Disclaimer: I own nothing...BBC and RTD (bastard) own Torchwood and Burton/Danny Elfman own the rest. This is what happens when I try to write Torchwood while listening to "Night mare Revisited," a redone compilation of Nightmare Before Christmas songs by modern artists. I beg you all for forgiveness beforehand.

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A Torchwood Nightmare before Christmas

Part Three: Simply Meant to Be…

It was ludicrously easy to sneak the fog juice not only out of the cellar of Yvonne's laboratory but into the celebrating town square, where nearly every creature, living and dead, had shown up for the start of their Christmas. Decorated in skulls and bangles, in lights and sludge, each ghost and monster was showing his or her Christmas cheer and celebrating a job well done, for to them, their Christmas was flawless. A band of shrunken corpses was playing a dreary version of a cheery tune Ianto had heard Jack call 'Jingle Bells…' but it sounded more like a funeral march to be fair. Granted, a funeral would be plenty of cause for celebration in the town of Halloween, still…not exactly the most appropriate for Christmas time you can imagine.

Ianto lugged the large bottle around the crowd until he spotted what he needed…a well. It was large and looked ancient, spouting off a slimy, green liquid from the mouth of a ferocious-looking monster and lighting the area in a soft green glow. He glanced around once more before he was sufficiently pleased that everyone else was too excited to give him much of a second look. He hauled the jug up to the brim of the well and paused, really making sure if this was all he could do to try and stop Jack's Christmas, feeling somewhat sick with the knowledge that this course of action would hurt him terribly and possibly make the rest of the townsfolk quite sad. Still…the burning tree was bright and harsh in his mind…he could not let it come to pass. He knew it would be a disaster and had a fear that if it failed so awfully, they, he, would lose Jack.

His face firmed in resolve and he poured the fog juice into the well, making sure that each and every drop was used before he tossed the empty jug aside, praying and hoping that this would work. He crept away back into the middle of the crowd, applauding with everyone else as Jack sprang out of the coffin-turned-sleigh in his red, Sandy Claws suit and hat, looking so pleased with himself that Ianto felt another twinge of guilt for what he had done. Someone to his left nudged him, a large, frightening looking clown he had heard being called Rhys, and Ianto tried his best to look excited, quelling the nausea churning his stomach.

The last of the toys were dropped into the sleigh's large garbage bin and Martha scuttled forward, her mayor hat on perfectly and her happiest face smiling at all of them. She reached into the folds of her suit and pulled out a rather long speech, motioning for the townsfolk to quiet down as she cleared her throat and began. It was all rather beautiful, praising Jack and his many accomplishments that brought their Christmas to fruition, and Jack himself had never looked so content in hearing all those lovely words directed towards him.

Ianto rolled his eyes and forced his smile a bit wider to suppress the urge to heckle.

All the while, Ianto's plan was working. The fog juice had begun to do its work and while everyone anxiously waited for the mayor to end her rambling speech so that Jack could deliver their Christmas to all the waiting children, a dense, gray fog had risen from the well and began its winding journey out and up. It crept throughout the crowds' feet (or tentacles) like a many-legged spider, growing thicker and thicker as it wormed its way into the night sky. And it wasn't until Martha started having trouble reading her speech that everyone looked around and shouted in dismay at the fog. Jack himself stared out in disbelief and horror as the fog obscured everything, even the tip of your nose, from view…

"No! This is horrible" Screeched the little witch Tosh, barely able to move about on her broom in the fog.

"This fog is as thick as-as—"

"Jellied brains." The mad doctor, Owen, interrupted the other witch, Gwen. He shook his head and glared at the fog before looking in Jack's direction. "Sorry mate, no way you'll be seeing through this shite."

"You're right, the reindeer can't see an inch in front of their noses!" Jack exclaimed. He looked about helplessly for a moment before he sunk down and shook his head. "There go all of my hope, my precious plans, my glorious dreams."

"There goes Christmas!" Gwen cried out, devastation in her very voice.

