Goodnight Boo

Author's Note: I was riding in the car with my parents and my two-and-half year old nephew, and my mom puts on this album. Once I heard these two songs this cute little Jack/Sally parent moment popped into my head, and I had to write it down. This is just a little story I thought I'd write as a break from my other TNBC story.

Disclaimer: Everything TNBC belongs to Tim Burton and all his creative genius. Songs "Spiders Lullaby" and "Got A Little Ghost" from the Caspar Babypants album More Please.

All had seemed peaceful and quiet at Skellington Manor. The Pumpkin King was not yet home from his meeting with the Mayor over the plans for next Halloween. Meanwhile Sally was sound asleep after her first long day with their new baby. It had been Jack's first day back to work since the baby had been born and he'd been worried about leaving Sally alone. However, Sally and the baby had had a terrific day together.

Suddenly Sally was woken up from her peaceful nightmares by Jack's faithful ghost dog, Zero. He was whining and urging her to follow him. Looking at the clock it was about eleven o'clock at night. She climbed out from the gray sheets and threw a black and orange stitched robe over her patched cream-colored nightgown. As she approached the nursery, Sally heard a soft sound coming from the baby's room. The door was slightly cracked. Careful not to disturb her child, Sally peeked inside and what she saw melted her heart.

Standing before the crib was Jack with the baby in his arms. How odd this scene might have appeared to most: a tall skeleton in a pinstripe suit, holding a tiny skeletal/rag doll baby wrapped in a spider web blanket. But to Sally, it was the most precious sight she'd seen since the night their daughter had been born.

The tiny girl was looking up at her father with half lidded eyes as she tried to fight of sleep. Jack smiled down at the little bundle. The child herself was a rag doll and had red hair like her mother, but instead of blue skin, the child had a skeleton pattern on her skin, almost as if she were wearing a skeleton costume, and had no stitches. Jack slowly rocked the child back and forth. Then he started to sing a lullaby Sally had never heard before.

Close your eyes close your eyes

Go to sleep baby spider

There's your mama old and wise

Spinning happy webs for you

Dangle down in the dirt

While the quiet night passes

You are safe in your web

In your web all night through

Sally pressed her hand to her heart as she leaned against the doorframe. She loved to hear Jack sing. He had such a lovely deep voice that sent shivers up her spin, as well as lull her into a stupor. Now, as she listened to him sing their daughter to sleep, Sally felt herself falling in love with him all over again. Zero brushed his ghostly form against her hand and she patted the pup's head.

"Thank you," she whispered. In truth, she really was grateful that Zero had woken her up. This was a sight she didn't want to miss for the world. Then she turned her attention back to the precious sight of the Pumpkin King and his Pumpkin Princess.

Close your eyes close your eyes

Go to sleep baby spider

There's your mama old and wise

Spinning happy webs for you

Dangle down in the dirt

While the quiet night passes

You are safe in your web

In your web all night through

The child settled down and snuggled into her father's long, thin arms. When Jack was sure his daughter was sleeping soundly he laid her back down in her crib. He then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead.

While this happened Zero left Sally's side and glided over to Jack and the baby. Jack looked down and smiled at his faithful companion. Jack pressed one finger to his lips and shushed Zero before he could make a sound. Zero seemed to act as if he understood, but instead of leaving the nursery, the ghost dog floated into the baby's crib and snuggled down next to the sleeping infant. Both Jack and Sally tensed at the thought of their baby waking up. Instead their child slumbered on.

Jack sighed with relief and took one last look at his daughter. With ghostlike grace he silently crept out of the room, not noticing his audience had backed into the hallway. He slipped out of the room, carefully closed the door, and smiled.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking at it Jack saw the small blue hand had a golden band with a small orange diamond on its ring finger. He smiled his famous skeletal grin as he turned to look at his loving wife as she smiled up at him.

As Sally smiled, she pressed a finger to her lips and motioned for Jack to follow her back to their room. Once the door closed behind them, Jack wrapped his arms around Sally as she kissed his bony lips. Sally had intended for the kiss to be a short welcome home kiss, but Jack made it last just a little longer. It surprised Sally at first but she let herself melt into Jack's tender kiss. When they parted Jack held her close and ran his fingers through her hair, nuzzling the top of her head.

"Oh Sally, I'm sorry I'm home so late but the Mayor seemed to have a never ending list of plans he needed my approval for. I really did try to be home as soon as possible."

"Jack there's no need to apologize. I know your duties as Pumpkin King come with many responsibilities. I don't expect you to be home early every night."

"I guess I was just worried about my girls being alone at night without me," he replied with a slight hesitant tone in his voice. Then he leaned back to look Sally in the eye. "How was your day? Did you have any trouble?"

