Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Chirstmas, Tim Burton does. I made up Molly but that's about it.
Author's Note: I am so sorry I pretty much have made you guys wait so long for another chapter of this fanfic. My life has been pretty stressful and busy in the time I have not updated. I had to worry about graduation from High School, which I did with honors which I wasn't even aware of until the day of! Then like two weeks afterwards I had an accident in which I tore a muscle in my knee and I couldn't even walk until about two or three months later. Now I'm stressing about finding a job but I hope to get one really soon. I really meant to update before Halloween but things didn't work out that way. Since my birthday is on the 7th of this month though, I decided to give you readers a birthday present from me to you. Please enjoy this new chapter of The Nightmare After Christmas!
Chapter Eleven: Surprise
Hours after the sun had risen into the sky, and while the citizens of Halloween Town were busy doing their part for their beloved holiday, Molly Finkelstein laid in bed. She had a hard time getting to sleep the night before, so when she finally did, she ended up sleeping in far later than she would have liked. Even once she realized she had woken up late, the rag doll kept laying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. What happened last night was troubling her still, and Molly felt like she just wanted to lay in her bed, staring absently at the ceiling with her own thoughts. If it wasn't for her mother's knock on her door, Molly might have done this all day.
"Molly?" Jewel asked in a puzzled way as she cracked her door open enough for her head to poke into the room. "My dear, what are you still doing in bed?" Before her daughter could answer, Jewel seemed to come up with a reason all by herself. "You must have been tired from the day before. After all, from what you told us last night you had quite a busy day while you were away from home. But it's not good for you to sleep too much, so you should get up. Jack Skellington is here to see you down stairs by the way."
"Jack Skellington!" Molly repeated, sitting up in bed with widened eyes.
Jewel gave Molly a confused look, "Well yes, he came here to talk to you about what you told everyone last night. So get dressed quickly, can't make the Pumpkin King wait all day for you." She gave a teasing chuckle before she closed the door and left Molly alone to get herself ready for the new day.
Small fingers ran through her black locks as Molly groaned, and reluctantly pulled the covers away from her body. There was no way of avoiding this anymore, it seemed, and the sooner she faced everyone, the better it was. Last night she blurted out something she was now going to have to follow through with. How could she have lost her ability to come up with lies on the spot so quickly? There was no point in wasting her time thinking over what she could have done, as she got dressed and straightened herself out to face other people.
Oogie had been tinkering with his giant roulette table, since the other day he noticed it had begun to revolve slower than it should. "Must have busted the other day when I used it on ol' Vladdy boy," he concluded to himself, emitting a dark chuckle at the memory of torturing the annoying vampire. The Boogie Man was in quite a rare good mood that morning, and even he noticed the pleasant feelings as he worked on getting his contraption to work. It didn't seem as irritating as it might have been the other day. Perhaps it was because he didn't figure that he could have gotten Molly to believe in his little lie about the events of last year's Christmas Eve. Another chuckle escaped his lips as he narrowed his eyes with devious thoughts about how much undeserved sympathy he could get out of that rag doll of his.
Even the machine seemed to be working in his favor, as he tightened a screw and flipped the switch to see if it would work, and the roulette table lit up and began to whirl around at the speed it was suppose to at it's highest level. Oogie smiled widely as he shut the machine off, and it slowly quieted down again. Just when he was beginning to think that his morning couldn't get any better, he heard someone approaching. The voice he recognized was Molly's voice, and when he recognized it, he spoke to himself again. "Ha, well, well, well…she's come to visit ol' Oogie earlier than usual. Wonder what's the occasion?" He then pretended to realize something, "Oh, that's right, she must still be thinking I am down in the dumps 'bout what I told her yesterday. Better not disappoint her by acting too happy then. Heh heh heh."