All the rest of Halloween let out their own cries of dismay and denial at that, all but Ianto who was struggling not to cry out in relief. True, he did feel awful about ruining all their hard work, especially Jack's, but he knew in his very stitches that he had done the right thing. Rhys the Demented Clown was bellowing in great, ugly sobs, and Ianto patted him awkwardly on the back for a few moments…before something truly horrible caught his attention. There, at the base of Jack's booted feet was Myfanwy…and her brightly glowing red nose.

She barked and Jack, after a moment of trying to wave her off, stopped and looked at her, realization and hope blooming in his bright eyes once more. "My, what a brilliant nose you have…all the better to light my way! To the head of the team, Myfanwy! Our Christmas is not over yet!"

Ianto's eyes widened in horrible understanding as Myfanwy floated to the front of the half robotic, half bone reindeer and the sleigh took off, amidst the cheers and hollers of every, single creature in Halloween. "Wait, Jack, no!"

But Ianto's cry and warning were lost in the noise, and all he could was stare helplessly as the sleigh and Jack took off through the fog and into the sky, his cackles fading away as he did. He stared and stared and stared until everyone else had wandered off to either watch Jack's progress or return to their homes, leaving only stitched up Ianto left, feeling nothing but cold dread. He rubbed a hand through his hair and walked off, determined to not glance back even though he wanted to do nothing but, hoping against hope that his premonition was wrong. He knew that it wasn't though…just as he knew that his good bye was just that, a good bye, and Jack would never know…

You must understand, poor Ianto was of the opinion that Jack not only knew nothing of the true nature of his feelings, but also that it would all amount to nothing in the end! A truly horrible feeling let me assure you. So, he wandered off, feeling somewhat adrift and confused at what he could possibly do now, what was he supposed to do, and if there would ever be a chance of Jack opening his eyes and seeing what he had in front of him. No, he thought with one last, truly sad, glance upward; no, probably not. He was nothing really, didn't even properly belong in Halloween due to his creation…and it was pointless to wish otherwise.

And so he wandered until his feet brought him back around to the town square, where a gaggle of monsters were gathered around a bubbling cauldron, watching and cheering in excitement as they were shown pictures of Jack flying through the sky and delivering presents. Ianto, being somewhat taller than the average ghoul and ghost, looked over and sent his eyes upward in silent exasperation at what he witnessed.

There, indeed, was Jack, busy and in delight in delivering all the ghastly and demented toys to the children. A shrunken head to a confused little boy, and man-eating wreath to an elderly woman, a murderous doll and duck to a sister and brother…not to mention the huge snake Ianto had tried to tell Jack wouldn't work as a Christmas sock. He sighed and shook his head…was it too much to ask that he listen to him at least once? Each home Jack visited with their Christmas erupted in screams of fright and alarm, certainly not anything like the happy sounds Jack had initially described to all of them…until it seemed alarms and warning were being delivered to one and all to bar the windows, shut off the fireplace…

That Santa Clause was not Santa Clause, but an impostor!

Understandably, the people of the Real world reacted in the way that they did, their Christmas not turning out one bit the way it was supposed to or they intended. They ordered that this impostor be stopped, that he was 'mocking and mangling this joyous holiday,' to which all the other townsfolk cheered. Ianto leaned in closer to hear that not only did they decided the impostor be stopped, but that military (a most foul sounding word to Ianto's still learning mind) would take steps to eradicate him for this most heinous crime. He jerked away…Jack, they were going to try and get rid of Jack for mucking about in a holiday that wasn't theirs! And Jack…Ianto couldn't just stand there and do nothing!

He turned and got the attention of the bloody doctor Owen. "Where did they take that Sandy Claws?"

Owen looked at him owlishly, pale face wrinkling in confusion for a moment as if trying to place him before he shrugged and went back to the cauldron. "How should I know, Rag Doll? Oogie's boys probably took him to their tree house, not my business to know though, is it?"

