AN: And the smexiness continues. Sweet mother of mutation, how did my laptop not catch fire after writing this? Enjoy!

Jack's eye sockets widened with interest. "A secret, huh? Care to share?"

"Maybe…" Sally replied, "but you first!"

"Hmmm…" Jack hummed thoughtfully before snickering, flashing a wicked grin at her. "Now why would I do that? I say the one pinned to the bed is a bit more inclined to spill their secret."

"Ah, but you forget, we made a deal," she challenged, recalling something that would put the ball back in her court. "You said that you would tell me your secret if I let you in. Well, I've let you inside, and you've still yet to tell me a thing. Are you saying that because you've pinned me to your bed, that now you won't tell me?"

"Uh, yeah, that's the gist of it," he replied simply, though humor colored his tone. It also didn't help that he wiggled his brow mischievously when he answered.

"Why I never! Of all the nerve!" Sally huffed. "Are you telling me that you, the Pumpkin King, is the type who goes back on his word?"

Jack's smile widen as he leaned in closer. "You are terribly cute when you get all huffy like this, my dearest little doll." He looked awfully smug as he teased her and even stole a kiss, quickly pulling away with a laugh when she tried to bite him. "Now look who doesn't like getting called cute!"

"That I have no problem with. It's the juvenile way my supposed refined fiancé is behaving," she quipped while Jack smiled like the Cheshire Cat. Sally tried to retaliate, but Jack's grip on her held her in place. "Argh! I swear, if my hands were free, I'd bop you with a pillow right now!"

"I know you would, which would just end up with you hitting me harder because I'd be too busy cackling to stop you." Jack chuckled through a toothy smirk. "Anything else you'd like to say, or do you prefer trying to huff and puff your way out again? Either way, I'm in no rush. I don't have my meeting until around lunchtime today. I had a nice breakfast this morning, a fantastic shower, and now I'm enjoying my bed while quite comfy on top of my sassy little fiancée."

"Fine! Go ahead and see if you get another willing kiss from me, Mr. Skellington," Sally continued, that formidable smirk teasing at her lips. "Here I was thinking I'd get to know this little secret of yours—the one you promised to tell me—and then we could continue where we left off earlier. But now…" She feigned a yawn. "Now I'm feeling awfully tired. Perhaps I'll go back to sleep."

"You're kidding, right?" Jack arched his brow, not at all convinced with those supposed yawns of hers.

"You heard me," she replied, feigning another yawn. "After all, I was up rather late last night being vigorously loved by a true Halloween Casanova. Then this morning I too enjoyed a lovely breakfast and a wonderful shower, both shared with my perfectly romantic fiancé, but seems he's been replaced with a taunting tomcat who deceived me into opening the door for him. So, yes, I'm not in any mood to play games with you. Perhaps you'll let me know when my dearest fiancé gets back?"

Jack did his best to pout stubbornly, but he was having a hard time fighting off a smile. The expression came out looking like a funny cross between the two that made the corners of his skeletal lips twitch.

"You brought it on yourself, darling," Sally continued taunting. "All you had to do was tell me your secret."

"Ah, but how is a man to think when he has such a lovely sight of a nightmarish vision trapped beneath him? I can think of much better things to…discuss…than some silly secret…"

"Oh really? Well, that's too bad."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Sally gave him a coy smirk, arching to look at him with hooded eyes. "Because if you do that for me, then I might do something for you."

Jack now smiled in interest. "And what might that be, clever little vixen?"

Sally huffed and turned her head away, eyes closed as her mouth set in a firm line. She was making it very clear that she wouldn't answer until she got what she was promised.

"So stubborn…" Jack huffed in amusement then sighed deeply in defeat. "Alright, alright. I know when I've been bested."

He lowered their hands so that they rested comfortably beside Sally's head instead of over it.

At the motion, Sally cracked open her eye to see what he was up to. Jack caught her staring and smiled innocently. She quickly turned away with shut her eyes again. If anyone was going to speak, it was going to be him. Besides, when it came to the Quiet Game, Sally was the better player. Jack could remain silent for a scare, but when it came to just the two of them alone, he absolutely hated to be ignored.

Jack sighed again, rolling his eye sockets as he muttered under his breath something rude in another language. He looked thoughtful, trying to recall what he had started to say in shower before his mind was completely consumed by passion-tinted thoughts of a very wet and bare rag doll.

"Now where did I leave off…or should I just start from the beginning again?" he murmured to himself.

Still not getting a reply from the self-silenced future queen beneath him. She still had yet to look at him and it was starting to annoy him like it usually did, which led to the foreign swearing. Meanwhile, Sally remained calm and collected, though if one could peer into her mind, they would know it was taking every ounce of concentration for her not to laugh. The fact Jack was now obviously swearing in another language meant that he was getting frustrated far more quickly than usual.

Inwardly she smirked. Someone's a little more anxious than usual. I wonder why?

Jack shot her a dry look. "I know you're enjoying this, but I'm not going to accidentally swear in English like I did last time."

He hadn't been able to look her in the eyes out of sheer mortification when that happen. Though it had been Old English, nonetheless, Sally had stared at him and started laughing to the point of tears while he blanched brightly and proceeded to hide his skull. It took her a few tries to stop her giggling while she attempted to persuade him that she wasn't offended, nor was she making fun of his slip of the tongue before he retrieved his faintly blanching skull from its hiding spot.

Jack frowned. Sally still refused to give him a verbal responsive, but it was very clear she was finding their predicament, particularly his frustration, to be amusing.

"I felt that. At least it let's me know that I'm not completely being ignored…" he griped, frowning before his lips turned into a faint smile again. "Alright then… Guess I'll just start over from the beginning."

Jack half shrugged, letting go of Sally's hands so that he could cup her cheek and gently turn her to face him. He chuckled when her eyes blinked open, watching and waiting as curiosity glittered in their depths.

"Sally, do you remember I started to mention about how I'm far too used to people only ever praising or submitting to me?"

Sally shrugged her shoulders, now giving him a ghost of a smile. "…Maybe…"

Jack huffed good-naturedly and continued. "Well, that's something I dealt with even before I became Pumpkin King, all the way back to when I was just Jack Skellington, son of Samuel and Clairese Skellington. Although," Jack mused with another half shrug, "it wasn't too bad when I was growing up, despite my father's reputation as a phenomenal scarer."

Jack grew quiet, sockets unclear as memories filtered through his mind.

"Nonetheless, my parents were both humble monsters and taught me to be the same—to accept the praise with grace even when it gets a bit old. Once I got older and my parents were gone, the praise was still there, but now it was solely focused on me as I began making a name for myself."

Hearing this intrigued her. It was not often Jack talked about his past, and Sally had certainly never heard him mention his family before. She had wanted to ask but never knew how to start. Oh, sure, she knew a bit of his family history that Dr. Finklestein kept in his records of the town, but she never really knew anything beyond the facts. This was getting into personally territory that was only shared with someone trusted. She felt honored.

Using her forearms, Sally pushed herself up and leaned back on her elbows. Once she was comfortable, she looked back at Jack, nodding for him to continue.

"I left Halloween Town for many years, traveling both our world and areas in the Living Realm. I was intrigued to find that there where many different types of monsters and spirits who lived secretly among humans. I learned much that helped me grow as a person, as well as honing my own style of scaring." He paused, cracking a smile, and laughed faintly. "I even interacted with humans through the centuries, both with and without a disguise, like many of the locals did."

