Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jack attended a late night Halloween ball. The Mayor had insisted he'd come, not wanting to be rude to the invitation he dressed up in his night sky black suit and headed off to the mansion. He stepped out of the hearse that the Mayor sent for him and was greeted at the door by the popular man himself. As he made it in the doors, every townspeople turned their heads to him and they cheered his name. Jack smiled at the greeting and shook his head with a chuckle. Of course he'll always be known as the Pumpkin King.

Midnight had soon came along but that didn't stop the party. Jack was having a chat with one of the vampires at the bar, talking about his work and what the skeleton was doing now after stepping down from his throne as the King of Halloween.

The vampire took a sip out of his bloody mary after asking him, "What do you have in mind now after retiring as the Pumpkin King, Mr. Skellington?"

Jack gave it some thought. He had to choose his words carefully as he didn't want to give to much away. "Hmm. Well I am working on a film at the moment so I might announce that soon. Though there's not enough of a cast for me to work with."

"Are you going to do auditions soon?"

"I'm going to have to, I'm in a desperate need of a female role. There's nobody right for the part. It need to be somebody.. perfect."

The blood sucker set his empty glass on the table. "You might want to change your standards for the part, Jack. It would take forever to find someone like that."

The skeleton sighed, turning his seat around to face his body to the party behind him and laid his skull on his boney hand. "Maybe you're right."

Jack stared at all the faces in the crowd, some the female townspeople were attractive but not as perfect as he wanted the person for the role. He had envisioned her in his mind, a nice smile and a face that was pretty enough that made him believe he had a working heart.

He thought about her until.. he thought he saw her. Was his mind playing tricks with him or did he really see the woman he longed for? He stood at an instant from his chair,

"Please excuse me, I have to go. It was nice chatting with you, Dracula."

The vampire nodded and waved as he left, "Good luck with your film, Mr. Skellington."

Jack strides past the other party goers and some fans of his work in search for the woman in his dreams. He couldn't lose her now. He searched among the crowd and made it up the stairs to look down at the large gathering. He lead himself through the endless hallways into an empty one until he caught a glimpse of the woman's long red locks as it made its way to a room.

Jack followed suit but stopped when the door shut behind her. He looked around and saw nobody coming down this hallway. He pressed his skull against the door but heard nothing. He knocked gently on the door.

"Hello? Is someone in there?"

No answer.

He thought he was seeing things. The mind was playing tricks on him again, he knew it was too good to be true to find the actress he was longing for. When he was about to walk off, the door opened slightly to see a face glooming inside a pitch dark room.

Just by seeing her face was enough for Jack to gasp in awe. She was magnificent, grand, stunning. He could go on and on but stopped at the word..

Perfect.

"I- uh.. I'm sorry for bothering you. I just wanted to, um.."

For once in Jack's life, he was lost for words. He was slipping on his words and tried to force himself to speak but she spoke for him.

"You're Jack Skellington, aren't you?"

She smiled as she opened the door fully for Jack to bask in her full beauty. Though Jack was surprised this woman knew him. Then again, who doesn't know the Pumpkin King in this town? Yet he still politely reached his hand out to take hers.

"Why yes I am and you are..?"

She looked down at his skeleton hand and she withdrew hers from behind the door. "Sally."

Jack felt his dead heart skip a beat from hearing the name. He took her delicate doll hand, rose it to place a soft kiss on the back of it. It felt cold for Sally but she welcomed it with a smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sally."

Sally used her fingers to brush her hair back to get a better look at the skeleton before her. He was dressed in a black suit, a deep red tie and small half framed glasses on. How they stayed on his face without slipped off is a mystery but she chose not to question it.

"Why aren't you down enjoying the ball, Sally?"

Sally looked up at the empty sockets of the skeleton's skull, it had felt like they were staring into her soul. This made her feel shy or.. another feeling. She snapped out of it and answered his question, "I don't do well with large crowds. So I came up here for a little breather."

Jack understood her reason for come up here. The crowd below was a bit overwhelming for someone as shy as her. "Would you rather talk to someone here where there's less noise?"

Sally nodded her head and she laughed a bit in embarrassment, "it's silly I know but I didn't think there would be so many people here."

It was a Halloween ball, a major party in Halloween town. She felt herself blush at her lack of thinking and Jack shook his head at the statement.

"I don't think it's silly. If you'd like, I can chat with you."

Sally walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. "I'd like that." She said with a smile.

They walked through what seemed like a maze of hallways, talking about each other til they made it back to the party. There was only a few people left and maids were starting to clean up the mess of the partygoers.

The two made their way down the stairs as they continued talking until Jack was met with The Mayor. "Oh Jack! There you are. Going home? I can get the hearse driver to take you."

"That's alright, I'll be walking home." Jack looked over at Sally and gave her a grin. "We can talk more on the way."

"Suit yourselves, be seeing you tomorrow!"

Jack waved him off as he headed for the door. "Have a good night, Mayor. Thanks again for the invitation."

The time now ticked 3 AM. Jack was walking home with the woman that was always in his imagination, Sally. The conversation they were having lasted until they stopped at Jack's house.

"I should be heading home as well, Jack."

The skeleton wanted to grab her hand. He had just met her and didn't want her to get away. He wasn't going to let her get away.

"Why don't you stay the night? It's 3 AM and it gets dangerous pass this time."

Sally had to think about this, something wanted her to run but something wanted her to stay. This man has been kind to her since he's met her at the party. So she ignored and she agreed to his offer.

Jack let her in to his domain and Sally breath was taken away by it. There was many oddities scattered in his home, lots of them were impressive and others were something she's never seen before. He led her to his living room and she had a seat on his jet black tufted loveseat.

"I'll go make some tea, you sit tight til I come back."

Jack stepped out to slip into the kitchen. Sally looked up at the chandelier that was made of bones and down to the elegant coffee table in front of her. She laid back and listened to the clinking sounds of cups and spoons in the kitchen. Sally was took back when she heard small yip of a small pooch. She moved over to see an adorable ghost dog sitting on the side of the couch.

"Aw, how cute." She pet the pup on the head. "What's your name, sweetie?" The dog wore a red collar and had a bright orange pumpkin nose. She took the dog tag and it read, 'Zero'. Zero licked her hand and she smiled. The ghost dog then went in her lap and he laid down to rest. Sally continued to pet him in his slumber.

She looked at the items on the table and she saw a large script upon it. Jack was going to be a while so it should be fine to read it a little, right? She sat up to reach for it, being careful not to wake the sleeping pup and read the cover of the script.

'Macabre (working title): a Jack Skellington production'

She skimmed through it. It was a film about a man and woman meeting at a funeral. Only for them to find out they both shared an interest in killing. The couple team up together to kidnap their next victim and they share torturing the victim together. Their love grows stronger for the victim and they grown possessive over them.

Sally didn't get to the ending as she stopped when she saw Jack walk in with two tea cups on a large tray.

"Oh! I see you found my script. How embarrassing, that isn't the final product so it must've been a mess reading it." Jack gave a nervous smile at the last part. He looks at her lap to see his beloved pet. "And I've seen you've met Zero, too."

The script she read was written by hand so there was some times she couldn't read Jack's messy writing. Some of the pages had small splatters of ink from a pen and some dialog was crossed out. She had held back a giggle when she found a rip in the page from when Jack pressed down too hard on the paper and the pen had tore through.

"It was marvelous, Jack. It's quite good for a first film."

His nervousness grew from the woman he dreamed for was flattering him. He felt a feeling overwhelmed him as his heart pounding.

"Sally you're going to make me blush."

If it was even possible for blood to rush across his skull face. He set her cup in front of her onto a plate then he sat next to her with a cup of his own. Zero woke up to his owners appearance, he got up from his resting place and Jack picked him up after putting down his cup.

"I'm sorry for coming home late, Zero. Go to your bed and I'll come in soon." He put him down and the dog obeyed as he levitated out of the room. Sally waved off at the pup, "Goodnight Zero."

Jack looked back Sally and he gave a nervous chuckle as he looked down at the script.

"I've actually been wanting to ask you a question this whole night."

"Hm?" Sally took the cup off the plate and she took a long sip of the tea before saying, "what was the question, Jack?"

He cleared his throat, "If you'd be interested in starring in my movie as the main female role." He had moved in his seat to look her straight in the eye. He was quite serious about the role and Sally realized this.

Sally put her cup down, "Me? But I've never acted before. I'm just a dress tailor, I have no experience with it." She had her hands in her lap and she was fumbling with a loose thread on the stitching of her wrist.

Jack took her hands into his own, "Sally."

Her head jerked to look him in the dark empty holes.The more she looked at them, the more she felt like she was in a daze and was getting sleepy by the second. "Please, I saw you at the ball and I felt like you were perfect for this role. No one else could replace you if you say no."

Sally felt the voice in the back of her head again. She couldn't focus on it as the voice slowly started to fade away in the trance she was stuck in. All she could do was listen to the voice that was encouraging this. She smiled and nodded.

"I'll do it."

A grin spread across the skeleton's face. He was delighted at the answer. "Wonderful! It makes this a lot easier for me to do."

"Huh?"

Sally was going to question him but her eyesight was suddenly getting blurry and it made her stop. She was getting sleepier, Jack was fading away in front of her.

"Jack, what's happening.."

"Shh, just sleep Sally. You'll wake up soon."

She passed out, the last thing she felt was his boney hand on her cheek. His grin lessened into a smile. Jack laid her down on the couch as he got up. He picked up her tea cup, placed it on to the tray and took it back into the kitchen. He hummed a tune while he took her cup to pour the tea down the drain. Once he emptied out the cup, he set it into the sink to wash later. The jar of deathly nightshade that was setting on the counter was now stashed away into the cupboard.

Chapter Text

Sally jolted awake when she heard a switch flicked. The atmosphere of the room was cold and sharp like a blade. She couldn't see, she was blinded by a cloth around her eyes. She had reached to feel it but she was held back with something around her wrist. A loud clank was heard hitting the floor, the sound of a chain is when realized she was shackled. Sally started hyperventilating, feeling a heavy pounding in her chest until she stopped when she heard a distant clacking of heels on the floor. Someone was coming.

"Jack? Jack!" She called out for him.

She wanted to go to him and yet her restraints prevented her from doing so. The steps were getting louder and closer then she heard him humming a cheerful tune.

"Ah, Sally you're awake." Jack stepped towards her, kneeling down so he could untie her blindfold. Sally blinked her eyes opened to see the kidnapper in front of her.

"You were out for a long while I almost thought I used too much nightshade."

"Jack.. Where am I? What happened? I-"

Wait, nightshade. When did he give her..

"Did.. Did you poison me?" She was hit with a wave of a sharp pain in her head. She groaned from the ear-splitting headache.

"Why of course, Sally. You see.. I only did it to make you a bit weaker for the next couple of days. Weak enough so you don't make the same decisions the others made."

He finished that sentence with an unsettling grin. "O-Others?" Sally shivered in uneasiness when he felt his cold bone fingers through her yarn hair.

"They weren't perfect like you. They only made.."

Jack gave a hard and painful tug on Sally's hair and she gasped out in shocked. The pain in her head worsened.

"Mistakes."

Another hand came up to her neck, his fingers caressed her beautifully done stitches and they slowly wrapped around her throat.

"Jack wait-"

He had a grip on it and Sally tried to take a breath of air but his hand didn't let her. He moved close to her ear and whispered, "you won't make those same mistakes, will you?"

She was giving desperate to get air and each time she did his hand would get tighter. He got angrier every minute of no response but only a harsh struggle. Jack asked her again, "are you Sally?" He didn't like repeating himself.

She gave out a wheezing and breathless, "No."

His released his grip on her throat, Sally was coughing for air. Jack pulled away his hands and his tone changed to 'normal'.

"Good."

With a raspy voice, Sally managed to utter out, "Where am I, Jack?"

"You're in my underground set. It's where I'm filming the movie. Nice and quiet, perfect for no one to hear you from upstairs. Unless you decide to scream loud enough but you wouldn't dare do that."

He got up, his back facing to her as he gestured to the dark space around him.

"With me around, your screaming is useless in here." He looked at her over his shoulder. "So, don't get any ideas. If you scream for help you'll suffer for it."

Sally observed the space, looking for an exit, searching for a place for her to hide. Jack turned and chuckled, "planning on escaping already? I just taught you not to make mistakes. Did you.. lie?" He slowly stepped towards her.

She snapped back into her senses, "n-no."

"You know what happens to the girls who've lied to me, Sally?"

She didn't want to know, she never wanted to. She kept her distance until her back hit the wall behind her. "Jack I'm s-sorry, I won't lie to you. I promise just please don't hurt me." Sally began to tear up, they ran down her face and dripped onto the cold floor.

Jack's face was full of sorrow, he reached his head under Sally's chin to tilt her head up. "Don't cry. There's no use of crying if you behave and stay perfect for me." He smiled as he wiped off her tears with his thumb.

"Now, it's 4 AM. Get some rest until 9. I'll be waking you up in the morning for rehearsing."

A bark can be heard upstairs. Jack turned back around, before exiting the room he told her, "Goodnight my perfect darling." He shut the door to the room and he was heard going up the stairs.

Sally was surprised by what had just occurred but the fear had just kicked into place. She made sure he was gone so she could let all her tears fall to the floor and break down crying. She needed to leave, wanted to go home and hoped someone would find her soon.

Chapter Text

A large slam was heard upstairs and Sally woke up with a start. Her headache returned once her eyes opened. She sat up from the cold floor underneath her, watching as the door opened to the friend she once trusted, Jack walked in with a grocery bag and a smile upon his skull face.

"Morning, Sally!"

She forced a smile as she was scared to find out what would happen if she didn't do so. That would only sour his good mood.

"Good morning, Jack." She said through the gritted smile. He walked over and set the bag next to her.

"Your breakfast and the script for your lines are in there. Don't want you to perform on an empty stomach!"

Sally looked into the bag, inside of it was a folded napkin with a biscuit and toast in it and a large script next to it. She took out the napkin bundle, unfolded it and taking out the biscuit to take a bite of it. She looked up to realized Jack had stepped out, the door was open. She grew the desire for freedom but knowing this man may have killed others and wouldn't stop at hurting her pushed this aching desire into a numb pain. She had to gulp it down and ignore it.

'In due time, Sally, in due time.' She thought to herself

Jack came back with a cup full of water and he set it by her. The presence of her kidnapper made her sick to her stomach.

Just gulp it down and ignore it.

She finished her biscuit and took one bite out of the toast. She took a sip of the water, it soothed her headache for only for a minute. Sally set the cup back on the floor. Jack sat next to her and grabbed the cup. He held her face and tilted it back, "Drink, Sally. You really need the energy."

He forced her mouth open and poured the water down her throat. Sally pulled away from his grasp and coughed up the water. The liquid vomitted back up and was now all over the floor, she wanted to quickly apologize but it was too late. She heard him get up and smashed the glass cup on the floor in front of her. It broke with a loud echoed shatter.

"You can't even drink a simple cup of water right."