Ianto tried his best not to look annoyed and took off, knowing, generally, the direction he needed to head…Halloween wasn't all that large though to be honest, he was sure he'd find it eventually. No, finding Oogie Boogie's wasn't the hard part…it was what to do once he got there that was the problem. You see, Ianto was new but Yvonne had told him about the infamous Oogie Boogie and the power struggle that occurred all those Halloweens ago. You see, once long past, before Skeleton Jack had even come into be, Halloween had a different Pumpkin King, a fearsome and terrible one…Oogie Boogie, who liked to be called Master when not terrifying the Real world. As the old ones who remembered told it, the Master had held them all within his grasp, performing terrible tricks and gambles on them for sport…

But then, then Jack had come, Jack who was charismatic and charming and compassionate, despite being dead and all. And the two had fought for the title of Pumpkin King…and Jack, who had rallied every other townsfolk of Halloween to his side, won and Oogie Boogie had been banished. Everyone knew that the trio of John, Mary, and Adam served him but no others were allowed to and Oogie's own freedom was restricted to the tree house he was imprisoned under. Yes, Ianto knew all about Oogie Boogie and he knew that if Jack had been thinking correctly he would never had entrusted Sandy Claws with the three henchmen most likely to double cross his orders to keep the Christmas man safe.

Ianto wandered through a few cemeteries before the lopsided tree appeared on the horizon, a dark spot against the full moon's light, and another strange light coming from the base of the tree. He slowly crept closer to the tree before reaching its base, checking around for any of Oogie's boys, but finding none…he hoped they were otherwise occupied. He could hear a jazzy sort of music coming from under his feet and sneaked around until he found a narrow path that lead down the large gap between the tree and the rest of the ground. He hurriedly came up with a plan, fishing out the thread from his tattered suit pocket, coming to a stop in front of a grate that opened into what had to be Oogie's prison.

It was much more colorful than Ianto had imagined it would be…so bright that he just stared at all the colors for a moment before his eyes realized he was looking at electrified torture instruments. He sat down and rolled up on of his pant legs, unlacing his left leg at the knee, glancing down through the grate into the circular room where he could clearly see Sandy Claws, dangling from a hook not unlike a fish, with a somewhat concerned expression. His leg hopped off and he directed his attention to unlacing his right hand, wishing, not for the first time, that he had been made with three hands.

"Are you a gambling man, Sandy?" Ianto couldn't suppress a shiver of revulsion at the sight of Oogie Boogie. Even by Halloween standards, he was especially gruesome.

"Um, no, can't say that I am. Really, I'm sure we can just talk about all this, no need for torturing, I assure you." Ianto rolled his eyes as his right hand crawled inside the metal bars at the truly unruffled attitude this Sandy Claws was adopting.

Oogie opened his gaping mouth to reply, dice poised in hand when Ianto's leg kicked on the door before hopping off to kick one of the metal panels, making a general ruckus. The Master narrowed his equally gaping eyes and shuffled off, hollering for his henchmen to check for the banging. Ianto nodded at his hand, which promptly hopped and slid down the rope holding the Sandy Claws in place. His hand tapped Sandy Claws, covered his mouth and motioned upwards, all the while his leg continued to bang around; Sandy Claws looked up as directed and looked bemused at seeing Ianto.

"Shh," Ianto whispered as his hand untied the knot holding Sandy Claws in place, dropping him to the ground. "I'll get you out of here, but keep quiet."

Sandy Claws nodded happily and helped gather up the rope and hook, tossing them and Ianto's hand up to him. Ianto made sure the hook was properly around one of the bars and glanced to see Oogie was ordering his henchmen through the mouth shaped chute to check the plumbing, before he hurriedly and sloppily reattached his hand to his wrist. His leg came hopping back moments later, just as Sandy began climbing up the rope, and reattached that as well, knowing that he would just have to re-thread the weak stitches when he could. He carefully opened up the grate as Sandy Claws neared the top, but he froze in dread when those dark pits swung back around and stared at them both.

"WHAT! Are you trying to make a dupe out of me?!" Sandy froze and looked around quickly, just in time to catch Oogie's mouth opening impossibly wide and inhaling deep, sucking everything to him. Sandy did not last long and plummeted back down and poor Ianto, halfway in and halfway out as he tried to help the Christmas man, was sucked in as well, falling in with a sharp cry and landing painfully on the metal floor beside Sandy Claws.

