The Skellingtons

Santa

A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading my The Nightmare Before Christmas story, The Skellingtons. This is my first TNBC story so be nice! It will be a series of one-shots based around Jack and Sally's five kids, who will be described in this first chapter. This chapter is a little different because it's told through the point of view of Sandy Claws – er, I mean Santa Claus - but all the other chapters will be through the point of view of one of the Skellingtons (either the kids or Jack or Sally). I have a few one-shots already written so I'll probably update quickly at first, but I can't promise quick updates later on down the road (I'm in college – I have basically no free time).

On a side note, don't worry about remembering all the information in this chapter like the ages of the kids and their personalities – I'll remind you about that stuff with each new chapter. Without further ado, I present, The Skellingtons! Enjoy! (And don't forget to review!) :)

.Paradise

It was rather cold for a January afternoon - colder than usual for Halloween Town, that is. Usually at this time of year, the wind whistles and howls through the dead trees of the Hinterlands and the graveyards. There may even be a biting chill in the air, one that sends shivers down your spine, but never was it this cold. It felt like maybe it could snow. No, it rarely snows in Halloween Town. At least, not without the help of Santa Claus.

The aforementioned jolly fellow, dressed in his signature red coat and hat, and now sporting a green winter cape, traipsed through the woods of the Hinterlands toward the Town Square. It really had been a long time since he had dropped in, he observed. He felt bad about that, but then he remembered that every time he visits the Land of Halloween he gets that lingering, chilling feeling in his bones that doesn't seem to leave until he returns to the bright and cheery Christmas Town. But now, remembering who he was visiting, he couldn't help but feel, well, bright and cheery.

Finally, after that long walk in the woods, the tall, jagged buildings of Halloween Town came into view and Santa entered the Town Square through the large iron gate. The townspeople, who were milling around and cleaning up the remaining bits and pieces of Christmas decorations, noticed Old Saint Nick and shouted cries of welcome and praise to him. He smiled at them and joyfully waved back, talking briefly with some of the citizens and shaking their hands warmly.

After the citizens' enthusiasm finally died down, Santa approached the pumpkin gates and large grey stairs that led to Jack Skellington's observatory house. Santa then remembered it was not just Jack's house anymore - it was the Skellington residence, now home to not only the Pumpkin King but to his beloved wife and Pumpkin Queen, Sally, and their many lovely children. Santa climbed the vast steps to the house and now stood before the black front door - which still had an out-of-place, green Christmas wreath on it - and pulled the spider-shaped doorbell. The familiar sound of ringing and a scream followed and Santa heard a shout of "He's here!" by an excited young voice. The old holiday leader smiled to himself.

The front door was opened by Sally, who was wearing a pretty green and white dress with a cream-colored, stained apron tied around her waist. She beamed when she saw her old friend. "Sandy!" she greeted, calling him by the name they all knew wasn't his real name, but she and Jack still called him that nonetheless. Old habits.

"Hello, my dear," replied Santa, gently grasping her hand and kissing it, which made the rag doll smile. She welcomed him into her home and out of the cold air. "How are you? I know it's been so long since I've dropped in, and for that I sincerely apologize..."

"It's alright, Sandy," assured Sally, guiding them both over to the kitchen table where she had some tea waiting for them. They both sat down as Sally poured the steaming tea into small white teacups. "I realize that you're busy, especially with Christmas just ending a little while ago."

"That is true," said Santa, "and it is also the reason why I finally came to see you. With the holiday season over I have a life again! If only for a little while until I have to start Christmas planning for next year."

Sally chuckled. "I understand completely. Most of the year, especially during October, Jack and I are so busy but once it's November First we can actually relax for once."

"Quite right, my dear," Santa grinned. "But I only wish I had seen more of you all over these past years, especially with the little ones growing so fast."

Sally smiled that smile, the only smile that brightens a mother's face when she thinks about her children. "Yes, they are growing fast. James is a teenager already, and little Katrina is walking and talking now."

"Is she really?" Santa asked in awe. "Why, I remember when the little dear was born. Such a tiny thing, but beautiful nonetheless. Just like her mother." Santa winked, making Sally blush a little.

