You have my blessing, if you'll take it. And I'd love to walk you down the aisle."

Sally smiled a little, her eyes gleaming as her voice quavered. "I would like that very much, Father," she said. "But when?"

"Halloween. Perfect time, and we'd have plenty of help from everybody to surprise Jack."

"Oh, really?" Sally asked breathlessly. "Do you mean it could be that soon? It's only a month away and there's so much to do!"

"Leave the details to me, my dear. It's the least I can do after the fuss I've caused," Riker assured her. "You just help Jack get through the next while. It's going to be rough on him. The whole town is affected by this, and it will take time to restore order. He'll need you there with him."

"And I'm supposed to keep an eye on Oogie?" Sally guessed.

Riker sat still for a moment then reached out and grabbed a bat biscuit. "No," he finally said and took a bite. "Just help Jack. That's enough."

Sally gazed at her father and couldn't help but notice how tired and dead he looked. For the first time, she wondered what had happened to him while they'd been gone. He hadn't been under Bodach's Hellion Yell, so where had he been?

"You should go to bed, Sally," Riker said. "We'll have time tomorrow to plan. Go on now."

"Goodnight, Father," Sally said softly.

"Goodnight, Sally," Riker said. "And thank you for the food."

Sally stood and left, closing his door behind her. Riker stared at it for a moment then reached for his plate. He ate the rest of his food without tasting anything. He didn't even know how he was going to function after what had happened. But Riker knew he deserved it after what he'd done. Setting aside the plate, Riker stood up and began to pace. It was something he'd missed being able to do, he realized. He'd been in that stupid wheelchair for so long, held there by his own stubborn pride and the terror of being left alone, and he was good and sick of it. After half an hour, Riker figured that everybody was asleep, so he slipped out of his room and headed for his lab. He quickly got the lift working then headed up.

When he got inside, he looked around. Everything was a disaster. Bodach had destroyed several machines and had joyfully trashed most of his potion vials. Only his secret cabinet where he kept some of his stronger potions locked up was untouched. Sighing, Riker picked up a broom and began sweeping piles of glass and chunks of metal plating and gears into a pile. He moved slowly and methodically, focusing on the task so that he didn't have to think or feel, and he was very thorough.

By the time he was done, there was some semblance of order restored, but he had a long way to go to get his lab back the way it was. He'd have to rebuild the machines, which included crafting most of the parts from scratch. He wilted and rubbed his eyes then hurriedly pushed aside his exhaustion and began to work again. Once he was out of things to clean, he sat down with ink and paper to plan Jack and Sally's wedding.

First he sketched a dress with charcoal, leaving it very basic so that Sally could design it herself. Once that was done, Riker began to plan the food, the drinks, the guests, and every single detail he could think of. He worked until he heard Oogie talking to Jack down below. Riker went silent, afraid they would come up right then, but they didn't. Relieved, he skittered over to lock the lift just in case. Then he looked around and swallowed. He needed something to do. Anything. Just so long as he didn't fall asleep. He knew what was waiting for him, and he couldn't deal with it at the moment. Usually, he'd go to Jack about it, but how could he do that this time? Jack was angry with him, there was no doubt in his mind. After what he'd done, he deserved to be kicked out of Halloween Town.

No, Riker thought, this time he would deal with it himself. He'd put the entire town through enough. He was on his own now and he'd better get used to it. So when the sounds of Jack and Oogie faded, Riker pulled out a roll of parchment then began redesigning the machines Bodach had destroyed. He'd be fine. And if he wasn't? Well, it was no less than he deserved.