His hand reached for the back of her head and he pushed her down into the glass shards, the bottom of Jack's shoe was forcing her face into it. Sally was crying as the glass cut into several places on her face. Cotton scattered onto the floor.

Jack eventually stops, he squats down to her level, his hand goes for the back of her head and his fingers digged into her forehead.

"What did I say about crying?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I made a mess and I'm sorry for crying!"

He smiled, "You understand then."

He pulled her up by her hair and pushed her to make her sit up against the wall. Jack sat between her legs so he was close to her face. His hand came up for one of the glass shards in her skin and carefully pulled it out, she bit back a scream but it came out a whimper.

"Don't complain. I think these wounds are good for your makeup in your role. Now I don't have to worry about the hours of me trying to put it on you." He yanked a larger shard out and Sally couldn't hold it back. She gave out a pathetic helpless scream. His mouth formed a smile. Jack fidgeted with the shard that was covered in cotton then he thought of an twisted idea.

"Since those wounds are already so perfect.."

He grabbed a hold of her wrist to extend her arm out to him.

"How about I make a couple more here?" He dug the glass deeply and made a quick downwards rip into her arm. She let out a choked scream. She was too afraid to make a sound.

Jack stepped back to look at the marks he made on his love. Sally was covered in tears on her cheeks, cotton sticking out and old stitches were becoming undone. He was satisfied with his work. Sally's throat burned from withholding her screams and her eyes were red from her sobbing. Jack bent down to hold her face in his hand, "You look so beautiful. You'd look so much better with a smile though."

Sally gave no response but only shaky breathing. His hand squeezed hard on her face.

"Smile."

Her smile was automatic. There was no feeling in it but she obeyed his command.

"That's better."

Jack released his hand and walked out of the room. He came back a few minutes later with a wet rag, a bucket with water and a chair. Placing the bucket down by Sally and he gave her the rag.

"Clean up the mess you made with the water. I'll come back to sweep up the cotton and shards."

She took it, Jack moved to place the chair in a corner and went back out. Sally decided to get started, soaking the rag in the bucket and cleaned up the excreted water. Jack returned with a bag, a broom and dustpan.

He placed the dustpan and bag down then picked up the cotton with the broom. They cleaned in silence until Jack spoke up, "after you're done we'll be going over your lines."

He stopped moving his broom.

"You know which part you're playing right?"

She looked up at him and wondered, she was playing the main role right?

"The wife of the murder?"

Jack laughed eruptly and he shook his head.

"I forget you had read the draft of the script. The wife was written out for.. reasons. So lucky you got the other main female role." He sweeped up the rest of the cotton into the dustpan and poured it into the bag. Tying it up with a tight knot and tossing it into the corner. Setting the cleaning supplies down, he grabbed the chair, pulled it to where he was a couple
of inches away from Sally and sat down to watch her finish up.

She was confused, she doesn't remember any other female character in the script.. unless.

"Then which character am I playing?"

The side of Jack's mouth tugged into a smirk that grew into a grin.

"The victim."

Chapter Text

The afternoon was spent with Jack and Sally reciting their lines. A few minor hiccups here and there when Sally slipped up on her lines. Surprisingly, Jack didn't punish her for it. He wanted the perfect woman, not an actor. Though he gave her a few warnings about if she screwed up her lines while shooting then there was going to be consequences.

"What happens in the end for my character again?"

"Oh." He closes the script and looks over at her. "You never finished the ending did you?"

Sally shook her head and Jack leaned forward to carass her face. "It'll be a surprise!" His fingers stinged on her face when he would run them against the sliced skin.

"Do you think you're up for performing today, Sally?"

"Uh.." She could barely remember her own lines and she had thought about what could happen if she ever messed up. Maybe something worse than what she's already endured now. "I-I think it's best for me to keep practicing.. so I don't make a mistake?" She stuttered out.

Jack's eyes widened, "Sally.. you're.."

His reaction worried her, she shut her eyes and flinched, she wasn't ready for the pain he was going to bring her.

"You're learning.."

Huh?

"All the pain is working out. You're slowly developing perfection." He gave a genuine smile instead of a manic one. "It's all becoming worth it.."

Sally was confused by his strange words, she couldn't make since of it but her thoughts stopped when Jack embraced her tightly like his life was on the line.

"You can take a day to practice as a reward, I won't force you do them today. Though tomorrow is going to be different." He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled away to look her in the eyes. "So be prepared for anything. That's a warning, Sally."

She gulped at the word 'warning' then nodded her head in understanding. Jack leaned in to give a small peck to her forehead, getting up to take the chair and cleaning supplies and make his way out the door.

"I'll be back later to bring your dinner, you better be practicing when I come back down for that." He shut the down behind him.

The following evening, Sally was practicing her lines. She didn't want to anger Jack since she was already making good progress currently. She'd occasionally take a break when her headache would overwhelm her with excruciating pain.

The time came to 8 PM and Sally was curled up in the floor as she was lost in her thoughts. She thought about who's running her shop while she's gone? Has her father sent a search party? Is her father doing okay? She doesn't know the answers to her own question but she desperately wants to.

She just wanted to know about the current health of her father.

She quickly sat upright when she heard the faint echoed heels of Jack's shoes. Sally picked up the script, flipped to the middle of it and began to read. Jack walked in with a tray, he set it down on the floor in front of her and kneeled down onto the ground.

On the tray was a bowl of soup, bread and a glass of water. Sally shuddered at the sight of the glass but she shrugged it off as she took the spoon.

"Careful now, it's still hot."

Sally scooped up the soup onto her spoon, she blew on it to cool before sipping it.

"How is it?"

"It's good. Thank you, Jack."

He seems like he's pleased with the response as he sat back on the chair in front of her to watch her eat. They made conversation as she ate, it almost seemed like everything was normal. She almost forgot her wrists were chained up and she was being held prisoner in Jack's own personal dark world. She later finished her dinner and Jack picked up the tray,

"Practice before you go to bed, Sally. I'll be seeing you in the morning."

He carries the tray away.

"Goodnight, Jack."

Jack paused in his steps and responds back, "Goodnight darling."

He closes the door and his steps fade up the stairs.

This was Sally's mission. To get on Jack's good side so she can be granted her freedom. She'll see her father and everyone else again. She just needing to keep this up a little longer so she can get his trust and escape from this dreadful place. Sally just needs to come up with a plan, day by day and she'll finally see the light again.

Late into the night, Jack went to his room. He had let Zero out for the night, the canine hasn't shown up yet which means he'll show in the morning. He stripped off his outfit for the day and he sat at the edge of his bed.

Thinking..

Thinking about how this film will play out. Will it go out like he invisioned? He'll find out soon enough.

He looked to his left and saw the trash bag that was full of cotton. He had picked out the glass shards out of it earlier and now most of it was full of just the cotton itself. The bag was laying by his work desk. Jack has been questioning himself since this afternoon of why has he thrown it out yet. It's been haunting him while he was picking the shards out, he pricked his fingers a couple of times when he lost in the thoughts for too long. Now the bag sat there like it was taunting him, calling him sick for what he was doing.

He shook it off. No, no he wasn't sick. He.. had complications that could be fixed and Sally will help him with it when he's done helping her first. He's only doing this because he loves her so much that.. if she ever leaves he'd kill her.

It would hurt him too much if she ever left him with his own problems and he wanted someone to help him.

Jack blinked and he was back in reality. He didn't notice his breathing had picked up the pace. He calmed himself down, but his mind started talking to him again.

Was he sick?

He got up with a snarl and went over to the bag, he teared it open and the cotton flew onto the floor. Jack took a piece out and he squeezed it in his hand. Cotton fell between his fingers, his socket twitching at the soft feeling of it and his breathing quickened again. He felt warm, this cotton came out of her wounds, out of her body. Jack had touched blood before from thr past actresses that had spilled their blood before him. Though Sally was different. She spilled cotton like the delicate doll she is and that excited him.

Would a sick person like something like that?

He gulped then laughed. Yeah.. he's pretty sick, isn't he? His laughter grew louder, until it suddenly stopped when he put the cotton close to his chest and sighed. She's making him feel like this, like a mad man.

"Can't you see what you're doing to me, Sally?"

He looked back down at the cotton.

"You make me feel sick, disgusting.. and yet so alive."

The room was coated in her scent. The smell of mistakes and yet she's perfecting herself. Jack wanted that smell to be stored so he tied up the bag and sealed it away in his wardrobe to make his clothes smell faintly of her. He kept a small piece of the cotton by his bed. He wanted a rush in the morning to keep him on his feet all day..

He wanted the rush now. Her scent was intoxicating and was heavier than any drug he took. Jack laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as the heat he was feeling built up. The rush was too much for him and he couldn't help himself to his urges. He lost himself in the mistakes that night, his fingers getting caught in the bones that caged his heart and they trailed down his skeletal structure. His bones had rattled at the shock waves that washed over him.

The smell was getting stronger, until it became his ecstasy. His actions soon died down when he lost the warmth that overcame him. He was out of breath, trying to settle himself down as he took off his glasses and set them aside. He couldn't get out his dazed feeling and he wanted to get back to reality. He flicked himself in the rib to take him out of his senses, blinking his eyes open and was able to steady his breathing again. He gave a disgusted groan.

He was indeed sick.

Chapter Text

Jack came downstairs with a bag in his hand. He flipped the switch and the lights illuminated to view his love sleeping on the floor.

Sally slowly opened her eyes and she rubbed them awake. Today was the first day of filming, to put her skills to the test and show Jack she can do this with no mistakes. She sat up off the floor, looking at the skeleton before her, "Good morning Jack."

"Morning Sally, are you ready to get started?"

She nodded her head. His hand reached into his coat pocket and brought out a skull key.

"Now, in order to do the scene we need to move to the set. I'm going to have to unlock your chains. I'm going to trust you're not going to run away, right?"

Unlock her chains? She was going get limited freedom but not enough to run. Jack is possibly armed with a weapon inside of his coat and isn't afraid of killing her. The best choice is not doing it, not now at least.

"I..I wouldn't dream of it, Jack."

He kneeled down, setting the bag onto the floor as he unlocked the cuffs that was tight around her ankles and wrists. They left dark purple bruises on the delicate skin and Jack traced his fingers on them. He'd press down hard on the bruises to get a loud groan from Sally. He'd smile cruelly at the response to the pain.

"You wouldn't be able to run anyways if you really wanted to."

Jack put the key back into his pocket, picking the bag up as he got up from the floor. He held out his hand for Sally and she took it. She tried to stand on her own feet though the pain was too much for her, her legs were shaking and the pain in her ankles was agony. She eventually fell back onto the floor when she took two steps. Jack tsked at her struggle.

"Such a pity."

Sally gave an immediate response to this, to save herself from obtaining more pain than she can handle.

"I'm sorry, I can do it. Just give me a-"

She suddenly felt herself being lifted off the floor and into his arms. She gripped onto his coat, he carried her out the door into the other room.

"I won't force you to walk if you're unable to, Sally."

Jack said as she set her down gently on a chair. He handed her the bag, "this the outfit you wear for this scene. It's also something to get you out of those rags. I'm sick of seeing that dress on you." Sally looked down at her dress that she wore at the Halloween ball.

It was at first a lacy long sleeve, navy blue dress. But it was now uncleaned, ripped up and stained. She had wore it with long striped light blue tights that were now teared and ruined. Sally was embarrassed at the state she was in, to let herself become this much of a mess.

"I'll come back with your makeup and I'll brush out your hair. Just call out if you need any help." Jack stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Sally looked into the bag and there was a new clean dress inside of it, but it was a recognizable one. She pulled it out, unfolding it and her eyes widened. This was a dress that was displayed in her store.

It was a black strapless dress and the edges of it was ripped up. She placed it in her lap, her hands grabbed on the hem of her dress and she pulled it up. Stripping off her old dress, folding it and set it on the floor. Before putting on the black dress, she looked at the tag and it was the name of her shop on it.

Did he ever step into her shop once or did he go there earlier today? Has this man been stalking her? No, no. He might have realized where her shop was when she once mentioned it to him. Sally slipped the dress over her head and it fit snugged around her body. Sure, it was a bit tight and it rode up a little too high but pulling it down every now and then shouldn't be a problem. She hovered up in her seat to pull off the tights.

"Sally, are you done?"

"Yes."

Jack opened the door once Sally got her tights off her legs. He noticed how high the dress was and he cleared his throat. "There's some black stockings in the bag. You might want to pull down over your knees."

Sally quickly moves her hand to pull the dress down. Her other hand picks up the bag to take the stockings out, they were long and thin. She closed her legs shut, to not exposed herself too much and put them on.

"Did you need any help?"

Sally looked up at Jack.

"Just with the zipper on the back of my dress, I can't reach it."

Jack walked behind her to get a good view of her hair. He pulled it up, grabbed as much of her red locks as he could and moved it over to the side. He zipped up the small zipper on her dress while his other hand reached for her hair. He pulled out a brush out of his coat and brought it down to her head of hair.

When Sally was done pulling up her stockings up to her thighs, she rested her head against the backrest of the chair and let Jack brush her hair out. It was calming but she still kept her guard up. The silence is was what made her cautious. She decided to speak up,

"Which scene was going to be filmed today?"

"Where the victim is down in the basement. We'll be filming the before scenes when your cuts are stitched back up."

There was silence again, when it's silent between them she begins to feel unsafe.

"Was there going to be more people here?"

Jack stopped the brush, "Since this is mostly an independent film there's going to be a few. Ten or so people on the set."

He wrapped his hand around her hair and gave it a tug which her headache returned.

"So don't call for help or be a distraction. But most importantly.."

He leaned in close to her ear, "don't mess up. Understand?"

She hissed in pain but she forced out a response, "Yes Jack.."

Jack went back to brushing her hair, "I want you look perfect in front of my crew. Messing up would be a big disappointment of progress."

He finished up straightening her hair out and put the brush back into his coat pocket. Jack walked back in front of her, bringing her chin up with his hand and tilting it to the side. "I want to make these wounds on your body look fresh."

She flinched at his words and her body began shaking with fear. Jack laughed, "why don't you look so scared? I'm going to use makeup to make them look new. Though we might need to cover up those bruises on your wrists."

His hand trailed slowly down to her neck and he wrapped his hand around her throat, "we can make new marks here if you'd like."

"No! No please I don't want to get strangled again."

He let go, "you're right. I'll only do that if you make a mistake." He placed his hands on the sides of her face and he bent down to rest his forehead on hers. He grinned at her timidness, how she was so weak and vulnerable in his hands.

"We wouldn't want that, do we?"

"No."

He kissed her forehead, "Good."

A doorbell rang through the house, Jack pulled away from Sally. "They're starting to show up, remember your lines." He walked through the door, turning around and before he shut it he looked over at a stunned Sally that was shaking in her seat.

"Don't forget to smile."

Chapter Text

Jack brought down his first guest to the set. He was a ferocious looking werewolf with a sharp set of teeth that stretched across his face. He wore a ripped up red and black checkered flannel that had a few dirt stains on it.

Jack had walked with him behind him, seeing Sally as he entered and made a smiling gesture to her. She shot up and gave an instant one. The werewolf gave one back, "So you're the actress Jack likes to talk about?" His voice was gruff and his sentence ended with a growl.

