"Cupid was kidnapped!?" Sally gasped in utter disbelief. "But Oogie has shown little to no interest in Valentines day Town. He says it's too... pink for his tastes." Sally and Jack were sitting in the kitchen where Jack had just briefed Sally on the details of the rather eventful meeting of the Holidays. Sally shook her head it was hard to believe.
"I know I'm just as surprised." Jack agreed. "But it's true. We'll have to join the others when we fight Oogie tonight so you can see for yourself." he added. Sally's eyes widened at these words, she had never been the best fighter.
"Jack, don't you think you might want someone a bit more... talented at fighting to help you defeat Oogie?" Sally asked trying to get her husband to listen to the voice of reason. It took a lot to change Jack's mind once he had made it up about something but Sally had been getting increasingly good at it. "I've never been very good at fighting Jack."
"Sure you are Sally!" Jack said trying to think of a time when Sally had come to the rescue. "Your really good at coming up with plans and... um..." Jack trailed off. It seemed that Sally had never really shown any magical talent that would come in handy on a battlefield. She could concoct a potion that could literally knock them dead, she could think her way out of almost any situation but when it came to muscle his wife was very little help.
"George can think of plans too honey." Sally pointed out. "It was his job when he was a general in the mortal world before he became a Holiday leader." Jack nodded but he didn't seem quite convinced yet to let the subject drop.
"But Sally we need the help. With Cupid hostage Oogie has the upper hand. We can't let him manipulate us into loosing our powers all over again. Sally I can't go back to being a human!" Jack said desperately his voice shaking slightly.
"Nor can anyone else in this town." Sally sighed but as she thought about how everyone took to being human an idea began to form in the back of her mind. "Jack, it sounds to me like the situation calls for someone who can fight almost as well as you can." Sally began careful to phrase everything just right to get her husband to agree.
"I suppose so Sally but not many of the townspeople are really willing to throw themselves in Oogie's path. Especially when Oogie has all of the powers of the holidays combined." Jack said uncertainly. "I don't think we'd find anyone."
"So what your saying is we need someone ruthless?" Sally asked leaning toward one person who might be able to help. But her idea of a savior was one that not many, especially Jack who was not overly fond of this potential aid, would think of.
"Ruthless is a little harsh but someone who won't be taken off guard by Oogie's power or the fact that he holds all of the cards." Jack agreed trying to figure out where exactly his wife was heading with this conversation.
"Someone with power?" Sally asked.
"Power would be necessary." Jack said folding his bony arms impatiently.
"Lots of power?" Sally, asked getting excited. "And skill?"
"Yes Sally, and preferably experience." Jack added knowing exactly what she was going to ask him next. But despite how well he knew his wife he could not figure out what idea she was cooking up inside her head. "You've dealt with Oogie before so you know how he works. We've had some troubles in the past with your fighting ability but you've gotten better Sally. Your not half as bad as your making yourself out to be." Jack said carefully checking the clock to determine how much time he had until the battle began and the Holiday leaders attempted to save Cupid and redeem their powers all at once. As much as he hated to admit it Oogie had really stirred up some serious trouble this time.
"But I'm not half as good as you need me to be, Jack. Dear, your looking at this from all the wrong angles. You need someone with the skill, the power, and the will to take on Oogie Boogie even when he can attack with any of the Holiday powers. Someone with the drive to turn the odds in your favor." Sally said calmly trying to make her point.
"Yes well you do know the other leaders will be helping as well right?" Jack asked trying to make sure Sally understood the circumstances. "Yes it's still dangerous but I know that we can overcome Oogie if we can just-"
"Get Lisa's help." Sally said with a smile.
"Exact- wait! No!" Jack cried suddenly realizing what his wife had just suggested. Lisa Harper was a demonic woman who resided in the town because of a deal she made with Jack a long time ago. Jack and Lisa shared a mutual hatred for one another though Sally was one of the only people Lisa considered to be a "friend". She was an excellent fighter but she wouldn't help Jack with anything even if her existence hung in the balance.
"It's settled. We'll ask Lisa right away to help you." Sally said getting up from the table and walking toward the door. Jack lunged in front of her blocking the door before Sally could reach it. He was not about to ask for Lisa's help.
"Sally I know you two were friends for a while but Lisa hates me. And I don't mean dislikes I mean hates! She threatens to destroy me almost more than Oogie Boogie does. She's selfish, cruel, cold hearted, and would probably rather let us all rot than actually lift a finger to help anyone other than herself." Jack said angrily.