A laugh burst out of Jack's smiling mouth as he recalled one memory and the silliness it invoked. "Sweet Samhain!"

"What is it, Jack?"

"I'm remembering the first time I used an enchanted talisman—it was so bizarre seeing myself as a human!" he exclaimed, rolling off of Sally and slapping his hands over his eye sockets. He couldn't stop laughing as the image came to mind of when he first looked at his disguise. "I didn't think I'd feel that short again. I mean, as a teenager, yes, but I'd already hit my growth spurt and overshot my father by a good inch or two…"

Sally laughed along with him. She turned on her side and propped her head on her hand, the other resting over her hip and stomach. "Sounds like quite the experience," she said, loving seeing such giddiness in her lover. "But Jack, I don't understand… What does this all have to do with your secret? I'm afraid this mystery has me baffled."

"W-well…" Jack sniffed, wiping a few tears from his eyes as he got ahold of his laughter. "I just wanted to explain a bit of background that you might not know about me, Sally. I felt like sharing some of this would help better explain my secret as well as just how much you mean to me—not just romantically—since you are a part of my secret."

"Oh, is that so?" Jack nodded. "Well then, please, do continue," she said, making herself more comfortable. "I'm starting to think your curiosity is rubbing off on me, Jack. I can't wait to see how these pieces of the puzzle all fit together."

Chuckling at her comment, Jack took a deep breath then let it all out slowly before he resumed.

"Well, during my travels, I met many interesting people—both human and non human—but those who treated me as Jack Skellington first and then Skeleton Jack, or whatever name I had earned, were very few and far in between…" He grew quiet again, staring up at the ceiling, his hands folded across the front of his spine where his stomach would be.

Sally stole a glance around the room. With all the knickknacks and photographs displayed about the area, she had no doubt about Jack's claim. Several of the black and white photographs were taken with creatures Sally had never seen before. Five in particular had caught her eye, mostly because the man—a mortal man no less with an apparent love of cigars—who stood beside Jack seemed to share in her beloved's pension for pinstripe-styled suites. One of the photographs captured Jack and the pinstripe man while they were standing atop a ceiling as a bald man wearing robes stood beneath them. Another showed Jack and the bald man beside an electrical chair. Jack was at the switch, ready to flip it on, whilst the bald man was strapped into the chair holding a lightbulb in his mouth. The two seemed excited.

Shaking her head at the rascals, she turned to two other photographs. One was of Jack playing chess with a disembodied hand, clearly about to lose by the scowl on his skull. The other was a wide angle to capture an enormous creature standing beside Jack. Her beloved was barely tall enough to reach the other's shoulder. Sally remembered the first time she had seen it, asking how anyone could possibly be taller than Jack. His only reply was that every creature is different, and that it was nice to look up to speak to someone for a change. The memory made her smile.

The final photograph had been her favorite. It was another with the pinstripe man, only this time he and Jack were locked in a heated duel. Both held their rapiers with the skill of master duelists, each displaying a wild and crazed grin. What Sally liked best about this particular photograph, aside from the impressive look of how they handled their weapons; Sally found she could not take her eyes from how they were dressed. Each had done away with their suit jacket, leaving them in only their dress shirts, the white contrasting the black suspenders nicely.

The two were quit the dashing pair, and despite the ferocity of the duel, anyone could tell the man and skeleton had been close friends.

Sally sighed. That had been almost two years ago, and Jack told her he had regrettably lost touch with his old friend. Perhaps she should insist Jack to reconnect with him. She would love to meet the man and his family, and now that she was thinking of it, Jack had neglected to choose a best man. Will and Al agreed to be her bridesmaids but there was no one to stand beside Jack, other than Zero, who would be carrying the rings.

Oh, now what did Jack say the man's name was? Sally thought. Something with a J or G? No, definitely G. Gordon? Or was it Emenez? I know it was something Adam…

"Sally?"

Sally refocused her thoughts to the present. "Sorry. Did you say something, Jack?"

"No, no, darling," he assured, having turned his skull to the side to look at her. "You just looked terribly thoughtful and then your expression turned rather pensive. I was wondering what was on your mind is all, love."

"Just thinking." She scooted closer to him. "It can wait. I don't want you to lose you train of thought," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "You were saying about meeting interesting people?"

Jack gave a little nod. "Yes, many interesting people, but like in most cases, the good comes with the bad…" he admitted. "It's like a scale. The more my name spread, the less privacy or freedom I had in casual settings…" He frowned in the way one does when remembering something that leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Jack let out a short, dry laugh while rubbing the bridge of his nose. He opened his eye sockets again to look bemusedly up at the ceiling.

"So once I returned, I put all my focus into Halloween and everything else I pushed aside. Eventually, this lead me to becoming Pumpkin King when I applied everything that I learned," Jack said with a small smile, growing quiet again before he furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I guess...I didn't realize how much of that longing I had been suppressing until I stumbled upon Christmas Town."

"Oh Jack…" Sally cooed, placing her hand over his. "I can't imagine how you must have felt all those years."

"True, it was hard, until I met you, Sally. You were the first in a long time to ever want to be around Jack and not my title." He chuckled. "I wonder how my life might have been if a certain dolly had existed back in the late eighteenth century?" He turned and flashed her a charming grin. "I bet you'd have made quite the fetching sight in Victorian fashion, my dear."

"I'd give anything to go back then and give Dr. Finklestein my blueprints. That way you wouldn't have had to wait for me."

"Sally, I may have had to wait to meet my dearest friend, but I'll tell you this." Jack turned to look at her, an adoring smile on his face as he gently nuzzled his forehead against her hair. "The wait was definitely worth it in the end." Gazing lovingly into her eyes, he entwined their hands and brought hers up to his lips.

Sally returned the smiled. "I'm just sorry you had to wait in the first place."

"It was out of our hands, love. Fate works in mysterious ways that even the undead have difficulty predicting."

"Even so…" Sally drew her hand back and caressed his cheekbone. "I believe you've waited long enough. Too long in fact." She moved so that she lay on top of him, her satin robe the only barrier between them.

Jack gulped and chuckled roughly, noting how her body molded perfectly into his. "Sally…wh-what're you doing, love?" Sockets raptly focused on her, shifting so that he was on his elbows, and leaned upwards.

"Just making up for lost time," she answered, her voice regaining a playful tone as she traced her finger along his bones. "That, and I believe I have yet to be held accountable for this morning. Now that you've told me your secret, I feel just awful about the way I behaved. It was rather wicked of me to tease you as I did." She feigned a pout and pressed closer to him, her finger tracing circles over his phantom heart. "My poor love. You've been through so much…"

Jack gazed at her, love and lust darkening his sockets all the more. "Come now, Babydoll, I did just say that the wait was worth it in the end now, didn't I?" he asked as she slowly rose off his chest and sat up, her robe slipping from her shoulders. All she had to do was breath and it would fall away. Jack groaned, tilting his head with a hand over his eyes and a shaky smile on his mouth.

"I swear, you'll be the end of me if you keep doing things like that…"

"Oh no, don't fade away just yet, Bone Daddy. I fully intend to serve out my sentence," she said, now looking down at him coyly. "You said it yourself, my love, that there are consequences for teasing the Pumpkin King."

He barked out a laugh and shivered, muttering about dangerous words as she leaned in closer, pushing him back down onto the mattress. Her hair fell forward, creating a red curtain around them, her soft breath tickling his cheekbones. Her hands came on either side of him, slowly making their way up his ribcage that left a trail of fire in their wake, making Jack rattle as he rested his head back on the bed.

