Welcome back! The confrontation is here, so I'll be brief!

Guest: Welcome to Team #ShutUpandBeFriends. We're closer this chapter!

Gre3nleaf: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Fluff and confrontation await!

Haley: When I was writing Jack chasing Ivy through the sewers, I was thinking "shit shit shit shit shit" the whole time as well. Keep the pitchfork handy but angled away from me!

Guest: I didn't change my mind...this chapter initially had a lot less of Jack & Ivy's talk, but after writing 25 pages of them I realized the rest could wait until next chapter!

GoldGuardian2418: Messages to Anton & scary Jack await below!

Anglo: Hope this chapter lives up to the wait!

Guest: I will absolutely ensure Jack wins at Rock, Paper, Scissors next time, he's earned it.

This chapter contains spoilers to chapter 26 of Corona Pax's Skeleton Anne!

December 13

Nightmare Realm

Just after Ivy jumps into the Nightmare

The world around Ivy was cold and dark, with echoing whispers and only flashes of colored lights to guide her way. She twisted within the nightmare, the colors of orange and blue fading more and more. She pushed forward, squinting her eyes for an image…

...and then the shadowy, static-filled filled form of Anton appeared in front of her. His back was to her, blond hair in tufts as he lay in bed, and part of Ivy felt like falling to her knees and crying at the sight. His chubby cheeks, the footie pajamas she'd bought him for his Geburtstag...the way he was holding a flashlight under the covers of his bed, thumbing his way through a picture book.

Ivy's blood ran cold, and she wanted to cry for an entirely different reason.

Anton wasn't sleeping.

Ivy was hit with the memories of how she'd read under the covers with Anton and taught him how to have a poker face for when their parents asked why he was yawning into his cereal the next morning. She'd loved it at the time, but now? How could she enter his nightmare if he wasn't dreaming? She couldn't afford to wait for him to fall asleep- the kid had more patience that she could ever dream of, and already the winds inside the nightmare world were ripping at her, forcing her away from her brother.

"Anton!" She screamed, hearing her voice echo in the vast sea of inches between them. "Anton, it's Ivy! It's me!"

Anton turned the page once more, eyes lighting up at the colorful dinosaur splashed across the page.

Ivy lunged forward desperately, brushing a hand through Anton's hair. She passed straight through his head, and the boy didn't seem to notice in the slightest. There was a force that seemed to shove her away, and when Ivy grit her teeth and pushed back, a voice echoed throughout the Realm.

"Hey, back off, you cloak-wearing weirdo. Plenty of other kids to terrorize, leave this one alone."

Ivy blinked. The voice was rough, the accent odd, but it reminded her of...Marvel?

What was he doing here?

"Hey!" she yelled, pushing once more. "It's not them, it's Ivy! I'm his sister, let me talk to him!"

There was no indication that she'd been heard, only another strong push that ripped Anton's form to shreds, and Ivy was left flipping through the air, the threads of Anton's colors melting into the mist. Ivy flung her hand out to grab them, only to latch onto a stronger thread.

The new nightmare seemed to be reaching towards her, the sickly yellow and pink latching onto Ivy's arm like a parasite. She was yanked down, distantly hearing the shouts of the Entity, and then-

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Ivy landed feet first on concrete, taking in the sights around her.

The sky was dark, clouds obscuring the moon. A chain link fence, partially destroyed, bobbed in the slight breeze. There were beer bottles piled high in a collection bin behind a small shack, and countless cigarette butts lining the ground. Ivy glanced up at the walls of the Dip and felt her eyes burn at the first hint of home in two months.

Whose nightmare could possibly be the park, though?

There was a scuffling behind her, and Ivy was instantly on her guard, whirling around with a fist ready to see-

"Kunze?"

"Oh, hell no, not you!"

Bezata Abendroth lay in front of her, scrambling backwards with all the grace of a spider missing a few limbs. Her glasses were askew, her braids stuck to her face, and the look of dumbfounded disbelief was one that Ivy hated her recognition of.

"This is just perfect," Ivy spat, turning sharply on her heel to avoid looking at the girl on the ground. "One goddamn shot at this and I get you."

Ivy felt her chances of success plummet to zero, and swallowed against the knot of anxiety rising in her throat. Jack might truly kill her once this nightmare ended, and then lock her up in Halloween Town for half her death to destroy any hint of humanity that was left. At least she knew how to talk to Anton, and how to understand his responses. Bezata...well, she was…

"I- I'm- this is a dream," Bezata stammered, her eyes darting wildly about. "Right?"

Gold star, idiot, Ivy managed to refrain from saying.

Instead, she muttered, "Nightmare, actually," and tried not to take delight in the way Bezata's eyes widened with fear. She walked over to tower over her rival, feeling her anger grow the more she stared down at her. "I was looking for Anton, using some sleep paralysis to get into his dream, but ooohhh noo, that would be too easy." She kicked at the ground, wondering with sudden dread if the Classics would take their anger on her out on Anton. She had to get back to Halloween before she forgot, escape Jack, make some kind of deal for them to just leave him alone-

"Why- why am I dreaming about you?" Bezata interrupted, finally managing to stand on her spindly legs. She kept her back pressed against the Dip, one hand feeling desperately at it as though to assure herself it was real.

"Yours was just the first dreamscape I could get into," Ivy said, looking into Bezata's eyes. "Just my luck, too. First the human tax-"

Damn you, Nicholas!

"Then the Brew-"

Stupid bottle spilling too soon!

"Now this!" She flung her arms out, spinning around and laughing in desperation. "The Entity is going to wake up any second and send my ass to the second- wait, no, first grave!"

And if they don't, the nasty voice in the back of Ivy's mind reminded her, then Jack will.

Bezata, of course, couldn't just keep her goddamn mouth shut. "Why do you keep talking like that?"

"Lay off, I've only spoken English for the past month." She snorted, relishing how her Swabian dialect caused Miss "I only know proper German" to blink in irritation. It was the least clunky she'd spoken in weeks, come to think of it. "Though it's kinda easier to remember stuff in here. Neat!"

Bezata sputtered. "Wait- you're actually here?" She took a tentative step forward, poking Ivy's shoulder as though it were a nuclear detonator, horror splashing across her features. "But- you've been missing! Lars had a dream about you…" she trailed off, eyes circling their surroundings once more, the lights behind her eyes finally deciding to turn on. "Wait…"

"God, you always were slow," Ivy groaned, dropping her head to her hands. "Lars was an accident; I wasn't even trying to contact him. I was trying to get Anton this time so I can help him out, but-"

"Help him?" Bezata interrupted, catching Ivy off guard. She narrowed her eyes, adopting the scornful look Ivy had always hated. "Kunze, what the hell is going on?" She threw her own arms out, gesturing to the decrepit skate park around them. "Where are you? What's happening?"

"None of your goddamn business," Ivy snapped, turning on her heel and marching away from Bezata before she did something stupid, like punch her. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to focus on the slight warmth in her chest...maybe Ciaran could pull her out of the nightmare and they could escape the Field...if Jack hadn't done something to him first.

"It's my business when Dodgers is getting investigated!" The girl behind her yelled, breaking Ivy's concentration. "It's my business when nobody's heard from you, when I have to feel guilty for being the last one to see you, when I have to watch your precious brother have a meltdown over your bloody hat!"

...Ok.

