"JACK!"

"We killed him!" Zeldaborne shouted to her sister.

"NO! IT'S HER FAULT!" Helgamine pointed at Sally. Sally sat there with her true love dead in her arms.

"Jack?" Sally sobbed. "Please…come back to me. I love you."

"It's our fault, Helga! We should've just left them alone! There's nothing we could've done to make him love us more than her."

Helgamine put her head down in shame. Zeldaborne turned her broomstick around to leave.

"Wait!"

Helgamine and Zeldaborne looked down from their broomsticks. Sally had called out to them. She didn't want Jack to be dead. She didn't want to lose the only person who understood her, and loved her for what she was.

"There's nothing we can do." Zeldaborne said softly through her tears. Sally walked slowly over to the witches high above her. She held Jack's body close to her. She looked up at them. Not with anger, but with sadness. Silent tears slid down her face with no one to catch them.

"Bring him back." Sally said almost inaudibly. The witch sisters gave each other a sad look, and they gazed down at Sally's tear-ridden face.

"We can't." they said together and with that, they flew away; never to return again.. Sally fell to her knees in pain. Jack was dead, and he wasn't ever coming back.

"What was all that screaming?" the mayor asked himself. "And where's Jack? He's not in his room."

The mayor had woken up when he heard screaming. Screams usually weren't heard at night. And if they were, they weren't loud enough to wake the town. The mayor finished getting dressed and headed out into the plaza. The pumpkin sun had just started to rise, making Halloween Town's sky a light blue. The night faded away, and the mayor squinted to see the shadowed figure in the central square. He stepped closer, and noticed the other townspeople opening their doors, beginning their day. As he moved into full view of the plaza, he became fully aware of the person he had tried so desperately to get a look at while the moon was still shining. It was Sally. And in her arms lay the Pumpkin King. The mayor's cheerful face turned to sad as he walked towards Sally. He reached out a hand…but slowly realized that the Pumpkin King had gone. The townspeople got one look outside their doors and gasped in unison. They were too afraid to rush out of their houses to see if their eyes were telling the truth. Slowly, the citizens of Halloween Town came out of their houses and gathered in the square. Dr. Finklestein and Jewel came out from behind the crowd. The doctor was too shocked to say anything. There was nothing he could do. Once a citizen of Halloween Town died, that was the end. There was death, where you lived in Halloween Town and participated in Halloween, and then there was passing on to whatever world came next. The doctor glanced at Sally's face. Her tears had dried and she was staring down at the skeleton body in her arms. She was whispering words of sorrow, regret and love. Sally laid Jack's body on the ground in front of her. Then she stood, her head bowed, hands folded. Halloween Town did the same.

A casket was made up for the Pumpkin King. It was just like the one Jack had used for a sleigh on Christmas. Long and wooden. The townspeople passed by the casket, dressed in all black, and gripped tear-stained handkerchiefs. Sally was the last to pass by. Her hand grazed over the casket; her eyes depleted of all tears. She took a seat in the front row of the town hall. The mayor wandered up to the podium and began to speak.

"I never thought this day would come." he began. There were some sniffles in the audience. The mayor hesitated, then continued.

"Jack Skellington was a friend to everyone. It didn't matter who you were, or how you died. We all looked up to him as our Pumpkin King. Those days are now gone. Let us mourn the great loss of our king; our leader; our friend."

The mayor then stepped down. He patted the casket which held his best friend, and took a seat beside Sally. The entire congregation began to sing a slow version of "This is Halloween."

Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. Halloween.
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll...Scream.
This is Halloween
Red 'n' black, slimy green
Aren't you scared?
Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
Everybody scream, everybody scream
In our town of Halloween.
This is Halloween. This is Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. Halloween.
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare
That's our job, but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everyone's waiting for the next surprise.

Sally got up to leave. She couldn't bear to hear the next part of the song. It was too painful. She ran out the door of the town hall, and the townspeople finished without her.

Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everybody scream
Won't ya please make way for a very special guy?
Our man Jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now
This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. Halloween.
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song…

Sally returned to the graveyard for the burial of the Pumpkin King. The mayor's car carried his body to the cemetery, and Behemoth and the vampire brothers carried the casket to the gravesite. They slowly lowered it to the bottom and backed away. All the townspeople had something to say about Jack. Whether about his leadership, his scariness, or his gentleman-like character. Lock and Barrel had helped Shock out of bed, and they even said some nice things about him as well. Each person took their turn and went quickly. Sally threw a black rose into Jack's grave, and then Behemoth and the vampire brothers began to bury Jack Skellington.