But then he heard a voice that ruined his mood completely. The unmistakable voice of Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween, his archenemy, and would be slayer. 'Now just what is that pumpkin head doin' sticking his nose around my turf?' he wondered, while straining to listen to what the two were talking about. Soon their voices became easier to hear as they got closer to the tree house, where a window to his lair was able to let their voice carry into the darkness of his torture chamber.
Outside, Jack continued his conversation with Molly, not knowing that at the moment the biggest threat to his town was listening as well. "Are you sure you want to do this alone? With my experience, I can be a great help to you. I really don't mind at all. You seem a little nervous about it."
Molly shook her head, "No, I'll be fine Jack. This is something I got myself into, and I want to take care of it personally."
The Pumpkin King seemed to accept her decline with his help with a nod. "Alright then Molly, I'll leave this to you then. But might I give you a little advice before I let you go?" When Molly nodded her head, Jack continued, "Make sure not to think about it too much. It's really not too hard to do, as long as you are doing your best."
"T-thank you, I'll keep that in mind then," the rag doll replied.
Oogie moved away from the window, and began to pace around the room furiously. His good mood had left him just as quickly as it had come. "So she thinks she can best the Boogie Man? She thinks it will be easy? She wants to…do it herself?" Suddenly he gave a mock laugh, "Ha!" Narrowing his eyes into slits he continued to rant to himself, "She has no idea just who she's double crossing!" Tightening his pointed hand into a fist, he added venomously, "Jack got lucky last time, but I won't be beaten again! Not by some little rag doll I ain't!"
Molly's small boots clicked against the cold stone floor of Oogie's lair as she entered it. Once she was in the dark room, she exhaled. For some reason, she always felt a little uneasy around Jack, even before she started to lose her edge. After taking a few steps forward, she noticed the neon green figure that was Oogie Boogie was pacing around. She found slight amusement in watching him walk back and forth, muttering to himself irritably. "Don't tell me you think I'm late today?" she questioned him in mock curiosity after watching him for a minute or so. "Because if you ask me, I'd say I'm early."
Oogie stopped pacing when he heard Molly speak, and looked over at the amused doll. A grin began to spread across his face as he used a strange tone of voice to speak to her with. "Oh, I think your timing couldn't be more perfect, Doll Face."
"Oh?" Molly gave him a quizzical look, but his strange statement and behavior did not keep her from wanting to approach him. "Why's that?"
Still grinning, Oogie told her, "Because, I just finished giving the roulette table a bit of a tune up."
"Why?" she asked, still walking closer to him, not knowing that anything was out of the ordinary. "Does it do something new now?"
"Oh no," he replied, waiting for her to get close enough to him so that he could grab her by the arm, holding her tighter than he normally would have. "Here, let me show you," he said harshly, beginning to pull her towards the device.
Not understanding the sudden hostility from Oogie, Molly winced because it was unexpected of him to react to her like this, and also because his tightened grip was uncomfortable. "Ouch! Oogie, you're hurting me," she complained, while trying to push at him so that he could let her go, or at least loosen his grip.
"Oh am I?" Oogie questioned, before turning her to face him, grinning down at her surprised face and added coldly, "My mistake." Now he began to tighten his grip on her arm even more, making it quite painful for the smaller, weaker rag doll. When she let out a cry of pain, his grin faded to a dangerous glare. "And you made the mistake of thinkin' you can double cross me!"
"W-what are you talking about?" Molly stuttered, after groaning in pain, trying not to show how much he was hurting her. However, it was hard to mask her pain, as she felt fear flood into her chest and mind like it hadn't done in a long time. She didn't like feeling vulnerable, especially when Oogie was acting so unpredictably.
Showing no care for her safety, Oogie shoved her into the roulette table, and retorted, "I'm talking about your little conversation with Jack! I take it you didn't believe me?" He began, pretending to be asking her questions. "Decided you'd get ol' Bone Daddy's opinion on things?" Leaning over her, he continued to stare down at her with a fierce look in his blank sockets. "Well his opinions never have been too good, because I am NOT easy to beat!"
