Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, life happened! How obnoxious...Anyway, thank you for the reviews and just taking the time to read my drivel!

The pumpkin Sun was nearly level with the horizon, filling Town Hall with hazy red light, when Jack finally reclined in his chair after hours of deliberation. Messy piles of yellowed paper obscured his entire desk, and many had floated, forgotten, to the floor. The natural crimson glow, though beautiful, was barely sufficient for reading, and yet the King was far too exhausted to rise and light the pillar candles dispersed throughout the room. He allowed himself a moment of meditation, gazing silently at a mountain of antiquated decorations collapsed against the far wall. His brow twitched downwards as he surveyed the dusty remnants of prior celebrations, and he registered briefly how fascinating it was that a few of them were so ancient they would hardly be considered "Halloween" any longer. Some of them had already been there the day he had arrived in the strange town, such a very long time ago...

Creeeeeak..."Oh! Evenin', Jack! I must say, I'm surprised you're still here!"

Jack straightened in his seat and turned, tipping his head respectfully. "Mayor...I was hoping you'd stop by eventually, there is something we must discu-"

"Always hopping from one serious matter to another, how wonderful a leader you are! No, no, you've worked long enough hours today already. I insist you run home, drink some tea, and get some rest! We'll talk first thing tomorrow!" He beamed, absentmindedly adjusting the spider lying dormant on his chest.

"I would prefer we talk now, or I won't be able to rest." He rose from his chair and paced to the hoard of decorations, gliding one long finger along a mystery object, collecting the dust.

"But, Jack...Our pride and glory, Jack...Surely it can wait, there are bags under your eye sockets, for Samhain's sake! Come now, I'll walk you ho-"

"MAYOR!" The change was immediate - Jack's usual friendly countenance had twisted into a chilling snarl, so effective that the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "You are being far too kind."

The Mayor huddled, shivering, against the wall, not even cognizant of the spider now gnawing at one of his fingertips. "F-f-f-forgive m-me J-Jack..."

The skeleton man warmed instantaneously, striding over to offer the recovering politician his hand, plucking off the livid spider at the same time. "No - Forgive me, Mayor. I was quite ahead of myself. I'm just...somewhat thrown by the affection you - and everyone else - still seem to hold for me."

"Whatever do you mean, Jack? How could you expect us to be anything less than affectionate? You're the most horrendous Pumpkin King we've ever had!"

"You're right." One of his bony hands fell to massaging his temples. "I am horrendous - but not in the way that you intend."

"Ja-"

"I've been a traitor to our holiday. Not to sound sensationalist, but I have. And you should not be so tolerant. Halloween has been an enduring, extremely valuable tradition for many years - many more than I can claim for myself. Your loyalty should be to the holiday first, not to me. When did everyone forget that?"

"We never forgot, Jack, we just...we just..."

"You forgot." The King gave him a small smile, attempting to lighten the mood. The Mayor shifted on his feet, not knowing what to say. "Not only have I turned my back on Halloween, I have also driven precious lives into danger...and my faithful citizens helped me, without question, without doubt."

"Well, of course!"

Jack surveyed his face from above, one eyebrow rising. "Do you not take issue with such a dangerous lack of opposition to authority?"

"Oh, we could oppose any authority besides yours, Jack. But you...you're so wise..."

"Not this time, I wasn't. How can you be sure it won't happen again? There are other holidays, you know...No, there is only one way to remedy our juvenile temperaments. I must...take leave for awhile."

"JACK! Certainly you must be joking! We've already lost two months of planning, we can't-"

"You can. That is exactly what you must learn. I have a few things to learn myself, and I can't do that here. Consider it a brief sabbatical. You'll barely notice my absence, once you immerse yourself in scheming."

"You can't...You know very well that's not...JACK!"

"It's already decided, Mayor. You'll understand, eventually, why this is best for all of us." He turned back to his concealed desk, collecting a few choice documents to take home with him. "I believe in your judgement, Mayor. You'll do wonderfully!"

The Mayor's head spun in fickle circles for a moment, not sure how to respond to the "insult". When he had finally settled on his somber expression, the Pumpkin King had disappeared.

As Halloween-town faded into near blackness, the sound of frantic heels clacking on cobblestone resonated through the streets. A mess of red hair tangled in the wind, nearly obscuring the sullen face of the Mad Scientists' finest creation. He had lengthened her chains, so to speak, in courtesy for her recent maturity...and perhaps also because quite an amount of former grumpiness had dissipated in the presence of his doppelganger Bride. Sally had eagerly indulged, rising with the Sun to venture throughout the streets, unburdened by specific goals for the first time in her life. The day had begun warm and promising, but - much like the Autumnal season itself - had gradually disintegrated into a merciless frost. Every turned corner had yielded either a blood-curdling scream or a despondent moan, and seemingly every tortured soul that had left the mortal world pursued her, wailing for comfort. She became very aware of why the most "normal" of citizens seemed to gravitate towards the Town Square, leaving the desolate outskirts for those too dreary even for Halloween. By the late afternoon she had relented and joined the others near the fountain, hoping to find more pleasant company. Again, she was disappointed.