Ivy turned around, choosing the least overwhelming piece of information to deal with first. "My hat?" She felt her head, remembering the raking of invisible fingers through her hair as she lay on the bar counter top… "oh, Devil take you, Marvel-" she breathed in, collecting her thoughts as the rest of Bezata's rant sunk in.

"What's this shit about feeling guilty?" She asked, watching Bezata's face shift through a range of emotions without any hint of masking them. "Who cares about how you feel?"

Bezata reeled back, blinking frantically. Oh, Christ, if she started crying Ivy didn't think she could stand it.

"At least I feel some guilt," Bezata said hotly, hand curling into fists at her sides.

Ivy recognized the dig, but narrowed her own gaze and wished Bezata could see the flames dancing around her. "And why should I?"

Bezata almost seemed to laugh at that, teeth clenching hard as she broke eye contact. "Just- are you alive?"

"Jury's out on that one," Ivy answered, pressing her fingers to her pulse for the first time in weeks. It felt strange to feel the sluggish movements of her blood under her fingertips, and she dimly wondered if Vlad would be disappointed in having to feed on her. Maybe that would be a way Jack would punish her. "I'm pretty sure I am, despite the, quite frankly, numerous attempts to make me otherwise."

One of Bezata's perfectly manicured hands flew to her forehead, rubbing at the crease in her brows. "So- you did get kidnapped?"

Ivy frowned. "Kidnapped? The hell you on about?"

Bezata squeezed her fists together once more, and Ivy hoped for the first time that the Entity would just hurry up and grab her. Being stuck with Bezata was, well. A nightmare.

"The Americans think you were kidnapped," she began, over enunciating each word as though Ivy was particularly slow. "Kunze, nobody's heard from you."

Everything Ivy had forced herself to not think about for the past few months came swirling to the forefront of her mind- what were her parents thinking? Anton? The people at school, at the park, on base?

"Why do you think I'm doing this?" She cried, taking in the skate park nightmare. "They told me I was stuck, that I couldn't get back until next Halloween, and hell-" she broke off, Jack's earnest face in her mind. "-Maybe that's true, but they didn't tell me any way that I could contact my family!"

How hard would that have been, Jack? She asked in her mind, wondering if she'd be brave enough to say it to his face. Why didn't you let me get into somebody's nightmares? Why couldn't I have sent a note home?

"I don't think they even wanted me to remember that I had a family," she finished bitterly, head swirling with the still-stinging sensation of betrayal.

"Who?" Bezata asked, looking more confused by the second. "Where are you? Who has you? How-" she cut herself off, her expression turning sour. "How do I know you're not making this up, too?"

The anger in Ivy's stomach turned and twisted, and she forced herself to grip her own hair lest she lunge towards the other girl. What kind of idiot was she? Unlike last time, there was no reason to lie, couldn't Bezata just get her head out of the past and think…

The edges of the skate park shifted, and Ivy blinked, startled, as the faint mist began to consolidate into familiar run-down buildings. Jack's manor slowly faded into existence, and Ivy desperately hoped that didn't mean the skeleton was finding a way to enter the dream. Him and Bezata in the same place- that's the last thing she needed!

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," she reluctantly admitted, keeping one eye fixed on the manor. "I fell through a door on Halloween night in the woods-" oh god she sounded insane, how was she ever going to fix this if she got back home? "The door's probably gone by now." She met Bezata's eyes once more, feeling the flames around her grow as her patience with the other shrank. "Ok, how about this?" She fumbled for the memories, dulled by time and Halloween. "We skated together when we were little. Dodgers would pair us up, try to make us work together." They hadn't minded, then- Ivy had liked being able to show off to a new kid, and Bezata lapped up the gruff attention Dodgers had given them. "Your mom hated that."

"You didn't like it either," Bezata muttered, clearly not having to reach for her own memories.

Yeah. She'd hated working with her as soon as Bezata began trying to worm her way between Ivy and Dodgers, when she'd started hanging out with Ben, when her mother started to push her towards winning more and more. Words piled up in her mouth but by some miracle she kept them in.

"And anyway," Bezata continued, because by god did she not know how to read a room, "that doesn't tell me anything new." She stared pointedly at Ivy's clothing, one sculpted eyebrow raised. "What's something only Kunze would know?"

Ivy groaned. "God, Bezata, we were never close enough to have any secrets!" She closed her eyes anyway, trying desperately to conjure something up. "It's not like I can- SHIT!"

There was a blinding pain throughout her body, causing her muscles to shake and clench. She fell to her knees, gasping at the sensation of a phantom hand striking her in the stomach. There were hands everywhere, pulling at her hair, her arms, her heart, nails scraping at her insides and digging into the soft tissue there. Was it the Entity? Was it Jack?

She screamed inside her mind, and the warmth in her chest rose once more, flashes of green light sparking behind her eyes. Ciaran's magic created a bubble around her and the pain faded in intensity. She heard the sound of Bezata diving forward and felt a rush of humiliation at the other seeing her this weak. No doubt she'd mock her, take her opportunity to knock her down a peg-

"Are you ok?" There were human hands on her now, and Ivy flinched at their softness and the sensation of skin pressing into her own. "What's going on? Is that-"

Ivy shoved Bezata's hands away, almost wishing the girl had struck her instead. A tearing pain carved itself into her face, and when she lifted her head from the Dip's floor she wasn't surprised to see droplets of her blood staining the ground.

"Looks like Ammuttadori is waking up," she gasped, wanting to collapse on her side but forcing herself to her elbow, hating the fatigue that was setting in. "Knew that thing wouldn't last long."

Stupid empty bottle.

"Who's-"

"Don't bother."

Ivy forced herself to look Bezata in the eyes once more. They were wide with a mix of trepidation and concern, and Ivy felt herself grinning once more through the pain rising in her body. What would only she know? Well…

"You hate your mom." She laughed at the full-body flinch Bezata gave, her emotions seeming almost exaggerated after the Citizen's careful control and impartiality. God, she wouldn't last a second in Halloween Town.

"You never told me that," Ivy continued, "but we could all see it. She uses you, man." Images of Bezata's posture stiffening around her mother and the underlying please like me! in her voice played before her eyes. "Living through you, taking whatever you win for herself-"

"I don't hate her!" Bezata protested, hugging her arms and looking anywhere but at Ivy. "She's- she just wants to make sure I make something of myself!"

"Yeah, 'cause she couldn't," Ivy retorted. The Abendroth Divorce was an old gossip topic- the split had happened long before Ivy had met Bezata- but she knew how to listen to the whispers of the adults, the speculations that her father had run off to be with an American woman, that he'd taken the majority of the money, that the narrative Bezata's mother pushed was nothing short of denial. "Half the park knows about your little deal with her." She felt her lip curl in disgust. "God, do you even like skating, or do you just do it to piss her off?"

"I love it," Bezata snapped, the first sign of true anger appearing. "I want to do it, so I do, even if I have to convince my mother to let me." She seemed ready to say more, but a new light entered her eyes as Ivy shook from another invisible attack. "If- if you knew about my deal with her, and how she acts when I lose-" there was betrayal that Ivy now recognized, though she couldn't fathom why it was there. "Then- then you know why I had to win!" She was shouting now, rising to her knees and squeezing her fists together. "And you still-"

"That's the way of it," Ivy interrupted, shuddering in revulsion as she felt blood pool in her mouth. She spat it out, feeling a bruise form on her cheek as her neck snapped to the side. "Jack's skull, this thing knows how to throw a punch."

