It was another gloomy day in Halloweentown, and every one was finishing last touches on their plans for Halloween, which was only two weeks away. The witches were in the pumpking patch practicing their swoops and whirls on their brooms, the vampires were trying their best to fast (more blood to drink on Halloween!), and the Boogie Boys were gathering their equipment for the big night.
Well, they weren't precisely the Boogie Boys anymore. It had been eight years since the infamous Christmas fiasco, and now Shock, a lovely witch of 19, declared the nickname stupid and untrue. After all, they weren't Boogie's anymore and did anyone think she looked like a boy of any type? She didn't think so. Barrel, a playful sixteen, and poor Lock, who was stuck in the middle at seventeen, were getting kind of sick of it anyway.
The trio was frantic, for this year was especially important: it was Shock's last year to go trick-or-treating. It was the rule for all official trick-or-treaters in Halloweentown: after a young ghould turned 20, they were no longer young enough to trick-or-treat. One had to find a suitable mate and have a child to take one's place for the next Halloween.
Shock had a suitable mate, all right; she and Wimbley Warlock had been together since they were thirteen. She was looking forward to moving in with him the day after Halloween. And even though she would never admit it, especially not to her stupid little brothers, she was terrified. And it showed.
What is your problem, worms for brains?" she screeched at Barrel. He ducked as an axe came whizzing at his head. "I told you specifically I wanted green bags with black cats, not the black bags with green cats! You better get me the right ones if you want the top of your disgusting little body connected to the bottom for Halloween!"
"Oh, shut up, you hag," Lock growled from the corner, where he was busy decapitating doll heads to hand on his bags. "You know the poor kid's colorblind! Why don't you get your lazy self up and get em yourself?"
"Don't call me a kid! You're only eleven months older than I am, Lock!" Barrel glared at Lock, then turned back to find what he hoped were the black bags. Obviously eight years had done nothing toward improving the trio's relationship.
Lock threw up his hands. "That's the last time I try to take up for you! I'm out of here. I can't stand being around either of you any longer," he said, and slammed out the door.
Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, strolled along the central area of his town, hand in hand with his Queen, Sally Skellington. He stopped from time to time to admire a particularly gory foot, a scary face, a truly hideous moan. He had never been so proud of his hard-working subjects. Ever since his failed attempt at taking over Christmas, the town had worked doubly hard to make Halloween even more special to him.
"Oohhh, look how pretty," Sally breathed, pointing at a patch dress made out of velvet, lace, silk, and satin. The lake creature who had made it beamed. "Anything for my Pumpkin Queen," she gurgled, bowing her head.
Sally smiled uncomfortably. She had never really liked anyone acknowledging her position as queen. After all, she had married Jack because she loved him, not because she wanted some high power position. Nonetheless, she handled the situation with her characteristic grace.
"Oh, no, I really should be bowing to you," Sally said. "I am in your debt for this. I've never seen anyone sew as beaut-- er, as horribly as you," she finished, knowing full well that she herself was actually the best seamstress in town. The creature squealed with delight and continued sewing.
Jack glanced further up the hill toward the graveyard and the old Oogie Boogie place, where his three favorite pranksters had lived since they first came to Halloweentown. He still felt guilty about destroying Oogie, their only caretaker. Jack had offered time and again for the trio to live with Sally and him in his huge mansion, but the siblings had only refused his every offer, claiming they liked it better alone.
Looking more closely, Jack saw a small red figure marching down the path. It was Lock, and he didn't look happy. But the lately he never did... Lock had grown up to be quite a handsome devil (almost literally, considering his costume) and all the little girls and ghouls had been moaning after him for years. Lock usually avoided the passes with his characteristic banter, but lately he had been just plain mean. Jack wondered if it had anything to do with his big sister moving in with that Warlock fellow.
Lock stormed through the gate and slammed between Jack and Sally, muttering under his breath. He didn't even apologize, which was odd, even for him. Sally and Jack looked at each other. "What's wrong with Lock?" Sally asked.
"I don't know," Jack said, a puzzled look on his bony face. "But I'll find out soon enough, I hope."
Lock slammed between the disgustingly cute couple, not even bothering to turn around. Lately everything was irritating him. He supposed it was just unhappiness about Shock moving out, as she had been his only caretaker and female figure in his life for years, but sometimes...well, didn't it sometimes feel like he was missing something?
Of course not! He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. They had seemed a bit yellower than usual in the mirror this morning.
...
Wasn't he also just the tiniest bit lonely?
Now there was a concept. He slowed down a bit. Was he? He had basically been alone for his whole life...He could vaguely remember his parents, and the memories were too painful for him to want to recall them. One Halloween, when the kids were just 6,4, and 3, that awful Oogie Boogie man had taken them from their parents. After that, Lock and his siblings were brainwashed into being Oogie's little henchmen. Lock had to smile at that. How horrible the trio had been! They called themselves the Boogie Boys (and the nickname had stuck annoyingly ever since) and they were such troublemakers! Lock recalled Jack and Sally's wedding and chuckled; they had managed to break all the dishes, lose Sally's ring, almost frighten Zero away, and trip Jack down the aisle.
Jack. Now there was someone who had filled his loneliness for a while. He had been like a father to Lock for most of his early teenage years. Of course, at eleven, Shock was incredibly bossy and absolutely refused for to let Jack adopt them, which broke Lock's heart, but he had filled in the place of a father quite well. But Jack had an annoying tendency to prod into things best left alone, didn't he? He had come too close to finding out about the terrible void in Lock's heart. Hell, it was bad enough that he discovered Lock had a heart! He was the town's biggest prankster...what if that kind of stuff got around? After all, he was the Lock in Lock, Shock, And Barrel!