The rag doll let out another cry of pain as she fell against the hard metal, and fell down, feeling some of the sharp edges cut at her body. Suddenly Molly realized he must have overheard the conversation she was having with Jack earlier. "Wait, Oogie, let me explain," she pleaded with him, looking back up at him but not daring to get up, in case she was pushed down.
A heartless chuckle escaped the Boogie Man as he heard her pitiful plea. "Please do, I always liked a good story before a torture." While waiting for her side of the story, he folded his arms across his chest with a smirk.
Feeling like he wouldn't push her down again, Molly slowly stood up from the floor. "Last night when I came back to town, my mother made everyone go on a search party, and they all demanded to know where I was. I had to say something, and I couldn't come up with anything good."
"It must have been hard for you to think up the truth for a change, eh Doll Face?" Oogie sneered.
"I told them I was planning something for Halloween," Molly finally admitted, sounding upset that Oogie would jump to conclusions. "And I told them it was a surprise so they'd leave me alone about it. Jack then came over to my house to figure out what it was. He got really excited that I wanted to be apart of Halloween." She then shouted out, "I never even mentioned your name!"
Oogie narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "And just how do you expect me to believe you? I don't fall for traps easily, not when I'm an expert at them."
"Why would I tell them about you?" she asked, glaring more. "I've been hiding the fact that you're alive for so long, why would I bring it up now? Don't you think I would have told Jack a long time ago if I wanted him to know about you still being alive?"
Staring her down for a while, the Boogie Man replied, "You could always change your mind." He allowed his glare to slip away, and his arms to fall at his side.
"Well I didn't," she responded, and attempted to throw her arms up in the air. However, she only managed to do it with one, and realized that her other arm's seams had been nicked when she fell down. Now the appendage was dangling by her side, half attached. Sighing in irritation, she muttered to herself, "I can't believe you." Walking past Oogie, she then went in search for a room in his lair that had a bit more light.
"Hey, that should be my line!" Oogie complained as he watched her with a frown. He only stood alone for a moment before deciding to follow her, beginning to think that perhaps he did make a mistake, but wasn't completely sure he should trust her. After all, she had tricked him about other things. He followed her into the kitchen, where she sat at the table, and tried to sew her arm back with a needle and thread she kept in her shoe. Although she looked very focused, Molly was having a hard time reattaching her arm with the aid of only one hand. She also wasn't very skilled at sewing to begin with, so that made her task even harder. Oogie watched her until he realized that it was starting to annoy him watching her try and fail over and over. Sighing, he got closer to the rag doll, taking the needle from her and began to sew her arm with less effort and better results. "Look, what do you think I'd expect when I heard you talking with Jack," he began, saying Jack's name with great distaste. Before he continued, he made sure to put on a show of remorse that would hopefully make her feel more sympathetic towards him. "He got to Sally, didn't he? Why shouldn't I expect him to do the same with you?"
With a mock laugh, Molly snatched the needle from Oogie, and replied, "Well last time I checked, I wasn't Sally." Turning her head, she added in a stubborn tone, "And why should I let you sew my arm when you don't trust me?"
It was a good thing Molly was turned away from him, because Oogie looked about ready to explode. He needed to use whatever restraint he could muster at that moment to resist doing so, and instead turned away from her as well with slumped shoulders. "You may not be Sally, but you weren't here last year either. She was, and he still convinced her to believe in his lies." The accusing tone in his voice changed into a lower, somewhat sadder tone as he added for good measure, "You can leave if you want."
Molly didn't notice him leave as she went back to focusing on fixing her arm again. Oogie's work had made it easier for her to thread her arm, but since her skill wasn't so good, and it showed in her stitching. Once it was done though, she felt her face relax, and ran her hand through her head while propping her other elbow on the table in front of her, and holding her head in the palm of her hand. "What am I going to do about this surprise for Halloween?" she asked herself softly.