It was dark, and the sun had gone down for the day. Sally was the only person who stayed at the gravesite. She knelt down and placed her hand on Jack's gravestone. Zero came up beside her lovingly. She sniffled and petted him gently. Zero was one of the saddest of all the residents in Halloween Town. He had lost his master. Zero whined sadly.

"It's okay, Zero." Sally said. "I'll take care of you."

She patted the ghost dogs head. Sally finally stood. She had no idea where to go. The mayor had offered to let her stay the night at his house, but she couldn't stay there. It was too strange. Sally remembered her and Jack talking about moving in together, but Sally was too afraid for the doctor's sake. Sally made up her mind. She picked up her bag, and headed to Jack's house.

One thing the witches had done before they left was repair Jack's house completely. Sally walked up the uneven steps and opened the door. Everything looked exactly the same after Sally had cleaned his house. The lamp was put back together and everything was spotless. "Strange." Sally said to herself. "Don't people usually like things to be messy and full of cobwebs?"

Sally walked upstairs to Jack's bedroom. She couldn't bear the thought of walking in, so she left the door closed. Sally turned around and noticed a light red door. She remembered seeing it before, but it was never of any importance. Jack had told her it was just a storage closet, that it was a mess, and not to go inside. Sally grasped the handle. Jack had seemed somewhat jumpy when he told her all this, but she had heeded his warning. Slowly, she turned the handle, and opened the door. Inside was a room decorated with red upholstery. A giant red bed was in the middle, complete with a patchwork quilt. A small yellow vanity was across the room. Sally walked over and admired it. An envelope was stuck on one side of the mirror. Strangely enough, it said: "Sally."

Sally took the envelope and took out a small piece of parchment. It was a letter from Jack!

Dear Sally,

This room is for you. I asked the witches to design something a lady would like to have. I suppose they're the closest things there is to a 'lady' at least. I had it almost complete, but I came down with that terrible cold. I asked the witches to finish it while you were away in the afternoons. Anyways, I hope you find it to your liking.

Love,

Jack Skellington

Sally held the letter close to her. A letter from Jack! It was probably the last thing he wrote, she thought. Her feeling of happiness left her. "The witches must've added this to the house for me." Sally said. A tear fell down her face. Sally decided she would live here. She didn't care if she wasn't allowed to or not. She loved Jack, and she couldn't let him go.

The townspeople didn't seem to mind that Sally lived in Jack's house. They understood their love. Even the mayor was fine with it. Lock, Shock and Barrel had stopped by in the afternoon. Sally treated them to spider leg cookies. Shock was in much better condition then when Sally had first seen her at Dr. Finklestein's. She seemed happier; almost back to her old self. It was near dark now, and Sally had gotten hungry. She had trouble finding her way around Jack's kitchen. It was the same kitchen, but Sally was still flustered. "I've only been here for a couple days. I'll be fine. I just have to find a measuring beaker…"

Sally had opened one of Jack's cupboards. She saw the item she was searching for on the top shelf and reached for it. It was obviously too high for her to reach. Sally stood on her tip-toes and reached again. She felt her short fingers touch the beaker, and loosely grasped it. Sally's toes gave out, and the beaker slipped, and headed straight for the ground. Sally shut her eyes, but didn't hear a shattering sound. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked down. There was a hand around the beaker, just inches from the floor. Someone with long skeletal fingers had caught the beaker just before it could break. Wait. Long, skeletal fingers? Sally's face shot upwards. There was a skeleton standing in front of her. With a muddied pinstripe suit, and a huge smile. He stared back at Sally with empty, black eye sockets. Sally couldn't believe her eyes. She slowly backed away, and felt her hand graze a frying pan on the stove behind her. The skeleton man noticed this, and opened his mouth to speak. However, Sally's arm was too swift, and she had clobbered him before he could utter a breath.

The skeleton awoke in a daze. He looked around. He was in the kitchen, tied down to a chair. A rag doll with long auburn hair stood in front of him, frying pan at the ready. He looked at her lovingly.