And those two didn't understand either. He had tried to talk to Shock about it a couple weeks ago. She was older and was supposed to know more. But all she did was tease Lock and hit him on the head when he tried to explain. He understood that that was how Shock was--loud, bossy, and not a very good listener. But he loved his big sister to death and it killed him that she acted that way. Barrel, of coures, was just as impossible. All the kid cared about was having fun, and didn't all the people in town think Barrel was just great? Of course they did.
Lock slowed to gaze at the sky, absentmindedly wiping a tear from his cheek. So that was it. He was all alone. Horrible, utterly alone. He sank to his knees and wept.
Shock looked around, annoyed. "Where did that stupid boy go off to, anyway? He has to go feed the bats, cuz I'm not doing it!!!"
Barrel grinned and shrugged. "I dunno. But hey! The bats' rabies is really strong this year! Ya wanna go play with em anyway? We could use a break."
"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," Shock said, casting a worried glance out her window. Barrel raced upstairs to tend to his bats. Shock bit her lip and sighed. She really cared a great deal more about her goofy little brothers than she let on. And she felt terrible about the way she had treated Lock lately. She was just so nervous about moving in with Wimbley! He had proposed to her six months earlier, but it had only really hit her as the night of the occasion grew near. Shock had known something was weighing on Lock's heart, but she was distracted with wedding plans when he tried to talk to her about it. She was already frustrated with the color scheme--black should match green, but it didn't--and so she just laughed at him and hit him upside the head. But in his eyes...oh, how pained his eyes looked after she did that!
Barrel came scampering down the stairs. "Should we feed 'em rats or frogs today?" he asked, eyes gleaming. "I like the rats better, cuz they squirm more--"
"Well, right now we're going to go find knucklehead," Shock said, adjusting her favorite old witch hat. "He's been gone for a really long time."
"OK." Barrel's toothy trademark grin fell away from his face. Even though he was a wild, fun-loving kid, he idolized his big brother, and he was starting to get nervous. They headed toward the town square.
Jack gazed at his beautiful wife, a small smile playing on his mouth. She had tried on the beautiful dress the swamp creature had made her and was now proudly modeling it for Jack. It fit her delicate curves perfectly, and Jack applauded appreciatively. She truly took his breath away.
"You are the most beautiful creature to grace this land," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss. But just before he could--
"JACK!"
Sally and Jack jumped. And of course, the only people who could make them jump like that were Shock and Barrel.
"Jack, have you seen Lock?" Shock asked, gazing shyly up at Jack. She had had a crush on him for as long as she could remember. She loved Wimbley, but wooo...those deep black eyesockets...
"Why, yes, we did! He came stomping by here just a few minutes ago," Sally said, pointing a tiny finger toward the pumpkin patch. "I think he turned around and went over there."
"Thanks a lo--" Barrel started, and then the town siren came on and the Mayor's amplified voice echoed across the town. "ATTENTION, EVERY ONE! THERE IS A HUMAN FALLING THROUGH THE DOOR! I REPEAT, THERE IS--"
"--A HUMAN FALLING THROUGH THE DOOR!"
Lock looked up, chest hitching, tears streaming down his cheeks. What on earth was that two-faced idiot babbling about now? A human had never come through the gate. True, Jack had crossed over to Christmas Town, and Lock himself had gone there once to kidnap ole Sandy Claws, but...humans were so much more delicate, so much easier to terrify. Could it be possible...? He decided to investigate.
Lock ran towards the woods, enjoying the cool twilight air burning in and out of his lungs. The wind dried the tears on his cheeks and yanked his hair behind him as he ran. He ignored the terrors that reached for him and barely saw the redly glaring eyes glowing at him. Today he only wanted to hear his breath tearing in and out and hear the steady thrum of his feet; today he wanted to outrun his own thoughts.
It worked. He was so preoccupied with running that he ran straight into the girl standing in front of him, sending them both sprawling.
Shock, Barrel, Sally, and Jack all hurried together toward the enchanted forest and into the clearing of trees which marked all of the seasons' entrances. There was no tree for Halloweentown, as they were already in it; there was just a pumpkin shaped nothing in the sky where shrieks were slowly getting louder and closer. Jack held out his long bony arms to keep his friends back, and all of a sudden Shock flew backwards, a red blur slamming into her back.
Shock sat up and shook her head. "LOCK WINCHESTER! (auth. note--I guess it's their old last name from their human days) Where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been? I could smack you?" she screeched, giving her brother a rough hug. She could feel Lock's tears against her cheek. "Oh, Lock, I'm so sorry I was rude--I didn't mean to hurt you--"
Lock just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You wouldn't understand anyway." He pulled away.
Shock gave him a puzzled glare. "Lock--what--" but Jack's voice stopped her.
"A girl," he said softly, his eyes huge. "She's nothing but a little girl."
Lock, Shock, Barrel, and Sally all gaped at the pumpkin-shaped hole in the sky. Sitting on the ground in front of it was a human girl of around seventeen or eighteen. She was actually quite lovely, with long, wavy reddish-brown hair and big brown eyes. Shock admired how rosy and clear her face was, especially around her eyes. Shock and her brothers had lived in Halloweentown so long they had permanent dark shadows around their eyes.
The girl stood up slowly, brushed herself off, and looked around. When she saw the five creatures staring at her, she gave out a little "eep!" but that was all.
There was silence for a moment. Then Shock: "Ummm...aren't you scared?"
The girl bit her lip. "Well, I feel like I'm supposed to be, but...I have the strangest feeling I've been here before." She looked at Jack and quickly glanced away. "Like maybe in my nightmares..."
