Sk: Okay, again, I am REALLY sorry! >_>I have an English essay, a SST essay, a maths test (in which I must get two credits. XP) and a science test coming up. And... I HAD AN EXCHANGE STUDENT! I FEEL SPECIAL!
Jack: Kana WAS a nice girl, so you get away with that. And she was only here for two weeks.
Michael: But you should have been studying ages ago for that school crap.
Sk: You can't talk, drop out. *pokes her tongue out*
---
"It's been more that half an hour, and not one person, either friend or foe has shown up!" Jack growled angrily, standing up. Kelly floated into view, with Zero at her side. She threw a stick, and the ghostly dog chased it into the sky. Kelly giggled and clapped as Zero caught it and brought it back loyally.
"Vhat a good boy, Zeero! Vhat a veery good boy!" she praised, petting him and laughing. Willow sighed and smiled, watching the pair. The ghostly couple didn't seem to have a care in the world. She looked back at Jack, whom was leaning against an inanimate tree. He seemed to be carrying their worry along with his own. And that's what concerned her. She walked over slowly and rested a hand of twigs on his shoulder.
"Jack, do you think your can hold on a few minutes longer?" she asked softly, gazing at him. His narrowed eye sockets focused on her, before his sight dropped to the dirt once more.
"Not much longer." he whispered, sighing morosely. "I have to see whether she's okay soon.... or I don't know what I'll do."
"I understand, in a sense." she smiled back, gently brushing a bough of drooping leaves from her face. She wrapped her whole arm around him comfortingly, sighing. "This is exactly the same that dad felt when mum wandered into the Hinterlands."
"That's why he likes neither you nor Sakura going in there, isn't it?" Jack asked, actually somewhat glad to get his mind off the current matter. She nodded and sighed.
"Yes. Ever since mum disappeared when we were little, he hasn't trusted us going in there at all without him. He knows his way around that forest like he knows the Hanged Men personally." she smiled, looking out toward the woods. Jack sighed and continued to stare at the ground. The Hanging Tree and the Hanged Men were now in a conversation-turned-argument-turned-discussion about socks or some such thing. Willow sighed and laughed, no matter how sad it sounded. She couldn't make out many of the words, but her eyes grew wide with surprise when she heard the ghostly vampire use the words 'cheese' and 'socks' in the same sentence.
"Socks turned cheese farms!?"
"Those words should never be used in the same sentence!"
"What kind of sick twisted vampire ghost are you?"
"One that has a rather vivid imagination, I'd say."
"Hey, Hanging Tree, you're supposed to be on our side!"
"Yeah! What he said!"
"He can do as he veeshes, tank you!"
Willow sighed and rolled her eyes. At least they weren't weighing themselves down like her friend was. She looked away before returning to comforting Jack.
---
Casey yawned as he lay in Sakura's arms, snoring lightly. The cheery blossom herself was upright, perky and wide awake from all of the carbon dioxide that was now in the room. Caroline, however, was leaning against one of the icy walls in her cell, her eyelids heavy and her senses very much dulled by the lack of sleep and oxygen she was getting.
"Caroline, are you sure you're okay?" the tree whispered, not wanting to wake the little vampire in her arms. His day had already been rough enough for one little guy. "Why don't you go to sleep?" she asked softly, cocking her boughs to the side, blinking. Caroline shook her head slowly, placing an icy hand on her purple and black leg.
"I've lost a lot of blood, thanks to Maree, and it's freezing in here. I fall asleep... I'm afraid that I might not wake up."
"That's true, that's true." Sakura sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry. Sometimes, I'm so close to my friends that I completely forget that they're not.... well, trees."
"Oh, that's quite alright." Caroline smiled through the chilled bars, sighing. Both girls looked up as someone entered the room, her trench coat pulled tightly around her and her eyes the only colour against her black silhouette. An icy blue against the black shape.
"Caroline." the werewolf child barked angrily, folding her arms. "Get your ass up now. You're coming with me. Or do we want to have another little tussle? I don't mind, either way."
"I'm getting up. Don't make threats like that to me, Maree. They won't make me move any faster." Caroline replied plainly, without a hint of fear or anxiety in her hollow voice. She almost sounded careless. Maree narrowed her eyes.
"C'mon, smartass." she snarled, picking the lock with her claw. She grabbed Caroline roughly by the arm and began dragging her, not giving her a chance to walk on her own. "Mister Oogie has a special use for you, after all."
"Oh goodie. No, really, I feel so special." Caroline growled sarcastically, as she managed to gain her footing and follow the woman. Sakura watched in fear, sighing gently.
"Oh god."
---
Kris edged to the corner slowly, Chelsea in her arms. She poked her blonde head into the dark doorway and blinked her sparkling green eyes. It was pitch dark in the conjoining room, and it seemed pretty void. She looked back as she felt Chelsea move against her softly.
"Finally awake, there?" she whispered to the young ragdoll, smiling. Chelsea blinked lazily and yawned, looking up.