Sally came in closer, knowing by how his flames were beginning to show what her actions were doing to him. "I'll take whatever I deserve for teasing the king, my King…"

Jack let out a rough, shuddery laugh. "Don't tempt me, my Bride…" he groaned, bringing his hands to rest on the top of her hip and small of her back, cracking open an eye socket to peek up at her, only to snap it shut once he caught sight of her looking so heavenly and sinful.

"Sweet Samhain…probably would have spirited you away if I had known…" he trailed off with a murmur, shaking his skull with crooked little smile.

"Well then, my Groom…" Sally purred into his ear, teasing the area with her lips before replying in a breathy whisper, "… What's stopping you?"

"Not what I meant, darling," Jack growled, quickly flipping their positions so that he hovered over her, one hand resting by her side where he anchored his weight, while the other slid down her upper hip to trace down to the back of her thigh. "Though, I assure you, that nothing is going to stop me from taking advantage of all this lovely free time before my meeting."

Sally shivered under his touch. Jack knew how sensitive the skin around her seams was, and he was clearly keeping true to his word about taking full advantage. His eyes studied her hungrily, and she followed that gaze down. She saw that her robe had fallen back, barely covering her chest while a long opening exposed part of her stomach. Catching onto this, Jack removed his hand from her thigh and focused on the folds of her robe. He moved the fabric aside, his fingers brushing her stomach, causing a stuttered laugh to escape her lips at the ticklish sensation.

Hearing that, Jack's sockets flashed with interest and he began tracing his finger along the seams lining her stomach, especially the area around her navel, as he recalled that being particularly sensitive when touched. His actions earned him another of her little stuttery gasps, which he responded to with the deep purr of her name. "…Sally…" The octave low and rough that it rumbled depth from within his chest.

"J-Jack…" Sally couldn't think as he continued teasing her. Her mind wasn't even aware her hands were free and she could try to block him. She continued to tense under his touches, trying not to laugh as he tickled her. "…Jack…"

Jack keep crooning her name, smile growing with each of her gasps and sighs. He moved his hand away and leaned down, grinning mouth parallel to the top of her stomach, and brushed an opened mouth kiss almost leisurely there.

Sally gasped, her stomach contracting from the sensation. Her hands gripped tightly to the sheets as Jack continued trailing torturously slow kisses around her stomach, teasing her skin with warm swift caresses, saving the longer kisses for her navel. She moaned from the pleasure it sent through her, her body tensing and wriggling from the onslaught.

Jack chuckled huskily amongst his kisses, still taking his time, but steadily moving upward after lingering by the spot above her navel. He deliberately breathed upon that patch of skin, sockets flickering down at his faded mark from last night, then back up at his trembling lover's face. Sally looked at him through her dark lashes, her pupils dilated with desire. How she parted her deep red lips to take in slow breathes with a fetching blush upon her cheeks that spread down her neck.

"What I meant, darling," he breathed against her skin, "was that if I had known from the moment I first saw your breathtaking self that I was to be yours as you are mine… I would have spirited you away the second I knew your feelings…" He leaned down, tenderly kissing his mark.

"Damn the Doctor's protests–" He moved higher. "–damn the gossip." He moved higher still until he hovered over the mark between her breasts.

"And damn my title. You are far more precious," Jack whispered devotedly over the crackling flames that now blanketed his back and arms. "Besides…" He bent down even closer, eyes still locked with Sally's as his mouth hung but an inch away from her skin.

"… We're simply meant to be…" And with that truth, Jack closed his eyes kissed her.

Sally couldn't take it. Her grip tightened on the sheets, her legs twisting with her robe as Jack continued ravishing her. His sensuous kisses caused her to sigh and gasp, moan and mewl to the point she wasn't sure if it was her or him. And the confession he made to her, declaring she was more precious to him than anything else in the world. Oh, if Jack hadn't been holding her so tight, she swore she would have burst at the seams, seams that her fiancé was currently devouring like she was the last piece of Halloween candy.

If this was the price she paid for tempting her lover, then it was one she'd gladly pay over and over again.

"Yes…simply meant…to be…" she whispered, so softly it sounded like the coo of a dove. "Oh Jack…my love…my King…"

Jack growled low against her skin. "My Sally… my heart and soul…"

His kisses began moving up her neck, pausing only for him to nip at the stitching along her collarbone before he attended to her naked shoulder. Already his Pumpkin Fire had encased his body in a fiery display. The heat warmed her skin, making Sally close her eyes and lean back against the bed, her hands releasing the sheets to rest on either side of her head.

She tilted to the side to grant him full access to her neck when he was done, knowing how much he loved to kiss her there. She loved the feeling. The way his lips caressed her skin while his teeth, though sharp and frightening, tenderly nibbled her sensitive stitches in way that both delighted and thrilled herself. Instead of taking her offered neck, Jack moved to her other shoulder, nipping and kissing her as he went. His hands squeezed her hips possessively while his thumbs stroked the sides of her belly, causing her to squirm from the ticklishly pleasurable sensation.

Her fists grasped the bedsheets over her head again. She couldn't suppress a giggle as he unintentionally tickled her, causing her leg to brush against Jack's femur. Suddenly, one of his hands moved and grabbed onto her thigh, bringing her leg up to hook over his hipbone. Sally felt her robe slide away, her full leg now pressed firmly to him while his hand explored, keeping a firm hold of her. Just as Sally thought she couldn't take much more, Jack's other hand moved under her, his long fingers splayed over her back to lift her up ever so slightly. Never breaking his stride, Jack continued his assault, dragging his lips slowly down to the top of her breasts, deeply kissing the area before dragging his lips back to tenderly bite her neck.

Sally bit her lip to hold back a rather loud moan that came out a high pitched whimper. What this man's teeth did to her skin should be a crime! She fisted the bedsheets but the hold wasn't enough. Without thinking, she brought her hands up and grabbed his shoulders, perhaps a little more roughly than intended, pulling him closer to her. She wanted to be closer.

"Jack…please…"

"No begging, my angel," he mouthed against her neck in that smokey, honeyed husk of a tone that promised many terribly wonderful things. "You need only ask what you crave…" He let the words linger in the air, then wrapped his lips around the space between Sally's neck and collar, and hungrily sucked which ripped a cry from Sally as she raked her nails down his back.

"But…" She gasped when she felt his tongue on her. "Can't… Can't I…"

Continuing to tenderly lap at the new love bite, Jack pulled back and lazily admired his newest mark before moving on. "Can't what?" he asked, giving her another kiss along her jawline. "You'll have to be more specific…"

Her mind clouded in a fog of desire. She tried to focus on what she wanted, but for the love of Halloween, it was hard! Jack seemed to be finding new ways to send her into a whole other world of pleasure. She barely had a chance to wonder what their honeymoon would be like if he kept this up. Part of her blushed at the thought. Maybe it would be even wilder than this? She couldn't imagine how it could.

Feeling like she was regaining a little more of her senses, Sally glided her hands from Jack's spine along his ribcage, letting her fingers brush the spaces between the bones.

Jack stilled in the midst of his kisses and shivered, breath hitching as he rested his forehead against the side of her head. Sally certainly knew how to get his attention, though he was getting lost in the feel of her delicate hands playing over his bones, much like a concert pianist playing a symphony. He took the top of her ear between his teeth to give him something to focus on, earning a squeak followed by an airy giggle once he started nibbling on her earlobe with a playful growl.