"No trouble at all," Sally replied cheerfully. "Boo and I had a wonderful time. She only fussed for about twenty minutes after you left this morning. Then we had a nice walk around town and the witch sisters cooed over her. After that I got her fed, bathed, and she went down peacefully for both her nap and bedtime."

Jack smiled and shook his head. "You are truly an amazing woman, Sally. I don't know what I did to deserve you. After all that happened, how did a foolish old skeleton like me get lucky enough to have the love of the cleverest, most beautiful woman in all of Halloween Town?"

"Oh Jack," Sally blushed, "I'm the lucky one. I never thought that I'd be courted and married to my best friend, and then become the mother of your child. You made all my dreams come true and much more."

Jack smiled as he memories of the past two years past before his minds eye. He saw himself atop Spiral Hill singing of his love for his dearest friend, kissing her for the first time, their months of courting; his proposal, and their wedding. Sally was having similar thoughts: the surprise and joy in discovering she was pregnant, the fun of helping Jack put together the nursery (even when he became frustrated trying to put the crib together); the worry on Jack's face as she went into labor, and finally the love of having her child placed in her arms for the first time.

Then her thoughts drifted to just s few moments ago. "Jack, wherever did you learn that song? I never heard you sing it to Boo before."

Jack blanched and rubbed the back of his skull. "Oh, you heard that. Well umm, actually, it's one of the songs my mother would sing to me when I was little. When I came home I knew you both would be asleep. But when I passed by the nursery I heard some noise. I peeked in and there Boo was, wide-awake. She didn't want to go back to sleep, and I didn't want to wake you, so I thought I would try one of the lullabies that used to help me sleep."

"Oh Jack, that's so sweet." Sally could just picture in her mind the image of her tall Pumpkin King as a little boy while his mother sang sweet songs to help the little prince fall asleep.

Jack saw the peaceful look come over Sally's face. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her toward their bed. "Sally it's late. You've had a long day and need your rest."

"You're right," she said. She pulled herself out of Jack's embrace (he was reluctant to let her go), and slipped out of her robe. Then Jack pulled back the covers and let Sally climb into bed. Once she was settled he covered her with the blanket.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" she asked.

"In a minute," he assured her. "I just want to change first." He stepped back and quickly changed into his nightclothes before climbing into bed beside his wife. He opened his arms and Sally snuggled into his embrace. He could tell by the way she slightly clung to him how much she'd missed him and he eagerly returned the gesture. Oh he'd missed his beloved rag doll all day. He silently hoped that his attention wouldn't be needed quite as much tomorrow. All he wanted was to spend time with his wife and daughter.

Jack felt himself slowly drift into the realm of dreams when Sally spoke. "Jack?"

"Mmhmm," he mumbled.

"You said that was one song your mother would sing to you. Tell me, where there others?"

"Well… There was one other song my mother would sing, but…" his voice trailed off.

"But what?" Sally sat up. Normally she would never pry, but her curiosity was peaked.

"Well… I wasn't always the scariest creature in Halloween Town. In fact I had trouble scaring anything when I was little," Jack confessed. "So my mother came up with a song to convince me that it was ok if I wasn't scary. She sang it to me every time I felt like I couldn't scare. And over time I got better."

"And that's how you became inspired to become the Pumpkin King?"

"That's right." In truth Jack hadn't thought about his mother's songs in a long time. Thinking about them now, he smiled at how such silly songs comforted him as a child. And now he could pass them on to his own child as she grew up. He looked back over at Sally and noticed she appeared to want to ask him something.

"What is it Sally?"

"I was just thinking," she said, finding the blankets suddenly interesting. "Do you, do you still remember the words to that song?"

"Well, it has been a long time. I believe I still know the words. Why do you…" He stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. This made Jack chuckle. "Would my Pumpkin Queen like me to sing her a lullaby?"

Sally smiled and nodded her head. Jack smiled to and pulled his wife closer to his side. Sally rested her head on Jack's shoulder and laid one hand on his rib cage. When he was sure she was comfortable he began to sing.

Got a little ghost

In my hand

Got a little ghost

In my hand

He's too small to scare

It seems no one cares

All that he can do

Is a tiny little boo

Boo

Got a little ghost

In my hand

Got a little ghost

In my hand

He's too small to scare

It seems no one cares

All that he can do

Is a tiny little boo

Boo

When the song ended Jack looked down to find Sally had fallen asleep. Hmm, seems the Master of Fright can also charm beautiful women and sweet little girls into a peaceful sleep, Jack thought to himself. Carefully, so not to wake her, Jack leaned back into the bed with Sally nestled safely in his arms to join his frightening beauty for peaceful nightmares. They needed all the sleep they could get because in a few hours, little Boo would awaken and be demanding her parent's full attention.

The End

AN: Just a cute little one-shot I thought of. Hope you like it and please R&R.