The whole Realm convulsed, and the two girls were thrown to their sides. Through squinted eyes, Ivy saw cracks forming in the Dip, and trees sprouting just outside the chain link fence. There was a wave of the ground and cobblestones appeared, the darkness lifting at the full moon shining down, the outline of teeth visible against the bottom. The Halloween Gate formed, swinging and creaking, and Ivy wondered briefly if this was how people felt staring down lethal injection.

"What the hell is going on?" Bezata screamed beside her, smacking herself in desperate attempts to wake up.

"It's Halloween!" Ivy yelled back, getting to her feet and scouring the edges of the park. What was going on? "Did the Entity open a Gateway or something?" She wondered.

Bezata made a sound that resembled a fish on land. "What do you mean, Halloween?"

"Like the Holiday, you idiot," she bit out. She looked down at where Bezata cowered, ducking the rocks falling around them. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her arm (careful to avoid skin contact) and shoved Bezata up, pinning her against the Dip and slamming one forearm across her throat the moment the other wiggled. She took in Bezata's fearful expression and basked in the sense of power. For a moment, the idea of just letting Bezata leave without a message- anything so that she wouldn't have to owe her- crosses her mind, before common sense kicked in. Ok, Bezata wasn't Anton, or Ben, or anybody useful, but maybe she could work with this.

It wasn't like she had many options, anyway.

"Ok, here's the Cliffnotes version in case I can't do this again." She cast a glance over her shoulder, took a breath, and met Bezata's gaze head on.

"Halloween is some sort of alternative reality that I found in a tree." (Bezata sputtered.) "I've been stuck here for the past month or whatever; it's full of monsters who are pretty scary but also giant nerds, like this 8-foot-skeleton I've been living with," oh god why did she have to think about Jack, "and I've been losing my memories of the Human World." She wait a second to see if Bezata had any questions, but it seemed speech was beyond her. "Anton's apparently being stalked by a naked invisible dude, for what reason I don't know, my body's currently under attack from an angry dream demon, if my Irish priest ghost friend isn't covering my ass anymore. Got it?"

Bezata blinked rapidly and then made a high-pitched noise of pure bewilderment. Ivy forced herself to take a breath and figure out what she needed her to do, feeling the Entity's presence creep closer and closer.

"Tell my parents I'm not dead," she said, dropping her angry demeanor at the thought of them. "I'll get back somehow, I promise- I'll force that damn door open if I have to." She prepared to have to convince Bezata more, answer a few questions, there was no way she'd just-

"O- okay," Bezata agreed, clearly scared out of her mind but willing. "I will."

Ivy blinked, convincing arguments & threats forgotten. "Oh, uh, thanks." She released some of the pressure from Bezata's throat, feeling a prickle of guilt in her gut. "That was easier than I…" she thought of the hurt on Bezata's face when she'd mentioned her mother and wondered….

"Look, Bezata, about before, I-"

But, either or for better or worse, Ivy was cut off but the world pitching once more, and an enormous crack tore its way through the Dip, causing Bezata to scream. A hand, with black rotting flesh and flames from the missing fingernails forced its way through, smoldering where the burnt tissue met the ground. The hood of a cloak appeared, blocking the moon and leaving the only light source as their glowing eyes.

"Well, you wanted to know who Ammuttadori was," she mumbled to Bezata, feeling the girl shake as Ivy reluctantly stood in front of her.

"IVY KUNZE," came the roar, and wow did that make the bones inside Ivy's body want to turn to liquid. "YOU HAVE INTERFERED WITH THE PRODUCTION OF NIGHTMARES AND VIOLATED THE OATH OF SECRECY-"

Oh, so I'm a monster when they want me to follow their rules, huh?

"Technically, I never took that Oath!" She retaliated, wincing at the following scream the Entity gave. Like it or not, time was up. She had to get Bezata out of here before the Entity did something to make her forget.

She spun around, struggling to keep her balance in the winds as she grabbed Bezata's chin, forcing her out of the ball she'd curled herself into. The skate park was being destroyed, and Ivy felt smoke tendrils yanking at her skin and soul. Bezata had to wake up- and Ivy knew exactly how.

"I've wanted to do this for ages," she gloated, concentrating the last hints of the Cat's Eye to her palm. She knew she was burning brightly, wanting to make one last bang before she died, and from the way Bezata was looking at her, she wondered if her rival could see it too. "Time for you to wake up!"

The Entity was yelling something, ripping the Cat's Eye's effect away and digging one bony finger down the back of Ivy's jacket as Ivy raised her hand and slapped Bezata across the face as hard as she could, laughing maniacally at the brief look of pain and shock on Bezata's face before the girl vanished in a puff of smoke.

Without a host, the skate park melted away all together, and Ivy was left to dangle from where the Entity had her pinched between two fingers.

"What a foul, nasty little bother you are," the Entity hissed, flecks of acidic spit narrowly missing Ivy. "Just like the weed you are named after. Hopefully you can be stamped out before you destroy us all."

"Is that a threat or promise?" Ivy wheezed, false bravado that she'd had with Bezata there gone.

The Entity smiled, which was a rather horrifying sight when you couldn't see the mouth under the shadow of the hood. "Oh, it's a guarantee. Not one to be carried out by me, I'm afraid...at least, not until you fall asleep."

Ivy blinked. "Then who…"

"The petulant child has acted up enough," the Entity continued, swinging Ivy slightly. The fog around them turned into a cyclone just beneath Ivy's feet, she kicked frantically to keep above it. "Time to take your medicine, little weed."

With that, their hand opened, and Ivy fell through the twister, the world turning in on itself and she spun and flipped and desperately grasped for something, anything to hold onto-

SLAM!

Grass and leaves pressed into her face, pricking against her skin as the scene to rotten pumpkins invaded her senses. Her whole body throbbed as she groaned, the fights and blows from the Entity etching themselves into her bones. She spat hair from her mouth and looked up, freezing at the sight of absurdly small shoes and skinny legs in front of her, one foot tapping.

Achingly slow, Ivy let her eyes travel up Jack's frame, from his crossed arms to the narrowed sockets. His aura was gone, but it was clear his fury wasn't.

They were outside the Field of Nightmares, the Entity (and Ciaran) nowhere to be seen.

The silence stretched on, and Ivy wished Jack would say something- anything- even if he yelled. Instead, he kept his gaze stern, suffocating Ivy's drive to argue with each passing second.

At a snail's pace, and keeping her head low, Ivy pushed herself to her knees once more, then staggered to her feet. It didn't help how small she felt next to Jack in the slightest.

"Jack-" she said, more to break the awful, oppressive silence around her, but a knot formed in her throat and prevented her from speaking more. She swallowed and hung her head low, waiting with muscles tense for Jack to snap, to strike her, to give her what she probably deserved so she wouldn't have to be the one to apologize…

Jack scanned her once more, finally speaking with his voice low and controlled but still sending a flinch through Ivy's body.

"Can you walk, or should I sedate you with this." He pulled the bottle of Devil's Breath from his pocket and held it with disdain.

Ivy shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Jack turned his back to her and began to walk back to the Town. No grabbing or dragging. For a wild instance, Ivy had a vision of bolting once more, of finally taking Ciaran up on his offer to just hide in the Forest full time, and then…

Then what? She couldn't leave her family in the human world, but she couldn't leave the one she apparently was a part of here so callously either. So she stumbled after Jack, pain lighting up her nerves with every step but refusing to let Jack see, as the Gates of Halloween appeared before them. Ivy hunched her shoulders, hearing them slam behind her with a deafening and final CLANG.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ivy's heart had been through a lot lately.