"She's looks promising. Pretty too, I bet she'll be better than the others." The werewolf said with a wicked smile and this made Sally nervous. Did he have something to do with the past actors disappearing?

Jack walked behind the chair and put his cold hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure she'll do great. Isn't that right, Sally?" He asked this as his fingers dug into her shoulder, she flinched and bit back a yelp from the sudden pain. Sally nodded and looked up at the werewolf.

"I'll do my absolute best."

Once everyone got there, in a blink of Sally's eye the scene began to start. She shook off her worries and steadied her breathing but her paranoia kicked in. What if she ends up messing up? What would Jack do if she did? She was doing fine now focusing her lines but what if she croaks? She imagined Jack's hand on her throat again, she thought about how she had lost so much air and now she was desperate to get air in her lungs.

"Sally?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and her eyes darted around the room. Everyone's eyes were focused on her, including Jack's concerned sockets, making her feel extreme panic. She wanted to leave, she wanted to breathe , she..

She wanted to be free.

"I-I'm sorry, I need some fresh air.."

Sally got up from her seat, but before she could walk off Jack grabbed her hand.

"I'll go with you."

Jack motioned for the film to cut, "I'll be right back everyone, let's take a short break."

She pulled her aside into another room, Jack let go of her hand to turn around and put his hands on her shoulders.

"What's going on? You were doing so well."

"I just got so scared of messing up.." Her hand brushed into her hair and scrunched it up into her fist.

"The pressure got to me and I just.. I'm s-sorry."

She blinked away tears, trying to wipe them away then more fell down her cheeks.

Jack brought up his hand to wipe them away for her.

"Hey… It's fine, you just panicked. I shouldn't have pressured you so much about it. Look we'll discuss this later when everyone's gone. Let's just get through the lines today, okay?"

He wrapped his hands around her body and brought her into a hug. Sally returned it, this gave her comfort and she relaxed. Then she noticed that Jack was moving her back into the wall. His hands back onto her shoulders, the left hand had moved to caress her cheek and he gave a smile.

A sudden sting struck her cheek. It was hard enough for Sally's head to hit into the wall. She brought her shaking hand to her cheek and cotton was caught on her fingers. Jack's bones cut on the fabric of her cheek when he slapped her.

"This doesn't excuse your mistake. Once you make one there's no escaping it. How else are you going to learn from it?"

Jack said this with a stern voice, his hand grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the set.

"Again we'll talk about the consequences later."

Sally didn't make a mistake in her final lines for today.

Late that day everyone wrapped up for the night, they planned to film again in a couple of days. They finished up the torturing scene but the next day would be one of Jack's big scenes in the movie, the 'love' scene between the murder and the victim. Since he was playing the murder he couldn't afford to slip up on this, and he had to make sure that Sally wouldn't either.

When everyone left and said their goodbyes, this the two of them alone.

Jack picked Sally up from her seat and carried her back to the main basement. She was preparing for the worse, Sally knew that the slap she received wasn't the only pain she was going to get from him.

Once they entered the basement, he dropped her carelessly onto the floor. She landed on the bruise on her ankle and she groaned loudly at the impact.

"It's a shame I can't hurt you much to cause a major injury because of filming."

Then Jack gave a sharp kick to her side, knocking the breath out of her.

"But you won't show any bruises under the dress."

He kept going with kicking her fragile body, each one being harder than the last one. Sally put her hands over her head to prevent him from kicking it and to try to stop her headache. The pounding in her head hitting harder than Jack's shoe impacting her side. He stopped after Sally started coughing up cotton.

He picked her up up by the wrists and dragged her over to the other set of chains in the room. They were up high against the wall. He clasped the cuffs around both of Sally's wrists, making her stand up against the wall with her hands above her head.

She was struggling to stand, her legs were shaking and she lurched forward as if she was going to fall forward but the chains stopped her from doing so. Jack put his hands on her chest and pushed her against the wall.

"Stand up straight and stay like that, if I see that you aren't when I come back I swear I won't hold back from now on." He let go and he stepped out of the room.

Sally leaned her back on the wall and resisted the urge for her body to slack. The pressure she was putting on the bruises on her ankles were begging from mercy. Her whole body was screaming at her to give in but her fear didn't want to. She was forcing herself to do this because she didn't want to see Jack's wrath unleash on her yet again.

He came back into the room with a pair of scissors from the set. He kneeled on the floor in front of her, he pulled at the handles of the scissors and it snapped.

Sally can only imagine him being able to snap her bones.

She hear the sickening snap of her bones and her piercing shrieking.

Jack set one of the blades on the floor while his hand went to pull at the hem of Sally's left stocking.

"J-Jack what are you-"

"Shh, I'm not going to do anything drastic. I'm a mad man. Not a monster, Sally."

He pulled the stocking down to her ankle and he pressed the metal blade into her inner thigh. He made sure it was deep enough and dragged it down her leg and stopped at her calf. He let cotton spill to the floor as Sally let out a scream that echoed in the basement room. He dropped the blade on the floor.

"Now for the other."

He picked up the other blade and pulled on her right stocking. He made the same mark on her other leg, now they both matched. Sally's eyes were shot open, streams of tears flowing down and she was stiff. Jack's breathing was short just from looking at the marks he made into her legs, he pulled up her stockings back up and gave a small kiss on her left inner thigh before getting up.

"You know what I promised if you ended up screwing up, right?"

She couldn't even look at him but she shook her head. A familiar feeling came to Sally when she felt his hand wrap around her neck. Though this time another hand joined the other one and they clenched at her throat. She tried screaming but it let out as a high pitched whimper.

"Look at me, Sally."

She refused, she hanged her head in shame and both of Jack's hands squeezed harder.

"I said LOOK AT ME."-

He raised his voice and she snapped her head up to face him. She expected him to look furious but he instead showed a crooked smile upon his skull. He looked like he had just snapped and his madness had came to settle in.

"Do you see what you drive me to do to you, Sally?"

His grip grew tight and new tears began to spill.

"You make me do this to you. You do this to yourself and you drive me insane for it. You ask for this to happen for you and it's your fault."

She was coughing out for air.

"J-Jack pl-please."

Her face was getting red and vision was getting blurry.

"You make me feel like this, you make me feel sick, you make me feel so.."

Sally felt herself go weak as she shut her eyes.

"Alive."

She blacked out after those words and Jack let go of her, his breathing was erratic and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He noticed his body was shaking from the quiet rattling of his bones he was hearing. He rested his forehead on hers and hand reached up to check her pulse on her neck.

Her heart was still beating and he was grateful for that. Jack kissed her lips and pulled away from her body.

He reached up to release the clasps from her wrists and picked to her to lay her on the floor. He didn't bother to shackle her wrists and ankles since he knew she's unable to walk with the violent rips in her legs. He adjusted glasses and gave her unconscious body one final look before going back upstairs.

Chapter Text

Sally started to learn Jack's rules. Three simple rules to follow and she memorized them as the days passed.

Don't cry or complain.

Don't question.

Don't mess up.

As soon as she understood these, she had to be perfect for him though this didn't stop her motive. Sally repeated these rules in her head as well as her mission to escape. She couldn't rush it, she had to strike at the right time.

She sat on the middle of the floor, mending the few cuts she had on her stomach with a hidden needle and thread she always had behind her ear. Sally did this whenever she had free time in between filming scenes or when Jack left her alone. Though she wish she could fix the cuts and open wounds on her face.

She didn't want to risk fixing them for him to notice.

Once finishing closing up a cut, she snipped the thread with her teeth and slipped the needle back behind her ear. When she heard a door open she quickly pulled her dress back down to her waist.

"Hello again, Sally."

She had her back facing him, her head turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Afternoon, Jack."

His head peeked in through the crack of the door, he stepped in with two objects under his arm. Sally turned her body around to see what they were. A blanket and pillow?

"You've been doing well after our lesson, so I thought a small reward would be nice."

Sally took them and looked up at him, "thank you Jack."

At least she won't feel so uncomfortable resting her head on the dirty freezing floor.

"Now, everyone will be coming back today for another scene. Do you think you'll be up for standing?"

"Um.. I don't think I am." She tries to pick herself off the ground but her legs cried in agony to stay down. They shook until they locked and she fell forward to catched herself with her arms holding her up.

"Ah. Wait here then." Jack left the room and left Sally there with her thoughts. She laid against the wall onto the pillow and extended her legs out. There was pain all over her body to where she became numb to it. She wasn't able to cry about it anymore.

The skeleton came back into the room with a kit, it wasn't a first aid kit when Sally first looked at it. It was a sewing kit. Jack sat in front of her legs and opened up the kit. There was a bag full of fresh cotton, different needles and threads and a pair of scissors. He reached for her left stocking and pulled it off. She shuddered at the cold air hitting the open tear, she felt it as if it was filling up the space of missing cotton.

Jack took out the bag of cotton and opened it up, he looked up at Sally and made a come hither motion with his boney finger. She moved forward for him to get in between her legs in order to stuff the inner thigh. He traced his finger on the start of the cut on her thigh, he opened his mouth to speak but he quickly shut it to suppress a groan.

"I made this a bit too deep.."

He grabbed the bag of cotton and took out a huge chunk of it. One of his hands held open the wound and the other stuffed the cotton inside of it. Sally let out a shudder out of relief for the new cotton she was being stuffed with. She might actually be able to walk after this but it'll take some time.

Once the leg was firm enough, Jack pulled out a spool of thread and a long thick needle. "Do you feel like that's enough, Sally?"

Sally was able to regain some feeling in her leg and it wasn't too full or less. It was just right for her. "Yes Jack."

He carefully put the thread through the hole of the needle. "I'm going to need your help on holding this closed, this is going to take some time since it's a long cut."

Sally held the folds of the cuts closed together to shape it back to normal.

"Jack, do you.."

"Shh. I do know what I'm doing, don't question."

She held her mouth shut as well.

Jack began sticking the needle into her fabic leg. He made X cross stitches into it, as long as it did take the end result was surprising. His needlework was remarkable and quite impressive, afterwards he snipped the thread and he brought out more cotton.

"Just need the other leg and we can start testing out walking."

Few hours pasted and Sally was steady on her feet. She fell a couple of times yet she soon as got the hang of it, she started taking steps. She felt like a toddler trying to walk again but the hard part was over. She could now walk back and forth to the wall to Jack easily.

"I think I'm able to step on set now."

Jack had a smile on his face from hearing that, "eager aren't we? You will once everyone gets here. Just wait a little longer."

Sally sat back on the floor and she stared at the blanket and pillow then to her stitched up legs. She went quiet for a long while before Jack took notice, it was disturbing him.

"Sally, are you okay-"

"Why?"

Jack gave a questioning look and he frowned, "what do you mean why?"

"Why did you do this?"

He adjusted his glasses before crossing his arms. "Which do you mean?"

"Why are you being nice to me now? The pillow, blanket, my legs.. just the pass week you had your hands on my neck and.. it's like you've forgotten why I'm down here."

He shook his head, "it's more like you've forgotten why you're down here, Sally. Don't you get it, I'm not keeping you here to torture you. I'm fixing you."

She shot up from the floor to be at his level, to face him, to argue at him.

"Fixing me? Fixing me in this way is not going to make me forget what you've done to me. You've tortured and abused just to get me to be perfect for you. Now you're being nice to me just to leave all at in the back of my head."

She gestured to her cut up face, "This." Then to the fading but bruised strangle marks on her throat.

"Especially this will never make me forget and I'm not going to take this from you anymore."

Sally made her way to the exit.

What was she doing? Why is she doing this now? She needs to stop this. He's going to hurt her and she knows this. Why is she risking getting hurt again?

"Get back here, Sally." Jack said this in a firm voice. "Now."

She stopped in her steps.

"If you come back over here and apologize, I'll forgive everything you've said. We can forget this happened and we can go to the set."

Her shaking hand was reaching for the door knob.

"SALLY."

She jumped at him yelling her name. It didn't stop her hand grabbing the knob.

"IF YOU WALK OUT THAT DOOR YOU'LL REGRET IT."

Her hand turned it and she was ready to start running. She needed to escape from here. Sally wanted to leave.

She swung open the door. That's when he striked.

A sharp splitting pain hitting her back, it trailed down lower and lower and then it stopped. She fell forward and hit the floor. Jack was over her body, holding the pair of scissors. He had stabbed her deep into her back. His breathing heavy from tearing open the wound.

"I love you too much to let you walk away from me."

Chapter Text

"Alright everyone let's take a break for right now. Be back in an hour." Jack announced as he stepped off set. He wanted to see how she was doing, he walked into the room that he kept her in when they were filming.

"Sally?"

He walked in on her sitting in a chair and staring at the floor, not saying a word. There was dead silence in the room, no emotion as he couldn't tell what she was feeling with her hair in front of her face and he understood why.

"Everyone's on break right now. You're ready for your part afterwards, I assume."

No response. This lessened his patience.

He walked over to her and he tapped at her hand that was resting on the arm chair.

"Are you listening to me?"

Sally nodded her head. She didn't look up from the floor.

"Then do you know your part?"

She nodded again, she didn't want to look at him.

Jack sighed, he moved from the front of her to behind her. He rested his hands on her shoulders, she twitched at the icy coldness of the bones on her warm fabric skin.

"You know I do this because I love you right?"

His hands trailed up into her hair and she seized up, one was lost into her hair while the other one brushed her hair between his fingers. He leaned down to rest his chin on her head, one hand had left her hair but the other continued brushing. Sally knew where the other hand went when she felt it caressed her face. His finger traced the marks he left on her face.

"These were made out of love."

She shuddered in disgust on how he used that word. 'Love', this wasn't love. This was torture, abuse, madness, anything but love.
His hand made its way down to her back to the rip on her dress that exposed the long tear he made with the scissors.

"I really don't like to hurt you, Sally."

His thumb ran along the slash in the skin. Then he jabbed it into it. Sally choked out a gasp and nearly ripped out a screamed until Jack covered her mouth.

"But you drive me to do it and I just can't help myself."

He twisted his thumb, sending a jolt of pain through her body. Tears seeped out of her eyes, her screams muffled behind the bone so no one could hear her anguish in the next room. Sally bit down on one of his fingers and Jack hissed through grinding teeth.

"You're interesting, Sally. You were just used to me sticking my hand in your leg and yet you can't take this."

He shoved his hand into her back and Sally was kicking her legs at this, biting harder on his boney finger.

"What if I turned you inside out, taking out all your cotton and-"

Jack felt something soft in the mess of cotton and skeletal structure. He poked and prodded at it, he then realized he was near the chest and ribs.

"This is.. your heart. It's beating quite fast."

Sally felt like she was going to pass out, she felt his skeleton hand invading the inside of her chest.

He grabbed a hold of it and gave it a hard squeeze.

"What if I ripped this out?"

Her eyes widened, she let go of his finger and pulled away from his hand.

"No please don't!"

Jack slapped his hand back over her mouth and took his hand out of her body.

"Shhh. Okay, okay I won't. Just breathe."