"She's also the reason we met." Sally reminded him.
"That's only because she attacked me!" Jack replied determined not to let Sally win this argument. If she did he was going to have to try to convince one of the most malicious demons ever to exist both inside and outside the dreaded Underworld to help him save the Holidays.
"Attacked is such a harsh word. I believe it was asked in a slightly threatening manor." Sally replied with a slight smile recalling the incident well.
"Sally, she threw me against the lockers and threatened to tear me to shreds." Jack replied darkly recalling the incident with foul feelings still burning inside him.
"Your just mad that she beat you up in the third grade." Sally said with a slightly mischievous grin. Her husband immediately changed emotions from grouch and irritable to extremely defensive and completely humiliated.
"She did not beat me up Sally. That was taken way out of proportion. Plus you weren't even here when I was in third grade. You hadn't been created yet." Jack pointed out trying to ignore the fact that Sally's oldest sister had been there.
"That's not what Emily said. She said Lisa beat you up pretty badly and you wouldn't go near her until the fifth grade." Sally said referring to the doctor's first creation, a woman now known to Halloween Town as the Corpse Bride. Sally's older sister Emily had vanished for several long years after the doctor was paralyzed in an accident on the stairs. Emily did not return until very recently and Sally had never been told of her older sister. It seemed as if all of Halloween Town had been trying to cover up for what the doctor believed was a past mistake.
"That's not how it happened at all." Jack grumbled. "I was never scared of her. I just didn't want to talk to her because she's a uncontrollable psychopath!"
"Which is exactly who you need helping you defeat Oogie." Sally said brightly. "No need to get all in a huff darling, I've already paged her." Sally said dismissively. At that moment the doorbell let out a loud shriek letting the Skellingtons know they had a visitor. Sally flashed her stunned husband an innocent smile. "That would be her now."
*
"Sisters mine! Come thus! Thine brother requests thy presence at once." Double called his dark and malicious voice echoing through the hollow torture casino. The blazing neon lights fell across his paper white face which seemed to his sisters, if this were possible, to be even more pale. The loss of color made his skin contrast greatly with his midnight black hair that fell gently over one eye and was normally so neatly brushed but was now nothing short of a wreak. The glowing blood colored orbs of his eyes were dim and did not add their bloody coloring to the lights of the casino that danced across his face. In fact the orbs barely illuminated the dark sockets of his eyes, showing that his confidence had completely deteriorated. The pale skin and black hair and dim glowing eyes made him look as if he were death incarnate, more so than the Grim reaper himself. His frightening appearance could not hide the fact that his hand was gripping the fang necklace he always wore tightly but this did not hide what he was so ashamed of, his hand was shaking. The way their brother was acting could only mean one thing to the two sisters who were awaiting his announcement with uncertainly. For a long time Trouble had thought her brother feared nothing, but she knew now that it was not true. Double did have one fear and though he tried not to show it he could never recover quickly from confronting it. But his fear was one that all who resided in the Underworld shared and it was that fear that the people in Halloween Town could never reinstate in the hearts of the humans. Only one person could strike that sort of terror in the human race. The only person of whom Double had ever been afraid.
"Did you talked to mommy?" Trouble asked excitedly. Mommy? It was such a strange thing to hear the Queen of the Underworld referred to as mommy.
"I did talk to mother dearest if that answers thine question." Double said keeping his voice calm an collect and slowly regaining his confidence. The glow of his eyes brightened slightly at Toil's reference to their mother as 'mommy' he and Trouble had never liked that affectionate nickname for the cold hearted dictator of the Underworld who was their mother. "And she hath given me news of great urgency. Thou must act quickly and obey the orders given to thee. Understood?" Double asked darkly his crimson eyes flashing as he spoke. His sisters nodded. "Both of my sisters dear understand? 'Tis a new concept to me I must say." he said returning slowly to normal as he insulted them.
"Don't let your head swell. So what did mom say?" Trouble asked acting irritable as she always did though she felt the same fear worm its way into her stomach.
"Mother hath decided that her darling children must withdraw their aid from Lord Oogie." Double said his voice becoming rather sarcastic as he referred to their know nothing boss as 'Lord Oogie'. "We are to return home for the briefest of times and let the Holidays return to the state in which they once were. And lend no aid in the upcoming battle."
"What!? All that work for nothing!?" Trouble demanded angrily.
"Mother's orders." Double said darkly his sockets narrowed and his glowing sockets shining with a malicious glow. "And what mother desires, mother receives."