Oogie waited in the other room, idly tapping his hand on the wall and thinking to himself, 'This is all Jack's fault. Everything was going so well until the great Pumpkin King decided to step in where he doesn't belong!' After awhile, he got bored of waiting, and chose to go back into the kitchen. Since she hadn't left the room yet, he figured she wasn't planning to leave soon. The feelings of frustration left when he noticed the dull look in her eyes as she stared in front of her, with her chin propped in her hands. It just wasn't natural for her to look that way, not while in his presence. Her current expression made her look too doll-like, and it was kind of creepy when he was use to a more playful Molly. In an attempt to break the tension that he created, and to get her more animated, Oogie broke the silence between them by clearing his throat first and then asking, "So…tell me about this Halloween surprise?"
Silence fell between them again for several more moments, before Molly responded in a deadpan voice, "There's nothing to tell."
Upset that she continued this behavior with him, he frowned and told her, "Look, I told you if you wanted to leave then I won't stop you, but if you plan to stay I have better things to do than watch you pout."
Green eyes moved towards the Boogieman, before they narrowed and she spoke in a harsher tone, "I wasn't kidding. There is nothing to tell about it, since I had nothing planned. Weren't you listening to me before when I told you I couldn't think of a better lie last night?"
Oogie began to smirk despite himself at her response. "So you've gotten yourself into a bit of a bind have you?" When he was answered with a dry look from the raven-haired doll, he chuckled in amusement. "Oh I'm sure the great Molly Finkelstein can come up with something."
Molly was not in a good mood at the moment, and didn't feel like dealing with Oogie. Standing up, she spoke again in a dull tone of voice, "Maybe I should go."
"Now, now Doll Face, I was being serious," Oogie replied, still smirking. He figured she would be a little upset still over what happened between them, but it wasn't enough – in his opinion – to make her seriously want to leave. There was nothing a little flattery shouldn't do to change her mind. "After all, if you can manage to get away with cheating with the Oogie Boogie Man, I'm sure you can think of something that will awe the town. Shouldn't be too hard. Jack's performances are enough proof of just how easily they are impressed."
"Well when you've had practically no interest in Halloween it can be difficult to think of a surprise worthy enough for my absences," the rag doll argued back. She felt so drained, and the day had just started. Molly was still quite new to Halloween Town, and had yet to really understand what was so fulfilling about it. Now she found it a handicap that she had not been paying closer attention to what the other townspeople were up to during the year. In this state of stress she found herself in, she also realized she did not want to be around Oogie, who seemed to be enjoying her misfortune.
Taking a step back and pretending to be surprised, Oogie gasped in an overly exaggerated way. "What? Don't like Halloween? Well, I wouldn't tell them that." When Molly continued to walk away from him and heard her say her usual parting words that promised to see him later, the Boogieman's smirk was replaced with a deep frown as he yelled after her, "Well fine, it wasn't like I wasn't busy anyways!" Although as soon as she was out of his sights he began to mutter to himself, and realized that his good mood probably wasn't going to return that day.
For the rest of the day, Molly found herself doing something she normally never did; she walked through the streets of town, and observed everyone else. The rag doll realized how oblivious she had been to what the other citizens of her town truly did just from this outing. However, by the time the sun began to set, she still hadn't one idea on what to do for her surprise for the town. As she trudged back home, she found herself being confronted by the Mayor, who for once greeted her with the more cheerful face his head had to offer. "Less than two months left until the big day!" he informed her, and she felt grateful that he had not said this with the bullhorn he held in his hands.
"Thanks for the reminder," Molly replied, trying not to make her voice sound as sarcastic as she felt like being with the Mayor. The Mayor didn't seem to notice her dreary tone, and only continued to smile and nodded as he stepped aside to head back to go home. Molly wasn't sure if she should shake her head at how oblivious most of the townspeople could be, or to be thankful for that.