He removed his hand from her mouth and Sally was having trouble steadying her breathing, she felt as if she was going to have a heart attack.

Jack walked back around her, "Everyone's going to be coming back in half of hour. When we're done with your scene and they leave, I'll fix your back up."

He leaves her in the room, she sits there recovering feeling in her body and chest. She puts her hand over her beating heart. She can still feel his hand violating it.

During the shooting of the love scene between Jack's and Sally's roles,
Sally started shaking noticeably in her spot when he got close to her. This concerned some of the crew but Jack stopped the scene soon after. He sat next to her, "what's going on, Sally?" She shook her head. "Nothing." He put his hand over hers. She couldn't help but twitch at this.

"Then why are you shaking and reacting in this way?"

"I-I.."

"You're going to have to get over this, I have to kiss you for the next part so that involves me being face-to-face with you."

She took a deep breath before saying, "okay."

Jack stood up and make a gesture to roll the scene again. It started up, Jack walked in out of shot to Sally on the floor of the basement.

He recited his lines, "You've seen what kind of person I am."

Sally had trembling at him getting closer by every second. "Yes, you're a monster."

Jack stopped and crossed his arms, "so that's how you see me. After all I've done for you."

"You've kept me here for your own sick desires. You don't care if I wither or die."

She hung her hand to look down at the floor but he saw his shoes appear in her field of vision. He kneeled down to the floor and Sally forced herself to look at him. She reminded herself of how furious he would be if she had messed up again. She could feel him squeezing her heart again and thought of him ripping it out.

"To the others I've kept down here, I have felt that way towards them but you."

He placed her finger under her chin, tipping it to get a good look at her face. It was full of fear and this made him smile.

"You've changed my cruel heart."

Then came a shocking surprise when Sally was the one to kiss him first, she placed her lips on where his would be. During the whole kiss, his eye sockets were wide.

"And cut."

Sally pulled away from him and Jack was still lost for words. He didn't know what to make of the following events. He steadied himself when getting up, "uh. Good work today everyone. Let's wrap it up for today and meet back next week. You all know where the door is, I'm going to.. go rest up." Jack walked out, still shell-shocked.

While a few were confused, most went home and Sally was left sitting on the set floor. She urged herself to follow through with that kiss to avoid that his backlash. But now she didn't know what she caused.

Jack was pacing in his room.

'What does it mean, what does it mean?'

This was question he kept asking himself. Zero watched him walk back forth in his own bed. Jack was giving himself a headache through his skull with thinking too hard about this. Then he stopped, was that it? Thinking too hard about and it didn't possibly mean anything? No, no. He felt something that he couldn't quite place his finger on, he couldn't tell if Sally was doing this for an offer of freedom or her feelings changed after him finally getting through to her.

He really wanted to be delusional enough to believe the second option but he knew fully well it wasn't that. Jack sat on the edge of his bed and put his skull in his hands, giving out a sigh of exhaustion. He'll have to rest on this.

He shed off his coat, leaving him in his white button up shirt, folding his black coat up neatly and place it next to him. This he took off his shoes, putting them on the floor next to his bed. Then he lastly slipped off his glasses and set them on his nightstand. He went under the covers, rolling over to his side to look at the clock. He groaned when he realized it's barely the afternoon, he'll need to get up later to check up on Sally.

He gave a final look to the ball of cotton on the nightstand before shutting his eyes.

Maybe he did want to believe it.

Chapter Text

Jack hasn't came down in a while. It's been two days since Sally had seen him wonder around the main basement.

He comes in and out of the room to bring Sally something to eat, of course although after he gives her it, he abruptly leaves the room.

No direct eye contact either nor speaking. He'd give occasional glances and utters one word but otherwise there would be no meaningful conversations.

He'd usually stick around for a chat with her.

Strangest thing is.. he hasn't shackled her down yet.

This gave Sally some time to freely roam around to the main basement and the set thoroughly to map out hiding advantages. As she did so she'd also leave a trail cotton behind her. She decided to stick around the set or anywhere as far away from the basement, just so no memories would trigger off in her mind.

While exploring the set, she found there was a few different rooms. There was the main set, the room Jack kept her in while filming which was a break room, a fairly small auditorium and another set on the other side of it. Though this set wasn't as big as the main one, it was used for a smaller scene which Sally figures they'll be using later. She was surprised at how big this underground film set really was. Sally felt as though she was going to get lost in it.

Sally looked for anything she could use as a lock pick, she had eventually found a couple of things scattered on the floor yet she found no sign of a key.

Then she reminded herself that was in Jack's coat pocket. She had shrugged, who knows if that skull key ever fell out of the pocket whenever Jack had changed into his costume for the film.

She walked into the break room and took out the things that would work out of the slit on her arm. There was a paper clip, a hair pin, a safety pin and a card. Now she just needed to know when it was the right time to escape.

There was a knock on the break room door. Sally slipped the items back into her arm, the hair pin hidden away in her hair and went to fetch the door. Opening it, she saw the infamous Pumpkin King behind the door.

"Sally. I think it's time to talk."

She gulped and walked out of the room. She decided to put on an act, she really didn't want to discuss about what happened.

"Talk about what, Jack?"

"You know what I'm addressing."

"I..I don't think I do."

He shut the break room door and he was growing agitated from her pretending.

"Don't act dumb with me. To get rid of the elephant in the room we need to talk about it. It's not a choice for you to not speak of it."

She sighed and turned to face him. There was no way of really getting out of this one. "Okay then, what concerned you most about it?"

He crossed his long arms and leaned against the door. "Oh I don't know, maybe why you did it? You clearly knew what you were doing."

"I was just scared.."

"Scared of what, exactly?"

"I was scared of how you would react if I didn't do it, if you would be angry at me or that you'd hurt me again. It was out of fear, Jack."

There was a pause in the room until Jack gave a sudden jolt. Something in Jack made him twitch and a smile came upon on his face.

"That wasn't so hard was it? You don't have to be scared of telling me the truth."

He went over to her, putting his hand on her back and leading her into the basement. "Now let's patch up your back. Next week is a big day, I need to talk to you about who's showing up to the set."

Sally knew something was wrong but she wasn't focused on that. She wanted him to sew up her torn back.

They sat on the floor, Jack was sitting behind her with his sewing kit by him. He was finishing up the last stitch, pulling at the string to close the slash and cut the thread. Sally wanted to turn her head but Jack adjusted it back forward.

"Not done yet Sally, just hold on."

Jack pulled out a spool of 'wine' red thread. He put the new thread into the needle, he moved to her right shoulder and stabbed the needle into the unmarked fabic skin.

"Jack I don't think anything was there.."

"I'm aware of that."

A moment passed and Jack had snipped the colored string. He put the supplies away and he rubbed his bone thumb on the mark he made. He stitched in a small heart on the back of her shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him and he rested his head on her left shoulder.

"Does your back feel better?"

"Yes, thank you."

She looked over her right shoulder and she saw a glimpse of the heart. Her eyes widened as she felt the pressure in her head return.

She could feel him smiling behind her.

"Do you like it? You get to be reminded of how much I love you whenever you see it."

"I-I.."

The arms around her waist got tighter and they squeezed the breath out of her. It felt as if a cobra was hugging her body. Her hands came up to try to pull the arms away but there was no use breaking them.

"I asked you a question, Sally"

She moved to try to get away but every time she did the more air she lost. She needed to respond, it's the only way he'll let go.

"Yes!"

"Is that a lie or the truth, are you lying to me again?"

He reeled back and squeezed harder around her body. Tons of air being shoved out of her and she coughed out.

"It's the truth!"

He let her go, "if it was, what are these?"

He pulled out the card, paper clip and safety pin out of her arm. They slipped out when he squeezed her, now he was enraged and Jack tore up the card. He got the safety pin, his other hand pulled at her hair to tug her head to the side. Sally's neck was exposed and the pin point was inches away from it.

"Were you going to escape with these?"

Sally shook her head, "no Jack I swear."

She felt the prick of the point on her neck.

"Are you lying?"

She took a deep breath and said, "no."

Jack dropped the pin on to the floor as well for the paper clip. He kissed where the point had pinched her neck.

"No more lying, alright?"

She nodded her head. There was a moment of silence in the room and she broke the ice.

"Were you going to tell me about who's showing up?"

Chapter Text

Jack talked about the disreputable Oogie Boogie making an appearance on set. The big sack of bugs was hosting a film festival soon and was really curious about the Pumpkin King producing a short film of himself for it. Boogie wanted to observe the set and pop in for a little peek of the filmmaking.

"What was the festival for?" Sally asked with her chin in her hands.

"Its a Halloween event. It'll be happening in a couple of months."

Oh, that's right. It's nearly halfway to October again. Sally has been down here for too damn long that she lost track of time and everyday just slowly started to feel the same down here.

Where has the time gone?

"He was planning to come in for the following scene we were going to shoot next week. So do your absolute best then, no excuses this time." Jack said, pulling Sally out of her wandering mind.

"Was his boys going to be here too? That might cause some problems, Jack."

Jack shook his skull. "I don't know. I told him they're not allowed down here but knowing Boogie, they'll be here."

Sally nervously rubbed her hand on her arm, she thought about all the ways of this backfiring on her.

The skeleton took notice of this and moved his hand on her cheek.

"Hey.. if Oogie Boogie's boys is what's worrying you then I'll make sure they won't come down here. If he brings them, they'll stay upstairs." He groans at the thought.

"I just have to worry about them making a mess."

Boogie's mess of misfits always worried Sally. They cause havoc in town and trouble for everyone in it already, they could cause her to make a mistake and she's learned too many times to know what would happen.

"Please do Jack, they could um.. make me lose my concentration." She thought of a quick excuse for them not to be around her.

"That's the spirit! Okay then, we'll see what will happen." This brought him his known skeleton grin on across his face.

Jack got up from his stool chair that was set in front of Sally and he clasped his hands together, making a clacking sound with his bones.

"This is going to go out swell!"

Sally was happy to see him in good spirits. She hopes that he'll stay that way until the days pass into next week.

Jack was looking around the rooms of his house. Searching for someone he needed to speak to.

"Zero?"

He heard a small yip in the kitchen and rushed to follow it. He found the ghost pup on top of his counter, "Zero, down boy."

Zero jumped down from the counter and floated to Jack's feet, looking up at his eye sockets with his empty ones. Jack bent down to pet the top of his head.

"I'm going to ask a favor from you, boy. When Boogie's boys show up next week you have to keep them away from downstairs, do you think you can do that?"

He barked in response, his nose glowing as well.

"Good boy. Oh, also keep them away from my room. They can trash everything else but those two rooms, okay?"

He barked again and his tail wagged. "I'll make it up to you afterwards."

The weeks passed by Jack faster than a witch on her broom. The big day is tomorrow and he couldn't even believe it himself. Sally couldn't either, for the pass weeks she's been planning her escape and she was close to freedom. Jack hasn't chained her down since Sally regained feeling in her legs, she was able to walk to the door. During the nights she's been figuring out to lock pick the door with the hair pin she kept hidden in her hair. Jack wasn't able to find it and he won't when she makes her escape.

Sally found out there was three doors she'd have to past to get outside of the house. The basement door, the door that led downstairs and the front door. Not only does she have to pass that, she nearly forgot about Jack's dog. When she tried unlocking the second door, she was met with the ghost dog on the other side of it, patrolling the hallways at night.

She'd have to wait for a night where he's not in the house. She didn't see him once on Friday and figuring out she'll make a break for it on that day this week. Viewing the calendar in the break room Sally noticed that day is planning for the day after Oogie Boogie shows up.

That date was coming faster than she expected.

Before Jack headed to bed, he stared at the cotton on his nightstand. He tapped his foot on the floor then he stopped.

"I need you to do good, Sally. I know you can."

He was counting on Sally, he wasn't worried about him more or less her. But he thinks she won't mess up because she knows not to.

Chapter Text

The day has come and everyone has been anticipating it. Jack heard the doorbell, "alright places everyone that should be him." He ran out of the set, dashed upstairs and answered the door. The sack monster was behind it.

"Oogie Boogie! It's so terrible to see you and.." Jack looked behind Boogie to see his boys by his side. He groaned when the kids sneered at him. Lock blew a raspberry at him, Shock laughed at it and Barrel was licking at his lollypop.

"And your boys."

"Jack the has been King, it's a terrible pleasure as well. Hope you don't mind me bringing them, they just really want to come along."

"Not at all! But is it fine if you keep them up here? I don't want them bothering anybody or especially you while filming."

"Hmm.." Oogie looked back at the troubling kids fighting with each other and he pushed them away from each other. "That's a good idea. Go on and stay upstairs minions." They all ran inside to explore the house.

"Follow me downstairs to the set. Everyone's there to meet your acquaintance. " Jack lead him to the door but Boogie stopped him before he opened the door.

"Before we go, I'm going to speak with my henchmen first."

"Of course, take your time. I'll let them know you're here." Jack pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He speed stepped down the stairs and unlocked the other door. Pasting into the set and he announced, "he's upstairs and will be down in any minute!"

Upstairs Boogie was talking with Shock, "get Lock and Barrel to distract that dog of Jack's and lockpick the doors. Steal whatever you can find that's useful to me. Got that, girl?"

Shock took off her mask and she nodded, "you got it boss." She ran off to go find her accomplices.

"Lock, Barrel!" She screamed out for them and Barrel ran in, though no sign of the devil. "Where's Lock?"

Barrel took off his mask, "messing around with the dog."

Shock gave a cruel grin, "perfect! Barrel, go help him get the dog out of the house. Boogie wants me to break into the rooms."

Barrel looks up at the ceiling and rotated around, spinning until he fell. "You have a lot of rooms to go through. From what Lock checked most of them are unlocked."

"Skellington not having any secrets?" She rolled her eyes. "I fail to believe that."

Barrel searched in his pocket for the sharp lollypop stick he finished. He gave it to the witch. "You're going to need this then." He picked himself up off the floor and he ran as fast as his little legs took him.

Meanwhile, Barrel eventually found Lock teasing the ghost dog with a bone he found. The dog jumping up for it but Lock snatches it away each time and laughing mischievously at him.

Barrel pulled him aside out of ear shot from the pup.

"Lock, Shock wants us to get the dog out of the house."

Lock tsked and pulled his mask over his head, "what for? I was just starting to have fun!"

"Boogie's orders, she wants us to keep it away from her while she searches through the rooms."

Lock put his hand on his chin. Then he looked down at the bone in his hand and nodded. "Alright, I have an idea to get him out. Is our wagon still outside?"

"It should be, all of our candy is in there."

Lock went to fetch his pitchfork, "do you got any string on you?"

"Uhh.." Barrel patted himself down to see some string on his shirt. "There's some loose thread on my shirt."

"Good!" Lock pulled at it had enough to make Barrel spin around, making him dizzy.

Lock laughed before tying the string on to the edge of his pitchfork and tying the other end to the bone.

"We're going to have this pooch running for hours!"

The boys both shared a laugh then Lock told Barrel, "go find something to wrap around that dog's collar." Barrel ran out the door to search in the wagon.

The devil boy called for the attention of Zero.

He whistled and Zero shot his head to him.