Jack gave her his most welcoming smile. "Well, there's really no need to be frightened anyway. Scaring people is just our job. Welcome to Halloweentown. I'm Jack Skellington, King of this land. This is my beautiful wife Sally, and these are my good friends Lock, Shock, and Barrel."
Even though the grin was quite terrifying, the girl found it oddly appealing and grinned back. "I'm Augusta, but everyone calls me Gussie. I hate my name," she said, wrinkling her nose.
Jack put his bony arm around Gussie, pulling her towards the town. "Well, I'm sure we can at the very least find you someplace comfortable to spend the night. Perhaps the witches have a place...?"
"Well, she could stay with us," spoke up Lock. "Shock's gonna move out soon anyway. She could sleep in her room."
Shock turned to her little brother, eyebrows raised. "So what am I gonna do the two weeks I'm still living there, frogbreath? Hang from the ceiling?"
"Ummm....I...w-well, that's ok," Gussie said, looking dreamily at Lock. She soon realized what she was doing and snapped out of it, picking up a huge bag off the forest floor. "I was running away anyway. I'll just find a place on my own."
"What about your parents, dear? They must be worried sick," said Sally.
"My parents died when I was little. I ran away from my aunt. I bet she's happy I left," Gussie said disgustedly.
"Then you will come and stay with us. I'm sorry to be rude, but is it ok if you sleep on the couch?" Shock offered Gussie a big smile.
Gussie laughed. "Sounds great to me."
Lock's eyes widened at the sight of the girl, and his already racing heart began to pound even faster. She is so beautiful, he thought. I wonder how she kisses...? He shook his head slightly to clear it. How could he be thinking such things about a human girl he didn't even know? But wow...the way she talked, and how cute she was when she giggled...and...was she looking at him that way too? It sure seemed like it....wow. It was enough to drive a guy up the wall.
And before he knew it, he actually had the guts to ask her to sleep in the same house as him! And she said yes! He felt dizzy. Maybe she could be the one to help fill the hole in his heart.
Well, he'd just have to wait and see.
After Jack introduced all his friends, Gussie turned to say hello, but her voice stopped, along with her breathing, heartbeat, brainwaves, etc. In front of her was the most handsome...well, not quite a human guy, maybe, but very male and very attractive, nonetheless. He was tall and handsome and his eyes were the most unusual, beautiful shade of yellow. He smiled at her a little, revealing pointy little teeth. She shivered. He was quite attractive, yes indeedy.
But she had to act like a normal person, or he might notice. How embarrassing. What a nutcase she was turning into! "I'm Augusta, but everyone calls me Gussie. I hate my name," she said, and her eyes fixed with Lock's.
People were talking to her, Gussie thought dimly in the back of her mind, and she thought she was answering, but she didn't know for sure. All she knew was that her knees were about to collapse under her and that she was lost in Lock's eyes and she could quite happily have never been found again.
But wait! Were her ears deceiving her? Was he actually asking her to live with him? Oh my God, she though, her mouth on autopilot. I think I've fallen for him. He's not even all the way human and I've fallen for him. God help me.
Next thing she realized, Jack had taken her arm and was leading her into town.
Lock walked up behind Gussie. "I'm sorry I didn't say much back there. I was sorta tongue tied, I guess."
Gussie jumped. "Lock, you startled me!" she said, smiling. "That's OK. I probably sounded like an idiot back there anyway. I'm just so nervous..this is obviously not where I come from." Gussie glanced up at the trees. "I think."
"It sure isn't," Lock agreed, smiling. "How did you manage to fall into here, anyway?"
"Well, it was raining really hard, and so I came into a forest to see if maybe I could find some shelter under some trees. Then when I got really deep in there I saw all these doors, and this one was shaped like a pumpkin, and I love Halloween! So I figured it was maybe a shelter of somekind but then all there was was a black hole. So I tried to get away and some wind sucked me in!"
"Wow." Lock looked impressed. "Hey, listen, if you're not too busy unpacking and stuff later--"
"::There:: she is!" cried the Mayor, running toward the group, his fat little body bouncing up and down. A crowd of various monsters followed him. They all stared at the girl, wondering what had happened to her to have been so horribly disfigured. "It's the human! Ok, King Jack, you've gotten to it first. Is it ::dangerous::?" the Mayor quaked.
Jack laughed. "Don't be silly, Mayor! It's just a little girl! How old are you, Gussie? Eighteen? Nineteen?"
"Fifteen," Gussie said, smiling slightly. Lock started. So young! Even Barrel was younger!
The Mayor turned his happy face to the girl. "Welcome to Halloweentown. We all love it, and I'm sure you will too. We're always waiting for the next surprise!"
"Seems fantastic so far." Gussie looked shyly in Lock's general direction. Lock turned so no one would see the very unadult blush rising in his cheeks.
"Wonderful! We'll have a celebration bonfire for her on the full moon!" Jack exclaimed.
"But...but that's only tomorrow night!" the Mayor whined.
"Come now. We will have plenty of time to do it!" Jack fussed, then turned back to Gussie. "How do you feel about bat intestines with roach eggs and fried tarantula fritters? It's the Mayor's specialty."
"Oh, get out," the Mayor said happily.
Gussie looked a little green. "Er...do you have any bacon? Or hamburgers? Or mac and cheese? That's my favorite." She looked at all the disgusted faces and started laughing. "I guess not."
Barrel waved a lollipop. "It's almost Halloween, so we got lots extra candy!" He licked his sucker.
Gussie shrugged. "I guess that'll work. I guess we better get going."
"Are you ::sure:: this thing is safe?" Gussie asked, stepping gingerly into the basket leading up to Lock's house.