Once she entered the Laboratory that she called home, she immediately heard her mother's voice calling out to her after the door finished moaning after being closed. "Molly? Is that you? Come over here I have a surprise for you!" Jewel said without looking away from the cauldron that was located several steps away from the front door. Just when Molly thought this couldn't have been a good surprise, her mother turned and beckoned her to come forward and look into the cauldron to see the contents inside. Knowing she could not escape her mother's wish, the rag doll approached the bubbling concoction, and immediately her nose picked up on the distinguished smell of Snake and Spider stew. Before she could say anything, Jewel spoke up again, "I know I don't really make this stew so much, but I thought you deserved it. After all, you've finally begun to show an interest in our town's cause of making a perfect Halloween!" Just as Molly began to feel the heavy feeling of guilt, her mother decided to add, "I'm very proud of you, and I can't wait to see what surprise you have come up with that will blow away even the Mayor's best Halloween ideas!"
Cracking a slight grin, and allowing herself to chuckle – which came out more nervous than the embarrassed one she was trying for – Molly replied, "Um…gee thanks, I appreciate this, but I really am feeling kind of tired."
"Oh that isn't a problem, go up to your room and rest," Jewel laughed, and waved off her daughter's hesitance at accepting her kindness. "The stew isn't ready yet, but when it is I'll take it up to your room when I go to serve your father up in his lab." Turning back to focus on her cooking, Dr. Finkelstein's wife shook her head as she muttered to herself more than to Molly, "Lately he has been so busy in his work with Igor that I wonder if he even notices what I make."
Molly didn't stick around to hear the rest of Jewel's muttering as she walked up the metallic ramp up to her room. After arriving in her room, she sighed in relief, and plunked herself on her bed, which made the springs squeak at the sudden addition of weight. Her focus went to the floor, as she continued to search her mind for an idea, only to discover that she hadn't a clue what to do for her surprise. 'I have less than two months to prepare something special that it takes the town a whole year to do. How am I ever going to be able to manage that? There's no way to really cheat either. Unless I did something someone else in town has been working on. Then again, that wouldn't really be a special surprise now would it?' Another sigh escaped her lips before she leaned back to lay on her bed. Her green eyes focused on the ceiling instead, and would stay there until her mother's knocking was heard against her door.
"Stew's ready!" Jewel said behind the door, with an unusually cheerful tone.
The rag doll sat up from her bed just in time to see her mother open the door and walk in. Placing the bowl down on the table in the room, she stood by the bowl, waiting to see Molly try her food. Realizing this, Molly slipped off of her bed on her feet, and took the spoon into her hand, and tasted the hot liquid. Glancing back to her mother's anxious face, she told her, "Tastes pretty good, thanks." While Jewel looked ecstatic and began to act humble about it, Molly thought to herself, 'Not as good as Oogie's though…' Then something clicked in her mind. A very wonderful idea, one that just might be able to work for her surprise. Without thinking about it, Molly declared, "I got it!"
Jewel gave her daughter a puzzled look at her sudden outburst, "Got what?" She was even more taken aback as she watched her daughter discard her spoon on the table and pick up the bowl and begin to drink from it. "Oh Molly!" she began to scold, "Don't do that! Your father does that all the time and it's just so disgusting, and not in a flattering way for a young lady!" Molly further surprised her mother by handing her the now empty bowl, and was now in a hurry to go back to Oogie's lair. "Wait, where are you going now?"
"Going back to work on that surprise! I just got a great idea! And I'm going to need help from Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" Molly shouted back over her shoulder as she descended the metallic ramp and dashed out the door before her mother could protest.
Oogie had not expected Molly to return to his lair that night, especially looking like she had come in a big hurry from how she was panting with hair slightly disheveled. He could not help but stare at her for a long time without saying a word, until he bluntly asked, "What happened to you?"
A grin spread across her face as she tried to regain her breath enough to reply, "J-just an answer to our problems." Approaching him, she placed a hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture, but also so that she could keep her balance. Once she was able to talk with a bit more ease, she asked, "How would you like to be the one who gets to come see me for a change?"