"Here boy! Come get the bone!"

Zero barked and ran towards Lock as he runs outside with the dog following right behind him.

"Lock! I got some string from the candy bag!"

"Barrel, that was used to keep the bag closed you idiot!" Lock ran down the porch stairs and he hears the dog gaining closer.

Some candy fell out of the bag and Barrel shrugged. "Oh well, Halloween is coming up soon so our candy supply will be up again." Lock hopped into the wagon, he saw Zero reaching the open gate.

"Quick catch him and tie him to the wagon!"

Barrel grabbed Zero by his collar and tied the string around it while the dog barked at Lock with the bone.

"Hold still and shut up!" Barrel tied the string to the latch of the wagon and jumped inside. Lock held the tied bone over Zero's head to in front of it. Zero jumped and he began to pull the wagon with him, trying to follow the bone but never getting it.

The misfits began laughing as they rode off through town.

Shock went to seek the rooms on the second floor. There wasn't anything she could find that was useful or something she couldn't steal without Jack noticing. She peeked her head in the bathroom, spotting a medicine cabinet and her eyes lit up. Shock grabbed the hamper, flipped it over and stepped onto it to reach the cabinet. She flicked it open and rummaged through it, finding a few pill bottles and sticking one into her pocket.

She frowned when she found more than one cologne bottle in it, that stupid skeleton needing more than one. She opened one and gave a whiff of it. The intoxicating smell was recognizable, she remembers anytime she'd pass by him she would smell the stench of his cologne. She hates it so much, she hates him, hates him so much.. Shock stuck the bottle into her pocket.

She jumped off the hamper, flipping it back over and left the room. The witch roamed through most of the rooms she could find until she stopped at the last one. Shock went for the doorknob but no give. Jackpot, she took out the sharp stick Barrel lent her and started picking at the lock.

Hearing a click, she threw open the door. Her eyes widened when she realized this was Jack's room. She smacked herself on the head, of course it would be and she groaned. Shock took one step into the room and something in her felt like disgust.

"Skellington's room. How gross, I bet I'll find something nasty in here."

She looked for a closet but stopped when she saw his bed. She wanted to trash it and the room altogether. She shook it off though, darting to the closet first and opening it. There Shock saw his coats, shirts, slacks and shoes.

Then she saw it.

His signature Pumpkin King outfit. Folded neatly in the corner of his closet.

She snatched it, her small hands running on the striped coat and she gave a small smile. Shock hugged the outfit into her arms. It still smelt of flames. Then she snapped out of it, throwing it off her and folding it back up. Shoving it into the back of the closet where it belongs.

She got up and looked up at all the shirts on the rack. She wondered, 'would he notice?'
Shock pulled one off its hanger and she smelled it.

Ugh, it still smelt like him.

She took it off her hat, placing the shirt on her head and she hid it under her hat.

"Shock, you stupid girl you're stealing too many things for yourself." She told herself but shrugged it off. If she couldn't find anything useful for her boss, might as well help herself. She closed the closet door and went looking other parts of the room.

She stepped up the latter and skimmed through the books on the shelves. There wasn't much that was helpful so she got down.

Then she went for the dresser, she found a sewing kit with not much in it but she was suspicious of some cotton stuck on a broken pair of scissors. Shock pulled the cotton off and stuck it in her pocket.

As she closed the drawer, something caught her eye. A trash bag near by Jack's bedside. She walked towards it and peeked in it.

Cotton. Lots of it. She cocked an eyebrow and took some out of the bag. She sat on the bed while looking at the cotton ball, what was so special about it. It looks old and dusty so why was it here.

She put it in her pocket, maybe it means something. Shock laid flat on to his bed. She sighed, Boogie is not going to be happy about her bringing back only cotton for him. Rolling onto her side, she saw the nightstand on the other side of the bed. She hesitated opening it, thinking about her earlier thought, 'I bet I'll find something nasty in here.'

She gave a sly smirk and opened it.

Shock sat up and looked inside it, there was another cotton ball. Some weird fetish he has. She moved it aside and found old stack of photographs under it. Taking them out, looking through the photos, she saw some of them were old and a bit torn. There was a couple of photos with Jack and The Mayor, Halloween events, photos that mostly remanence the past until she stopped when she got to the last ones.

They were blurry but Shock could make out figures. A few recognizable faces and others unknown. They seemed like they were on the floor but-

He wouldn't do this. Would he? No. His reputation meant too much to him to screw up like this. Unless.. wait.

Why. Why is her head getting hot from this? Shock laid her palm on her forehead and her cheek. Her whole face was warm with the blood rushing up to it, this was sick. She shouldn't feel like this especially when she finds out something like this about him.

She found his deepest darkest secret and this how she reacts to it? She was sick. She laid back on the bed while still staring at the pictures of the victims, the struggle some must have put up would have been hard.

Now, Shock was not a stranger for putting a scare or hurting some victims of Oogie's but.. managing to do these things to them like Jack has had. It was unbelievable, shocking.. and in someways exhilarating for her. Her hand slowly was wrapping around her own neck and she squeezed, she bets he took all of their breaths away just like he does to her. She rubbed her thighs together and she shuddered at it. Shock placed the photographs by her side as she went for the hem of her dress.

She shouldn't do this here but it's where she saw him do it before. In this exact bed, sheets and mattress. She remembers that night when she was running an errand and she made a risky decision to sneak a peek through
Skellington's window during his most private hours.

She gasped at the sight before her very eyes and couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks. Her breath was becoming unsteady the more she thought about it now and she was getting so close that-

She heard the front door open, this snapped her out of her thoughts. She wiped her hand on the edge of the dress, pulled it back down and picked herself off the bed. Shock threw the photographs back into the drawer and shut it closed.

She locked the door before she left.

Barrel and Lock rode in with the wagon and a panting ghost dog pulling it. Zero stopped and dropped to the floor.

Lock untied the bone and threw it to him, "I don't have any use for this anymore."

Zero took it and floated to the living room.

Barrel hopped out of the wagon and heard Shock walking down the stairs. "Did you find anything?"

"Just a pill bottle and a few cotton balls-" she slipped on the last step and she fell onto the floor, the items in her pocket dropped as well as her hat. The cologne and shirt was exposed.

"Shock." Lock said with a stern expression.

"I know! I know, this was the last time I swear!" She snapped back, getting off the floor. The floor that he stepped on.

"I understand that Jack was a big inspiration to you when you were younger but you need to stop this creepy obsession."

"IT'S NOT AN OBSESSION." She screamed in his face. Lock took a deep breath and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Look you haven't been this bad about this in a long while. You got bad again after you snuck out to look through Jack's window that one night."

Shock blushed, she remembers exactly happened that night. That old spirit she had for her idol had burned again after witnessing the scene she had saw. Honestly, seeing Jack like that after hours was worth it.

She nearly swooned at the thought until she slapped herself awake. Barrel picked up the shirt and cologne from the floor and handed it over to Shock, "hide these before Boogie sees them."

She took them both, shoving the bottle back into her pocket and the shirt back under her hat. Lock glanced at the cotton and pills on the floor.

"The pills I understand but what's up with the cotton?"

Shock picked them up, "I don't know it was scattered all over Jack's room. It must mean something."

Barrel shrugged, "I guess it's best to let the big man know."

Chapter Text

While Boogie was watching the scene play before him, he was interested in the story. Murder was his forte so he liked where it was going already. Although he couldn't take his eyes off the gal with the mess of stitches.

Before he knew it the scene ended and he got up from his seat.

"Bravo, that was better than I expected, Jack as always you've out done yourself." He clapped his sandbag hands together.

Jack kept back a grin with a subsided smile. "Thank you, Oogie."

The sack monster walked over onto the set and he gestured to the girl he kept his eye on. "Especially you, little lady your performance was phenomenal."

Sally was took back by his words, "thank you."

"Where did you find this one, Jack? She's seems hard to find someone as good as her." Oogie Boogie got really close to her face, he walked around her and then stood by her side. Then she felt a sack hand on her shoulder.

"She was, but she just really wanted the role and I just couldn't say no. Isn't that right, Sally?"

He put his bone hand on her other shoulder. Sally felt something wrong with Oogie Boogie, it wasn't the usual one everyone got around him but it was a dangerous one. She moved back against Jack into his arms, clinging to him, "yes Jack."

She felt safer with him than with the menace before her. Sally felt this feeling with Jack before and she wasn't going to make the mistake again.
Oogie let out an booming laugh and he formed a smile, "she's a jumpy one too. Bet she's easy to scare."

Jack smiled with him. "Anyways Oogie we were planning on wrapping up for today. I'm looking forward for this project screening at the festival."

He looked over at the crew and made the motion to wrap it up.

"And I'm going to be pleased to see the finished product."

Everyone left with Oogie Boogie following behind them. Jack told Sally to stay down in the break room as he went to go see Boogie out. So she waited for him to come back. She sat down as she glanced at the clock, waiting for the next day to come. Jack watched the crowd of his crew heading out the door and he was saying goodbye to everyone. While Oogie went to get his minions, they were huddled up as their boss whispered a command to them and they followed.

Oogie Boogie wanted one more distraction as he snuck back down into the basement.

Jack was saying farewell to his last crew member when Lock came up to him, "hey Jack! Do you think you can tell us some past stories about the town before we go?"

Lock then went to fetch Shock and dragged her by the sleeve of her dress. "Shock really wants to know." He pushed her towards him.

"What?! No I- Lock stop it! Wait-"

She got shoved in front of Jack and she slowly looked up at him. "I-I uh.."

Jack looked down at the small witch girl. "I don't know, it's a bit late for that." He looked over at the two other boys. "Shouldn't you kids be getting home soon? Your boss-"

Shock was in panic when he mentioned him. 'God damn it Shock your boss wants you to distract him it's the least you can do,' she thought. She hugged his skinny bone legs and tugged at his slacks. "Please Skellington! I really want to hear them!"

Jack sighed then smiled at the girl. "Alright, but all of you have to leave after this."

Oogie Boogie sneaked down into the basement, he slithered through the door back onto the set. The girl couldn't have gotten far if he didn't see her upstairs. He went for the door on the side and opened it. There he saw Sally sitting at a table, all alone for him to play with. This was his chance to strike.

Sally heard the door open, "Jack how-" Turning her head she didn't see him but the monster who she needed to be cautious around. She stood from her seat and started to step back.

"Afraid of me already, doll? I haven't even done anything yet to give you a good scare." He closed the door behind him. He was taking steps towards her.

"You know I was very impressed with your performance. Your looks, form and acting is all perfect. It's a no brainier why Jack wants you all to himself."

She kept her distance from him, pushing whatever what was by her at Oogie but there wasn't much in the room. He was moving them away, getting closer until she backed up into a wall. There was nowhere she could go. Sally was trapped as a mouse and the cat was planning to pounce. He cornered her, his hand on the wall trapping her and his face near hers. She began to tremble and fear was ridden on her face.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he made a mark on you already."

Sally felt the scratchy burlap sack hand on her thigh and she froze.

"Please don't do this.." she choked out. Even her voice was shaking.

He went for her neck and she could feel his snake tongue slither against it. The body of the snake was escaping his mouth The scales touched her skin then its fangs bit down on her skin, feeling as if venom was entering her body. She screamed out. His hand was scraping on her skin, tearing new scars.

Jack was telling a short story for the pass few minutes but to Lock and Barrel it seemed like a lifetime. Barrel fell asleep on the floor and Lock was struggling to stay awake with his head hitting the floor a couple of times.
Yet Shock was listening with her full attention on the Pumpkin King. She was sitting right next to him on his couch, with her hands in her lap and her legs crossed.

Then a scream was heard and Jack shut his mouth.

The boys and Shock heard it as well, that was their cue to go. "Please excuse me-" Jack said as he got up and raced to the door leading downstairs.

Lock and Barrel shot up from the floor, Lock went over to Shock and pulled her arm, "come on its time to go." She leap off the couch, getting pulled by her associate. Before rushing out the door she murmured a final 'goodbye' to the one she adored the most then shutting the door behind her.

"You're making it harder for yourself by screaming, sweetheart." Oogie had turned her around, shoving her onto the cold wall and covering her mouth with his rough hand. Sally had her head against the wall and tears were coming down her face. He had ripped the front of her dress and tore off her bra. Scratches were patterned all over her breasts from the roughness of his sandpaper hands.

He hitched the bottom of her dress up, tearing off the piece of cloth of all the dignity she had left. Sally can feel his hand scraping up higher pass her inner thighs. His other hand came off her mouth to join it.

Sally tried keeping herself from sobbing yet she couldn't help it.

"Let her go Boogie."

Oogie Boogie turned back to see that Jack had stepped in. He tsked and moved away from her, "I guess this is when I've had my fun. Shame, it was just getting interesting too."

"Leave. Leave now before I rip off your sack skin and crush every bug in your body, you sick bastard." Jack glared harshly at him. He strided to him and grabbed at the burlap sack monster's skin. "I don't want to see your face here ever again."

Boogie pushed him off, walking to the door. He said as his hand was on the doorknob. "Should have let me done it, Jack. You just screwed your chances."

He slammed the door shut.

Jack turned his attention to Sally on the floor. She sat against the wall, hugging her knees and she was shaking.

"Sally.." He went over to her, joining her on the floor and took her into his arms. "I never meant for this to happen, I'm sorry.." She hugged him back, he was all she had right now. Sally would have went to hug her father however Jack was the only one in the room.

Jack's eyes were full of sorrow when he saw the scratches and scrapes. Then he noticed Boogie had also tore off the heart on her shoulder. He has hurt her terribly, but he would never do this.

"Did he touch you? He didn't.. do it did he?"

She shook her head in his shoulder, she struggled to get out a 'no'.

"He was planning to until you stopped him."

Jack put his hands on her shoulders, moving her back to look at the damage. The scrapes worsened in the front. The scratches all over her exposed chest were littered with them. He saw the bite in her neck. His hand laid over it, brushing his thumb on it, "this.. this looks like a snake bite."

"One bit me, I felt it inject some venom in me I think."

Jack looked closely at it, it's a deep bite though no sign of venom. He is aware of Boogie having poisonous snakes and insects so you can't be too careful with checking it.

"Come up with me to my work space. I'll be able to check for any signs of venom."

Jack shed off his coat and put it around her. He helped her off the floor, leading her out of the break room to upstairs. Sally barely even remembered the room anymore, it had been so long since she's last seen it. He walked with her into what seemed like Jack's work space. He pulled up a chair for her and she sat down, Sally didn't even notice that she was shaking in the chair.

"After this I'll patch you up completely." He sighed. "I can't stitch up the scrapes but I'll put fabric patch over it. Understand?"

She nodded her head.

"Again, I'm sorry."

Chapter Text

Oogie Boogie got back home with a slam of the door. His misfits snapped in attention and they lined up in a row in front of him.

"What do you got for me, Shock?"

She dug into her pocket, pulled the pill bottle out and placed it in his hand. His expression was irritated enough as is, this made it worse.

"That's all?"

Shock then took out the balls of cotton and handed it over to him. His eyes widened, examining it closely and he recognized it. The sack monster smiled at it. He pet the top of her head, "good job sweetheart."