"Sure we're sure! We go on it all the time," Barrel said jovialy, leaping on top and swinging back and forth on the rope.
"And after all, if you fall, it's only about a hundred feet," Shock added sweetly.
"....." was Gussie's reply.
After the terrible basket ride up with Barrel rocking it back and forth and Shock explaining all the wonderful things waiting at the bottom, Lock opened the door. "Welcome to our humble abode," he said.
Gussie looked around, wide-eyed. Every where the eye could see there were different torture devices. A pile of decapitated doll heads lay in the corner. An axe was poking out from the middle of a makeshift bulls-eye hanging over the couch. A catapult rested next to a huge bathtub in the hallway.
"Just put your stuff in Bruiser," Barrel said.
"Um, Bruiser?"
"The bathtub."
"O..OK..." Gussie dropped her stuff and then shrieked as Bruiser the Bathtub reared up.
"It's ok, he just wants to be pet," Barrel explanied, going over to his precious pet.
"Right," Gussie muttered.
"Well, here is your bed," Lock patted the couch. "It's actually really comfortable."
Gussie smiled. "Thank you."
"Hmmmmmmmmmm........" Shock hmmmed, looking around. "We have got to find you something decent to wear for the bonfire. What ::are:: those things you're wearing on your legs?"
"They're called jeans," Gussie clasped her knees defensively. "They're really comfortable, too."
"I'll bet," Shock smirked. "Well, why don't you try on one of my dresses? I don't know how well they will fit you, but we could try it out."
Gussie eyed Shock's old black witch costume. "No, that's ok...I have--"
"Not another word! We're going to find you something cute to wear, kid, got it?"
"Well, ok..." Shock dragged Gussie into her room by the hand. Barrel turned to Lock and grinned knowingly.
"She's cute, huh?"
Lock sighed. "Yeah, she sure...what the hell are you talking about? You don't even know what cute is!"
"Oh really? I know you like Gussie, and I think she's cute, so apparently I know a ::little::, hmmm?"
Lock flushed. "I do not!" he declared, carefully avoiding Barrel's eyes. "She's just a poor little kid who fell through the door. I'm just making sure she's not scared, that's all.""
"I'll bet." Barrel licked his lollipop. "So I guess it doesn't matter that I saw her staring at you the ::entire:: way home."
"You did not! You're just making that--"
"Well, gentlemen, how does she look?" Shock interrupted Lock and Barrel's argument. They both turned. Lock's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wow," was all he could mutter.
Gussie was wearing an old dress of Shock's, and it fit her perfectly. Its square neck bared her neck and chest beautifully and fit snugly around her firm breasts and highlighted her tiny waist. Shock had also brushed Gussie's hair, which was wild and bramble filled before, so it gleamed softly in the light. She was beautiful.
"Wow, Gussie, you look really nice," Barrel said. "Don't you agree, Lock?"
"You look beautiful," Lock said softly. "Absolutely amazing."
Shock and Barrel giggled. "Awwwwww! Widdle Lockie-wockie gotta cwush on da Gussie? How cuuuuuuuuuuuute!" Shock laughed. Gussie and Lock turned bright red.
"Well, um, it's time for me to go to bed now," Gussie said. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," chorused Shock and Barrel. "Sweet dreams," Lock added.
Gussie smiled. "Oh, believe me, they will be."
The bonfire was a huge success. Gussie met all the strange but sweet inhabitants of the town, and Lock was her escort through most of the introductions. In fact, the only time the two were apart was when Shock insisted on dancing with Lock for a song. Lock looked extremely annoyed the whole time, and Gussie and Barrel dissolved into a fit of giggling.
During the next song, Lock came before Gussie and bowed. "May I have this dance?"
Well...I don't really know how to dance," Gussie confessed.
"That's ok. I'll lead you. Please dance with me?" Lock gave her an innocent look, which on him looked completely wrong.
Gussie cracked up. "You look like you just ate a puppy," she giggled. "But fine, if you insist."
Gussie let lock lead her out to the dance floor. Everyone agreed that they were a beautiful couple, with Gussie in a red dress of Shock's and Lock out of his regular costume and in a black tuxedo.
"It goes like this," Lock explained. He put one hand in hers and the other on her waist. Gussie's skinned flashed hot at his touch. She wanted him so much!
"Ummm..." Lock's voice faltered. He blinked a few times and resumed, a little calmer now. "One two three four, one two three four, that's right three four, follow my lead, one two three four..."
They danced every dance together after that. Gussie leaned her head on Lock's shoulder and sighed. "I'm so glad I came here, Lock. I hated where I used to live. Do you know I ran away because my aunt beat me because I washed the dishes wrong?"
Lock put both his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I'm glad you left and came here too. You could never find a kinder bunch of people, even if they show it...well, rather uniquely." He hesitated, then went for it. "Of course, I'm being completely selfish."
Gussie lifted her head. "Oh? How is that?"
"I want to keep you all to myself, that's how," Lock whispered, and then kissed her.
It was a kiss like neither of them had ever had before. Of course Lock had never actually kissed anyone before (well, Shock and Barrel, but that was ::completely:: different) and he was incredibly nervous, but he just couldn't help himself. And Gussie had never felt this passionate about anyone before.
It felt like electric fire between the two of them. Lock opened his mouth a little bit and their tongues touched lightly, making Gussie gasp a little. After a few seconds that seemed like forever, they pulled apart. Lock cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry. I really couldn't help myself, but I--"
Gussie silenced him with a firm kiss. "Don't you dare be sorry. I'm not." She smirked a little. "I see ::part:: of you isn't sorry."