"Well, well…I guess we'll have a great party now, won't we?" The Master leaned in close and the last thing Ianto saw was those depthless, black eyes…he truly hoped Jack would be all right in the end…

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Now, all while this was occurring, Jack had continued to make quite a mess out of Christmas…though he himself didn't think so. In fact, he was of the opinion that it was going splendidly. All the shrieks and screams of the children who had gotten most unpleasant surprises for Christmas presents were music to his ears and the more houses he visited, the more he was convinced he was doing a good job in taking over for Sandy Claws…even when search lights started roaming the skies he was flying in. You must understand, Jack did not think in the same manner as all ordinary folk did, for he was from Halloween and in Halloween, screams were a sign of a job well done.

Still, you have to admit, the people's reaction to the impostor Santa Claus was probably warranted, despite Jack's good intentions.

Jack flew and flew through the sky, heading higher when cannons started going off to close to his sleigh (he thought they were just congratulating him you see), all the while his fellow Halloween townsfolk watched him and cheered for him…bit it all came crashing down. Jack flew his sleigh into a clear patch of sky and one cannon hit a reindeer…he glanced down in horrible realization and then called out worriedly to Myfanwy. They were trying to hit them! Another cannon slammed through the garbage bin holding the gifts and before Jack could maneuver the sleigh to safety, a final cannon slammed into the sleigh, blasting them out of the sky. And down they fell, to the horror of every Halloween citizen and the satisfaction of every Real world parent.

And, all Jack could think to call out was "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Consumed with grief, Martha announced the terrible news as the others gathered close around the well, while the parents announced to the Real world children that Santa was still nowhere to be found, that Christmas would have to be canceled this year. While all these tears flowed, Jack, not dead as many thought him to be (he was already dead…quite hard to kill someone twice you know), lay brokenly in a cemetery, surrounded by all his hard work, consumed in flames and blackened. He was hurt to be sure, but mainly, he was just confused, ashamed, and saddened at what had happened.

"What have I done?" he asked aloud. Only Myfanwy was there to hear him, but she could do no more than whimper in sympathy. "How could I have been so blind? Everything's gone all wrong…"

He sat up against a broken headstone, his red suit charred, black, and in shreds, wishing nothing more than to just sink into the ground, disappear for a thousand years, let his very bones dissolve into dust. Poor, old Jack…such a fool. He sighed again and looked up into the night sky, a frown crinkling his brow.

"But I never intended all this madness…but nobody really understood that all I wanted was to bring them something great, something new…why does nothing ever work out like it should?"

And then, then Jack realized that he had not done Christmas a favor by changing it into something his own people could understand just because they did not find the beauty of what he had seen that night. No, in fact, he looked around and saw nothing of the Christmas he had become so enchanted with…no, instead, he saw his own Halloween in its place. He pushed himself to his feet, a dark, but oddly at peace smile stretched across his face.

"Well, what the hell, I did my best and I sure tasted something swell. And for the first time since I can't remember one, I felt just like my old self again…and I Jack, the Pumpkin King—"

He paused and widened his eyes, tearing the remaining pieces of the red suit off him and pulling back on the great coat Myfanwy had pulled from the wreckage of the sleigh. "That's right, I AM the Pumpkin King! And just wait until next Halloween, because I've got some new ideas that will really make them scream!"

He stopped and looked down at the somewhat charred Sandy Claws hat Myfanwy offered him next. "I hope there's still time to set things right though. We better get Mr. Claws back in business, uh girl?"

Myfanwy barked in agreement and they both took off through a mausoleum door, Jack forging his way through the Real world cemetery back to his own Halloween cemeteries. Being the Pumpkin King certainly had its advantages from time to time, like when one needed to get back to his own land in a very short amount of time. He popped out in the middle of a Halloween cemetery, pausing for a moment as he tried to determine where Sandy Claws could be…before the logical side of his brain he had before now been ignoring told him that Oogie's henchmen would never have kept their word about keeping Sandy safe from Oogie Boogie. He cursed at himself and hurried off towards the tree house, moving as swiftly as a shadow would across the ground, Myfanwy following close behind.

Jack certainly traveled fast, but not fast enough to spare Ianto from waking up, his wrists tied together above his head, on a great slab of steel that overlooked a pit of hissing, yellow acid, Sandy Claws beside him looking quite concerned. He looked to the aide and saw the Master smiling cruelly, tossing a pair of dice in his hand, the other resting on a lever. Ianto did not have to connect much to figure out what was about to happen.