At a loss for words, Oogie continued to just stare at her, although now it was in a suspicious way as he studied her as if she had lost her mind. "Now I'm curious, just what did happen to you?"
"Oh just answer a simple question for a change." Molly chuckled before adding in a teasing tone, "You can answer simple questions, right?"
Insulted, Oogie responded defensively with his usual frown, "Why should I when you haven't answered mine?"
"Because I asked mine first," Molly answered simply as she began to poke at his stomach with her other hand. "That's why."
Oogie frowned more, as he thought to himself that technically he had asked his question first, but knew that she would still probably avoid his question until he gave up and answered hers first. "Fine, I guess I could pay you a little visit," he began with his usual tone, but then it changed to annoyed. "And then I can get chased out of town by Jack's mob of morons afterwards."
"Well what if you didn't have to worry about that?" the rag doll asked with a raised brow in amusement.
Oogie raised one of his brows as well, though his was in curiosity. Secretly he wondered just how many questions he'd have to answer before she would tell him the answer to his own. Experience with Molly taught him not to bother mentioning this injustice though, so instead he told her, "Well that would be different. What are you trying to tell me Doll Face?"
"Well I just don't think it's fair that I have to go sneaking around just to visit a friend," Molly explained as she removed her hand from his shoulder to place them on her hips. "So why don't I tell the town that you are my special Halloween surprise project! I could tell them that I revived you for Halloween. After all, it just wouldn't be the same without the Boogieman." She looked very pleased as she informed Oogie of her plan. "And it wouldn't be that hard for them to believe, after all, I am friends with your loyal little henchmen. If anyone would know how to bring you back it would be them." She paused with a large smile at her own brilliance before asking him, "So what do you think?"
Dryly, Oogie replied, "Mmm yes, that sure would be a surprise. Halloween Town would just love to tear me apart at the seams." Folding his arms over his chest he concluded, "Not a good idea Doll, unless that's what you wanted."
Molly narrowed her eyes in irritation at his response. "You really think that's what I want?"
"I don't know, would you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as well. "Last time you were here you didn't really seem to care much about me!"
A mocking laugh escaped the rag doll, "Well that's because you were trying to tear me apart yourself!"
"Because I thought I had a reason to!" Oogie argued in his defense.
"Only because you jumped to conclusions!" Molly yelled back as she leaned in close to his face with a scowl.
Glowering back at her, Oogie also leaned in. "Well you were slow at tellin' me what Jack was doin' hangin' 'round with ya. S'not my fault!"
"Well you didn't exactly give me a chance to explain myself," Molly clarified as she moved closer to his face. "You just assumed I had blabbed to Jack about you still being alive, and hiding in your lair because you're so afraid of him!"
"I am not afraid of Jack! The great Oogie Boogie fears nobody!" Oogie declared in a more firm voice while moving close enough to Molly's face so that her nose pressed against the area on his face where his nose would have been if he had one.
If it were physically possible to move any closer to Oogie, Molly would have, but since it wasn't, the only action she took was to mutter softly while still glaring into his dark sockets, "Batsnot."
A snort escaped Oogie as he laughed in her face, "Ha! This time you lose." Leaning back and looking triumphant, he added, "Even cheating won't help you this time."
"Oh please, it's obvious you're afraid of Jack," Molly rolled her eyes at Oogie's arrogance. "Otherwise you wouldn't stay in this lair all day, every day."
The Boogieman grinned, as he told her, "Just because I'm not an idiot doesn't mean I'm afraid, but I guess you wouldn't know the difference."
Molly looked at him with disgusted as she sighed. "Fine, I won't help you get your freedom back." Sharply turning her back on him, she threw her head up so that her nose was in the air and added a, "Humph!"
"As if you could," Oogie scoffed.
"I could have," she stated without looking at him.
"I'd like to see you prove that," he muttered to her back.