The Harlequin Demon waggled his tentacles at her. "Hey sweetheart, how horrible of you to finally grace us with your presence!"

"You haven't even been to baddest place in town yet, care to join me?" The smirking Devil had snuck up behind her, making her jump.

The Clown with the Tear-Away Face rolled up to her on his unicycle until their noses were practically touching. "May I interest you in a ride, princess?"

"Uh...um...excuse me..." Sally backed away quickly, nearly tripping over her own feet. "I...I have to get going now...almost dinner-time...good bye!" She broke into the quickest sprint she could manage, which really wasn't fast at all with her stiff limbs. Before long, she was out of breath and eager for some form of sanctuary - and for that, she chose to follow her nose - straight to the Witch's Shop.

"Evening, Dearie," greeted the Tall Witch. "Can we get you anything? Beetle eyes, fingernails, cat tails?"

"N-No, I'm fine," Sally paused to catch her breath for a moment. "I'm just...just getting to know the town, is all."

The Small Witch poked her nose over the counter-top. "Is that so? Well, feel free to look around all you'd like, honey. We'll be right here if you have any questions!"

Sally smiled, grateful. "Thank you!" How pleasant! Maybe she would be able to make new friends here, after all. "Hmmm..." Sally mumbled to herself as she traipsed through the aisles, examining the multitude of labeled vessels, gradually regaining the spring in her step. "Maybe I should be getting some rotten eggs, just in case..." She froze suddenly, with her arm reaching for the pot, convinced she had heard her name from the front of the room.

"...not really fair, when you think about it. We've been here for centuries longer than she has!"

"If I had known that all it took to get his attention was a low-cut dress, I could have reeled him in years ago!"

Resolutely holding back tears, Sally dropped her arm and tottered back to the door. Shielding her face, she muttered, "Nothing I need...thanks, anyway..." and stumbled out, the clink of a dull bell behind her.

It was on her hurried walk back to the Doctor's when she heard them. Soft footsteps, similar enough to her own that she might've simply confused them for a real echo, if they hadn't been slightly off rhythm. She quickened her pace, laughing at herself. 'This morning I had never been so eager to leave the lab, and now I've never been so eager to get back to it! Oh, what a dreadful day...What could possibly make it worse?' At that very moment, the lamp post nearest to her flickered out, covering her in an eerie darkness. She hurried forward into the next sphere of light, but that one quickly fizzled, too. Breaking into her second sprint of the day, Sally raced down the remaining blocks lying between herself and her home, chased by night. She screamed in her mind, 'Go away! Leave me be!Can't you see I've had enough Halloween for today?' Gasping for breath, mere meters from her front door, she collapsed with her back against a wall - No use rushing in and having the Doctor worry over the state she was in. She allowed her eyelids to drop for a moment, collecting herself, and when she lifted them...the most terrifying, ghastly face filled her vision. Her mouth whipped open to scream...and immediately, two bony lips fell upon them, smothering all sound. She tensed for an instant, and then melted into the kiss, allowing twin lanky arms to wrap around her torso.

Jack released her slowly after several moments, noticing her hesitation. "Sally? Are you alright? Did I take it too far?"

She avoided his gaze, still trembling. "No...no, Jack...You just scared me, is all."

His face fell as he brushed the hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, my love, it will never happen again. I just...I saw you looking so beautiful and innocent, and it occurred to me that I had never...never truly scared you before." He gave her a half-smile and then rested his lips against her inclined forehead.

"You can scare me any time, Jack. It's your job, after all. My day was just awful, and I...and I..."

"Breathe, Sally...What happened?"

"I...well, I...I don't want to relive it." She pulled away and ambled over to the steps leading up to the lab, Jack following her. They sat down together, Sally resting her head on his shoulder. "I idolized this town, you know."

He frowned. "Has it fallen short of your expectations?" His arm slipped around behind her, clutching her far shoulder.

"You could say that. I just...I spent my entire little life wishing I could escape the lab for more than a chore or two...and now that I have, I can't wait to escape the town, either!"

Jack froze. "Sally...listen to yourself. You know how dangerous thoughts like those can be, more than anyone."

She gazed at her feet, guilt washing over her. "I know. I can't help it. You're the only one that makes any sense around here."

There was a long pause, and then Jack was lifting her face to meet her eyes. "My dearest friend...listen to me. I decided something today. I'm going away for awhile...for research. I'm leaving the Halloween planning to the Mayor for the time being - it will be worth it in the long run, of course..."

Sally gave a little gasp. "Jack...you can't...you just...we just..." Tears began to flood her eyes, and Jack kissed them gently away.

"Come with me."

A slow grin spread across her blue face as she gazed up at him. "Oh...Jack...when are we leaving?"

Author's Note: I really should make these longer, shouldn't I? Ugh, next time.