"Awake now, Rag Doll? Perfect, we can get the party started…"

"I wouldn't if I were you. Jack will tear you apart if he discovers you've harmed Sandy Claws in any way…" Ianto began, feeling somewhat emboldened at that fact…but then Martha's devastated voice drifted towards them, proclaiming that Skeleton Jack, their beloved Pumpkin King, had been blown to smithereens. Ianto felt his breath hitch and a cold feeling of dread, much worse than any pain he'd ever felt before, curl around his chest.

The Master smiled even wider and chuckled softly. "You were saying? I think you're fresh out of options…so let's get this started, shall we?" He rolled the dice and called a seven with glee, cranking the lever seven times, calling out the numbers joyously as the lever tilted the metal slab higher and higher, leaving Ianto and Sandy Claws dangerously angled to slide into the bubbling acid.

"I really would like to thank you for trying to rescue me." Sandy Claws smiled over at Ianto, his tone light and not signifying he was about to made into stew.

"Yes, well, I didn't do a very good job of it anyway…" Ianto was considerably more worried than his companion, his eyes wide as the Master rolled the dice again and cranked the slab up five more times. He slid down a bit and knew that it would only take a few more cranks before they both were dead. "But your welcome, I guess."

He tried to keep the rest of the Master's gloating and taunting words blocked out of his head, tried to picture Jack as he had been before all the Christmas business…so Ianto never noticed Jack sneak in through the very grate he had discovered, slink down towards them at an angle Oogie didn't notice, or Myfanwy grabbing hold of both him and Sandy Claws just as he felt the metal slab go vertical. Until, that is, he was safely deposited next to a coffin, only able to watch a very angry, but very much alive, so to speak, Jack confronting the Master as he pulled the slab back towards him.

"Hello, Oogie."

"Jack! But they said you were dead…you must be double dead!"

The Master stepped on a skull and the entire room lit up in neon colors, whirring and spinning dangerously with knives and swinging blades, waddling away but leaving Jack trapped in between the whirring blades. It all happened so fast, Ianto couldn't really keep track of Jack duck and jump over the blades until he was near enough to the Master to knock him off the skull, retracting the knives. The Master did not stay down long and he welled up, his empty eyes and mouth stretching grotesquely, and he blew out, knocking Jack back into another wall. Back and forth they fought, using each of their best tricks against the other…but Jack was also trying to protect those he cared for while the Master was not. He got knocked back and nearly had his head knocked off by a number of swinging scythes that descended from the ceiling, the Master laughing all the while, promising to kill Jack for good this round.

But Ianto could not just sit by…so he waited until he saw a descending scythe, stepped out from behind the coffin and pushed the Master hard, while he taunted and tormented Jack, glaring with no pity as Oogie Boogie was knocked in the way of one of his own scythes and ripped open at the belly. He turned and stared in disbelief at the stitched together Ianto as hundreds and hundreds of bugs poured out from his ripped body, howling in agony and anger at his inability to stop his own destruction. The Master fell back into the vat of acid in his thrashings, until just one little bug went scurrying across the floor…only to be squished by Sandy Claw's sneaker.

Jack pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to Ianto, who still had his wrists tied together, a look of amazement and wonder on his gaunt face. He hurriedly untied the bonds and was about to voice his gratitude when Ianto shook his head and motioned towards Sandy Claws. Jack turned in remorse and handed back the man's hat.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Claws. I'm afraid I've made a complete mess of your holiday."

The man grinned and took back the hat, placing it on his head with a relieved sigh. "Yes, I suppose you have, but I wouldn't fuss over it too much! I'm sure it's nothing I can't fix."

"So, there's still time?" Jack asked, his voice filled with hope.

"Time to save Christmas? Of course there is! I'm Santa Claus after all!"

He blew on his nose and gone was the skinny, brown-haired man, leaving the typical, round, white bearded version of Santa Clause in its place. He smiled kindly again and made his way to the chute out of Oogie's basement. "Oh, one more thing though, Jack. The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to him!"

Santa motioned at Ianto, who ducked his head and tried to will away the warm blush tinting his ears. "He's the only one who makes any sense in this insane asylum. Well, got to go! Got quite a lot to clean up and all!" He smiled once more and tapped his nose, disappearing up the cute in a flurry of snowflakes. Jack smiled a bit chagrined but felt a warm hand take hold of his own.