She'd steadily grown used to the way it would seize or drop through her stomach, slowing down the longer she stayed in Halloween. It seemed to be back in full force now, thudding away painfully as if to make up for lost frights. Finding the note, Jack chasing her, the nightmare...but it was nothing compared to the strain she felt sitting in Jack's living room, frozen on the couch he'd told her to wait on, tone light but no room for argument. She sat alone, gripping the cushions (where she idly noted huge rips lay), trying her best not to stare at the empty spots where Jack's prized candy had sat. She scratched at the inside of her coat cuff, trying to bring herself back to reality instead of the haze of wild fear in her mind. She could hear Jack shifting around in the next room, and her brain gleefully conjured images of the skeleton strutting back in, loosening the control over his aura, and then maybe reviving whatever was left of her to go rot in the dungeons or something.

Did Halloween Town even have dungeons?

Jack rounded the corner and Ivy ducked her head, staring at the stained wood beneath her feet and hating the way her muscles clenched the closer Jack's pointed shoes came. She bit her lips together and hunched her shoulders, making herself as small a target as possible as she waited for the blow.

Jack paused in front of her for a long moment, then a teacup appeared in her line of vision.

Ivy dared a quick glance up, flinching at the empty look in Jack's sockets as he held out the cup, waiting. She slowly took it, doing her best to avoid brushing Jack's fingers with her own. The skeleton nodded, then sat across from her in his great armchair, the pointed black profile making his bones glow. He took a sip from his own teacup, leaving Ivy to stare at her own. Poison? A truth serum? What was in it?

"Candy corn and spider's blood," Jack remarked casually, and Ivy hated the relief she felt at the silence being broken. He took a pointed sip.

Ivy swallowed, holding the cup of what Jack knew to be her favorite tea as a new wave of...something ripped through her.

"No poison?" She tried to joke weakly, heart sinking when Jack only frowned further.

"None," he snapped. "I'd suppose...you'll just have to trust me." His sockets narrowed, challenging her.

Ivy took a breath, and a sip.

She fingered the edges of the cup, keeping her gaze on the swirling contents within. The tea lessened the headache that had been steadily building, settling her stomach and sending a warmth through her body.

"Are you waiting for me to yell at you?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Uh...kinda? Why?"

Jack crossed his legs, melting back into his chair and fixing Ivy with a calculating look. "Every instinct within me is attuned to fear. And this is the worst I've seen you in...well, quite some time, let's say."

"Uh." Ivy fumbled with the cup, torn between wanting to bolt for the door or just melt into the ground. "I, um...I thought you'd be mad?"

"Oh, I am," Jack assured, pressing his fingers together tightly. "Furious, in fact. But contrary to what my position may suggest, I do not care to rule through fear. Fear can breed distrust, lies."

"But I thought the town's motto was about fear uniting you!" She blurted.

"When we are honest about it," Jack retorted. "We share our fears, and in doing so share one of the deepest parts of ourselves. But hiding fear leads to the assumption that none are afraid, and there begins the foundation for numerous other lies. So, in this conversation, I think it's best if we agree not to lie to each other. Alright?"

Ivy closed her eyes and let a scream loose in her mind. Aloud, she meekly said, "alright."

"Excellent." Jack finished his tea, setting it to the side. "Another reason I have no plans to yell at you is that I'd rather you acknowledge what you did wrong, not me telling you."

Ivy froze. Oh god, that sounded so much worse than Jack shouting. She'd mentally prepared for that, ready to tune out as best she could and not let herself pass out, but this?

"Where do you want me to start?" She asked bitterly, swinging her legs and glaring at the floor. "When I landed? When I broke into the Witches' things? When I didn't help Sally learn new words? When I went back to the Witches' stuff? When I stole from you? Or read your books? When I tried to go through a Gateway? When I-"

"Let's start with your reading of the Wills of Halloween," Jack interrupted, form flickering for just a moment. "The Creature says you read mine."

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed."

In all the mania of the past few hours, she'd completely forgotten about the clause in Jack's will.

"I was just curious," she muttered. "I wasn't really thinking."

Jack stayed silent, but Ivy could hear the 'clearly' loudly enough from his expression.

"What did you read?" Jack asked, and Ivy realized with a flash that he didn't know she'd seen the clause. She could say she didn't get to read anything, that Anton's note was pinned on top and so she'd only opened it, the Creature had been over-exaggerating just to get Jack on his side in hunting Ivy down…

For a moment, time seemed to pause and stretch. She looked into Jack's eyes, the story formulating in her mind, and registered with sudden certainty that if she said it, Jack would believe it. There was a twisting in her gut, a coldness running through her veins, and whispers in her mind that reminded her of Madam Leota so long ago, calling her by another name..

But Jack, somehow, was trusting her. He wasn't going to lie to her, and wanted her to do the same. The argument inside of her raged, until it was silenced by-

"I saw the bit about your descendants." She forced herself to keep her head level. "Well, descendant. Something about a demon deal condemning them to Halloween?"

"To death on Halloween," Jack confirmed. "They'll be born on All Hallow's Eve, and the time they would've spent alive will pass in Halloween."

"Who'd you piss off to get one of your descendants cursed?"

Jack closed his eyes, regret etched across his face. "I'm the one who cursed them."

"What?"

Jack opened his eyes once more. "I'll tell you the tale; I suppose it's only fair to understand the reason for your flight-"

"Oh, I didn't run because of that!" Ivy exclaimed, fear minimizing for the first time. She leaned forward, mentally wincing at how her actions must have looked from Jack's perspective. "You thought I was running away because of...whatever you did to your descendants?"

"I thought you thought-" Jack cut himself off, staring at her with a new puzzlement in his sockets. "I...well, clearly what I thought isn't true. You didn't leave because of me?"

"No!" She dug through her pockets, pulling that scrap of paper from Anton and shoving it towards the skeleton. "This was hidden in the Wills, it fell out when I opened yours."

Jack turned the paper over, staring at the messy dots and dashes. "And what might this be?"

Ivy pulled her legs up to her chest, the mental image of Anton swimming in her mind. "It's a note from my brother," she finally mumbled. "He says that there's monsters around him and was asking for my help."

"Monsters?" Jack's sockets narrowed as he traced the paper. "And this was found in the Creature's library?"

Ivy nodded, then sheepishly admitted, "I, uh, I thought you were the one to send the monsters after him, so I didn't ask you for help."

And god if the Wind's audible disappointment had been hard to deal with, it was nothing compared to Jack's kicked puppy expression. "You believed I would harm your family?"

"Not harm, I dunno, just…" Ciaran's paranoia about Jack trying to erase her in the Human World was beginning to sound just like that- paranoia. "Never mind."

"Ivy."

The human shrank back, pressing herself against the couch cushions. She wasn't bold enough to look at the skeleton, seeing the candlelight flicker was bad enough.

"I won't hurt you," Jack said, his voice low once more. "But this is important. Why do you believe I would harm those you care for?"

Ivy blinked back the burning in her eyes and tried to control the shaking in her voice. "Ca-'cause I'm losing parts of myself here, right?"