Lock turned a violent shade of red. Gussie laughed and hugged him. "Don't even worry."
They danced until dawn came and the bonfire was over. Gussie was officially part of Halloweentown.
Lock opened his eyes and stretched. It was already dark out. He was exhausted from staying up the entire night before and dancing with Gussie. After he had come home, he stayed up for a few hours, first to settle Gussie in her little couch bed, then just to sit and think. Oh, he cared about her so much! Lock decided to go and talk to her. He stood up, stretched again, and slipped on a pair of pants.
"Good morning, Gu--" he stopped. The couch was empty save for a note on the pillow.
Dear Lock--
Jack came pretty early this morning, but I didn't want to wake you. There's something really wrong with Barrel. Shock came and got me after I'd been asleep for an hour or so and said Barrel was having trouble breathing. We're at the Skellingtons'. When you wake up, please come over. He was calling for you.
Love,
Gussie
When Lock charged into Jack's house a few minutes later, Gussie, Jack, and Shock were all gathered around Barrel, who was lying on a pallet in Jack's living room. His face was even ashier than usual, and his breathing was coming in short barks. He looked terrible.
"Oh my God!" cried Lock. "What's wrong with him? Barrel! Barrel, buddy, can you hear me? Come on, it's Lock, your big bro! Please wake up!"
"We're not sure what's wrong with him," Gussie said slowly, chewing her bottom lip. "Jack thinks it might be bronchitis, or possibly even tuberculosis."
"He also thinks he's not going to make it," Shock said, the tears she had been holding back overflowing. She knelt over the pallet, stroking Barrel's cheek gently.
Lock looked at Jack disbelievingly. "How did this happen, Jack?"
Jack looked back at Lock unhappily. "I don't know. They're both primarily human diseases, which is why Barrel caught it and not me or Sally, but bronchitis is noncommunicable and Gussie doesn't have tuberculosis. And because the diseases are human, we don't know how to cure them, or even ease his pain. I'm so sorry." He bowed his head for a moment, then looked around. "Where did Sally go? She said she would be right back."
Shock, who was ignoring everyone but her family, grabbed Lock's hand. "Do you think we should...we should just leave him here?"
Lock nodded his head. "Yeah. I think it would be best if we didn't move him around too much. But I'm going to stay here with him."
Shock smiled thinly, sniffling. "I will, too, of course."
"Me too," Gussie added.
Shock whirled around on her, her face drawn up into a sneer. "I think you've done ::quite:: enough, ::Gussie::," she said sharply. "You'd better go home now. The one in ::your:: world."
Gussie took a step backward, mouth trembling. "But Shock, what did I ::do::? Why are you pissed at ::me::?"
"Why am I ::pissed:: at you?! Because my baby brother is ::dying:: here because one of your diseases hopped over ::you:: and on to ::him::! Get a clue, all right? No one wants you here! Leave!"
Gussie looked around frantically, searching for Jack to defend her, but Jack had left to find Sally. She shot a desperate look at Lock, silently pleading for him to please, please take up for her. Lock opened his mouth to defend her, but Shock gave him such an evil look that he cringed away.
"Well, that's fine," Gussie whispered, her beautiful face crumpling. "What the hell do I need with ::you:: people, anyway? Huh! To think that I actually believed that you ::cared:: for me!" She turned and walked to the door, restraining herself from running wildly into the night. She paused and turned back toward Lock. "For what it's worth, I enjoyed last night more than anything else I've ever had the pleasure of doing." A crooked smile. "Too bad it meant nothing to you, Lock." And out the door she went.
Lock walked over to Shock and smacked her across the mouth. Shock shrieked and lifted a hand to touch her mouth. It came down bloody. "All right, you little shit. You asked for it. You're about to get the ass beating of your life!" She lunged for Lock's throat, snarling.
Lock smacked her hand away. "::No!:: I'm sick and tired of you bossing me around. Not only are you ruining ::your:: life, you're ruining ours, too!" He gestured angrily at Barrel. "First you make us stay in that--that ::hellhole:: after Boogie died. ::Then:: when Jack tried to give us a chance at a normal life, noooooooooo! You said 'Oh Jack, of course not! We're fine here by ourselves! And ::now:: you've chased away the only girl I've ever cared about. Well, that's ::it::! I'm going after her!" He turned to leave and Shock grabbed his collar, yanking him back.
"Obviously you aren't thinking clearly, you little maggot! This human bitch is ::killing your brother::." She smiled bitterly. "I should have figured. Did she let you fuck her? Is that what it is? Is that why you want her back here so bad?"
Lock's face went white. "How ::dare:: you talk about her that way. She didn't do this to Barrel anymore than you or I did. And even if I ::did:: have sex with her, ::which:: I didn't, it'd be my business, ::not:: yours. I'll give you a chance to calm down and think about the things you're saying before they come out of your ugly mought." He left.
Shock rubbed her eyes. Why did all this have to happen to ::her::? She sat by Barrel and began to wait.
Gussie wandered slowly towards Lock's house, trying not to cry. Oh well. She had tried. Obviously she couldn't fit in anywhere. What was the point of living? She had decided to gather up her things and throw herself off the large, curly hill by the forest she had come out of. The people in town would probably delight in one more dead body to play with.
Behind her, the sound of feet crunching dead leaves echoed through the chill night air. "Hey, Gussie," Lock called softly.
Gussie whirled around. Her eyes narrowed. "What do ::you:: want? Are you following me to tell me how evil I am, too?"
"No. I came to tell you I'm sorry for the way Shock acted and that I think you're fantastic. Please come back with me?"
Gussie recoiled as if she had been hit. "I can't go back there! They all think that Barrel is dying because of me!"