"Yeah, I guess." she whispered hoarsely, staring up at her friend. Kris grinned and set her down, before gasping as the ragdoll toppled over onto her side. The Christmas Towner helped the little woman upright, blinking.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes wide and concerned. "What happened?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Chelsea whispered, looking up and smiling. "Um... my leg has just come unstitched."
"Oh, well that's not good, is it?" Kris asked, lifting her up again. Chelsea shook her head and sighed, pulling a thread and needle from within her pocket.
"Do you mind if I...?"
"Oh, no, of course not." Kris laughed, looking away as Chelsea began to unbutton her jeans. "As long as you manage to bring yourself together."
Chelsea laughed at Kris' unintended pun and began to sew her limb back onto her torso. The blonde turned back to the darkened doorway. She sighed and began to fidget with her hands, gasping as the redhead's small hand touched her shoulder. "What's in there?" Chelsea asked softly. Kris looked back at her.
"I have no idea. And I'm thinking that I don't really wanna find out."
---
"That's it." Jack growled, standing. Willow latched onto his arm tightly, holding him back. Jack tried to shake the young tree off. "Willow, get off my arm!"
"But you don't know whether it's safe or not!"
"I don't CARE whether it's safe or not, to be frank!" Jack snarled, yanking his arm from the tree's branches. The Hanging Tree didn't intervene, knowing full well that if he did, he could have very well been dancing with death itself. Jack was at the end of his tether, obviously. And with her next words, Kelly didn't help the situation at all.
"But... you're Jack, not Vrank."
"Just shut your bloody mouth, Kelly." Jack snapped angrily, beginning to walk toward the entrance of the lair. Kelly looked rather taken aback, holding Zero to her chest.
"I'm... sorry....."
Jack didn't reply to her apology, simply continuing on, before stopping and looking back at a very familiar voice.
"Jack! Wait right there!"
Jack turned around, to find Sally throw herself into his arms, staring up at him. He held her close, not saying anything. The redheaded doll looked around, her hazel eyes growing wide. Willow and her father looked up to find that Pan, latched onto the arm of Werewolf, was following, drying her eyes. Werewolf seemed to not have a choice whether he came or not. But he obviously wasn't complaining. He had a serious look on his face, his fangs hanging from his muzzle and growling.
"Jack, where are the children?" Sally whispered, blinking with full innocence. Jack sighed and turned away.
"They're down in Oogie's Lair."
"What!?" Sally exclaimed, her pale face fading to near white. "You let my daughter go down there on her own!?"
"Well, if it helps, Kris went with her." Willow whispered. Kelly, once again, decided to add her two cents.
"Und Michaeel's weeth dem too."
"That just makes it worse." Pan sniffed, looking up. "I mean, he's my brother and all, and I love him, but he's a royal idiot at times."
"True, true..." Kelly couldn't argue on Michael's behalf with her point. Jack looked back.
"Where's Vanda?"
"She's back in town with Evan and Shelly." Sally explained, now pressing herself close to Jack's body, her arms around his waist. Jack's anger faltered for a second as he saw the tears streaming down his wife's face.
"Don't worry, Sally, I'll get them back for you. Don't you worry. Alright?" he asked softly, kissing her gently on the lips. Sally nodded, burying her head into his chest. Jack sighed and embraced her, before breaking away. "I really have to go this time. I'm going and you're not stopping me." he growled at Willow in particular, whom shrunk away. Pan looked up as Jack walked away.
"At least let Werewolf go down there with you!"
"No. That'll put him in danger too." Jack growled. Pan gulped, tears welling in her sparkling eyes.
"What if something happens to you? I can't loose my brothers! I lost my family once! And now..." The tears ran down her face as her shoulders began to shudder with her sobbing. Werewolf tried to console her as she argued on. "And n-now it's h-happening all over again!"
Jack sighed. Seeing his little sister like this, even if she was an adopted girl from nowhere, tugged tightly at his heart strings. He looked up at Werewolf. "You think you're up for it? You're not exactly as young as you used to be." the skeleton joked softly, grinning. Werewolf laughed gruffly, kissing Pan on the cheek before scampering down to be at his friend and leader's side.
"Well, you can't talk much in that case." he laughed back, looking back. "Don't worry, baby, we'll get our little Maree back." he promised, smiling up at her. Pan sat where she was and nodded, while Sally moved up the small bank to comfort her sister-in-law quietly.
"Well, are we off?" Jack asked, turning back to the task at hand. Werewolf grinned, moving toward the entrance.
"Last one there's a rotten pumpkin."
They both raced to the entrance, as Willow smiled. She seemed satisfied that Jack had someone going with him. Kelly, however, with the attention span of a retarded amoeba, was once again playing fetch with Zero and a stick.
---
Alright, there you go. n___n I'm actually rather happy with that chapter.
Lock: I'm not.
Sk: Oh, get over it. You know when you're coming in, so you had better get ready.
Lock: True, true.... *slinks away*
Oogie voice over: And soon to be revealed, my ingenious plan to rid myself of the Pumpkin King and his heirs once and for all! MUHAHAHA!
Sk: ... that reminds me... I gotta go find that hunk of sexy cheese, Oogie.
Oogie: Oh crap.