"I suppose-"

"I am, and if ne-next Halloween I didn' know who I am anymore, then my family looking for me would be a problem an' so maybe they should just forget about me an' ma-maybe sending monsters to take care of that might work-"

"Ivy-"

"Cause I keep forgetting them anyway, and you just keep saying it should stop fighting to remember, but I can't even do that like you guys can-" she took a staggering breath- "because I'm just a stupid human, I'm not a monster or a Citizen, I'm not one of you, and I know that, I know, but I can't just-"

Jack snapped his fingers, the sound loud and echoing, causing Ivy's skull to throb as her rambling was cut short. "Breath, Ivy."

She obeyed, squeezing her own eyes shut.

"I've noticed your memory getting worse," the skeleton began, "but as you say, the process is usually far easier for those who have died. It has been...difficult watching you cling to fragments." Ivy heard rustling from within the room, but didn't trust herself to look up.

"If I couldn't get you home before next Halloween, I was going to give you this."

Ivy cracked her eyes open to see Jack holding out a small leather bound journal, a cartoon spider grinning on the front. Hesitantly, she reached out and took it, peeking at Jack for confirmation before tugging the spider-silk tie free. Inside on rough parchment, Jack's usual messy writing was far neater, the letters loose and cramped on the lines. And the lines themselves…

Your name is Ivy Kunze.

You are a human.

You love to skateboard (and fall off of it).

You live in Stuttgart, Germany.

Your birthday is November 16th (you turned 16 last week!)

You have a mother and father.

You've friends named Ben and Lara…

It went on, nearly two pages of different tidbits that she'd shared with Jack since Halloween night. The more she read, the more puzzle pieces fell into her mind.

"I was hoping this way, you wouldn't lose yourself, but also wouldn't have the pain of trying to keep memories that refuse to stay." Jack cleared his throat, looking almost ashamed. "We would never force you to stay, but we also wouldn't throw you back into the Human World without a clue of who you were."

Ivy felt like an idiot.

Why had she never thought of that? She knew and trusted her own handwriting, this way she could keep the parts of herself that Halloween dismissed. The countless notebooks filling every corner of Jack's library flashed in her mind, and she stared at the skeleton in a new light. Jack smiled sadly, as though he knew exactly what she was thinking. He handed over a gleaming gold ink pen, which was a cold and heavy weight in her hand.

"You're welcome to keep your own record, if you wish. You know yourself far better than I, anyway."

"Thank you," Ivy said, her voice small.

"It was never my intention to erase you-"

"I know." She hugged the notebook and pen to her chest, any thoughts of lying to Jack thrown out the window.

"And for what it's worth," Jack said, looking at her with so much earnestness that her heart ached. "You're still one of us, human and all. The Town is on edge, but even those that hate humans have come far along since you arrived."

Ivy thought of the crowd at the bar and snorted. "I don't think they'd all agree with you."

Jack raised a brow. "Well, not to abuse my authority, but as the Pumpkin King, if I say that you belong among us, then they'll just have to go along with it."

Ivy grinned, tracing the edges of the book in her arms. She squeezed them once more, then set the notebook aside and squared her shoulders.

"But that's why I ran," she said, getting them back on track. "So I got the ingredients for the Devil's Breath from Sally, then the Cat's Eye from the bar, and went to the Field of Nightmares to gain control of the Entity so I could visit Anton in his nightmares and see if he was ok, maybe get a message to Mom and Dad."

Jack sighed, dropping his skull to his hands and letting out a low groan. "I see. Ivy…"

The lighter mood fled, and Ivy bit her lip as she watched Jack sit motionless.

"I can understand why you did the things you did," Jack started, speaking through a slight gap in his fingers. "But the things you said at the bar- there are consequences to these things!" He picked his head up. "Telling them about Oogie Boogie and the Veil's destruction? What were you thinking?"

"Nicholas was charging me extra for the Cat's Eye!" She protested. "He called it a human tax 'cause he wanted to stop me! And he wouldn't shut up about humans being awful and how everyone shouldn't trust me, that I was the one breaking the Veil!"

"We weren't sure it was Oogie!' Jack snapped. "And now that you've stirred up that rumor, if any in Town are working with him they'll warn him we're onto him, and if not, then the true culprit will feel secure that the blame will be taken out on another!"

Ivy pressed her lips together. Ok, she hadn't thought of that, but then again she hadn't been thinking...logically. She'd just wanted to shut Nicholas up.

Jack didn't seem to be done. "The Veil is being destroyed from someone on the inside, yes. One of our own is corrupt or being corrupted. Remember what I said about fear? Now they won't trust each other, look with suspicion on their neighbors, and the Town losing unity causes the Veil to weaken even further!"

Ivy's stomach dropped. "But- shouldn't you unite against Oogie?"

"If that's who it is, then we could, but if he catches word that he is suspected, he may speed up his destruction, leaving us less time to prepare a defense!" Jack's voice rose the closest to a shout since they'd begun. "Not to mention that if your message to your brother included Halloween Town, you've put us all in even more danger!"

"Nobody would even believe it!"

"That doesn't matter!" Jack nearly slammed his fist onto the side table, freezing at the last second at Ivy's flinch. "Nearly 13 centuries we've been around, with the idea that this is our haven from Heaven, from Hell, from the Human World! Any mention of us in your world is cause for concern! If someone came looking for our world-"

Ivy scoffed and crossed her arms. "As if they'd even find it."

"Well, it's happened three times now," Jack growled. "All without looking for us. Do you see why I might not want to give your kind anymore guidance?"

"Hey, Quincey was already dead when he got here!" Ivy hated the way that the shadows were bending around Jack, but couldn't stop herself. "Dracula dragged him here, it wasn't his fault!"

Jack paused, resting his chin on one hand. "And how did you learn that?"

Shit. "The Entity showed me a while ago- that time you woke me up from the nightmare? It was Quincey's death, and his fall to Halloween."

Jack hummed, a new sorrow on his face. "Then you saw Oogie Boogie and the state of the Town under him, I presume?"

Ivy nodded, shuddering at the memory.

Jack sighed once more. "Then I am truly sorry I didn't speak to Ammuttadori about keeping you from nightmares sooner. There is no reason for you to have seen that." He tapped his fingers against his skull. "Did they also show you the first human?"

Ciaran. "No," she said, shrugging. "They said he was brought here by a witch, but not much else."

"Much of the story is unfamiliar to me as well," Jack admitted. "He was before my time, I'm afraid. But as I recall, Rosalyn visited her old village shortly after her death and apparently found the man she used to love. She brought him to Halloween, but going through the Gateway drove him mad. He didn't last a week before running away and being killed."

A thought suddenly struck Ivy. Ciaran was still around, his ghostly form lingering in the Forest for the last 400 years, but why hadn't Quincey stayed as a ghost? What had happened to him, or his ghost?

"Even Oogie wasn't King that long ago," Jack mused.

"Really? Who was?"

"At that time...it was the very first monster of us all, called Grendel." Jack smiled fondly. "Odd fellow. Terrifying, no doubt. But his leadership seemed to switch between wanting to avoid humans and using the Town to terrorize them." He shook his head. "You've managed to get me to tell stories once more. Do you understand the dangers that your actions have created?"

Ivy turned red, scratching at her coat cuff once more. "I...I guess so." Her feet started to swing anxiously once more. "I didn't mean for it to end up like that, though! I just-" she broke off, biting her lip in frustration. "I just needed something, and couldn't think of another way."

To her surprise, Jack only nodded in sympathy. "I understand your thinking," he said, his voice low as he pinched out a candle. "It's the curse of youth, where only the next obstacle is worth considering."