"The only person who thinks that is Shock, and you shouldn't take what she says personally. She hasn't been herself lately."
"Oh really? She's not always so pleasant?" Gussie inquired sarcastically.
Lock grinned his slightly crooked grin. "Oh no, she's usually much worse." They laughed a little. "No, but seriously, she's just under a lot of stress lately. She's about to get married, and of course her littlest brother is really sick."
"You really should go back there, Lock. He was calling out for you earlier."
"You want to know the truth?"
"Well, yeah."
Lock looked at her for a second, then faced the moon, lifting his face toward its light. "I don't know. I just...I just get these feelings sometimes, and I just feel like Barrel's going to be OK."
"A feeling isn't a very stable thing to believe in when your brother's life is at stake," Gussie said skeptically.
"Besides, I'll be back in a bit. I just couldn't let you go." He placed his arm around her waist and pulled Gussie to him. "I'll never let you go," he whispered, and then pulled her up against him.
"Oh, Lock, I want you so much," Gussie said softly. He lifted her chin gently with his finger and kissed her gently at first, and then more passionately.
"Oh, my dear, I want you too," Lock whispered, trailing his lips slowly down her throat and to the swell of her breasts. She moaned softly.
After a few minutes of Lock exploring the top half of her body, Gussie pulled away with much effort. "We should really be getting back to Barrel now. He might want you to be there in case...well, in case.
Lock delivered one last kiss to her soft flesh and then agreed reluctantly. "My poor Barrel," he said. "My poor Barrel."
They joined hands and began to walk toward the house. Gussie looked up at Lock, who was a good seven inches taller than her, with big eyes that looked like deep pools in the moonlight. "Hey Lock?" she asked.
"Mmmmmmm?" Distantly.
"Where are your parents?"
Lock winced. Gussie looked down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. None of my business."
"No, it's all right," Lock said musingly, staring off into the distance. "I imagine they're still in the human world, babe."
Gussie laughed suddenly, tinkling like wind chimes on a breezy day. "I ::knew:: you were human! I could tell! Sooooo...why are you in your costume?"
"It's kind of strange, actually. Watch this." Lock pulled his tail out from under his jacket. All of a sudden, it started twitching about like an angry cat's tail.
Gussie squealed. "How do you do that? You must have a remote control in your pocket!"
Lock chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. One morning when I was like eight I woke up and found I actually had a tail. I guess cuz I'm a trick or treater all year round, I started to look like my costume. My teeth didn't look like this," he bared his teeth, showing pointy little fangs, "and my eyes were green, not yellow."
"Well, you're ::very:: sexy the way you are," Gussie growled playfully, kissing him lightly on the neck. She giggled when he sucked in sharply. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Lock grinned wickedly. "Well, if you're the cat, you've certainly got a part of my anatomy under control, but it's not my tongue."
"::Lock::!" Gussie exclaimed, pretending to be shocked. "Anyway! Why are ::you:: here and not your parents?"
"Eh. Long story." Lock rubbed his free hand across his neck slowly. "When I was four, Mom and Daddy decided Shock was old enough to take Barrel and I trick or treating by ourselves, just around the neighborhood. We were so excited! Well, the last house on our block was empty, and everyone said it was a haunted house, you know how kids will? Well, Shock dared me to ring the doorbell and see if anyone answered. Shock was six, and boy, she knew ::exactly:: how to get to me! I couldn't resist a dare, so I did, and a man dressed up in a sack answered the door.
"I said 'Trick-or-treat!' cuz I didn't know what else to say. So he said in this big deep scary voice 'You gotta come in and show me a trick, first, kiddo!'
"So Shock brought Barrel up too because ::she:: didn't want to miss any candy." Lock's voice began to quaver, as if very happy or very scared. "And then he yanked us into a hole in the ground and we were here. I don't know how he crossed over without going through the door, and I don't think I ever ::want:: to know.
"Boogie locked us up in his house and he brainwashed us into being his little slaves. I can't remember how he did it, and that's another thing I'd like to never know. But we were whipped." He offered her a twisted smile. "Did you know one time we were going to feed him Santa Claus?"
Gussie just stared at him, horrified.
Lock nodded. "I know. But by that time, Jack had locked him up underground so he couldn't steal any more children, and then he killed him before he could eat ole Sandy. But Oogie...he--he ate the other ones he took. The kids, I mean. Most people would feel lucky we lived. I don't think so." His voice broke on the last syllable.
Gussie gently put her arm around his waist, attempting to comfort him. "But ::why::, Lock? Why would you wish you were dead? You are the sweetest and most caring guy I've ever met."
Lock grinned sheepishly. "I'm not ::that:: sweet. I'm not known as the biggest troublemaker in Halloweentown for nothing." He sighed heavily. "Why would I wish I was dead?" Silence. Then, slowly: "I-I'm really not that sure I can explain. I just feel so ::empty::, so lonely." Another pause. "I don't think it's just something one person can fill up, even though God knows Shock has tried to be like a mother to me and of course Barrel's the greatest brother a guy could have." Pause. Then, almost to himself: "If I even have him anymore." Then, louder: "What I really need is a family. A mother. A father. Someday (soon, I hope) a wife and kids."
Gussie tightened her arm around his waist. "Oh, Lock, I wish I could help."
"But maybe you could." Lock stopped and took her hand into his. "I'm not asking you to be my wife or anything, Gussie. But...would you please just...stay by me? Be my...you know, my girlfriend or something like that? I don't really want to sound cliched, but..."
"But?" she prompted.
"But I think I'm in love with you," Lock finished.
"Of course, my Lock," she said. "Of course."