"What I was trying to say is…" Sally asked in a low voice, attempting not to give in to his ministrations. "Won't you let me love you?" She blew on his neck teasingly. "It's not fair if you get to have all the fun, my sinfully sensuous skeletal love."

Jack gave her earlobe a light tug then released it, a puff of laughter fluttering against some of the loose strands of red hair on her face as he leaned his neck away from her treacherous mouth. "Forgive me for being rather greedy, dearest, but I just love spoiling you with all my desire." He chuckled throatily.

"As do I, love, but wouldn't you like some attention too?" Sally offered, her hands lingering on his lower ribs, smiling as they rattled from her touch. "I think your bones would agree that all this focus on little me has them feeling neglected…"

Sally leaned over and kissed his sternum, loving the feel of his flames as they brushed her skin. She nuzzled his chest with her nose before mimicking Jack's previous assault, peppering his collarbone with soft kisses while his bones rattled louder. Sally smirked through each kiss.

Jack let out a shaky laugh, a dopey skeleton grin on his face, and sockets unfocused. "Ooh-hoo, darling dolly, I think you might be on to something with that theory!" Jack exclaimed happily, the hand that was under her back now grabbed at the sheets beneath them. "Now, how about we add on to it?" he persuaded, bobbing his brow rascally at her and giving the sheets another tug.

Sally paused to look at him, fluttering her eyelashes sweetly. "Ooo! What exactly did you have in mind?" she inquired, sneaking one of her hands through his ribs to trace little circles on his spine.

Jack groaned and laughed weakly as he rested his skull against the crown of her head. "That feels really nice…and it's really distracting…" He sighed, happily planting soft kisses along the seams of her face. "I was thinking it was high time we…" The hand on her leg having sneakily moved up, a devilish gleam in his eye when he suddenly stopped, sockets widening as he registered what he didn't feel under his fingertips.

"Uh, Sally? Are you not…"

Sally giggled, letting her nails dig into the grooves of his vertebrae. "Well, dearest, when one plays a game of Cat and Mouse with her devilishly wicked fiancé—wearing nothing but a towel and having her hands occupied with her lover's skull—it leaves very little time for a lady to grab more than a little robe to cover herself."

Jack blanched and shuttered, letting his hand slide back down as his bones rattled. "So you mean to tell me…" he questioned, swallowing thickly, "that all this time…you, my dearest little doll, have been in a man's bedroom with only–" The hand on her leg having moved up and playfully tugged on the loose belt of her satin robe. "–to cover this curvaceous body of yours?"

"Oh? Does that bother you?" Sally arched her leg closer, dragging her toe along his fibula and tibia.

Jack regained his devilish glare as he easily pulled away the length of fabric to reveal more of his beloved. "Not in the least," he purred through a smirk, the word with a touch of excitement in his tone. "I was just thinking… Perhaps, we could…get under these covers and let ourselves get lost in how generous we both want to be to each other. We certainly won't want to have neglected anything we might have missed last night, right Sally-doll?"

"Oh, no indeed, we wouldn't want to do that," Sally replied, sitting up to meet his eye socket, one hand going behind her to help prop herself on the bed. Thanks to Jack slipping off the belt, her robe slipped from her shoulders like water while her hair fell over the front her shoulders.

Jack's eyes widened as now only Sally's fall-colored hair remained the only thing keeping his roaming eye sockets from taking in her full, natural beauty. Sally giggled and continued teasing along his spine.

"There's just one thing though…" She let her hand slowly move down until she reached the top of his boxers. She smirked and playfully tugged, snapping the waistband of his underwear and making Jack flinch in surprise.

Sally had a devilish gleam in her eyes as she tugged again. "One of us is wearing far too much."

Jack gulped. "We-we'll have to remedy that…" He gave a shaky laugh, words becoming harder to intelligently express with his lover looking at him like a cat does its prey.

"Why darling? What's the matter?" Sally inquired, keeping her hold on his waistband while one finger softly stroked the side of his spine. "Has the Master of Fright lost his confidence over such a little thing as to what I wear? Or…"

Jack suddenly found himself in his back, his legs entangled with hers that left him pinned to the bed. His eye sockets stared up at a vision that sparked his rattling bones into a blaze. Sally hovering over him, her eyes watching him hungrily, her hands pressed on either side of his skull while her devil red lips pursed as she spoke in a seductive tone.

"Is he merely stunned by the fact he's no longer in control of the situation?"

Jack swallowed thickly, feeling his phantom heart hammering somewhere between his chest and throat. "Y-Yes, let's go with that…" he breathlessly replied.

"Oh? That didn't sound very convincing," she answered in a singsong voice. "Cat got your tongue? Funny, I thought only I had that privilege."

He roughly cleared his throat. "Oh hush, you cheeky little…" he mustered out with a furrowed brow, shooting her a mocks scolding look. "Excuse me if I'm not used to actually liking when a woman looks at me with eyes that convey utter naughtiness. Things that I'm going to have a very difficult time not replaying in my head during my lunch meeting later."

Jack's sockets widened as his words sunk in. With a deep groan, he clapped a hand over his eye sockets. "I believe Will or Al would say, I'm totally screwed…" He laughed at his fate.

"Oh yes, your meeting," Sally said, moving her hand to trace over his clavicle. "Whatever did you say to ensure you'd arrive so late?"

Jack closed his eyes, a rather proud look on his face as he thought of his note to the Mayor. "I simply apologized for the short notice, but I'd forgotten that I promised to help you clean up around the manor," he explained, grinning at his cleverness. "With all the wedding planning, we've been rather distracted lately and haven't been too focused on trying to keep things tidy."

Sally smirked. "Really Jack? Cleaning was the best excuse you could come up with?"

Jack clicked his tongue, peeking through his fingers with a pout. "My, my, such little faith in your fiancé—that really hurts, Sally." He grumbled and turned his skull away, looking off to the side with a frown.

"Well A, the Mayor knows that the manor is a rather large place with multiple floors and rooms, if you also include the tower," he listed of easily. "And B, he wasn't being tempted by the idea of spending the morning making love to a beautiful woman."

Sally chuckled with confidence, a challenge set in her eyes when she looked back at him. Jack gazed up at her, curious by her rather smug expression, and turned his skull so that he was facing her again. His silent question reflected in how he quirked his brow, previous pout replaced by a more thoughtful one.

"Oh silly man, I know all about that," she stated, leaning down to his ear. "I just find it funny you still think you have a meeting, seeing as you're not going anywhere…my entrapped King…"

"B-But darling…my-my meeting with the Mayor," Jack stuttered. "It-It's for this after–"

"Canceled."

"Wha-What?" He narrowed his sockets in disbelief.

Another of her overconfident titters sent an electrifying shiver up Jack's spine. "Silly skeleton, didn't I tell you? Your messenger bat returned while you were putting yourself together," she said nonchalantly, as though she wasn't currently stripping him. "Since you were occupied, and I was alone waiting for you, I took the message in your stead. Seems the Mayor was concerned with your so-called excuse, and inquired that, with you being up early anyway, we would be done and that you could keep the scheduled time."

Jack blinked in surprised, but kept his gaze fixed on her as he soaked in the new information.