Ivy bristled, but Jack was faster. "I speak only from experience, dear." He closed his sockets, then leaned forward until his elbows were balanced on his thin knees. "I had the same rationale when I made the Deal that damned a member of my blood. I hardly let the demon give me the terms, it only cared about the instant result."

Questions piled up on Ivy's tongue, but she managed to hold it and wait for Jack to continue speaking.

"My son...James," Jack began, and the dark shadows seemed appropriate for the edge to his tone. "He and his wife Mira were with child, but the birth was...difficult. The mother and child both were facing Death- she could even see the spirits of the next world. The Reaper was in the room with them."

Jack sighed, and Ivy could hear the centuries behind it. "A demon appeared. He offered to spare my granddaughter's life by trading it for a different soul in my family. A decedent, who would be born and die on Halloween in the same manner I died. So I said yes." He opened his sockets, avoiding Ivy's open stare as he gazed into the fire. "I didn't care about my descendant at the time. She was so far away, and the people my son held dear were gasping for life...I didn't think. I didn't care. There was no other way to save them."

A cold chill crept up Ivy's spine. "She?"

Jack laughed without the humor. "Oh yes. I realized soon after I made the Deal that the Spirit I would sometimes wander with was she...the look on her face she realized I'd damned her…" Jack let all the air rush from his lungs. "I'll be honest with my fears, Ivy. There are few things I'm more frightened of than the day she arrives in Halloween."

Silence fell between them, and Ivy felt the bizarre need to hold her own breath. At the loss of anything else, she quietly said, "I'm not going to tell anybody. That Deal...you should decide when- if ever- the Town knows about it. Though maybe it should be before she gets here?"

Jack snorted. "I'll take it under consideration." He finally made eye contact with her. "There are actions we regret when our emotions get the best of us, and when the path doesn't go the way we'd like. We can't change the past, but we also must face the consequences of our actions." He rubbed his skull. "No matter how much we dread doing so."

Ivy let go of her coat sleeve, forcing her legs to still. "I won't run my mouth about stuff I don't get," she said. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry."

Jack smiled gently. "I know, and I'm glad you apologized. I'm not as mad now, just…"

"Oh, don't you dare-"

"Just disappointed."

Ivy groaned and yanked a pillow over her face, hoping it would suffocate her groan and breath.

"But there still have to be changes," Jack continued.

Ivy stilled, face twisting. "I'm gonna hate it, aren't I?"

Jack's smile turned into a more menacing grin. "You're going to hate it."

Ivy groaned, flopping backwards onto the couch. "Great. I thought grounding wasn't a thing in Halloween."

"There's still children, Ivy," Jack chided through a laugh. She heard his footsteps and tensed. Jack paused, then crouched down in front of her as she scrambled upright.

"I'm glad you're alright," Jack said simply, scanning over the marks left by the Entity. "Ammuttadori can be dangerous, and I thought you were leaving to go to the Forest…" he trailed off, one hand taking hold of her wrist and feeling over her rapid pulse. "I thought you were going to die out there, the same way the other two humans did. You scared me to my second grave, Ivy!"

Ivy shrank down once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you would…"

Jack looked up, a look of disbelief on his face. "You thought I wouldn't care if you died?"

"I'd probably end up here anyway, wouldn't I?" She sniffed, the familiar chill and smoothness of Jack's bone feeling far more comforting that Bezata's skin had. "And you...you looked pretty angry in the sewers." The mental image made her flinch once more.

"So that's what's been bothering you," Jack said, with all the glee of one solving a particularly difficult puzzle. He sobered quickly though, gently taking Ivy's chin in his hand. "I was angry, and scared, as I told you. I could feel you were scared as well...well, I forget my lesson of controlling myself at times as well. I knew I'd lost control but didn't' care- I thought it might frighten you into stopping." He shook his head, one thumb tapping the front of Ivy's nose playfully. "It was foolish. I've never seen you so scared...I should've kept myself under control. But, Ivy," he made sure she was looking at him. "Even then, I never would have harmed you. I promise the thought has not and never will cross my mind. Do you understand?"

"I guess," Ivy said, fidgeting under Jack's intense gaze. The skeleton smiled sadly and pulled her into a hug, and Ivy tensed only for a moment before squeezing as tightly as she could, burying her burning eyes into Jack's coat as he gently smoothed her hair.

"Don't do it again," she choked out.

Jack laughed, his ribs shaking. "Only if you never scare me like that again. My old bones can only take so much."

Ivy laughed wetly, the last of the tension bleeding from her body. "Still a Dad, I see," she teased.

"Interesting that you should bring that up," Jack continued, nonchalance in his tone instantly putting Ivy back on guard, "there is one other matter we ought to discuss." He let her go and sat himself back in his chair, crossing his legs.

"Oh?" Ivy said weakly, feeling her heart rate pick up once more.

"I ran into several citizens during my...search," Jack began, running one long nail over the scratched wood of his armchair and fixing Ivy to the spot with a pointed glance. "While I've been called numerous names over the centuries- some flattering, others not so much, I heard a new and rather...interesting form of address while at the bar."

Ivy felt the blood rush from her face. "I, ah-"

"They wouldn't have thought of it themselves," Jack interrupted smoothly, steadfastly ignoring her squirms. "They'd have used it centuries ago. So, it must have been a rather new idea, one implanted by someone who thought of me in a less than ideal light-"

"I didn't-"

"And who no doubt found it just as amusing at the other Citizens."

There was a pause. Jack waited, one brow raised in expectation, as Ivy floundered for any response that wouldn't lead to her head being separated from her body.

"It was funny at the time?" She tried, an anxious laugh cutting short as she peeked through her bangs at the less than impressed skeleton. "Bone daddy cause you're...y'know...made of…"

She trailed off in the disapproving silence. Jack continued to stare, waiting.

"I didn't want to tell them something real," she admitted at last, digging the toe of her sneaker into a dip in the wood. "Nicholas and the Classics don't like you, and I knew whatever I said was gonna get analyzed or whatever, probably to use against you. So, I didn't…" she broke off, feeling more angry at herself the more she spoke.

With her head hanging low, she missed the smile that flashed across Jack's face.

"I appreciate your...bizarre relationship with loyalty," he said, breaking his lofty posture to lean forward. "But as you've said yourself, there are elements of truth in the name."

Ivy's head slowly raised in suspicion.

"Truly, I'm somewhat flattered," the skeleton admitted, one hand dramatically moving towards the cavity where his heart would reside. "As I said earlier, this is easier with no lies. I'm well beyond being fond of you, but you giving me a name that indicates myself as a father figure, well-"

"Hang on," Ivy protested, cheeks flashing red. "That's not at all what I-"

"I do hope I won't let you down-"

"I didn't mean it that way!"

"Fatherhood is a responsibility, and you've certainly provided quite the trials-"

"Oh, now you're just being an ass-"

"Nevertheless, I'll strive to be the best dadd-"

"AGH!" Ivy yelled, clapping her hands over her ears, eyes screwed shut. "Don't call yourself that!"

Jack smiled to himself. It seemed that, no matter the time period, the best way to deal with a rebellious teenager was to be embarrassing.

December 14th

Town Hall

Status: GROUNDED

The Town Hall was packed, with nearly every Citizen pressing against the walls. Ivy sat next to Jack, trying to see if she could melt and escape through the cracks in the floorboards like the Monster Under the Bed could. With another guilty jolt, Ivy realized that the Citizens were far more subdued than normal, staring at one another with open suspicion and hostility. One Citizen tripped on another's tail, nearly leading to blows as they hurtled accusations at each other before another Citizen broke it up.