"I wouldn't worry, sir. He knows what to do, it is his Christmas after all."

Jack turned and stared at Ianto, one hand creeping up his arm to cup a stitched cheek. "Ianto, how did you get down here?"

"Climbed…but then I was sucked down the rest of the way. Not exactly the finest of nights." He gingerly took a step towards an upturned coffin, fishing out some thread from his pocket. He faltered a step, but Jack's arms came around him and steadied him, his bright eyes wide in concern.

"Are you—?"

"I'm fine. Just need to redo the stitches, I didn't have a lot of time to reattach my leg or hand before, the stitches are a little loose." He smiled and let Jack guide him to the seat, quickly redoing the stitches with much more attention, filling Jack in on what had happened since he had flown off. He flexed the stitches' strength once he was finished.

"You came down here to help Mr. Claws, didn't you? To help me…because you knew my Christmas wouldn't turn out well?"

"Well…I couldn't just leave you to your own devices, now could I?" Ianto pushed himself back to his feet, meeting Jack's stare and smiling softly. He inhaled sharply as Jack stepped, closer, both hands coming to rest on his shoulders, his eyes gleaming so bright. "We all saw how well that turned out."

"I—I can't believe what an idiot I am. That I never realized that you—"

"Jack? Jack, is that you?!!!" came Martha's voice. Ianto stared up in annoyance at the bright light and even bright smile Martha was beaming down at them. "Oh thank Dracula!"

"See, here he is," Adam chimed in.

"Alive!" said Mary.

"Just like we said," John simpered.

Martha tossed down a rope. "Grab a hold you sack of bones! You nearly sent me to my second grave this time!"

And so he did, grabbing Ianto's hand as they pulled them out.

They made their way back to the town, where hundreds of cheers met Jack's smile and wave, Ianto staring on in affectionate exasperation as Jack was pulled from the Mayor's car and welcomed back. He assured everyone of his safety and that Christmas was saved and being put right again…and just as he did so, above flew Santa, waving down from his sleigh.

"Happy Halloween!"

"Merry Christmas!" they all shouted back. And then, the strangest thing happened. It began to snow, the first time ever, in Halloween.

Ianto got out of the car and made his way to his favorite cemetery, making sure to duck out of the way of Yvonne and her newest, much better suited, creation, smiling softly as he touched the cold, sparkling snowflakes. He walked to the top of the frozen hill, admiring quietly how beautiful the graves and headstones looked covered in a blanket of glimmering white, scooping up a handful of snow and watching it melt in his warm hands, making the stitches wet and flexible. He looked up into the stars, content to just stay here, free…but a soft crash of a metal gate caught his ear and he turned around.

"That gate is not safe, you know," Jack grinned. Ianto's eyes narrowed in confusion as he pushed himself to his feet, watching Jack slowly make his way through the snow and up towards him.

"Your celebration is that way," Ianto pointed out.

"Yeah, it is. But you see, an important someone sneaked off so I had to go find him…that would be the only way that party would be any fun."

Ianto felt a pleasant flutter in his stomach and smiled teasingly. "Is that so?"

"Sure is." Jack came to a stop inches away from him, smiling down and taking Ianto's stitched hands in his own. "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side. Think about, gazing at the stars under a full moon, snow covering the ground, cheesy pick-up lines...hard to say no too."

Ianto remained still, his heart beating a bit fast but determined nonetheless. "Depends on what I'd be saying yes to, Jack."

Jack smiled, tugging Ianto forward just a bit. "I think I found what was missing. That's what you'd be saying yes to, so…is that a yes?"

Ianto nodded and allowed his body to be pulled forward the rest of the way. And while perhaps he still didn't have all his answers, and perhaps didn't fully understand what he felt or what Jack felt, he knew he had the important ones when Jack's lips covered his own. And thought that perhaps, he had finally found what he had been missing too.

Finis.

And sit together, now and forever

For it is plain, as anyone can see

We're simply meant to be.

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I finished!!! Happy Halloween everyone and please review if you liked this silly little story as much as I did!

Osco