"Well, luckily, I fixed that for you," she giggled. "See, I also apologized but while we were…cleaning, you suddenly became flushed, and you were, burning hot…" She winked as Jack stiffened under her. "Being the concerned fiancée that I am, I told the Mayor, and insisted that you remain in bed. All day."

Jack's hands twitched, he swallowed but said nothing.

"Clearly you weren't completely over the illness you contracted last week. So I made a firm argument that you were not to be disturbed while I ensured you were well again. So, my poor sick dear…" she purred the word as she touched her nose to his nasal sockets. "You have absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the day."

Jack lay there, staring up at her, and slowly cracked a wide skeleton grin as his chest started to shake with building laughter. He tossed his head back, laughing heartily, and wrapped his hands around her hips.

"Oooh Sally!" he got out as his laughter died down to breathless chuckles. "Sally, Sally. All too clever Sally…" He sighed deeply, catching his breath, and looked at her with desire, anticipation, and pride in his eye sockets. "I've said it once and I'll say it again—you are far too modest when it comes to just how clever you are."

"Well, maybe I am, but it's nothing to brag about."

"I certainly think it's something that should never be questioned, but you have your opinion and I have mine," Jack reasoned with an air of professionalism.

"Agree to disagree." Sally let the playfulness fade to something more sultry. "I've always been the odd one for not following all your plans, your highness."

"What a rebellious woman," Jack chided, voice deep yet playful. "I always did like your individuality." He leaned up so that he was rested upon his elbows, a confident little smile on his lips. "Always found it a bit of a turn on too, if I may be so bold to admit." He slowly traced his hands down her hips, over the curve of her rear, and the backs of her thighs before going back up again.

Sally hummed, smiling while the sensation of his hands sent shiver up her spine. "Mmm… You know just the right things to say to a girl, don't you, Jack?"

"Well, I have to be honest," Jack confessed with a crooked smile, now moving his fingertips along the seams of each leg. "I've said plenty of nice things to other girls out of politeness, but you are the only woman I've ever used my so call charm–" He rolled his sockets and smirked at this. "–to flirt with." He gave her a cheeky wink then let his sockets trail downward.

"Besides, I think we made sure that you weren't a simple girl anymore quite a few times last night…" He growled with a devilish look, wiggling his brow bone like a rascal.

"Hmm… Is that right?" She raised an brow, running her hands down his arms. "So you thought I was simple before?"

He snorted. "Far from it, darling."

"Oh really? Because I distinctly heard you say I wasn't a simple girl anymore after last night."

"I meant it in the sense of being unknowing or unexperienced in the physical and emotional of sensuality and love, darling," he answered affectionately. "Nothing negative, I assure you."

"Oh, so now you're saying I was naïve?" She grabbed onto his wrists and held them away from her hips. She tilted her head away from him, eyes closed, and huffed, "You know, maybe you're not so sick after all."

"Huh?" Jack blinked.

She brought his hands in front of her, glancing over them with little interest. "Oh yes, actually, you're fever seems to have disappeared as well," she added before turning her head completely away from him. "Guess I should call up the Mayor and tell him you'll be right over. I'll also mention to him that he should serve your favorite tea, Frog's Breath."

Alarm bells went off in Jack's skull at his unintentional screw up, plus the addition of Frog's Breath possibly being in his future tossed up a couple more maydays. He learned like any smart man, alive or dead, that an annoyed woman was never something to take lightly. The first time he had really miffed Sally was when she had a case of designer's block and it ended with him being banned from her bedroom for two whole days. Obviously, it didn't help that he later found out that he nearly stumbled upon her wedding dress designs.

"Did I say naïve? I meant, naturally gifted and in tune with your female sensuality despite what I possibly assumed, considering the knowledge and text the Doctor would have allowed within his lab! Yes, that's what I meant, darling!" Jack hoped his recovery was good as he desperately rambled. "If anything, I'm the one who's naïve! I was completely clueless to your feelings even before my depression. I'd scold myself for having more than friendly thoughts about you when I tried to make your comfort and gradual introduction to our town my top priority!"

"Is that so?" She still sounded disinterested, but it gave Jack encouragement that she was at least talking to him.

"Oh yes, it was terrible!" Jack continued, wishing his hands were free to take her in his arms. "After all, you were my dearest little friend! You were so kind and gentle, and you put so much trust in me. And here I was secretly thinking how utterly lovely you looked when you observed everything with such curiosity and a desire to learn more. How I tried not to think too much of how your hand felt in mine when we'd be walking along more unsteady terrain, or when I'd be guiding you amongst obstacles that could get hooked onto your dress or hair or skin. Other times, I'd wonder if you'd think me forward if I took your hand in mine and kissed it. Or, if I kissed you… But then I'd realize I was deplorable for thinking of you in such a manner when clearly you only sought my friendship…" Jack trailed off, looking shamefacedly as a light blanched worked its way along his cheekbones, his sockets flickering away from her hesitantly before returning.

"… I even..uh…had to stop listening to…certain records of mine… Never really noticed that quite a few of them had plenty of..uh…thought inducing..love songs on them, which obviously wasn't helping with my denying my fancying of you…" he confessed, feeling painfully aware of the heat coming off his face, and how he didn't feel much like the Pumpkin King at the moment.

More like a young lad that had been cornered by the pretty lass he had a crush on… he thought to himself before focusing on his irritated fiancée.

"Oh?" Sally refused to look at him. "So… You're saying that you found me…attractive, even then?"

"Oh, so much more than that!" he declared passionately, sockets wide and imploring. "I mean, I thought you were the most beautiful sight I'd seen in a long time in Halloween Town, even back in the cell in Oogie's lair where Zero and I found you after beating him. I was so caught off guard by the sight of you that Zero had to nip me on the leg to get me to focus again! You know…before I made my presence known, since I thought another scare was the last thing you needed after all you had been through…"

"Uh huh…" Sally crossed his wrists together before pressing them a little roughly into his ribcage, clearly only becoming further annoyed with him. "Go on."

"And you know… There I am, an absolute clueless twit of a man, denying the beginning of my feelings for you because I didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation." He leaned in, but still gave her enough space as he tried to get a look at her face. "You know being Pumpkin King means having to deal with all this attention from others, and knowing how shy you are at times, I didn't want to put you in the spot. Not to mention all the nosy gossip that would have certainly popped up while you were still finding your rhythm here, and having to deal with a mad scientist's stubborn but terribly misguided sense of protection…" He smiled helplessly and chuckled uneasily.

"Oh, the Doctor wasn't the only one…" Sally finally turned back toward him, head bowed and hair covering part of her face. "I seem to recall a certain skeleton acting overprotective over the last two years after certain…incidents occurred in Halloween Town," she said. "I believe Lock and Barrel's collection of months was one the worst? You remember that, don't you, darling?"

Jack cringed. How could he ever forget that embarrassing moment?

He had overheard the boy trick-or-treaters mention they had lost a rather large swarm of the lepidopterans, and fearing for his beloved, had taken rather…drastic measures…Shooting marble-sized fireballs at anything relatively moth sized or shaped had eventually turned into him gathering up a large sum of frogs from the lake, and keeping them in Zero's dog tub in the backyard. The idea seemed to work until Lock and Barrel had admitted to the escaped swarm being a hoax for a prank, much to Jack's annoyance. Funny thing though… The frogs seem to understand that they weren't going to get a free meal and the next thing Jack knew, all the amphibians that whipped out their tongues and latched on it a screaming Lock and Barrel, hitching a ride all the way back to the trio's treehouse. Last he checked, the treehouse was mostly bug free and the clan of hoppers had returned to their lake home after feasting to their slimy hearts' content.