"Now this goes for all of you. On Halloween night, you are to keep Jack off the premise. If I see his face anywhere near it, I'm taking care of him myself."

"Yes, boss." They all said in unison.

"If I catch anyone of you sneaking him in.." He stopped in his sentence to glance over at Shock, his hand moving over to grip at her hair and whispered into her ear.

"It'll be the biggest mistake in your life."

He let go and left the room on that note. Shock gulped at his threat, she knows that he's serious about it but.. She put her hand on her chin and paced in the room. How was she going to do it?

"Ugh, are you figuring out how to help him get in?" Lock said as soon as he saw her walk around the room. "You heard the man, he's going to kill you if you do."

Barrel sat down on the couch, his hand digging back into his candy bag to reach for a chocolate bar and started unwrapping it.

"I wouldn't risk my life helping my crush, Shock."

She stopped and stomped her foot on the floor. "It's not a.." she got revolted at the word, "crush. And I wasn't going to help him anyways. Why would I help a Halloween has been like him?"

"You're delusional." Lock told her with some grit in his voice.

"Whatever. Barrel, hand me some licorice." Barrel dug into the bag and gave her a rope of black licorice. "I'm going to bed, guys." She took it with her into her room.

Shock is going to have to wait until late at night to tell Jack her plan.

Jack let Sally stay in the guest room that night to keep a close eye on her. She was resting while he was in his work space getting some things done. His hands on his skull gripping at it. What was he going to do, what was he going to tell his crew and what was he going to do with the scenes they already shot? He looked over at his pet on the floor, laying down after a long day of running.

"What am I going to do, Zero? I'm in a tougher spot than I ever have been before. All this time wasted on a dream that stays one."

There was a faint knock at the door. Zero's ear lifted up, he floated over to Jack and pulled at his pant leg with his teeth.

"Hmm? What's wrong, boy?" He got out of his seat and Zero nudged him out the door. Jack then heard the knocking and went to go answer it. "Who could be awake at this hour just to come bother me?"

He unlocked and opened the door. Jack peeked his head out, looking out and around until he looked down and saw the little witch girl.

"Oh. It's you." His eye sockets narrowed. "Haven't you caused enough trouble today?"

Shock tsked, she already knew this was going to have a bad start already. She crossed her arms, "look I don't know what my boss did to you to get you out of the film event but that doesn't involve me. I'm here to get you back in."

"I don't even want to see your boss's face, let alone be around him. What makes you think I want to get back in?"

"Because you never give up on getting what you want."

Jack paused. She was right, he's worked too hard on his film to quit now. Apart from his concern with Sally, nothing is going to stop him. He opened the door wide, "come in."

She stepped into his home, Shock felt strangely comforting from it but this time she didn't deny it. She smiled devilishly, the bonus for her is getting to see Jack in his casual clothes. Which was a white button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, black slacks down to his black shoes, undone red tie and those glasses perched on his face. She'd have to make a mental image of that later.

"Just one question though." He spoke and this took her out of her thoughts. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Uhh. Think of this as a favor."

"I knew there was a catch to this. What do you want?"

Her eyes grew wide and she felt her face heat up. She turned around to meet his gaze, "Wh-What I want?"

"You must want something from me if this is a favor. I am very grateful though that you're willing to do this for me. So with that in mind, I'll be fine with anything."

'Anything' was echoing in her head. She was yelling at herself in her thoughts, 'tell him you idiot'. 'No that's disgusting you fool, he's so much older than you. He could get into trouble for doing things with than underage girl like you.' She was arguing with herself.

She stammered, "I-I-I.."

"Do you need a minute to think about it?"

'Yes!" Shock didn't know the volume of her voice until she spoke, slapping her hand over mouth. "I'm sorry, I mean yes I do want a minute."

Jack was confused by her reaction. But ignored it, he walked to the living room and she followed him. "Anyways, explain to me how exactly we're going to do this."

He sat down on the couch, waiting to listen and she had a seat next to him. "Oogie has enough on his plate with this film festival so he'll be easy to distract by the work of my accomplices catching him off guard. I'll sneak you in easily without him seeing you. All you have to do is bring your film and project it without getting caught by the boss. Simple, really."

"What happens if we get caught? What happens to you if you get caught by helping me?" Shock interrupted his thought, "that doesn't matter. What matters is getting your work on the big screen."

"Why are you risking your life for me?"

"What?"

"I'm aware Oogie is capable enough to kill you for sneaking me in. He'll absolutely murder me but you…why?"

Shock tried to come up with an answer but she groaned and decided to tell a bit of the truth.

"I'll admit it, Jack. I admire your work, I've seen the effort you used to put in everything you've done for Halloween and this film has potential when you're giving it your all. So I see this as.. I don't know, your last hurrah?"

He was touched by the child's words. This meant a lot to her and he felt more determined for this. He got up, "alright then. We'll go through with this. If Oogie Boogie finds out about you then he'll have to get through me first."

Shock shuddered at that sentence. "Okay." She hopped off the couch, "Time to take my leave and I'll be seeing you soon."

She headed for the front door.

"Wait. Didn't you want something from me?"

"Free of charge, Jack. Seeing the film will be enough for me."

He stopped her by tugging at her hat and she paused in her steps, turning back around. "Hold on, stay here while I get something."

He went off to his room to search through it. She waited for him, thinking about what he's looking for. 'Maybe it's something gross. But maybe something nice.' she told herself, then she shot her head up when Jack came back.

He kneeled on the floor in front of her, handing her a knotted up black bag. She took the large bag in her small hands, looking down at it then she felt his cold skull on her forehead.

He kissed her on top of it. Shock looked up at him, lost for words and he smiled. "Take that as a gift. Goodnight Shock."

She was panting and sweating as her face was flushed with red. She bolted out the door, slamming it behind her with her hand over her mouth to stop herself from making a noise.

"Get a hold of yourself, ugh it's not like it means anything to you." She told herself. Shock looked down at the black bag, undoing the knot and took out the item in it.

It was the recognizable trademark suit she admired.

She couldn't help but grin and shriek out into the night sky.

Chapter Text

Sally woke up with a start in the morning. Jack came into the room with his sewing kit and sat in the chair next to the bed. He seemed to be in a good mood since he walked in with a smile.

"How are you feeling this morning, Sally?"

She sat up in the bed. "Good, Jack. You look happy today." She told him, he placed the kit on the bed and opened it.

"Am I? Could be because I have excellent news to give you."

"What is it?"

"Well, I found a way to get the film into the festival without-" He stopped. He didn't refer to Oogie on name. He was scared on how she would react anyways so he needed to watch his words. "him knowing that I'm there. So I'm sneaking in. But! But you don't have to be there, Sally. I'd prefer if you would stay here instead where it's safe."

She didn't want to be anywhere near the festival. Then realizing that makes it easier to..

"I think staying here is a better idea. Seeing him would..bring back some.." She sniffed, holding back some tears and Jack looked up from his kit to see this.

"Shh, we don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to. Now, let's get these patches onto you." Sally stopped herself from giving fake tears as she blinked them away.

After a few hours, Sally had a patterns all over her chests and new stitches. She's surprised she hasn't completely split in half yet from all the times she has been ripped open. Jack put away his kit and started talking, "do you think you're up for filming in the beginning of next month? It's the last scene we'll be shooting."

"So it's the one in the beginning that hasn't been shot yet? I think I am."

He nodded, "it means I'll finally be stitching up the tears in your face. After that I'll be busy finalizing this whole project with a crew member and we'll have this ready by Halloween! So in a few months." He was grinning with absolutely excitement.

"I'm looking forward to it, Jack."

"I'm glad you are, this film couldn't have been made without you." His hands grabbed for hers and he held them in his palms. "When all the others weren't right for the part, I almost gave up on this project but you came through. I'm proud of you."

Sally smiled at what he said but something inside of her said otherwise. Some part of her wanted to be cruel yet she suppressed it for now.

"Really?"

"Of course, you've been doing so well after everything that's happened." He kissed her on the forehead and let go of her hands. He grabbed his kit as he got up, leaving out the door.

"I'll check up on you later."

Sally started thinking off a new plan, she wasn't going to give up now when she's so close. She picked up her pillow, took out a notepad and pen as she began to write her thoughts.

'Halloween night: Jack is going to be out of the house, leaving me in the house alone with Zero. Have to figure out how to get Zero to alert Jack of where I've gone when I leave. Don't let him see where I go or he'll know how to follow me. Have three months until Halloween, be ready til then.' She stuck the pen between the pages, closing it and sticking it back under the pillow.

Sally remembered when she first planned to escape today. At least she has an better chance at leaving on Halloween night.

Lock and Barrel had been passing Shock's room often lately. She's been cooped up in there all morning and the time had just hit twelve. They were growing sick of doing her chores when Boogie ordered them too, more or so Lock got annoyed by this while Barrel didn't mind.

The devil boy growled, "that's it! I'm going in there!"

He nearly rammed into the door until Barrel held him back.

"I'll go in there. She's probably still sleeping."

Pushing him away and he went for the door. Barrel knocked first, "are you awake Shock?" No answer. He took out the sharp lollypop stick to unlock the door. Opening it, he saw a lump in the bed and muffled snoring underneath it.

"See? She is sleeping, she would have killed you if you woke her."

Lock was fuming, "we had to do her chores and SHE GOT TO SLEEP AROUND ALL MORNING?!"

He stomped towards her bed, grabbed the sheets and ripped them off.

"WAKE UP SHOCK."

"Oh gross." Barrel spit out as his face contoured into disgust. Shock's whole body was hugging Skellington's suit as she slept in his white shirt and nothing else. Lock made a grossed out noise before moving the sheets back onto her small frame.

"How did she even manage to get that?"

"She obviously helped him, dumbass. There's no way she could have stole that without getting caught by him." Lock snapped at Barrel, then he sniffed the room.

"Ew. It reeks of him in here." The smell was strong and it was killing his nostrils.

"We should just leave her and confront about it later." Barrel pulled him out of the room. Shutting the door and locking it behind him. Lock took a deep breath of the air, coughing afterwards.

They had shared a moment of silence then Barrel spoke up. "I'm going to go finish Shock's chores. There's not a lot left anyways." He put his hands in his pockets as he turned to walk down the hallway.

Lock is going to have a very long talk with his friend when she wakes up.

Chapter Text

Shock yawned as she opened her eyes up from her slumber. She knew she slept for too long but whatever, at least she had a good night. She kept on the white shirt but buttoned it up before thinking about leaving the room, jumping off the bed and going to her dresser. Needing for a shower, she took out a long sleeved striped purple and black shirt and shorts. Shock left her room and made her way to the bathroom. She passed by her friends and they wanted to stop her in the middle of her tracks.

"Shock, the boss is gonna strangle you if he sees you with that shirt on." Barrel told her but she kept walking.

"He doesn't come up here at night, so I don't care. I'm going to shower. Bother me after it, alright?" She walked into it and closed the door before Barrel could speak.

"Damn, it was her turn to make dinner too. I'm getting hungry." Barrel stomach growled when he said that. Lock grumbled, "I'll go turn on the stove. Maybe we have some noodles left." He went to the kitchen with Barrel eagerly following behind him.

"Oh! Let me help make the sauce." Lock let him help make spaghetti, since he's most likely going to burn the place down again.

Shock came out of the bathroom, drying off her hair with a towel then threw it back on the floor. The hamper was full, that she reminded herself to do the laundry later. She walked to the kitchen when she smelt something good, seeing the two cohorts stirring the pot and Barrel turned his head to spot her.

"Hi Shock, woa-" Barrel had slipped off the stool he was standing on and fell to the floor.

She immediately went to pick him up.

"Stupid, watch the pot not me." Lock glimpsed over at her and stuck out his tongue before going "yuck" to go back to stirring. Shock caught this and she kicked the stool, making him lose his balance then he hit the floor.

"Urgh! You bitch. What the hell is your problem?" Shock got up onto the stool to help Barrel with stirring. "Don't make faces if you don't expect me to get mad afterwards. Besides I'll finish up dinner, think of this as a favor to you."

Lock stood up from the floor, his face red, his mouth edged to bare his sharp teeth.

"I'm getting really sick of your shit today, Shock."

"What for? I barely did anything to you." She gestured to Barrel to finish up the sauce. He crushed up the last of the spiders, dropping it into the green sauce and poured it into the stale noodles. The youngest out of the two stepped off the stool and he went to get non broken plates.

"First, you disobeying orders. Two, slept in for the whole day while Barrel and I were slaved into doing YOUR chores. Now, you're acting like you don't care if you get killed today."

"I don't know what you're talking about with 'disobeying orders' and I'm sure Barrel didn't mind doing my chores. Do you, Barrel?"

Barrel came with three cracked plates and dirty forks. He shrugged, "nah not really."

Lock sputtered, he was so furious he couldn't even form a sentence or even snap back at her. Shock gave him a bowel full of cockroaches, "here make yourself useful and give this to Oogie Boogie."

He snatched it and growled out a "fine" as he left the kitchen.

Shock took the plates from Barrel and scooped up the spaghetti, "does he know?"

He nodded, "yes. We both know about what you did. We uhh.." he fumbled with his fingers as he struggled to get this sentence out.

"We sorta went into your room. To wake you up! But Lock was mad enough to take the sheet off you and.. yeah."

Shock's face was red in both anger and embarrassment.

"Sorry you had to see that then." She gave him two plates of food and she grabbed the one for herself off the counter.

They both went to go sit on the dusty couch. Barrel sat next to Shock, "I just kinda need to talk to you about.. Skellington."

Shock sighed. "You're not dumb enough to not be able to put the clues together, Barrel. What more do you want to know?" She grabbed her fork and shoved the food in her mouth. She tried to swallow it down although her stomach wanted to say otherwise. It felt like shoveling down the truth and that was something she didn't want to discuss with her friend.

"Why? Like Lock said, you have a chance on getting killed."

"You know why."

"I do, you've told me he's what inspired you join the boss but.. I just.." Barrel set the plate beside him and he clutched at her shirt. "Why are you risking your life, god damn it Shock. You know he wasn't kidding so why. Why did you do it.."

This threw her off guard, he started crying into her shirt. She put her plate on the coffee table with Lock's plate.

"Hey, it's okay. Jack said he was going to protect me if it ever comes to that." Shock wasn't always good at comfort but she did what she could, she rubbed his back. "The boss is never going to find out. I'll be okay."

He sniffed and he hugged around her body. She gently stroked his hair, gave out a light laugh, "remember your first day of being a henchmen and those wolves chased you? Then Lock came in to fight them off with a stick. Do you remember what I told you when I was bandaging up the scrape on your knee?"

He looked up from the tear stained shirt. "That we're all in this together?"

She shook her head, "no. That we're here to protect you always. Jack is too, he'll make sure that Oogie Boogie won't hurt me if anything happened."

Barrel had some doubts about how much Shock is relying on Jack to protect her. But he won't then he will. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and she started giggling, "I remembered that was the first time I saw you cry."

"I don't cry." He huffed, to be a Boogie boy you have to not show vulnerability and he wasn't going to start now.

