A/N: Hello and welcome all, I'm sure the first question on your mind for this fanfiction is: What the heck? Well yes that's a valid question. It is a strange combination. But the idea came when I was watching Nightmare Before Christmas (out of duty, because it was Halloween) and I started going through all of my favorite pairings deciding what holiday the characters would be from. So of course it was granted that Mai Valentine (from YGO) would be from Valentines, given her name. So that's how it began, and I had been wanting to write another MaixJoey fic any way, so there we have it. So this is listed as a Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover with The Nightmare Before Christmas. It will be taking place in TNBC universe, but the main focus will be on the characters Mai and Joey as I am partial to that pairing and actually not that big a fan of Nightmare.

As this is both a (late) Halloween AND Christmas present to anyone out there who may still be reading my MaixJoey fics, I will be planning on posting one chapter a week from now until Christmas (or until finished). Happy Holidays! Hope you enjoy.

P.S. I've noticed Nightmare Before Christmas rather lends itself to run-on sentences, don't you think? Sorry if this format bothers you.

Jack leaned back in his chair almost to the point of falling backwards. He didn't notice this, but Sally gently approached him from behind and put her hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, Sally! Nothing much. Nothing much, I suppose."

"Well," she gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and nudged his chair upright, to which he happily took the hint and sat up. "I thought things were going better since all the holiday towns started communicating with one another?"

"Oh, they are! Wonderfully! Swimmingly! There's so many new things to discover. For instance, when I went to Easter Town to apologize personally for that mistaken kidnapping incident all that time ago, I swear to you I saw more of what they called pastel than I've ever seen in my whole life. Everything was eggs and ducks and bunnies," Jack didn't especially seem delighted at the memory, but he looked up at Sally and smiled.

"You might like Easter Town my dear."

Sally smiled back and seated herself on his desk, knowing she'd get a good show of him pacing if she asked the question that was practically pulling at her stitches.

"So if things are going so well, why do you look so concerned?"

Jack stood up, opened his mouth, closed it again, furrowed his brows (or rather what remained thereof), and as expected began to pace.

"It's beneficial to be sure, and I've seen so much! But I can't help but feel that the others' view of us is equally- no, more so!- just a little skewed because they just don't understand what we have to offer!"

Sally watched Jack stalk across the room speaking in cadence with his own footsteps. He couldn't help it, showmanship was practically built into him.

"So what you're saying is that you... don't exactly think they like us?" Sally shifted nervously on the desk. Honestly they'd already been through this back when all the holidays had first met together, why did Jack care if they were liked or not?

"No, not exactly. Where I take issue is with this exchange program we've been working with."

Sally personally thought the exchange program was a wonderful idea. People who weren't content with their station or even people who just needed a break could temporarily swap the towns they were living in. The vacation often did them good and in some rare cases the change could become permanent. But the program was wonderful, it had breathed life back into Halloween Town- figuratively, of course- because the new visitors were always so fun to scare.

"They just need a little perspective Jack. Don't forget, you've been through that too."

"Ah, that's why I love you Sally," he sighed and smiled at her briefly before going back to pacing. "Still, I can't help but feel that, well... People are being sent here as a sort of punishment."

Sally plucked nervously on a loose string. She couldn't exactly deny it- the majority of visitors didn't look as if they were happy to be here when they came. But some acclimated well. Still, Halloween Town was the only town that, as of yet, no outsiders had opted to permanently make a transfer to.

"We are what we are Jack," she sighed. The string she'd been playing with frayed and her hand dropped to the floor.

"I know," he said, bending over to retrieve the limb and clutching it between his own bony fingers. He gave it a fond pat before returning it to her.

"It doesn't matter what they think so long as we're happy with ourselves. And you look after everyone in Halloween Town so well. We're all happy. At least I certainly am. Aren't you?"

Jack bent down; a spindly, angly sort of pose, and touched his cold bony forehead to her soft giving one.

"Of course I am. I have everything a man could ever want, Pumpkin King or not."

Her makeshift eyelashes tickled his bones as she batted her eyes at him and he laughed joyfully, his temporary moodiness forgotten.

"Alright then," he said, sweeping two pieces of paper off the table in a grandiose motion, "I've two requests. Which should I fulfill?"

"Are we only doing one at a time then?" Sally asked biting off the thread that remained after the quick repair job on her hand.

Jack pondered this. "Well we've never had multiple requests. I suppose we could, although I'd need to find two people to go in exchange. The only ones who have volunteered lately are Lock, Shock, and Barrel, and I'm sure they just want to cause trouble."

"We could go; you and I," Sally said, sliding off the table and trying to reach for the papers as Jack smiled slyly and held them above his head.

"Oh, come on, Halloween's over and you have time for a break. And I've never been outside Halloween before!"

Jack continued to hold the papers above his head and tried to read them while laughing at Sally's attempts to reach.

"Ah, they're not from the same town though," his face fell. "Although..." the unmistakable look of curiosity passed over his face, "I haven't ever been to Thanksgiving Town before."

Sally dropped back on her heels, surrendering for now.

"And where's the other request from?"

"Hmm? Oh." Jack made a face. "Valentines."

"Oh, I'd like to visit there. We could go, Jack. After all, these things only last a week or two."

He sighed. A week or two. Sally was resourceful to be sure, but Jack wasn't completely convinced he wanted her first trip out of Halloween Town to be an unaccompanied one. It could be a little overwhelming. Still, with the look she was giving him, he didn't really have the option of saying no.

"Alright," he granted, but he immediately held up a bony finger before she could get too excited. "Conditionally!"

"Yes, of course," she said whirling around awkwardly but happily, "and what would that be?"

Jack bent over to dig messily through a cabinet before returning triumphantly holding up a vial of an odd color.

"The transition between worlds can be a little rough, and to top it off at the end there you take a bit of a tumble."

Sally shrugged. It wasn't anything she hadn't been through before, she was sure.

"I don't want you losing any pieces," he shook a finger at her.

"Ah."

"The witches made me this potion a while ago. I haven't tried it but they said it made the transitions between worlds much easier- and instantaneous too. We'll travel this way this time, agreed?"

Sally nodded absently as she retrieved two cups. "How does it work?"

"Oh it's simple really, read the sheet of information here and concentrate on the person."

"Sounds easy enough," Sally said skimming her sheet as Jack did the same.

"Well then milady," Jack linked the arm holding the glass with hers, "Bottoms up."

"Bottoms up!" she agreed, "See you in a we-"

Unfortunately Sally was unable to finish her sentence, as both of their bodies had fallen promptly to the floor.