The Classics were huddled in the back, Vlad's red eyes flashing in the dark as he whispered in the Creature's ear. Nicholas had turned a chair backwards and leaned over the wood, staring at Ivy with murder in his eyes. She shuddered and spun around to the front, where Jack stepped his way up on stage. The Town Hall fell silent, the usually cheerful mood soured by the topic of conversation.

"As you know," Jack started, looking around at each Citizen's face, "there have been concerns about the Veil's health for some time. We've had more demons attacks, and know that it is being weakened on both sides- outside and in."

Mutters broke out, and Jack raised his voice for order. "Yesterday, our human friend made an accusation against our former (and now exiled) king, Oogie Boogie." He gestured for Ivy, and she slowly pushed herself from her seat and walked towards the stage, each limb feeling like wet sand. She hated public speaking, and the cherry of humiliation on top had her face burning.

Ivy replaced Jack in the spotlight (why did they have a spotlight?) and felt her stomach curl at the look of expectation and nervousness in the audience.

"My accusation against Oogie wasn't founded in anything," she said, forcing the words out. "I don't know anything about Oogie except that he was King before Jack, and I thought that meant he was the only one who could be destroying the Veil." She briefly met eyes with Nicholas, who'd started smiling cruelty. She forced herself to look away, hiding her clenched fists behind her back. "But I was...wrong." The word was like acid on her tongue, and she spat it out as though it were. "It doesn't do us any good to point fingers."

She couldn't apologize to a crowd this large, but it was close enough.

"But if Oogie isn't destroying the Veil, who is?"

Jack made to speak, but Ivy was quicker. "We've seen a lot of demons, but nothing from Oogie. I didn't know much about the guy, but I don't think subtly is his style."

That earned her bitter and knowing laughs from the Citizens, and Ivy relaxed marginally. This was like talking to people back home- she had to build a story.

"There's plenty of Rouges out there besides Oogie," Ivy continued. "There's those that have left Town, hate everyone here, would want you gone." A connection sparked for attention in the back of her mind, but she hardly noticed as she gestured to the Hall. "All of you have served Halloween for decades; do you really think somebody in these Gates would want to see Halloween destroyed?"

The Citizens looked at one another, margins of guilt in their eyes. Nicholas' grin had faded, and the Creature looked on in disdain.

"You seem fairly certain that the Veil is being destroyed," Vlad remarked casually. "Tell me, have you seen it for yourself?"

Jack's socket's widened.

"No," Ivy said scornfully. "I wouldn't even know where to look; I've hardly left Town since I got here. And besides, I'm just a human- you really think I'd even be able to see it?"

That seemed to satisfy Jack, who leaned back against the wall, and Vlad only laughed but otherwise didn't challenge her further.

"So we're all on the same page?" Ivy asked, hoping to get this part of her punishment over with as fast as possible. "Oogie isn't the prime suspect, Veil is still pretty strong, let's just blame demons? All good?"

The mutters were far lighter this time, and the general sense of concession filled the air. The Mayor wiped sweat off his brow as Ivy hopped off the stage, ducking Jack's playful swat.

"That was the worst," she hissed to Jack, driving her elbow into his side and barely holding in a shout when she hit her funny bone.

"Well," Jack teased as she rubbed her arm angrily, "at least you won't have to face them for a while."

Ugh. She'd almost forgotten what came next.

Unbeknownst to the two, the Classics looked on, a plan formulating as Jack slipped an arm around the human's shoulder.

January 4th

Town Square

Status: STILL GROUNDED

Ivy lay on her back by the fountain, listlessly tracking the droplets of water that flew out. Jack was talking to the fish/something creature that lived in the Sewers (something about fish being stolen) and Ivy's mind ached with the squelching of the monster's vocal cords. Her feet twitched as she mentally ran through things she could do if she had her board, not having been surprised when Jack had confiscated it and her building supplies (and her hidden backpack-up supplies).

A week stuck in Skellington Manor had been awful. Jack was great company, and had politely ignored her frantic scribbling in the journal that had grown thicker and thicker as she attempted to cram any part of her past that might slip through the cracks onto the pages. Even the Tailypo had been banished, leaving Ivy to lie awake as daylight streamed through the cracks in her boarded-up windows, missing the sensation of her hair being chewed.

Now she was at least allowed out of the Manor, but only when Jack was also out, and she had to follow him around as he did his duties.

Like listening to the lagoon creature rant about fish again.

Her head dropped back over the edge of the fountain, and she took in the giant countdown clock that hung above Town Hall. It ticked on merrily, the red numbers below gleaming.

300 days until Halloween.

Ooo, there was something to pass the time. She began to count backwards, counting to each drip of the fountain and feeling a sense of eagerness at gaining some connection to time again.

Jack finished up his conversation, standing and cracking his bones before glancing at his charge. She had a frown on her face, her fingers twitching.

"Did you eat a bad spider?" He asked lightly, rapping one knuckle against her head.

"Hmm? Oh, no, sorry." She sat up, running on hand through her hair. "Jus' saw the date."

Jack turned to the date board. "What of it?"

"January 4th, you know." She said, pushing herself to her feet. "It's 1993 now; I didn't even realize it."

Jack blinked. "Ah, I've forgotten you mark the turning of the years! We see it much more as a circle- it's only 1993 once it's Halloween." He walked down the cobblestone path, Ivy trotting behind.

"Of course Halloween's in the center," she snickered. "Oh, well. Happy New Year, anyway."

The phrase tickled something in the back of Jack's mind. "Beg pardon?"

"Don't you celebrate anything besides Halloween? Other human holidays?"

"Why would we?" Jack asked automatically, even as his mind began to race. Other human holidays? He'd forgotten about them long ago, but now images from long ago began to swim in his mind. How had the holidays changed since he was alive? And if Halloween was here, and had a Town, did that mean-

"Guess that makes sense. Hey, it's Sally! Isn't today the day?"

Jack's frantic thoughts flew from his mind as Sally approached, a new patchwork dress swaying against her knees. He felt Ivy reach up and push his jaw shut with a click, her smile far to smug for his taste.

"Happy Citizenship Day, Sal!" Ivy grinned, running over to Sally. "Ooo, look at you, all fancy! Pretty rad. You feeling ready?"

Sally blushed as Jack approached, tucking one strand of freshly washed hair behind her ear. "As I'll ever be, I guess," she said. "Thank you again, Jack for talking Finklestein into letting me get Citizenship."

"It's long overdue," Jack answered firmly. "You've made Harlequinn's job so much easier with your sewing skills, you've created fantastic creations of chemistry and cookery that have benefited not only the horrid Doctor, but the Town as a whole." He took her head, bending into a bow and dropping a kiss to it. "You're one of us, Sally, and it's about time we made that official!"

Sally's blue skin had never been darker, and Jack swore he could feel Ivy's eyes rolling as she muttered, "Just propose already!"

"That- that's very kind of you," Sally stammered, nearly dropping the package she held behind her back. "I- um- I hope you won't think it improper, Jack, but you've been so kind to me even when I don't understand why-"

Ivy cleared her throat, looking at Sally pointedly. The rag doll nodded with a quick mutter of "oh, right!" and adopted a bizarre stance, shoulders angled and one eye lidded as the other- winked?