"Sally! I'm so happy-"

"Jack Skellington is dead." Sally cut him off. She wasn't going to let this imposter fool her. Jack Skellington was dead. He wasn't coming back. The man chuckled.

"Well, of course I'm dead. Everyone in Halloween Town is dead."

"No, he died. I was there when the witches killed him." Sally said solemnly.

"But I didn't die." the man said. "I heard the witches cast a spell to stop your heart. I, however, do not physically posses one. I jumped in front of you to save you. Because I love you, Sally. I wasn't dead, I was just knocked out for a while. I woke up to find myself buried underground. I found a latch inside my casket, and dug myself out. Then I came here, looking for you."

Sally was hesitant. She slowly lowered the frying pan. Suddenly, the skeleton man whistled. Sally was ready to swing her frying pan if necessary. She heard a bark, and Zero came around the corner. He immediately flew over to the tied-up man and licked his face.

"Okay Zero! Stop-stop it!" the man laughed. Zero pulled away and barked happily. The man looked at Sally.

"I can prove I'm Jack Skellington." the man said. Sally gripped her frying pan.

"I'm listening." she said cautiously.

"Untie me."

"Not a chance."

The man sighed.

"This will prove I'm Jack Skellington. I love you Sally, and I would never hurt you. Ever."

Sally thought for a moment. Zero trusted him, so she supposed she could untie him at least. She set the frying pan on the counter and slowly untied her hostage. The man stood up. Sally backed away. The man got down on one knee, and pulled up his right pant leg. Sally carefully looked at his leg. There was a small crack in it. It was a barely visible break that had healed. Sally recognized it. She had hit Jack with a lamp and fractured his right calf. She pulled away, and gripped the edge of the counter. She began to cry.

"No! Jack's dead!" she said. "There's no way you're him."

Sally felt a hand on her cheek. She looked up into empty eye sockets.

"I love you, Sally. No one else in the whole world loves you more than I do."

Sally's tears were wiped away. She closed her eyes and felt Jack's lips touch hers in a warm kiss. She pulled away and cried into his chest. Her tears slowed after about a minute.

"Are you all right? I did hit you with a frying pan." Sally asked gently. Jack hugged her close.

"I'm fine. Are you all right, Sally?"

"Now that you're here, I feel much better."

"I won't leave you, Sally. I will never leave you alone." Jack said deeply.

"Promise me, Jack."

"I promise." Jack said. They released each other, and Jack led Sally to the couch in the living room.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't you tell the mayor about-"

"Not tonight." Jack said. Sally blinked her eyes. Jack smiled. "I want to stay 'dead' for at least one more night."

Sally blushed. Jack stood up and offered her his hand. "Come with me for a moment."

"Okay." Sally obliged. Jack led her to her bedroom and opened the door.

"I haven't seen this room yet, so I thought I'd take a look." Jack said. He walked inside and pulled Sally with him.

"I really like it…" Sally blushed. It was a bit strange to have a man in her bedroom. Jack stopped looking at the room, and turned to face Sally.

"This room is huge! I didn't think the vanity would fit!"

"You haven't been in here at all?" Sally asked. Jack nodded. He knew where she was going with this.

"I put the note in the mirror and hoped you would enjoy it." Jack explained. Sally nodded. She walked over to the bed and touched the smooth fabric. She loved the feeling on her fingers. Jack turned to look out her window. He felt a small 'thump' on his back. "What the-" He turned around and was met with a pillow in the face. He grabbed a pillow and threw it back at Sally. Sally laughed and threw it again. Jack caught it, and started walking toward her. Sally was out of ammo. The only pillow left was on the other side of the room. Jack got closer and prepared to raise the pillow. Sally ran to the side and grabbed for the pillow. Unfortunately, her hands never got near the pillow. She had been grabbed around the waist and was being pulled backwards. "You aren't getting away that easy!" Jack teased. Sally laughed and tried to claw for the pillow. Jack began to laugh as well, and pulled Sally over to him. Sally kept trying to pull away, but Jack was much stronger than her. He pulled her back and began to tickle her. Sally burst out laughing like she had never laughed before. Jack was delighted to see her like this. It was definitely better than when she said she didn't love him. Jack knew the truth now. He loved Sally, and Sally loved him. Sally was crying now and trying to hold her stomach away from Jack, she was laughing so hard. Jack finally pulled away. Sally tried to tickle him back, but found it difficult.