Lock came back into the room, "I gave the boss his bugs, yeesh he looked gross eating them-- Barrel? Are you crying?"

"I'm not! Damn it I don't cry!" Barrel's eyes are still red but he sat up proud and strong.

Lock snickered, "yeah sure big man." He looked at Shock who was wiped away a tear that was falling down her cheek.

"Uhh. What did I miss?"

Shock picked up Lock's plate and handed it to him. "Nothing, we were just talking about.." she turned her head to Barrel, she's sure he'll tell Lock about what they discuss since she didn't want to bring it up now to make her friend shed tears again. "About how much of a big wuss you are." The witch cackled and Barrel joined in on her laughter.

Lock hissed at the remark, though seeing his friends in better spirits made him happy.

"Scoot over and make room for me, wussies."

They all sat on the couch together, laughing while they finished their food. Barrel sat in the middle of them, he was happy to see them as his siblings.

Chapter Text

Counting down the weeks soon came to the final shooting. Jack had helped Sally out of bed and took her down to the set. She was still sensitive with the patches since the feeling of new fabric on her skin was new to her. She was honest about how she liked the black and white striped designs on the ones sewed to her inner thighs. The ones on her chest was black background with white skulls decorated all over it. She'd have to remove that one soon once she leaves.

When they both stepped on set, Jack went to grab the clothes that were placed on a chair and handed them to her.

"We both have to change our usual outfits for this specific scene. Since it's the beginning one, I chose this dress so your patches won't be shown."

She unfolded it to show a long sleeved black dress. It was simple yet elegant and guaranteed to hide her scars.

"Will you be fine with being down here by yourself for a while?" He wasn't concerned about her safety before yet from what happened he needs to. "Yes, Jack."

"Alright, I'll be upstairs talking to the production team over the phone and taking care of other things. I'll be back in an hour." Jack left the room on that note but not without locking the door behind him. Of course he would start caring, though that doesn't stop him from not letting her go.

Sally reached behind her to unzip the ragged dress, slipping it over her head, brushing out her hair before dropping it on the floor. Every pair of clothes she wears here ends up like this. Worn out and tearing, just like her if stays here anymore. She took her shoes off, peeled off the ripped up black socks and it joined the dress on the floor.

She was left in her underwear and nothing else, the bra she once had was torn and discarded. Sally went to sit on the chair with the new dress in her hand. She sat in it with her head in her hands, the haunting headache from the beginning returned.

It pounded in her forehead and every past scar started hurting in order. Her memories of this place started playing like a film of her own.

The drugged tea, when he first laided his hands on her, the glass shards, the strike, the injuries under her dress, her legs, her back and heart, the heart stitch and Oogie-

The pain in her felt like a hard hit on a drum and it echoed and rang in her skull.

Every one of these was because of him.

Her head was spinning and her eyes blinked opened to look down at her wrists, she can still feel the bruises from the chains. She thought she can feel them tight around them. Refusing to let her go and they held her back.

She needed to be let out.

Sally got up from the chair and rushed to the chair, struggling at the doorknob as it wasn't opening for her. She started to bang her hands on the door, her voice broke open when she started to scream.

"Let me out! LET ME OUT NOW!"

She scratched at it, making the marks of a wild animal wanting to be free. Her emotions happening all at once then going silent when she kicked at the door. It wasn't budging open.

She remembered about the pin in her hair.

Moving her hair away from its hidden place, she got it and picked at the door's keyhole. Hearing a click she opened it, seeing another door in her way down the room that led to the stairs. It wasn't going to stop her from getting away. She went for it and unlocked it, walking up the stairs.

Her mind was blank at what she was doing, nothing told her to stop or warned her about Jack as she was taking each step up. The next door she faced was the one that led to the basement, nothing kicked in to make her hesitate. She picked it open and the only thing in her head she thought was that there was one door left. The front door.

Her mind still blank but the headache came in with a sharp hit on her temple, she stumbled when walking to the front door. But even the pain didn't stop her. She saw the door as her white light at the end of the tunnel. She stood in front of it, her hand on the knob and she slowly turned it. The light from the outside filling the house and it blinded her.

Her shut eyes opened for the bright gloomy sky.

She saw the outside world again and it was breath taking, the fresh air on her bare skin chilled her. Before she could take a step into the world she was pulled back into the darkness.

She didn't hear him coming.

Chapter Text

"I leave you alone for one minute and this is what you do?"

"What were you thinking? What if someone saw you?"

"I could have gotten in trouble for you. Do you even care what could have happened to me? To you? For anything?"

No response. Just silence in the room.

"ANSWER ME DAMN IT."

Sally only looked at the floor and nothing else. She was now fully clothed with the dress he gave her. Everything was aching underneath it. Her head had stopped hurting but she knew that wasn't going to last long.

He huffed, "look I'll deal with you later, Sally. Everyone's going to be here in a minute. This stunt you pulled will not go unspoken about." He left her sitting on a chair back on set. She kept thinking, about how close she was. She had seen, felt, tasted the outside again and thought about how she missed it.

Jack went to his room, he was so tired of this. As much as he wants to kill her, he knows he's not able to, he couldn't bring himself to do it before and he won't do it now. He doesn't know now if he should trust her being alone by herself anymore. He was fixated on the last button on his shirt, looking at himself in the mirror to view any imperfections, not seeing any he left the room and tugged the door shut behind him. Jack heard a knock on the front door, 'right on time' he thought when he glanced at the clock on the wall.

As he let his crew members in, the only question that was left on his mind was..

What was he going to do?

To Jack's amazement, Sally recited her lines without any fuss. He thought after that mess he went through with her she'd have a few hiccups here and there but there was no signs of her slipping. Actually, there was no sign of Sally in her eyes as they seemed to be vacant when looking into them.

"Sally?" He wanted to question her health. If she was even still alive, if there was any sign of the girl that he once dreamed and loved for.

"Yes, Jack?" There was no expression in her voice. Only a monotone response.

"Are.. are you okay?" Jack was genuinely concerned about her. He thinks he might have gone too far this time and broke her.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" He felt if he were to touch her, he would not feel the warmth of her body as he used to but he'd feel the coldness of his own hands.

"You just had a breakdown a while ago. You must not be fine.."

"I am, really. The moment I had was just nothing. I wasn't in the right mindset during the time. I shouldn't have left the room and I should have listened instead."

He stared into her eyes. He just couldn't believe her, he knows that something is truly wrong.

"I love you, Jack. I wouldn't leave again."

This. This wasn't his Sally. He should have felt his heart skip a beat with those words and yet they didn't feel right on her tongue. His hands shook when they were placed on both of her shoulders.

"S-Sally.. this isn't like you. Something is wr-wrong.."

Her head tilted to the side. "Whatever do you mean, Jack?"

She had finally snapped, the meltdown she had was her final breaking point and she now turned delusional. He remembers the Sally that fought back, the one he loved in the beginning and the Sally that showed hatred for him.

He should feel relieved that the form of Sally that he wanted finally broke through.

So why did he feel awful for this poor girl?

"Wake. Wake up, Sally." He moved her back and forth in her chair.

"What are you doing?"

He shook her, her head knocking forward and back with it. Jack didn't stop when the movements got aggressive, she put her hand on his arm, tightening around it.

"Please wake up, this isn't who you are Sally. I can't see you like this-"

"Jack, stop."

"WAKE UP RIGHT NOW, SALLY." Everyone turned their heads when he yelled, forgetting that he was doing this on the middle of the set. He was causing a scene of his own.

"You're hurting me.." Sally said as the frantic shaking started getting violent. Jack stopped, whipping one of his hands up as he was gearing up to slap her but something gripped at his wrist.

"That's enough, Jack."

He looked back to see his werewolf friend behind him. Jack pulled his hand away with a grunt, "get your damn paws off me. You have no business in this."

"You're causing an embarrassing scene. A disreputable one." The wolf man grumbled back at him.

"I could give less of a god damn care if everyone is watching this!" He said loud enough for everyone to hear. Jack looked all around at his 'audience' watching with shock of their Pumpkin King breaking down. It was too much for him, he needed to let it out.

His chest was heaving up and down as a grin came upon his face. His eye sockets wide, full of emptiness but it showed signs of his madness breaking out of his skull. Chipping away at the bones that were holding his unstable emotion out of its core.

"You all watch this in awe.. Of witnessing me striking her but you don't even know the depths of it."

He goes back to putting his hand on Sally's shoulder. Slowly leading to her neck and she flinches still.

"You want an entertaining scene? THEN I'LL GIVE YOU IT."

He tackles her down onto the floor and off the chair in a sudden movement. Jack puts his hands on her throat and he gives no mercy at strangling Sally.

The wolf man quickly went to get him off her, his attempt on pulling him off was hard but Jack's hold on her was harder. Others came to break them up while the rest didn't take their eyes off the disturbing scene.

Jack didn't let her go without a fight. When he still was close to her face, he had whispered, "I'm going to kill you in front of everyone. I want everyone to see you finally fall before me."

Her thoughts during this? They were turning and getting fixed. The gears in her head starting to shift, feeling as if she was regaining consciousness into her body. She snapped back into her mind, being greeted with the one she remembered hating the face in front of her.

Sally's face was turning different blues until they stripped his hands off her neck. Jack was being held back by multiple people and he was yelling at them, "GOD DAMN IT CAN'T YOU SEE SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH HER."

Those who were with Jack took him away to calm him before he decided to do anything drastic.

The ones left with Sally asked if 'she was okay', helped her off the floor, they were crowding her and it's not what she needed right now. "Jack.. where is he?" He had asked one of the witches in front of her.

"They took him away, dear. He'll come back after they settle him down after attacking you."

"Huh?" She put a faint hand on her neck and she felt the sting. "Is he okay?"

Some were confused by her question, "never mind about him. Are YOU okay?" The witch asked her.

"I'm fine. I need to talk to him."

"It's best to wait until he comes back."

Chapter Text

"The wolf man shooed off the other members, "I'll talk to him. You guys go check on Sally." Once he was alone with Jack, he wanted to question and get some answers from him.

"What in the absolute hell was that, Jack?"

The skeleton pointed a bony finger at him "You wouldn't understand. You all wouldn't understand this. I-.. I was trying to help her." He lowered it down.

"Look whatever you're doing to her behind shut doors I couldn't care less but doing it in front of everyone is different. I'm sick of covering your ass like this Jack, you're on thin ice for this."

Skellington gave a sigh and lowered his head. "I know, wolf. I'm sorry."

"First the murders before this girl and now people are going be spreading rumors about this."

"And you've been a big help for keeping my reputation and name from being dragged into the mud. Could you just please do it for me once more, convince everyone out there about my wrongdoing having good intentions?"

The wolf man crossed his furry arms, growling as he turned his head to the side. His eyes glancing over at the skeleton giving plead in his eye sockets. The beast's teeth bared as he growled out, "ugh. I can't stay mad at the Pumpkin King. Fine, but you owe me for this one."

Jack smiled at his friend, "thank you."

The wolf man stepped back into the set with Jack right behind him. Jack had announced that he got what he needed today and will need his editors here tomorrow. He let everyone leave today, once everybody is on way out the wolf man has to talk to them about the incident on the way home. Woof, he was going to have a hard time convincing everyone about it.

Jack was left alone with Sally. She had an ice pack held on her neck and was steadying her breathing.

"Everyone had said you attacked me. Strangest thing I don't remember you doing it, what happened exactly, Jack?" Sally had called out in question, struggling to talk any louder. While Jack was thrilled to know she was talking more than automatic sentences, what she was telling him didn't get through to him right.

Jack was walking into the room when she asked this, seeing her sitting in the middle of the whole room. "What do you mean 'you don't remember' it?"

"I don't remember much after you left me alone here, until after you attacked me."

"You.. you don't remember your escape? You breaking? Or when you told me you loved me? Or when I strangled you?" Jack stepped closer to her, looking into her eyes and he saw the life in them once more.

"I don't." She shook her head gently. She looked at his eye sockets and they became wider as his realization grew.

"Sally.. you came back. I didn't break you enough." He came in close to wrap his arms around her to embrace her. She was bewildered by the hug and yet she felt something wrong here. Why did he care? She had thought that was his intentions in the beginning, so why the sudden change in heart? But finally, how did she regain her senses with him strangling her?

He had said that during her broken state, she told him she loved him. What does it mean?

He grabbed her hand and got her up out of the chair. "You may want to lay down. I'll tell you about what happened to you while you do."

She was took back into the guest room for her to rest her head. He explained everything that she had did, she wanted to question it but she decided to put it to rest after she woke up from a nap.

Jack quietly exited the room. He thought to himself on the way to his room about how he liked her more this way. He had thought he'd prefer her to be broken, obeying and loyal. Just like every other woman that have met his demise as the wolf man had said. Yet, knowing this one for too long changed his mind.

Entering his room, he walked to the nightstand by his bed and opened the drawer. He pulled out the small stack of photographs inside, throwing the old and torn ones back in until he got to the more recent ones. The blurry photographs that we're taken months ago.

Even if they were blurry, he recognized them all. Each and everyone of them who saw his past intentions of perfection and they decided to not follow it. They have now laid on the floor before him, adding to the stains on the basement floor and the number rose higher on missing people reports.

He came to the last photo which was the only one that didn't blur in the picture, he remembers his woman. This woman are a vampire that auditioned for the role, she was a fan of Skellington so she had almost passed for perfect to please her idol. Until the day she snapped.

Now she laid on the floor in the photo spilling the blood of her past victims. Jack had did it in the only way you can kill a vampire, cutting off her head and a stake through the heart. He kept these photos as a reminder for his mission for non imperfections. He accepted now that he failed it, he could have spared these woman but it was too late.

Sally was imperfect. He knew that now. He collected the photos of the murdered victims and placed them back into his nightstand and shut it before leaving the room.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Text

Shock knocked the door of Skellington's house. She had map rolled up in his hand and a few pens. Jack answered the door, looking down at the girl and inviting her in.

"I have the layout of the whole event location right here, Jack!"

He led her to the living room, she rolled out the map onto the coffee table and she sat on the floor.

The festival was going to be big bash, knowing Oogie Boogie it would be, so it's event that has a lot of open space. The far end of the festival was where the movie was going to be projected onto the big screen.

Shock grabbed out her purple pen and circled space behind the screen. "This is where you have be but the problem is getting around the festival."

There was going to be people everywhere during this, being the retired Pumpkin King it's hard to avoid them. Going around the location to get to the end of it is tougher and can easily get spotted there too. He needs a distraction.

"Do you think you can get your friends to distract Oogie while you help me get the film on screen?"

"Sure, no problem! Just promise me this." She got up from the floor and made a motion for Jack to come close to her. Jack leaned forward, felt his shirt get tugged by her and she looked him in the eye sockets with her narrowed ones.

"If you don't protect my friends and avoid them from getting killed by the boss. You'll be locked by us, left there to rot until Oogie decides to devour you, got that?"

Jack didn't fear her threat but he smiled at it.

"I understand, Shock." She let him go and sat back down on the floor. "Good."