As they walked up the long and winding staircase, Lock noticed all the lights in the house were on. “Oh my God!” he cried. “Barrel!” He charged in the door.
There was a crowd of people gathered around Barrel, including the mayor. Lock shoved his way through and knelt by his brother. “What’s wrong with Barrel?” he demanded. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, he hasn’t gotten any worse, if that’s what you mean,” Jack said wearily. “But there is something else terribly wrong.
“What is it?” Gussie asked anxiously.
“Ma’am,” the Mayor said, stepping forward, “may I ask your last name?”
“Uh—it’s Jackman,” Gussie said bemusedly. “Why?”
The Mayor motioned toward a huge werewolf in a police uniform, who then handcuffed Gussie.
“What are you doing?!” exclaimed Lock.
“Miss Augusta Jackman, you are under arrest for the poisoning of one Master Barrel Winchester and the kidnapping of one Mrs. Sally Skellington. You have the right to remain silent—“
“Mayor, this is preposterous!” Jack cried, leaping up from beside Barrel. “I told you to question the poor girl, not arrest her!”
“Sorry, Jack,” the Mayor said, flipping to his unhappy face. “But not even the Pumpkin King can interfere with the law. She’s the only one who could have done it. She obviously poisoned Barrel and then took Sally when she went for help.”
Shock smirked at Lock. “I told Jack to call the police, and I’ll bet he sure is glad now! I told you she was no good. Maybe next time you’ll listen to me!”
Lock looked outraged. “No way she could have kidnapped Sally! I was with her all the way back here!”
“Were you with her from the very second she left?” the Mayor asked.
Lock looked uncomfortable. “Um, no. But only for a couple of minutes. It would be impossible for her to have kidnapped and hidden Sally in two minutes!”
“Who knows what kind of treachery and cunning this snake is capable of?” Shock hissed. “She was probably planning to kill us, too!”
“No! That’s not true!” Gussie cried. “Sally and Barrel are my friends! Please!” “I’m sorry, but you will have to face a trial, Augusta,” the police wolf said. “That way you can at least pretend to defend your so-called innocence. Come along, we must be leaving now.”
They left.
Gussie stared across the courtroom, lips pressed tightly together, praying silently as she waited for the verdict to come. Lock sat to her left, holding her hand tightly, and Jack, who had served as her lawyer, sat to her right. They had argued long and hard, but not many people were trusting of the new girl, and so quite a few creatures had completely false but completely believable stories.
The jury, which consisted of a harlequin demon, two clown corpses, four vampires, two witches, a werewolf, and two ghosts, shuffled back in. The Mayor, who was serving as judge, nodded. “Mister foreman of the jury, have you reached a verdict?”
The harlequin demon stood up. “Yes. We the jury find Augusta Jackman guilty of one count of kidnapping and one count of attempted murder.”
Gussie cried out, slamming her chair back. Lock buried his face in his hands. Jack just sat still, his face carefully composed.
The Mayor rapped his gavel on the bench. “Miss Jackman, I sentence you to death by burning at the stake. The sentence will be carried out tonight at midnight.”
“No!” shrieked Gussie, lunging up. Lock held her down, but just barely.
Jack leapt up. “This is an outrage! As your leader and your King, I demand that you let her go immediately!”
“Are you out of your mind, Jack Skellington?” the Mayor shot back. “You must be, after all you’ve put this town through! We stayed by your side during that horrible Christmas thing. We stayed by your side when you married a woman only technically two years old. We even helped you prepare a celebration for this murderous girl! But I refuse to let a human who tried to kill two of our most well-known town members get away with murder, one of the attempted victims being our Queen and your own wife. Leave, Jack. You’ve been my best friend for almost 25 years, but now the sight of you makes me sick.”
“But can’t you see that there’s insufficient evidence?” Jack pressed on. “We don’t even know where Gussie supposedly put Sally, and how do you know Barrel doesn’t have some human disease? Are you human?”
The Mayor shook his head. “It’s useless, Jack. Take her away, Moan.”
The police werewolf handcuffed Gussie and started to pull her away. She whirled around and bit him on the cheek, making him howl with pain and rage. She flung herself at Lock, sobbing. “Please! Oh no Lock, please, no!” she shrieked wildly. “Don’t let them take me away!” Don’t let them take me away from you!”
“Let her go!!” Lock screamed, clawing at the wolf’s hands. The wolf hit Lock across the face, sending him wheeling into a table.
“Lock Winchester!”” the Mayor said sharply. “Control yourself or I’ll hold you in contempt of court!”
“Do you think I give a fuck about contempt of court?” Lock struggled up, blood gushing from his nose and top lip. “She’s innocent, you fucking dimbulb, and you’re gonna kill her!”
But by that time it was too late. The wolf had brought Gussie out to the graveyard, where an angry mob was preparing to add another body to the lot.
Jack and Lock looked at each other, then raced after the crowd.
Gussie leaned her head back, tears rolling silently down her face. All was lost. She had been tied to a large cross shaped stake, like the ones scarecrows hung on, and placed atop a pile of hay. Now the crowd was chanting taunts at her as they threw dry cornhusks, leaves, paper, anything that would ignite, at her feet.
“Die, you faithless bitch, die!”
“Take her! Take this murdering bitch and cook her! Burn!”
“Now, you bitch! Now comes warmer kisses than yer little boyfriend ever gave ya!”
“Die, you faithless!”
It was really funny, actually. Gussie felt the giggles bubbling up hysterically inside of her and held them down. It was just too much. Did she not just have a plan to kill herself last night and now she was absolutely terrified at the prospect? And all because she was in love with some demonboy! But instead of laughing, she let out a sob. Yes, she was in love with that demonboy, and she did want to live. She had only just found her reason for living.