"I couldn't agree more with that, Sandy."

Both Santa and Sally turned to look at none other than the Pumpkin King himself, leaning against the doorframe with his arms casually crossed and his signature skeleton grin on his skull and, Santa noticed, still looking quite thin. He walked into the kitchen, Zero following him excitedly, and Sandy stood up, shaking his bony hand warmly. "Jack Skellington," greeted Sandy. "It's good to see you."

Jack's grin widened and he chuckled. "Those are words I never thought I'd hear from you, Sandy. But it's good to see you too."

Santa laughed. "Oh, you know I'm rather fond of you now, Skeleton Man," he joked.

Jack laughed as well, releasing his hand and going over to his wife, greeting her with a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I brought all the kids home in one piece," he told her, smiling.

Sally smiled back at him. "That's nice to hear, for once," she quipped playfully. "I can't remember the last time you took all the kids out to the pumpkin patch and no one lost a bone or ripped their stitches."

"Yes, well, I promised them that if they were on their best behavior today, then they would MAYBE get to see Sandy Claws." Jack winked at Santa who merely responded with a shake of the head. Zero barked happily at the jolly old fellow and Santa pet his translucent fur.

"I've got to hand it to you, Jack, you've certainly learned some tricks about how to tame children," observed Santa. "And that's a good skill to have, I assure you."

"Oh, believe me," Jack replied, "that skill has come in handy over the years. I couldn't have survived without it."

The three adults laughed. As they sat back down and returned to their tea they heard the sound of laughter and playful screams coming from outside.

"The children are playing outside in the snow," Jack explained. "James is watching them, don't worry," he added when Sally looked a little worried.

"Snow?" she asked. "It wasn't snowing today, last I checked."

"It started to snow just as we were coming home. I suppose it has something to do with you, Sandy?" Jack inquired mischievously, turning to his fellow Holiday Leader.

"Perhaps," replied Old Saint Nick mysteriously, that familiar twinkle appearing in his eye. "It's just too cold here not to snow. And I assumed the little ones love to play in the snow, I'll bet that's a sight to behold."

"Oh yes, they love playing in the snow," said Sally, the motherly smile returning to her soft blue face. "In fact, I should go check on them and make sure they're all bundled up. You know how Nick loves to run around outside without a coat on," she added to Jack, who nodded in grim agreement.

Sally politely excused herself and went outside, grabbing a scarf and jacket before doing so. Zero yipped and followed her outside to go play in the snow with the children. Jack looked over at Santa eagerly.

"Would you like to go outside, Sandy?" he asked. "We could watch the children play out there and finish our tea. That is, if it's not too cold for you."

"That sounds fine," Santa agreed. And so the odd pair brought their hot tea and warm coats and scarves outside, sitting on two wooden chairs they brought out from the kitchen. From high up on the steps to the observatory house, they could see nearly all of Halloween Town: the Town Square, the Town Hall, the houses of the residents of the town, and even most of the Hinterlands. Looking down, they saw Sally and the four or five Skellington children - plus Zero, of course - playing in the snow around the town fountain. Some other residents, including the Corpse Child, Undersea Gal, and even the Mayor, had crept out of their houses upon noticing the flurry of sparkling white outside. Everyone in the Town Square proceeded to take advantage of the rare weather anomaly: they made snow angels, had snowball fights, even caught snowflakes on their tongues. The Skellington children in particular were having the time of their afterlives.

And speaking of them, Jack and Santa were currently having a discussion about the children. Jack was describing each one for Santa, giving details about their personalities and appearances and talking about how fast they were growing.

"Now, how old is James?" inquired Santa as he watched the children make a snowman. "He is the oldest, right?"

"Yes, James is the oldest," confirmed Jack, pointing out his son, although he really didn't need pointing out because he was so tall. James was the spitting image of his father, with his thin frame, pale white bones, and large black eye sockets. The main distinguishing feature of James, however, was his smile - it was smaller than Jack's and very much looked like Sally's smile because the corners of his mouth looked like they were stitched together. But he had the trademark Skellington grin nonetheless. "And he just turned sixteen not too long ago," continued Jack.