"Okay, yes… Not one of my brightest moments…" Jack grumbled, cheekbones burning.

Sally chuckled. "Oh, and then of course before the frogs left, there was that one who kept sitting atop you skull," she teased. "What did you call him? Jim?"

Jack smiled fondly and chuckled. "Ah yes, Jim… No clue why I picked that name, but he seemed just fine with it," he recalled, remembering the one frog who decided that the top of the Pumpkin King's cranium made a great perch to croak on.

"Well, it certainly wasn't one of your finer moments, though it was many of the first where I noticed my dearest friend was both frightening…and adorable."

Jack pouted boyishly at the latter word. "So… I take it I've been forgiven then?" he asked. "For the, well, Freudian slip?"

"Well…" She smirked, hands gently squeezing his wrists before bringing his hands up to her face. "I guess I could. Though, there was one other thing this little talk reminded me of about you, you wicked king."

Jack became frantic when Sally suddenly got quiet. "Y-yes, darling, what is it?" He felt the softest kiss pressed to his boney knuckles.

"You…" Sally turned her head, one eye peering at him from beneath her hair, along with a compellingly mischievous smirk. "… Are terribly gullible…"

Jack didn't understand. There was no sign of the disappointment and irritation she displayed after his thoughtless comment from before. Instead he found… Mirth. Mischief. Cunning. A smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.

"…Okay… What just happened?" he asked, his brow creasing as he tilted his skull in confusion.

Sally perched her chin atop his hands, her tittering only adding to her poor Jack's confusion. "Oh my poor sweet love," she cooed impishly. "You really must get better at reading faces. That makes three times I've managed to catch you off guard." She giggled. "No wonder the trick-or-treaters can get away with their pranks so easily. We'll have to fix that."

A tiny lightbulb went off in that bewildered skull. She had played him. Sally, as sweet and honest as can be, had just completely hoodwinked him!

Jack's sockets narrowed, his expression brooding. "You little nymph!" he roared, pulling himself up so fast that Sally would have fallen off the bed had she not anchored herself by holding his wrists. "Such cruelty to your panic-stricken fiancé!"

"Oh, whatever shall I do?" Sally pretended to be worried. "I feel really bad. Bad dolly." She took his hands and lightly bopped her cheek, laughing as she looked back at him with hooded eyes and a smirk.

Jack snorted, shooting her a dirty look.

"Sal–" Jack was cut off mid-rant when Sally suddenly tightened her hold on his wrists and used her own weight to push Jack onto the bed. His skull hit the pillows while Sally kept her hands on his wrists, her legs straddling his lower torso so that he couldn't use his long limbs to gain an advantage. In other words, the Pumpkin King was trapped once again.

Huh, so that's what this feels like, he thought, staring up at his ladylove in surprise.

Sally squeezed his wrists affectionately, never taking her eyes from him. "Oh, my deepest apologies, your highness," she said with more tenderness than her previous mirth. "I just couldn't help myself. I thought it would be fun to rile you up a little."

Jack pouted again, looking clearly unhappy, then cracked a little smile at the corner of his mouth despite his best efforts. He sighed when it was clear that he couldn't stay annoyed.

"Okay fine, I'll admit that I might look back and laugh about it later…" He rolled his sockets and regarded her with a touch of concern. "But all joking aside… I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?"

Sally leaned forward and nuzzled his nose. "Not at all." She tittered. "You know silly comments like that don't get to me. Though, I must confess, I did enjoyed making you nervous…"

Jack huffed. "I can quite see that, Sally love…" he drawled dryly, half smirking. "But at my expense?" He tsked, tongue clicking as he shook his skull as if scolding a child. "Shame on you for worrying me like that."

"Oh, but it was so much fun! You really were panicked for a moment." Slowly, she began raising his hands over his head, her smile curling into a satisfied smirk. "It was a little…exciting…to see you like that," she said in a low voice. "You even thought I'd subject you to Frog's Breath instead of something…sweeter…"

"Sally, darling, moonlight of my undead life…" Jack suavely crooned, smiling at ease even while she continued to have him trapped underneath herself. "I'd be a terribly stupid man if I didn't admit that I'm quite intimidated by a woman's wrath, and I've seen you mad at me before." His nasal sockets wrinkled slightly at the thought. "It's not fun and I end up trying to figure out what foolish thing I did to get you to so upset that you would avoid me, even lock yourself in your room to get away from me…" His features expressing his distaste once more. "Again—not fun."

Jack sighed in relief that that wasn't the problem at the moment, shifting a bit underneath her to get extra comfy. It looked like she wasn't going to liberate him anytime soon. He was perfectly fine with that. After all, he had the beautiful and deliciously undressed sight of his fiancée sitting on top of him with a confident and sexy smile on her devil red lips. What was not to like?

He silently observed her, taking in everything that was her. He was very sure that centuries ago even before his time, her image would have been worshipped by many pagan cultures. The idea made him chuckle to himself as his sockets followed her hair, which lay wildly spread over her breasts and shoulders, and up to her glittering eyes.

His iconic skeleton grin sprouted slowly along his lips as his sockets narrowed in interest and delight, making Jack look rather devilish despite his air of calm. He laughed, a low but rich sound that fitted the space between them—dark and intimate.

"I'd say someone liked their first taste of scaring?" He hummed in question, although he was quite sure of the answer. "Congratulations, my darling, I knew you could do it."

"Well, I wasn't really trying to scare you, love. After all, not many can say they scared the Pumpkin King. Surprise–" She thought of how Jack used the term whenever Will would "surprise" him. "–maybe, but scare? Oh no. Definitely not a little doll like me could accomplish such a feat."

Jack chuckled, sockets reflecting his opinion regarding that.

"However…" Sally nibbled her bottom lip. "Keeping you guessing… Building up the anticipation while you wondered what I'd do next…" She leaned in and peppered featherlight kisses down the side of his skull.

Jack hummed in pleasure, a deep purr accompanying the beginnings of another bone rattle. "Oh yes, how I wonder indeed…"

Sally smiled into her kisses. "Of course, we both know what happens when curiosity gets the best of you."

He chuckled lazily, enjoying her kisses too much to bother cheekily replying. He just laid back and smiled like a lazy tomcat.

Sally pulled away, noting Jack's silence, and stared down at him. "Oh, what's this?" she asked. "Nothing to say? I thought you were wondering what I was up to?"

He grinned up at her and lightly quirked his brow. "Why Sally, is it really so surprising when I exercise restraint? I mean, I'm certainly not going anywhere anytime soon." Jack pushed against her hold on his wrists and arched his hips up as if to backup his claim.

"True. Before you could hold back with me, but I know you, Jack, and you have more curiosity than the preverbal cat. Need I remind you about St. Patrick's Day? The cage hidden beneath the fountain…just you and me, alone…in the dark…" Jack's lazy grin turned a touch wicked with satisfaction, making Sally laugh. "I'd hardly call that restraint, all things considered."

"Hmmm perhaps…" he concluded. "But I certainly did apologize for it, though that doesn't mean I regret doing it in the first place." He winked cheekily.

"Neither do I, my love," she purred back.