"I made you a little something," she said in a lower voice, with the intonation of reading a script. "Just to say thanks for being so wonderful."

This time, Jack could hear the slap of Ivy's head dropping into her hands. "Just give it to him."

"Oh!" Sally pulled the package from behind her back and presented it to Jack. "Thank you, Jack," she said in her usual earnest tone as the skeleton took it, their fingers brushing in the perfect combination of cloth and bone.

"Sally! I didn't get you anything; it's your day!" Jack cried.

"You're giving me Citizenship, Jack," Sally insisted, a soft stitched smile across her face. "I can ask for no greater gift."

Jack could think of no response, and so instead opened the package and gasped.

A new jacket, pants, and bow tie lay inside, a solid black broken up by white stripes. The bat only the bow tie flapped its wings when Sally snapped her fingers, then settled when she ran a finger over the wings. Jack looked at his current outfit, nearly in tatters, and felt the strongest surge of affection for Sally he'd been overwhelmed with yet. He wrapped it up once more and hugged it close to his chest. "Sally...thank you. It's marvelous. You're-"

"It isn't much, I know," Sally babbled, "and anyway, it was Iv- ow!"

Ivy took her foot off Sally's, one arm thrown around the rag doll's shoulders. "All Sally's idea!" She said, grinning. "I got your measurements and Sally did the rest!"

Sally frowned. "But you-"

Ivy kept her painted grin, kicking Sally once more. "C'mon, back to the Manor! I'm sure the others are there by now while you've been staring into each others' eyes."

"We have not-" Jack sputtered.

"Where else would I look?" Sally asked, shutting Jack up and causing Ivy to laugh.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You sure I can't go peek?" Ivy asked Zero as she lay on Jack's sofa cushions. "You won't rat me out, right?"

Zero gave an unimpressed look, growling when she made to sit up. "Alright, alright. Top secret 'you-can-leave-Halloween-if-you-want-even-though-it's-all-you've-ever-known' talk. Got it."

Zero opened his mouth to bark, then his ears perked and he instead yipped happily at something behind Ivy.

The human turned and felt her own jaw drop.

Jack stood next to Sally, impossibly tall in the black and white suit. Instead of the old ragged jacket, this was tailored to him, showing off his lanky form. The bow tie flapped once, and Ivy thought that she'd never seen Jack look prouder. Sally stood next to him, one hand on her chest, and an easy smile on her face. Looking at the two of them together, Ivy was struck with a sudden certainty that the potential couple before her would become real.

"Lookin' good, guys," she said, climbing off the sofa and feeling the bizarre urge to bow.

"Thank you," Sally blushed. Jack looked down at her and smiled.

"Shall we introduce the Town to their newest member?"

Sally nodded and Ivy darted to the door, holding it open and allowing Sally to take Jack's arm and step through the doorway.

The crowd gasped as they stood on the doorstep, and Ivy wondered if this was the first time they were seeing Jack look like the King he truly was.

"Everyone," Jack called, holding Sally's hand aloft, "I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween! This is Sally, our newest Citizen! Welcome, Sally, welcome to-"

"Halloween!" The Town shouted, and Ivy wondered if their auras were glowing as brightly as Sally's smile.

"This is Halloween!" The Mayor yelled, tossing his hat in the air.

"Halloween!"

"Halloween!"

The cheers rose and rose, and even as the pride at seeing her friend fit in swelled in her heart, she couldn't help the pinprick of longing as she stood behind the pair, wondering if it was even her place to cheer and welcome Sally to Town...and if she'd ever be accepted in the same way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Congrats, Sally!" Ivy cheered, pushing her way through the gaggle of monsters outside the Manor. "How's it feel?"

Sally blushed, fingers rubbing the edge of her dress. "It's wonderful," she admitted. "I finally feel as though...I belong." She looked around, and for the first time Ivy saw a true look of peace and contentment on her face. There was almost a wisdom to her now, a kind of glow that came from something besides her aura. Ivy remembered the crystal ball that Zero had stared into, and wondered….

"Thank you for everything," Sally said, and suddenly she was engulfed in a hug, Sally's hair tickling her face and the soft leaves of her body feeling like a cloud. Ivy squeezed her eyes shut and hugged back, burying the thought that she hadn't had a hug from any besides Jack since she fell. Sally hummed into Ivy's ear, one hand gently stroking her hair, and the sudden rush of memories with her mother had the human hold her tighter.

"Not sure I did much," she joked, swallowing down a voice crack as Sally pulled back.

"You gave me life," Sally said, her voice as earnest and loving as always. "Don't think I'll ever forget."

"Yeah." She glanced over the doll, looking for her Mark. "You're the one that did something with it, though."

"What was it like?" She asked, eyes darting around Sally's body.

The rag doll smiled indulgently. "I'm sure I'm not supposed to tell you that," she teased. "Though it was lovely to have Jack explain everything, tell me I was free to leave Town or not accept if I wish...but he didn't seem to want me to."

"Yeah, 'cause he's head over heels for ya," Ivy said, exasperated.

"Then thank goodness I made him new shoes," Sally retorted, her eyes bright with mischief, "so he can stay steady and find some different standards."

Ivy laughed in surprise. "Ok, I dunno what the Citizenship process did to you, but I like it." She gently punched Sally in the shoulder. "You look amazing, by the way. That dress is stunning. In the human way, not Halloween's."

Sally grinned coyly. "It does cover this, though." She glanced around then used one finger to gently tug down the collar of her dress, revealing the stitched outline of a heart.

"Oh, that fits you perfectly," Ivy breathed. "You're a real Citizen now!"

"I can hardly believe it," Sally agreed, grasping Ivy's hand and giving them soft squeeze.

"Alright, doll," Ivy said. "Go find that skeleton man of yours and let him fawn over you, now that you're both looking fresh and awful."

Sally gave her own laugh. "Why did you tell Jack it was my idea when it was yours?"

Ivy shrugged. "You did all the work, and it makes it more special coming just from you, trust me."

"If you say so," the rag doll conceded. "I will go mingle, though. You'll be alright on your own?"

"Half the Town is here to make sure I don't run off," Ivy snorted. "Go. I'll help myself to some snake pie."

With a final smile, Sally was off.

Ivy wandered over to the refreshment table, grateful for the fireflies dancing above- the moon was only half full. She plucked a cookie with a crude depiction of Sally on it, popping it into her mouth. She turned, thinking maybe that she'd mess with Finkelstein while Jack was distracted (he was no doubt sulking somewhere, having fought endlessly with Jack to keep Sally from achieving Citizenship) when she bumped into a solid chest. Her plate of cookies and pie teetered dangerously, and she looked up into…

Large, red eyes...a lethargy spread through her limbs, a pounding beginning in her head. Ice-cold hands with sharp nails took the plate from her hand, pausing to briefly lift the cup of mouse blood to red lips before it was spat out. Ivy tried to speak, to call for Jack, but the pressure behind her eyes increased and the only thing she could see was the deep irises before her.

"Hello, human," Vlad greeted, teeth & fangs flashing as he offered his arm in the same gentlemen-like fashion Jack had to Sally. "Why don't we take a little walk, and you tell me just how you got to Halloween, hmm?"

Here come the Classics!

Thanks to everyone who's been interacting over at the Tricked-out tumblr; posting the illustrations and sneak peaks always get me excited to write!

Chapter 35 will be uploaded in two weeks- see you then!

-Aria