"Sixteen? My, how the time flies! I remember when Sally was pregnant with him. Boy, the first child's always the hardest, isn't it?"

Jack laughed. "Yes, that's a true statement if I ever heard one."

"What's he like?" asked Santa, taking another sip of his warm tea.

Jack copied Santa and took a sip of his tea, too. He thought for a moment as he did so. "James is...he reminds me a lot of, well, me," he chuckled. "I mean, he's very into Halloween and he always helps me plan it every year, without fail. And he does a fantastic job at it, let me tell you. Planning events and things is his forté, I think. But he's a very kind and giving soul as well; he's always there for his little siblings, even when they annoy him to no end. I'm..." Jack smile a little to himself. "I'm very proud of who he's growing up to be."

Santa reciprocated Jack's smile. "Sounds to me like he's a fine young man," he observed. Jack nodded in agreement. "Now, I believe Eve is the second oldest, correct?" asked Santa, pointing to the tall ragdoll girl who was currently engaging in a snowball fight with the male children. Her skin was a lovely blue, like Sally's, but unlike anyone else in her family, Eve had straight, jet black hair that came down just past her shoulders. She had a grin that could rival even Jack's and she seemed to bounce when she walked and talked because she did everything with enthusiasm and purpose.

At the mention of his oldest daughter, Jack's face instantly lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh yes," he confirmed. "Evie's starting to grow up fast, too. She's...she has quite a large personality, let's just put it at that," he explained with a laugh. "She loves to talk and sing and be the center of attention."

"She picked up your flair for theatricality, it seems," joked Santa.

Jack thought about that for a moment, then grinned. "Yes, I suppose so. But she's definitely unique. She has a good heart, though."

Santa nodded. "And then there's...?"

"Your namesake. Nicholas." Jack grinned, indicating the red-haired, freckled ragdoll boy who always seemed to have a Cheshire cat grin on his light blue face. He was somewhat short for his age but he walked with an air of confidence that made him seem older than he was. However, his mischievous persona made him childlike. "We all call him Nick most of the time," explained Jack, "but he's still Nicholas when he's in trouble. And believe me, he's in trouble a lot."

"Is he really?" questioned Santa, a little disappointed that his namesake was a troublemaker.

"Yes indeed. You know, it's quite amusing to me that though you two both share the same name, you are very different. For one thing, Nick's always pulling pranks and trying to scare people...He could even give Lock, Shock, and Barrel a run for their money."

"Ah..." responded Santa a little sadly.

"But you know," added Jack with a bit of a smile, "you and Nick do share one thing in common. Something that's very important, I think."

"Oh really?" asked Santa, a tad apprehensive about what Jack might say. "And what might that be?"

Jack's smile grew. "You both love to make people happy. Nick is always telling jokes to get a laugh and he can cheer you up no matter how bad you feel. It's like a superpower he has."

Santa thought pensively for a moment...and then reciprocated Jack's smile. "I like that," he responded happily.

"Me too," Jack replied honestly. "So then, after Nick comes Jill." He pointed out a small skeleton girl with pearl-white bones and curly auburn hair. Her big, black eye sockets were large and expressive, and her smile looked like Jack's but it was smaller and more shy. She was sitting by herself in the snow, creating a tiny little snowman and showing it off to Zero, who wagged his tail at it gleefully. "Jill keeps to herself a lot and is kind of shy, but once you start talking to her she can go on and on about any subject. She loves to read, and even though she's only seven she has quite a thirst for knowledge. She's very smart."

"Indeed," agreed Santa, "any child who embraces learning as strongly as she does at her age is something to be proud of."

Jack beamed. "I am proud of her. I'm proud of all my children."

"As you should be," agreed Santa with a nod. "And the last one is..."

"Katrina," answered Jack. Last and least, Katrina was a tiny little thing, but she looked the most like Sally. Her beautiful skin tone and hair length and color matched her mother's perfectly. Katrina even shared Sally's shy smile, but what made her different was her tiny little freckles, like flecks of cinnamon sprinkled on a sugar cookie. She gave off an air of trepidation which seemed unusual for her age, but anyone who laid eyes on her instantly fell in love with her. "We usually call her Kitty, though," said Jack. "And I call her 'buttons' from time to time," he added with a chuckle. "She likes that."