"All alone with you in the dark…the rest of the town blissfully unaware that their King and future Queen were engaging in rather amorous activities just beneath the streets they were celebrating on…" Jack recounted, his voice deep yet silky as he leaned up as much as Sally's hold would let him. "Feeling you quiver against me… You looked so lovely and confused..and a little helpless. I could see you so clearly in that darkness, could hear your heart beat faster and faster, and your breathing change once I touched you." He chuckled, a dark and smoky sound. "I'm really surprised that I didn't ravish you then and there, but I was able to control my desire enough to get a small sample of what was to come once I was completely yours…"

Jack stared straight into her eyes, sockets darker than ever, and flames burning low and in deep shades of scarlet-orange.

"And you… completely mine…"

Sally closed her eyes, relishing in how his words sent shivers along her skin. So sweet. So…possessive. She turned her eyes back on him. Normally, he was the dominant one, towering over her as if protecting her from all around them, but there was something to be said with their current reversed position.

"I am proud of you for the restraint you showed back then, even though I too desired to be closer to you," Sally whispered. "It was…thrilling… All around was so dark, I couldn't see a thing. Only your voice, your touch…" She paused to gingerly kissed his brow. "I'm still not sure how you managed to drive me mad, but then, who am I to ever doubt the skills of the fiercest creature in all the Seven Holiday realms?"

"And you, most clever and cunning Autumn nymph?" Jack passionately inquired, nuzzling the side of his skull against the underside of her jaw and neck. She had ended up exposing them when she leaned forward to kiss his skull.

"If I drive you mad, then you surely drive me wild," he continued to nuzzle against her neck, moving from one side to the other with a smile on his mouth when he'd feel her bunch up her shoulder, as if to keep him in that space. "Yes wild, absolutely wild with love and passion and desire…"

Sally was becoming distracted as his nose nudged her. Oh, he's not going to win that easily, she thought, but how can I possibly resist when he talks like that?

"Drive you wild, huh? Well then…" She pursed her lips and lowered her voice. "Mon amour terrifiant… Mon cauchemar le plus obsédant." She licked her lips and then leaned in until she was brushing her mouth over Jack's skeletal lips. "Comment wild-ce que cela vous conduisez?"

The deep red orange flames dancing along his bones grew brighter, stretching upwards as if trying to reach the object of their wielder's desire, and said wielder could only groan and rattle his bones in delight as a smile spread across his face.

"Mon cher cœur… Ma poupée chérie…" Jack rasped, sockets hooded and staring straight into hers after flickering down to take in the sight of those red lips. "Tu me poser une question plus dangereuse avec ces lèvres taquinant comme sang imbibé cerises…"

He began to tug against her hold, lightly at first to test it. In reality, he had secretly began to detach his hands from his wrists, the carpals of both hands coming away from the joints connected to his ulnas and radiuses with the lightest of pops. One would have to really be paying attention to notice the faint sound, but they stayed unmoving. It certainly wouldn't do too get discovered, now would it?

Sally giggled, teasing him with her lips once again. "I love it when you speak French, mon amour. It's no wonder it's said to be one of the five most romantic languages."

"J'adore ton sourire," Jack hummed pleasantly as he continued to slowly undo his joints. "Those French lessons seem to be paying off quite wonderfully, ma moitié." He cheekily tried to caught her lips between his with each of her her passes. "Before you know it, we'll be prowling the eerie catacombs and streetlight lit cobblestones of Paris under moonlight, conversing like natives and stealing a couple scares here and there from the locals."

Sally smiled at his cute attempts to snatch her mouth. "Isn't that why you started teaching me, ma chère? Or, did you only want me to whisper sweet foreign words in you ear?" she asked. "I remember when you first spoke to me in French. I didn't understand, yet you sounded so… alluring when you said it."

Jack's sockets twinkled as he laughed. "Well, both are true in a way, but my reasons might be a tad more mischievous and generally more fun." He was so close. All he need was just one more…

"Oh, not so fast, Monsieur!" Sally moved so the full length of her arms pressed over his, griping her small hands between his wrists and around the area where his hand connected to the bones that make up his thumbs. It was difficult, given his hands were larger and longer in comparison, but she held firm.

"Very clever, my sneaky skeleton, but I'm not planning on letting you escape just yet…Though I commend you on your efforts."

"Oh, woe is me!" Jack frowned and sighed pitifully. "To have my efforts for freedom thwarted by my vixen witted fiancée—pity this poor king!" he exclaimed theatrically and slumped back against the mattress, appearing as if he had given up, but peeked up at her from one previously closed eye socket.

"I guess I'll just have to settle for letting my eye sockets feast upon the heavenly sight before me as my captor exposes more of her oh-so terribly feminine figure while she makes sure that I can't escape." He deeply sighed. "Oh well…"

Sally lightly giggled while giving his wrists another affectionate squeeze. "Hmm… Now that doesn't seem very fair."

"What doesn't, my vixen?"

Sally smirked. "It's just occurred to that that of all the times we've been, well…naughty." She gave him a seductive gaze and leaned into his lips again. "And taken into account of last night… I think it's hardly fair that I've been the only one to be teased in the dark."

"My dear, you seem to have forgotten…" Jack hummed, sockets inquisitive. "Our rendezvous on St. Patrick's Day had the two of us enveloped in darkness. And just last week, after my bout of illness, when I took you out for a midnight stroll? It was one of the rare nights Halloween Town has no moon." He gave her a cunning smile. "I seem to recall the entire town was shrouded in a cloak of near eternal night… It certainly made our evening all the more…interesting…"

"Oh very true, but again, both of us were not hindered by complete darkness, dearest Jack," Sally contradicted, purring his name. "We've always teased one another by some form of light. Daylight, candlelight, moonlight…and don't forget last night how we made love by the glow of the fireplace…and your Pumpkin Fire…"

"I could never forget such a thing, and how you looked against that light…" Jack trailed off, feeling his bones heat up all the more just thinking about it. He chuckled after shivering. "Eyes or no eyes, I saw everything just perfectly, darling."

"But I'm not equipped with night vision like you, love, so I was completely blind," she reminded him, "while you could see everything."

Jack smiled, remembering all he had seen those fortuitous nights. For a creature like himself, to be in such darkness was similar to the day but with dimmer lighting. It was like pulling the curtains in a way where the light still seems through, but it's nice and dark in the room.

"I can't help that as the Master of Fright my ability to see without any light makes it so I have no problem prowling in the dark."

"Still, I think fair is fair. I told you how mad you drove me… Only the sense of touch and sound to guide me…" She leaned down close, kissing his boney eyelids when Jack shut his eye sockets. "…I simply wish to return the favor, my Jack-o-lantern."

Jack grinned stupidly, the way one does when feeling both thrilled and relaxed—like having an extra skip in your step. First of all, despite the more sultry names they'd given one another over the past month—not to mention the ones exchanged in the heat of passion—that particular pet name always has a sugar-rush-like effect on him. He remembered the first time Sally had called him that. They had both been under the influence of Moonflowers during the second month of their courtship. Thanks to Jack, the witches' weed had them shamelessly mooning over one another and despite the slightly awkward morning following after, the incident did help progress their intimacy a little. Since then, they had chosen to call each other by their favorite pet names. It had been a while since she had called him that, and it caused a giddy grin on his face. That, and there was the matter of what his tempting fiancée was implying.

"Why Loveling, are…" he started to say, though his tone probably betrayed his uncertainty as his mind worked around what she was hinting at. "Are you talking about something a bit more daring? Like a blindfold?"