Exasperated, she shot one more glare back at him and shouted, "How can I when you won't even cooperate with me?"
"If it means callin' your bluff I just might," he answered.
Molly turned her head forward again as she continued to stand with her back to him. "Well it might help if you stopped being an egotistical jerk!"
Glaring at her back Oogie sneered, "Wasn't aware I was, so maybe I'll be one a little longer."
Molly laughed at him before telling him in a cold tone, "Then maybe I won't tell you how I figured out how to convince the townspeople not to kill you as soon as they see you."
"Then I guess you won't be proving me wrong then," Oogie's replied with a hint of amusement.
"Nope," said the rag doll, "I'll just be proving that you're afraid of change."
"Batsnot."
"Just keep telling yourself that fat boy."
Oogie Boogie gave her back an annoyed glare before growling in irritation. For a long time the two stood there brooding in silence. That was until Oogie felt like being the one to catch Molly off guard for once. Creeping up to her as quietly as he could, he then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her down as he sat on the ground. Molly's eyes widened when she felt her posterior fall onto Oogie's lap and looked to the Boogieman for an explanation. "So are you going to tell me this ingenious plan or not? Because if not then just leave!"
"You obviously don't want me to leave," Molly pointed out as she glanced down at the burlap arm that held her in place on Oogie's lap.
"Keep on pesterin' me and maybe I will," he warned her.
Molly couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, then I won't pester you. How about that?"
"Good idea," Oogie replied, "now, let's hear the other one, shall we?"
Trying her best to ignore the arm around her waist, Molly began to tell him about her idea. "Well they think that Jack got rid of you for good last year, right? So wouldn't that make your past actions nullified by your death? You've been alive for awhile now, and you haven't done anything bad, have you?"
Oogie's face twisted into an evil smirk as he remembered torturing Vladimir. "Nothin' they'd know about."
"See? They don't even know you're alive right now," Molly continued. "And if I tell them you're still innocent of doing anything bad, in front of everyone, Jack would end up looking like a bad guy if he, or anyone else tried to hurt you." She finished with a smile, hoping that this time he would agree with her.
He looked thoughtful, before telling her, "It's got a few bugs in it, but it might work. If we played our cards right that is."
"And I always do," Molly replied with a grin.
"So do I," Oogie chuckled, as he thought, 'This should be interesting.'
"We've got less than two months to work on this plan," she informed him in a serious tone. "If we're going to pull this off we'll need all the time we can get. Hmmm…" Rubbing her chin she thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "I'll tell my family I need to focus on this surprise as much as I can, and that I'll stay with Lock, Shock, and Barrel until it's finished!"
A wide grin spread across Oogie's face at the idea of having Molly stay with him for practically two months straight. Without that annoying obligation she had to return to town, he could enjoy her company without her nagging at him about having to leave sooner or later. "I really like the way you think Doll Face. But if you're going to stay here for awhile, there is one thing I should tell you…"
"What?" she asked puzzled.
He chuckled as he pulled her closer to him and replied, "You gotta be my pillow."
Rolling her eyes, she responded, "I could figure that out for myself."
"Like I said, " he told her with another chuckle before leaning close to her face, "I like the way you think."
The rag doll smirked, but said nothing more in reply to his statement.
Well at least this time I didn't leave you guys with a cliffhanger! Again I am sooo sorry for updating this like eight or nine months later from the last chapter. And what's worse is I also started a new fic and posted two chapters on it before updating this one. It's an Okage fanfic, so if any of you happen to know and love that game, please check it out. I will begin working on the new chapter for that one probably as you read this. I would like to thank all my readers for being so patient for this next chapter to come out. Thanks for not threatening my life in my absence from updating.
I'd like to thank the following for their reviews:
Raptured Night
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I've noticed there's some new names among those who reviewed last time I updated. Love you all! Keep reading and reviewing and being patient for the next updates! And I hope you all had a nice Halloween last week!
LaterZ,
Sydney Daimao