"What's she like?" inquired Santa curiously. "I haven't seen her as much as I have your other children, so I feel as though I don't know her as well."

"Kitty..." Jack started, trying to find the right words. "She...well truthfully, she reminds me the most of Sally of all our kids."

"How so?"

"Well, she's quite shy - even more so than Jill. But she is so kind and giving and sweet. When she loves someone, she really loves them with her whole heart."

"That really does sound like Sally," said Santa, and Jack nodded pensively.

"Kitty even looks a lot like her. But you know, the one thing that makes her different from Sally is she gets scared very easily. She likes nice, pretty things; she hates the dark and loud noises and things like that. She's not as into Halloween and scaring people as the rest of us are, and I kind of worry about her for that." Jack sighed a little. "I just really hope she doesn't grow up to hate Halloween."

"I'm sure she won't, Jack," Santa reassured. "After all, she's just a little girl and sometimes the most seemingly harmless things can seem scary to a child."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," agreed Jack. He sat back in his chair a little and smiled good-naturedly. "But anyway, she's a perfect little angel and I wouldn't change anything about her."

"Hmm," Santa hummed happily. He sighed quietly and stared out into the cloudy grey sky. "In all honesty, Jack, I never would have expected you to settle down and raise a family this wonderful."

Jack grinned with pride. "Why thank you, Sandy...I think," he added, realizing the meaning behind the old Holiday Leader's words.

Santa merely laughed.

xXx

Hours later, the luminous pumpkin sun started to dim as it sank past the horizon, ushering in the dark, cold night. Everyone headed inside as they became too tired and too cold to play in the snow anymore and ate a delicious dinner of pumpkin soup and spiced bread. The children all fawned over Santa Claus, of course; with all the Christmas stories they were told by their parents, they had all been dying to get acquainted with the jolly old spirit of the holidays. He received them gleefully, always loving to bring a smile to a child's face.

After the pleasant meal and conversation, the children raced off to play with their favorite Christmas toy from the haul this year: a xylophone. They made discordant music with it as the adults cleared off the table and retreated into the living room with the children, Santa resting on the blood-red armchair, the married couple sitting next to each other on the large black sofa, and Zero settled in his tiny bed in front of the blazing fireplace.

"Well, you two, this certainly was quite an eventful day," said Santa

"Oh yes, it was," agreed Sally. "And we can't thank you enough for visiting." She gently grasped her husband's hand. "The children simply adored seeing you, as always."

"Well, they are all positively wonderful children," Santa complimented, making the proud parents blush.

"Mommy, come hear the song we just learned!" called out one of the children. Sally chuckled a little and got up, going over to the children and listening to the weird little tune they played in their xylophone band.

"Jack..." started Santa, remembering something he had thought of long ago and taking the opportunity to speak with Jack alone. "There's something I wanted to ask you. Well, it's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now..."

Curious, Jack leaned in and inquired, "What is it?"

"I've always wondered...that is, ever since that night...or should I go back farther...?" Santa could not collect his thoughts cohesively and pondered how he should ask his question. He sighed briefly, but then a thought came to him. He closed his eyes for a moment and sent his mind back to the past. The words now effortlessly came to him, slowly and softly.

"Do you remember the night when the sky was so dark and the moon shone so bright? When a million small children pretending to sleep nearly didn't have Christmas at all, so to speak? And would, if you could, turn that mighty clock back to that long, fateful night - now, think carefully, Jack - would you do the whole thing all over again, knowing what you know now, knowing what you knew then?"

Jack paused for a moment, taking in the question. He never forgot that night, and most certainly never will. He looked over at his children, his wife, his home. If that night had never happened...if he had never discovered Christmas Town or brought the holiday back with him or risked his life to save his friends...Or realized his feelings for Sally...Jack then knew his answer. And he smiled, like the old pumpkin king that Santa knew, then turned, and asked softly of him,

"Wouldn't you?"