Jack did feel a bit hesitant, but more from the surprise he felt at her suggesting such a thing. It was a little difficult for him to ever see himself engaging in that area of foreplay, though blindfolds were relatively innocent compared to the more raunchy "games" he had been forced to hear from the mouths of many males he had befriended—a certain foul mouthed, beetle crunching poltergeist being a perfect example. Though he wouldn't deny that his phantom pulse did seem to beat a little faster at the thought of her wanting to engage in such play, even if a little.

"Well, we both know turning out the lights certainly won't do anything…" Sally trailed off as she lowered herself to his neck, eyes never leaving his gaze. She could see Jack recognized the very familiar gesture. "To be honest, I thought it might be a fun…challenge."

"C-Challenge?" Jack inquired distractedly. He was all too aware of what Sally was doing to him. "Wh-What challenge?"

She began to press soft kisses along the bones. "Why, to see if I can drive you as wild as you drove me. In total darkness…" She pressed his arms a little more firmly as she worked down his neck in a slow procession, deepening her kisses and occasionally nipping him. "With only…sound…and…touch…picturing me with only your mind's eye…wondering what I'll do…and you can't see it coming…"

"Th-that d-does soun– Merde, qui se sent–" Jack was finding it very difficult to gather his words at the moment. It certainly didn't help that Sally was sucking on the hollow of his throat. "B-babydoll, you k-know I can't t-think when y-you do t-that," he gurgled with a weak laugh that was interrupted by another grunt of his. She had sunk her teeth in and was currently alternating between sucking and licking that Jack was sure his mind wouldn't recover from anytime soon.

She gave his throat one more kiss before responding. "So… I take it you're interested in my little…offer?" she asked. "It would only take me a moment to run back to my room and find a suitable bit of cloth you couldn't see through…"

Jack swallowed, feeling the new bruise sting a bit as he did so. "B-by all means," he cleared his throat, "take-take your time."

Sally smirked. "Oh, but you'd have to promise to hold still while I get something to cover your eyes." She moved back and nuzzled her newest mark on his throat. "Think you can do that, Jack-o-lantern?"

"I'm–" He gulped. "–rooted to the spot, darling," he joked as he tried to get control over his racing heart.

"Jack…are you by any chance…uneasy…about this?" Sally asked. She looked up when she felt how shaky he became. She moved to press on his wrists with one hand while she brought her other hand down to caress his cheek.

"No…okay, maybe a little…" Jack confessed, nuzzling into her palm. "It's just that, before last night, I thought we'd move to the next physical step on our wedding night… But I certainly don't regret making love to you, my Sally." His sockets reflecting the same tenderness and sincerity in his words before he softly huffed with a grin on the corner of his mouth. "I certainly still desire you terribly," he admitted, "and I'm pretty sure I still will want to make love to you over and over and over again even after we've been married for quite some time." He grinned shamelessly and kissed her palm.

"It's just that I guess a part of my mind is still processing all this…newness…" Jack made a face. He wasn't totally satisfied with his word choice, but it was the best he could think up at the moment. He was soon smiling up at her again. "I'm still very interested and willing to try, Sally, if that's what you want to do too."

Sally chuckled. "Oh, no need to worry, my love," she said, kissing his nose. "I feel the same. As for wanting to try blindfolding you… I just thought this would be a fun way to make up for teasing you earlier…among other things…"

"Really now?" Jack asked, grinning with interest.

A seductive laugh pasted over her lips. "But I promise not to do anything neither of us are ready for," she whispered. "I only suggested the blindfold because someone is able to see in the dark, and I don't think you'd be able to keep your eyes closed… Especially if I'm to be holding you down…"

"You do know I won't go down so easily?" Jack purred sweetly, sockets narrowed slightly in challenge. "I don't plan on making the Nice List this year, my ravishing rag doll. I caught you off guard in the shower, but I'll be very aware of your seductive trickery, so I hope you give me your best even while I'm lacking my sight," he warned, voice dark and velvety with a hungry gleam in his sockets. His fanged smirk looked rather dangerous against the glow of his Pumpkin Fire.

"I'd expect nothing less, my amorous lover, but…if you promise to be good while I'm away…" She let the offer hang. Once more, Jack's sockets gleamed with eager anticipation, his flames sparking back into life. "…Perhaps, once you've been blindfolded…we might…" She leaned down and whispered into his ear.

Jack choked on his own tongue and started coughing as his sockets snapped wide open. The fire covering his bones whipped and danced chaotically as he looked at her, his expression like that of a starving man even as he blanched fiercely.

"S-Sally!" he rasped, having not completely recovered his breath. His heart felt like it would crash through his ribs at any moment with how fast it was beating. If it were up to him, he would have just ignored the last of his control and taken her right then and there!

He wanted everything, everything! He wanted to feel her wrap her arms and legs around him while they continuously tangled themselves deeper in the sheets of his–no, their bed! He wanted to watch her reach that peak then fall apart again and again as he made love to her until tomorrow's sun came up! But he couldn't do that because he promised to be good!

Jack groaned so deeply that such a sound could easily be mistake for one of terrible pain, which in a sense was true. However, his pain came from wanting his fiancée so bad that it border lined on his whole body physically aching.

Sally giggled as she slowly slid off Jack and the bed. She knew he'd be too stunned to move, making it more fun as she walked to the door, sashaying her hips as she went. She turned back and gave him a coy smile. "Now don't go anywhere…" she said in a sing-song voice.

His response was weak as he took a deep breath, covering his sockets with his arm. "P-promise, darling, I promise. Just please… Please, please, please…" he pleaded with a strained laugh, "no handcuffs or anything like that." He swallowed thickly and continued in the same rough tone. "My control is basically hanging by a thread right now… It snaps and the plan goes out with window…"

Sally paused at the door, turning to look at the sight of her frustrated skeleton. Who could have thought she would be the one to make Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King and ruler of Halloween Town, beg from sheer desire? The thought made her smile.

"Jack, I wouldn't dream of binding you to the bed or anything so risqué," she said, fluttering her eyes to accompany a wicked smile. "Even if I did, the only thing I could use to keep you tied down would be the Soul Robber. I would never want you to be completely immobile…"

"Sweet Samhain!" Jack sighed and collapsed against the bed before gazing back at her. "That's at least a bit of a relief."

"Besides…" The look she gave him sent a shot of desire throughout his whole body. "We should at least keep something for the wedding night."

Jack gaped as she disappeared from sight. His whole body was now encased in red-gold flames that, had he been in a sober state, he'd ponder how the whole room wasn't engulfed in the fiery inferno.

"Yup…" Jack muttered to himself with a dazed chuckle. "Marriage is going to be one hell of an adventure…"

The end

AN: Well, that's it folks. My first smexy fic. Once again, you can blame Werejaguar for all the heat this story had...though she'll argue that up at the end there I was not exactly being restrictive. Hey, she's the one who kept feeding the steam bunnies.

Anyway, thank you again for all the wonderful reviews. This probably means now you'll be expecting more steaminess in future storie...crap, what have I done?!

Jokes aside, I'm sorry to report I'll be taking a break from NBC for a bit. I've got too many stories that I've been neglecting, and I've kinda been in a Jally rut lately. Don't worry, I still fully intend to write up the wedding, and Werejaguar and I agreed that You're Simply Meant For Me is LONG overdue for an update. It just means it'll be a while before I get back into the swing of things.

So long and if you have an idea for anything you'd like to see me write in the future, feel free to let me know in the comments.