"Jack! That's not fair! I can't tickle you back!" Sally exclaimed in frustration. Jack laughed.

"Of course you can!" he smiled. Sally stared at him, waiting for the answer. Jack's smile grew bigger. "I'm not going to tell you, then I'll get tickled!"

Sally laughed, then stood up and tried to catch her breath. She walked over to her window and looked outside. She could see the front yard, but that was about it. Sally suddenly got an idea. This time she walked over to Jack and held out her hand. Jack looked down and smiled. He took her hand, and was instantly jerked out of the room and up the stairs to his study. Sally immediately ran over to the window she had stared at for so long from her own window at Dr. Finklestein's. She could see the whole town, and if she squinted really hard, she could even see Spiral Hill. Sally's heart fluttered with excitement. Jack smiled and walked over to the window. His hand brushed hers, and she took it joyfully.

"I've never been so happy in my life." Sally said with a small smile. Her eyes fell downwards. Jack turned to her.

"Neither have I." he said. Sally's smile deepened, and she looked up at Jack. She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed his bony lips. Jack was a bit surprised, but returned the kiss nonetheless. Sally almost began to cry again. She was so happy to finally be with Jack. It was so painful when he wasn't around. She almost couldn't stand it. Sally was happy to have Jack all to herself that night. After a while, Sally's eyes began to droop, and Jack walked her downstairs. Sally's emotions had been dropped and lifted and thrown against a wall for the last week or two. She deserved a good night's sleep. Jack picked Sally up and carried her to her bedroom. She fell asleep in his arms, and Jack tried carefully not to wake her. He opened the bedroom door and laid Sally on her bed. He covered her with the bedspread and kissed her forehead goodnight.

Sally woke up in her bed in the middle of the night, sweating. She had a bad dream, but when she woke up, she couldn't remember what she had dreamt about. The sky was still a dark blue, so there were a couple hours left before sunrise, and she heard the sound of heavy rain on the roof. She pulled her covers off, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Sally took in a few deep breaths and stood up in her room. She walked towards the door and tripped over something. Sally looked up, afraid of what might be there. Zero's basket was in her room, and Zero had been woken up.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Zero. Are you okay?" Sally asked. Zero only yawned in response, and floated over to the door. Sally opened it for him, and watched the ghost dog float through the wall into Jack's bedroom. "Jack will make me feel safe." Sally said to herself. She crept over to his door, and opened it a crack. She watched Zero float over to the foot of the bed and lie down. Sally maneuvered herself inside and shut the door behind her. She waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, then looked at Jack's bed. Jack was peacefully sleeping on the far side of his bed, mouth slightly open, but Sally didn't hear a snore. She smiled. CRASH! Sally ran and hopped straight into Jack's bed, and pulled the covers over her face. It was only the sound of thunder, but Sally had only read about it until now. Everything she learned was from books, and she thought this would be exciting, not scary. Jack had been woken up from feeling someone jump into his bed. He turned over and looked at Sally.

"Sally, what's the matter?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm…I'm afraid."

"Of what? Did I scare you?"

"No! Of course not, it's just-"

CRASH!

"Are you scared of thunderstorms, Sally?" Jack asked with a chuckle. Sally peeled back the covers, and looked at him.

"I've only read about them. I thought they would be exciting, but now I think it's a little too exciting." she said with a shiver. CRASH! Came another sound of thunder. Sally jumped into Jack's chest.

"Oof! Well, Sally, you caught me a bit off guard there." Jack said. He put his arms around her. "You can sleep in here tonight. It's all right. I won't leave you, remember?"

Sally nodded, and closed her eyes. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

It was early morning when Sally woke up again. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. The storm had passed, and the sun had just begun to rise. Sally smiled, and looked towards Jack's side of the bed. He was gone, and his side was neatly made up. Sally began to panic. Was last night a dream? Sally immediately stood up and smoothed down her patchwork dress. She opened the door, and walked carefully downstairs.

"Jack?" Sally called. No answer. She sank down to the floor. "He's gone…Jack…my dearest Jack…"

"BREAKFAST!"

Sally jumped up in surprise. She stood up and ran into the kitchen. Jack had on a black apron, and was cooking up some eggs and bat wings, with cobweb toast. It smelled horribly delicious. Sally watched Jack work in the kitchen. It was almost magical; like he was dancing.