The harlequin demon stood before her, his arms raised to the crowd. “This evil human bitch has killed our Queen and poisoned a child! Does she deserve to die?”
“YES!” the crowd roared.
“Will you help kill the bitch?”
“YES!”
Gussie took in what would probably be her last cool breath, warmed it with her heart, and let it out in a voice that carried over the entire crowd. “LOCK! I LOVE YOU! I SWEAR I DIDN’T HARM EITHER OF THEM!”
The crowd fell silent. Then: “Even at death the monster doesn’t repent! Burn her!”
The crowd once again roared its approval. Torches began to flare up all around her, and Gussie prayed. It was over.
“STOP!” a voice rang out. A murmur went through the audience, and several creatures looked confused. “This girl is innocent! We’re proof!” Two figures stepped forward, and everyone gasped.
It was Sally.
And behind her was Barrel.
“Barrel?” Shock cried, dropping her torch. (Bad Shock! ^^;;) “You-you’re ok!”
“I am now that Sally fixed me up,” Barrel said, “but my throat is absolutely killing me! What did you put in that stuff, Sal?”
“Darling!” Jack held out his arms and enfolded Sally in his loving embrace. “Where have you been, my love? And how on earth did you cure Barrel?”
“Well, I recognized the symptoms Barrel had as being someone poisoned by deadly night shade.” Shock gave Lock a triumphant look. “You see, I poisoned him myself.”
Basically everyone’s jaws dropped and eyes bulged at that little tidbit of information. “What?” Gussie exclaimed, dropping to the ground as the harlequin demon untied her, antennae flicking apologetically. (I don’t know how they managed to look apologetic, but they were!) “Why the hell didn’t you say anything before these maniacs tried to kill me?”
“Well, let me explain,” Sally said, clasping Jack’s hands and looking around imploringly. “Jack and I offered to adopt Barrel and his siblings, but Shock always said no. But the poor children always had to steal their food, and they never had any decent clothes. I knew Shock would get angry if we attempted to offer what we thought of as ‘charity’, so I always used to give Barrel food to sneak in, and I would wash and repair their clothes.”
“So that’s why we always had more food than we should,” Shock marveled. “Huh.”
“But I suppose I accidentally left some deadly nightshade in the fly fruit snacks Barrel enjoys so much. I used to keep it in that jar when I lived with that Dr. Finklestein. That’s how I recognized the symptoms; the old man did the same thing at first, but he was becoming immune to it. But in the beginning, just in case I even gave him too much, I came up with an antidote. That’s where I was.” She held up a jug. “I couldn’t say anything to anyone, or else he might hear what was going on or catch me, and then he’d never let me go. I’m so sorry I got you into all this trouble, Gussie. I was only trying to help.”
“Well, I wish you could have at least told Jack, Sally,” Gussie complained, rubbing her wrists. “I mean, seriously.” She was highly annoyed, and rightly so. “But is Barrel OK?”
“I’m fine, Barrel said cheerily.
“How can I even begin to apologize?” the Mayor began, taking off his hat and wringing it in his pudgy little hands.
“Oh, I’m sure I can think of some ways,” Gussie said dryly. “You can start by letting me go home.”
Lock stepped up onto the pile of flammables and shyly reached for Gussie’s hand. “A-are you OK?” he asked.
Gussie pouted. “I think a kiss is in order, don’t you?”
Lock picked her up around the waist and swung her around. “As you wish, my lady,” he smiled, and did as she wished.
“Well? How do I look?” Shock asked, turning around to face Gussie.
“Oh, you look gorgeous—er, terrible—well, you know what I mean,” Gussie smiled.
And she did. Shock was dressed in a black, form fitting dress with spider-shaped jewels all across the bodice and around the bottom of her silk skirt. Gussie had helped put Shock’s curly black hair up into a chignon held by some subdued scorpions. She hated dressing up, but it was her wedding day, after all, and Gussie had added some nice touches. “Wimbley isn’t even going to be able to recognize me,” Shock marveled, fixing a scorpion who kept wanting to chop up her hair.
“If Lock could recognize me last night, then I know Wimbley will recognize you,” Gussie snickered. She had gone trick or treating as a monster, and with all the makeup on her face, Lock didn’t even realize it was his girlfriend until she had grabbed his tail and yanked him around for a bit.
“I’m so glad you could be here today,” Shock said, hugging Gussie. The two had grown very close after Shock’s initial suspicion had disappeared. Gussie enjoyed hearing dirt on Lock (like how sometimes when he was asleep he still sucked his thumb) and Shock enjoyed hearing about the human world (like how New York City looked at night). Shock had asked Gussie to be her maid-of-honor at her wedding. Well, she was technically the only maid, as Shock kept to herself and her family most of the time. The wedding was being held at Jack’s home.
“Well, are you ready?” Gussie asked, straightening her own black dress.
“I guess. Shall we?”
“All right!” Gussie walked out of the room and into the hallway, where Lock, Wimbley’s best man, was waiting for her. She gave him a nervous smile. “This is kinda scary,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered back. “Just think of it as practice for our big day.”
Gussie blushed and smiled crazily. Lock flung open the door and led her down the aisle.
The wedding went relatively well. Barrel the ringbearer did give Wimbley an earthworm instead of a ring, and Lock snickered when the bride and groom kissed, making Shock fling her bouquet at him, but other than that, it was fantastic.
Besides, Gussie reflected, that just meant her and Lock were supposed to be married first. And she could only imagine that wedding. She shook her head. Yes, it certainly would be interesting living here, but at least she had found her Lock, who was, ironically, the key to opening her heart.
THE END!!!!