He reached to pat where her head would be under the hat. "You're getting better at putting fear into people. Make sure to use a knife near their neck next time."

She grinned but kept it hidden with turning her head away from him and she blushed.

"Thanks, Jack."

Jack grabbed a black pen and circled the stage then the projector where the other films are put on screen. "Your friends would have to put on a long enough distraction for me to replace the film. After the last one, I.."

Shock noticed him stopping in his sentence and looked up at him.

"I want to step on stage for my film."

"Wh-What? Jack, we're trying not to get caught."

"We. You and your friends are we want to focus on not getting caught. As for me. I'll risk it, I want to announce my work and shove it down that disgusting sack's mouth."

She watched walk off his back turned to her, watching him gesture to himself as he spoke. "It'll be like sabotage for my own amusement. He doesn't want me there, he has made that clear but there I am like as if I popped out of thin air and steal the damn show!"

Shock's eyes were wide in awe. This was the Jack she remembered and loved.

"Everyone deserves to see something new from their past king. I want them all to see the work I've put into this in the hopes that they'll love it."

Jack turned back around. "I want you to see it as well." He punctuated that with a smile.

Shock felt her hair stand on end with that smile. She let out a shuddered sigh, feeling happy for the Pumpkin King gaining his old passion again.

"Jack?" Then something stabbed through Shock's happiness when she heard the other woman's voice upstairs. This almost made her snap the pen in her hand.

"Oh, I've forgotten to check in on Sally. Shock, wait here I'll be back in a second."

He went back into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the fridge and strided out of the rooms to head for upstairs.

Shock was putting on a fake smile until he left, who was Sally? Who was this woman while she thought Skellington lived alone? He's always been alone so why did it have to change now? Wh-

"Okay I'm back, Shock."

She put the smile back on. "Jack. Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?"

Can't ask him about Sally. Can't ask him why isn't he alone anymore. So she asked him about something that's been lingering in her mind for a while.

"What happened between you and Oogie Boogie?"

"Uh.. it's hard to talk about with a child." She flinched at the word. She's ten and one of Boogie's boys, what hasn't traumatized her already?

"You can tell me, I'll keep it a secret. Ooo! Is it something really nasty?" She stirred herself up for this. She got up from the floor to go take a seat on the couch, patting the seat next to her. Jack took it and he sighed.

"In a way it is, on Boogie's part. You know how adults tell you if someone touches you in a wrong way you don't like, you tell or yell for someone?"

She rolled her eyes, it was like getting a safety lesson from a teacher. "Jack. I know what murder, kidnapping, molesting and rape is. You don't have to sugar coat for me, just be blunt."

"Well your boss was planning on raping Sally. He left marks and bruises on her skin she's going to have to live with and she's not able to sleep at night because of it."

"Oh.. I'm sorry." She responded this. Shock then realized part of this was her fault, she took part on distracting him for Oogie to get to her.

"It's okay, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"I do. It's was the boys and me include that was supposed to distract you during it. We never knew that's what he wanted us to do it for, he didn't speak a word of it even now."

She scooted forward to hug around his small waist. "I'm sorry."

Jack would have been furious but he couldn't get truly angry at a child. He wrapped one arm around her, "It's not your fault."

After the day turned into a night of planning, Shock going to head home. Jack held her hand until they reached the front door. "Til Halloween night, Jack."

Jack was opening his mouth to speak until he heard the upstairs door open.

"Sally, come down." Jack said at the noise and soon afterwards the sounds of steps down the stairs came. Shock finally saw who Sally was. In her eyes, she saw a ragged doll with red hair and a long black dress on. In Jack's sockets he sees more than that.

"This is Shock, Sally."

Sally waved her hand at the little girl, she's seen the girl before as one of Boogie's boys. She's now seen her unmasked. Shock gave one wave, "nice to meet you."

Then she saw the bruises on her neck. They were faded but they looked fresh. Why did.. is she okay?

He opened up the door for her and Shock shook off her thoughts, "I better be headed off, night Jack and Sally."

The two waved her off as Shock stepped off the porch. As the door was shut behind her, something in her felt defeated and the reason for it was unknown.

Chapter Text

"And that's a wrap." Jack announced and his crew felt like they were going to collapse from exhaustion. Couple of months of putting this film together is finally over and the day comes closer for the showing of it.

"You all can go home and get ready for anticipation to kick in. You all did astounding, everyone!" Jack said with a smile on his face.

Everyone headed out the door, before wolf man left Jack had patted him on the back. "Thanks again."

"Just remember you owe me." He shot a sharp toothy grin at the skeleton.

"Look after this is all over, I'll go moon howling with you I promise."

The wolf man gasped light, his ears flew up and his tail was wagging. "Really? I've been wanting to do that in a long while."

He compromised himself and shrugged it off. "Alright, Skellington. I'll be seeing you later." He walked down the steps with his tail wagging behind him, Jack chuckled at it then shutting the door.

Jack was once in his retired past was excited for Halloween. It's coming the day after tomorrow and he was getting giddy from it. He went upstairs to go see how Sally was doing, he knocked and cracked open the door slowly.

"Sally?"

Her eyes fluttered open, it's the middle of the afternoon already. She'd been sleeping for most of the day. "Hello Jack."

"Has the bruises gotten better?"

She grazed her fingers on her neck and didn't feel as much of a sting. "They are."

"That's good. I've brought good news, the film is done and Halloween night is almost getting close. You know the rules while you stay here, right?"

"Don't leave?" She said.

"That's right, I'll be locking your door from the outside and you'll be in your room while I'm gone. Don't want you to have another episode, do we?" He said with a hint of warning in it.

"No."

"Good." He said as he shut the door closed. Sally pulled out the notepad and pen from under the pillow. She had been writing in it for the past few weeks. Recording everything that's been happening every day, she wrote,

"October 21, 12:30 pm. Woke up a bit late. Jack is excited to going to the Halloween Film Festival. He's planning to sneak into it behind Oogie Boogie's back. As for me, he's leaving me here alone and will lock the door to my room. I kept the hairpin in my hair from my past escape before I broke down. This time, nothing is stopping me from getting home."

Sally stopped writing for the afternoon. She hid the notepad and pen back in its place. She couldn't wait for Halloween.

Upon came near midnight on Halloween night. Jack called out from behind the door, "I'll be going, Sally. See you after tonight. Don't forget that I love you." Sally heard the door knob click on the other side. She waited to hear the front door close to get herself out of bed. She grabbed the notepad and pen before making her away towards the door. She stuffed them into a small inside pocket she made in her dress. Sally had to leave no tracks but also have evidence, she wanted to find something to prove herself other than her marks. She has hopes that she'll find something in his room. Once she picked open the door, nothing stopped her from going to Jack's then she heard some loud echoing barks from downstairs.

She had almost forgotten about Zero.

He spotted her and Zero's mission now was to keep an eye on her to prevent her from going any further from the front door.

Sally stepped down the stairs and the barks were starting to bang in her head. The headache was sneaking up in her skull.

Wait. That's it.

"Zero, come here." She said as she led him into the kitchen, he followed but the barking didn't stop booming. There was a dog bowl on the counter, she grabbed it while her other hand reached for the knob on the sink. She filled it up with water until it was full, opening up the cabinets and searched for a specific jar. Then she found it.

The nightshade that started it all.

Sally opened the jar to sprinkle it into the bowl of water. She set it on to the floor as the ghost pup lapped it up, sooner or later Zero seemed to get tired and he laid on the ground to rest.

She had some time to spare before he wakes up. Sally dashed for the stairs, she needed to be quick with this as she didn't give him a heavy dose of the nightshade but enough for him to be out for half an hour.

She hopes to find anything that would prove her case against the Pumpkin King.

Shock was running behind the stands to make her way to the stage.

She was right behind Jack, who was holding the film in hand. He stopped in his steps and made a gesture to freeze, peeking his head from behind the stand he saw Oogie on stage and the boys in their place. Oogie was announcing the last film being the end of the festival, the boys made their way to get him off it. Barrel and Lock stepped on the stage, the devil child stacked on top of his friend, once up to Boogie's level he whispered something into his ear about other matters happening.

It was a lie that angered this sack monster. He put his burlap hand over the mic and turned his head towards Lock.

"Someone is stealing from me? Who is it?"

"I don't know boss! He's probably getting away right now." Barrel tripped over himself and the two boys fell to the floor. "Not on my watch."

Oogie removed his hand on the mic and turned back to the audience. "Sorry about that folks, the festival will still continue a little long until I get back." He stormed off the stage, fuming.

Jack turned his head behind to Shock and he handed the roll film to her.. "It's clear, hurry."

Shock nodded, taking it and nearly ran off but was held back by Jack's hand pulling at her dress. "Shock, wait." Her turned her around, he went on one knee, leaned forward and hugged her.

"Thank you."

Shock felt her face heat and she bit back a squeal from escaping her mouth. She shook her head, she wanted to be cool about this. "Yeah whatever. It's just a favor."

Jack pulled her away and he smiled. He laid a kiss on cheek before getting off the ground. Skellington strided to behind the stage. Shock was astounded, her hand trembled to her cheek and she had the biggest smile on her face.

The smile never left when she stumbled to the projector.

When Jack stepped on the stage, the audience was taken back by his appearance and others even cheered for him. He grabbed the mic, "everyone there's one film left and all the effort put into it will make it worthwhile." He paced slowly on the stage.

From afar, Oogie heard his voice. His head snapped to see Skellington on the stage. "What is he doing here?!" He faced the two boys that were leading him to the alleged 'stealer'. "Who let him in?"

"He must've snuck in on his own!" Barrel shot back. Lock nodded his head, "yeah boss we didn't see him get in."

Oogie growled at them, "come on. We need to get him off."

Jack continued speaking while trailing the cord behind him. "This film is titled 'Macabre' and this was produced and written by yours truly. I just wished someone who acted in it can be here tonight but.."

He looked into the crowd in the hopes of seeing a woman with gorgeous red locks yet remembering she's safe at home.

Safe and away from here. But he wishes for her to be by his side.

He was dragged out of his thought when he heard the sack monster yell out, "JACK. WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" with the boys right behind him. It was his sign to wrap it up.

"She couldn't make it here tonight so this film goes to her while she's away." He gave the signal to Shock and the film started. Jack ran off back home as fast he could, the signal he gave was also for Shock to alert Boogie of his appearance so there was no suspension of this being her doing.

Shock ran to her boss. "Oogie, Jack found a way in!"

"I can SEE that, Shock. The question is who LET HIM IN." His non existent brows furrowed together and his burlap mouth was edged.

"None of did, we swear. But he's getting away!"

"I'm going after him. You're dead if I find out IT WAS ONE OF YOU." He dashed off, surprising that a big sack of bugs can run pretty fast. Shock rolled her eyes, she turned back and planned to join the audience.

"Aren't you worried for Jack?" Lock asked her.

"He said he wanted to protect us. That was his main priority and he's doing it. I'm going to go enjoy the movie, are you coming or not?"

Lock and Barrel didn't question it. Lock went next to her on right side and Barrel took the left, they followed into the crowd.

Sally was desperate for anything she can find in Skellington's room but nothing good enough for evidence. Then she went for the dresser, there she saw the gruesome images of the victims. She picked them up, some of these girls were her friends and customers. She nearly vomited at the image of the vampire but held it down. She grabbed as many as she could as she saw something under them. Sally had saw a folder with a post-it note with 'final draft for 'Macabre' written on it deep beneath the photos. Looking under it, there was one more photo. She picked it up and turned it around.

It was a photo of her on her first day here. He took this photo while she was sleeping. Being a bit revolted by it, she took that one as well with the others. She had more than what she needed to prove her story.

Now, it was time.

She shut the door behind her when she left his room. She hear no noises from Zero when she went down the stairs. Taking the hair pin out, she made it to the front door and began to pick it. Her heart began to pound and was joined by the pain in her head. She shook her head, no. Now was not the time for this. This was a fear had to face. The door clicked and she took a deep breath before putting her hand on the door.

She opened it and was met with the night sky.

Sally took a step on the porch and nothing held her back from doing so. She smiled like as if she didn't have a care in the world. She didn't even realize she made it to the gate. She pushed it open, the gate door creaked wide open. Sally felt a sudden rush of relief.

She felt freedom.

Jack had reached his house out of breath. His hand on the wall, his legs were aching for a break. The sound of the gate door said otherwise. He slowly looked up for the ground to see the door, wide and inviting. He heard Zero struggling to bark as he came down the steps but he whimpered and whine when he saw Jack.

"She did it, Zero.. she actually did it."

The steps from behind him sounded near were getting closer, it's time for his escape.

He wanted to get far from here.

And that's exactly what he did when he ran into the forest.

Chapter Text

Jack Skellington.

Was never found after Halloween night. The only thing he left was a trail that led to a dead end, the empty sack of Oogie Boogie and his legacy that turned into a garbage fire.

Sally was the only one to make it out of his crazed fantasy but the ones that didn't make it out alive will always be remembered.

Oogie's boys gave their side of the story to the reporters. They talked about the event and Shock discussed the stealing and sneaking Jack into the festival. She stole the only roll film of 'Macabre' and decided to remain silent after being questioned. Lock and Barrel say she was locked in her room for a couple of days after hearing about Jack's disappearance and his murders. She attempted to run away from home before finding her in the middle of the forest. They say that she told them 'he' called her to them. Lock assumes 'he' being Jack. Shock will be seeking therapy after those series of events.

After Sally spoke about her part of the narrative with journalists and helped with the murder trail, she decided to get the rest that she desperately needed after the trauma she has suffered during all of this.

Investigators searched through the house of the Skellington for any leads on the missing bodies of the victims of his haynes crimes. Only finding the photographs of the dismembered women and nothing leading to uncovering the locations of the remains. Now, people want to know how the survivor doing nowadays after a year of recovering tramua.

Currently she is safe and sound at home with her father, Dr. Finklestein. He's helping her getting her dress shop off the ground once again and is very grateful for his 'daughter's' return.

"Goodnight, my dearest Sally."

"Sweet dreams, father." She said as she watched him make his way up the stairs. Sally was picking up the dishes off the table until she heard a knock on the front door. She settled the dishes on the kitchen counter and went for it. She hesitated when she stepped in front of the door, her hand began to shake the closer she got to the knob. She took a deep breath.

It's okay now.

She turned the knob. "Hello?" Sally said when she opened the door.

She was met with the familiar witch girl, who was now with unkempt hair, a blanket wrapped around her and a slight twitch in her eye.

"Shock.. It's been a while, how are you? You must be cold. Please come in."

Sally moved to the side to invite the little girl in, Shock walked in without a word uttered. Sally shut the door behind her to keep the cold air at bay.

"Why did you walk all the way over here on a cold night?"

Shock had stopped in place and looked down at the wooden floor. "Do you ever hear him?"

"What do you mean, Shock?"

"Do you ever hear him speaking to you?" Shock turned her head around. The look in her eyes was an unnatural one, it wasn't the normal innocent eyes of a child. "I can hear him speaking to me. As if he's still here with us."

"Of course I do. I always do."

"He'll always haunt us and will never leave until we're perfected."