"Jack, you should let me do that." Sally insisted.

"I couldn't possibly." Jack said with a grin. Sally blinked her long eyelashes. Jack gathered everything onto a platter and set the table. He gestured to Sally. "I owe you this much."

"Jack! You don't owe me anything! It's me who owes you something. For saving my life!" Sally argued. Jack guided Sally into her chair. He took off his apron and hung it on a crooked nail.

"But I left you alone." Jack said with his eyes to the floor. He looked up at Sally. He took her hands in his. "I left you alone."

Sally's eyes began to water. No. She wouldn't cry anymore. From now on all she would ever do is smile. No more tears. Sally smiled.

"I forgive you." Sally said. Jack smiled and kissed her cheek. He stood up briskly.

"I cooked up a storm while you were asleep, so you better have room for everything!" Jack teased. Sally giggled. Everything was back to normal. Jack was dead again, and Sally was loved. She smiled, and began to eat. Jack took the seat next to her, and began reading an old newspaper. Sally noticed and stopped eating.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Sally asked. Then she remembered, and blushed a light pink. Jack laughed.

"I would, but I don't think I could stomach all this food." he joked. Sally laughed at the pun. Jack picked up a small glass of milk. He held it up to show her. "This is all I need." Jack sipped his milk. Sally smiled, finished eating, and began to clean up. Jack began to get up, but Sally insisted she would take care of the dishes. Jack sat back down and opened the paper again. It was from the day before his 'death.' Sally finished cleaning, and looked at the paper from behind Jack. He folded the newspaper neatly and stood up.

"Are you going to tell everyone?" Sally asked. Jack nodded.

"I suppose. I can't put it off any longer. They'll find my empty grave soon, anyways."

Jack turned to Sally, and put a hand to his chin. There was a strange look in his eye socket. "Hmm…"

"Jack?"

"Sally…I have an idea."

"Town meeting! Town meeting!" Sally's voice came over the loudspeaker. The mayor was driving her around Halloween Town. She had said it was urgent, but wouldn't disclose details. The mayor was too sad to object. They made their way back to the square, and Sally thanked the mayor. She ran inside the town hall just as the citizens began to arrive. People took their seats, and Sally walked up to the podium. She gripped the podium and began. "You are all probably wondering why I've called you here tonight."

The citizens nodded slowly. Sally took a deep breath. She began to tell the story of what happened the night Jack died. She started with Jack asking her to dance, and ended with his funeral. Everyone was silent until Sally finished. The citizens understood her story. Sally suddenly smiled. The citizens were baffled by it. "A wonderful thing happened last night." she said. She paused and closed her eyes. The citizens leaned forward to hear her words. Sally's eyes opened wide. "I dropped a beaker."

Her audience was puzzled. Sally continued. "However, the beaker did not break. Because someone caught it. That person is here with us right now."

The townspeople looked around at each other. What did this have to do with anything? A thump was heard. Everyone's faces turned to see what the noise could've been. The town hall had gone dark, and a cloud of smoke appeared onstage. Everyone stared in awe. Sally hid in a corner, trying to keep her excitement in. The smoke cleared. In the center of the stage was a long wooden casket. Jack's casket from his grave. Everyone gasped in shock. The casket lid opened up, and Jack Skellington rose up, and turned to face his captivated audience. He loved to make an entrance.

"Jack?" the mayor said slowly. Jack stepped out of his casket and bowed. The mayor's face turned to happy, and his face lit up in excitement. "Jack, you're back from the dead!"

The whole congregation stood up and yelled happily and sang:

Jack's okay, and he's back okay
He's all right
Let's shout, make a fuss, scream it out
Wheee!
Jack is back now, everyone sing
In our town of Halloween…

Jack waved and told everyone to take their seats. He then went to the podium and told his side of the story to Halloween Town. Sally smiled from over in the corner. Jack finished his story and the townspeople cheered again. Jack motioned for Sally to come join him. She walked over to him. Jack grabbed Sally around the waist, and dipped her.

"Marry me, Sally."

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that." Sally said with a giggle. "Yes, I'll marry you, Jack Skellington."

Jack smiled and kissed her. Everyone clapped and shouted, "Long live the Pumpkin King! Long live the Pumpkin Queen!"