Welcome to chapter 42! Can you believe there's only 8 chapters left?

Quick reminder as always that if you're interested in joining the Discord server that myself and the wonderful Corona Pax run, our code is 5tT9dcE. We'd love to have you!

Corona Pax: Thank you for letting me use Light & Chakis! They're such fun characters and I can't wait to see how you use them next with Skeleton Anne. Always a joy to work with you!

GoldGuadian2418: Ivy had to work through some serious hiccups and there's a lot more to do, but the first step is hardest! And let's get on to the Jack & Ivy content!

Haley: FINALLY TIME TO PUT THOSE PITCHFORKS AWAY!

Noro: Skeleton Anne reader spotted! Glad you liked the little crossover and I'm just as eager to get to the fluff...

Firephoenix: This chapter was a roller coaster to write, so thank god it felt that way to read! And Ciaran in the Modern World was so much fun to work with...Stuttgart still looks historic in some places, I think the guy would actually have a heart attack if Ivy was from New York City or something. And Ciaran may have killed his friend but he still has manners, you know?

Guest: Ivy is going to do EVERYTHING she can to make sure Jack never learns she traded her years or he'll find a way to revive her from the grave to kill her AGAIN.

Guest: Thank you! I do what I can to make each chapter enjoyable and well-written.

Gracie: A lot of other people have this strategy and so here's a happy next chapter for you!


February 18

Halloween Town

8:30am

With the adrenaline of the fight worn off, Jack's bones were ready to collapse under both the weight of his emotions and the strain of yanking his monsters free.

"All right, hold on," Jack said wearily, reaching down to where the Creature of the Lagoon was wriggling frantically. He hooked his arms under hers, steadied himself, and gave a firm yank, wincing at the momentum of the pull sent him backwards, his tailbone protesting from the cobblestone and front protesting at the wet slime now streaked across it.

"Thankssss, Jack," she said, almost sheepishly rolling off his chest and shaking herself off.

"Please don't mention it," he returned, pushing himself upright and taking a moment to shake water out of his skull. He buried his head in his hands, a vision of crushing his own skull to dust so that he wouldn't have to think anymore streaking through his mind. But no, he was the Pumpkin King, he couldn't afford to break down yet, he had to wait until he was safe in his study with the doors and windows firmly locked and warded before he could admit to himself that he'd never hear-

A heartbeat entered his ears, fast and frantic.

Scarcely daring to believe it, Jack's head shot up, his eyes wide and traces of a hopeful smile ghosting across his face. Perhaps that thing had been lying, Ivy had broken free, she wasn't actually gone-

But his hopes were dashed as Vlad, just arriving at the scene, turned swiftly to reveal the other human, who looked shaken but otherwise safe from the destruction. Bitter disappointment rose in his lungs and mouth, the false hope hurting so much that he had to close his sockets and let out a shaky breath. In spite of the burn in his chest, he felt a slight relief as one of the nearby monsters reached out to swat at the human's ankle, demanding assistance. A few months ago, they'd sooner go to their second grave than ask a human for help.

A hand - pale and adorned with sharp nails - cut through his musing, and Jack looked up to see Vlad standing before him, a look of practiced apathy on his face. Jack steeled himself and allowed the Classic to pull him up, brushing as much dirt and slime off him as he could.

"Most of them have gotten free, Majesty," Vlad said carefully, stepping back to evaluate the scene. Jack only snorted, tasting the bitterness on his tongue as he spoke.

"I must look terrible if you're calling me that." Vlad didn't deny it and Jack gazed across the desolate, smoldering town. "We've been destroyed before," he said, forcefully injecting an optimism he didn't feel into his voice. "We'll come back from it, won't we?"

Vlad remained silent; his dark eyes lowered. Jack's platitudes bounced off him and the skeleton felt his nerves - and anger - rise at the Classic's indifference. "There's plenty to do," he snapped. "I don't need any monitoring, or pity, or whatever it is you're-"

"It is none of that, Majesty," Vlad interrupted, but softer than Jack was used to. He glanced over his shoulder and stepped closer to the Pumpkin King, his eyes meeting Jack's. "I only mean to tell you that… I am perhaps the only other monster here who understands."

"Understands what?" Jack said through gritted teeth, realizing even as he spoke who his reaction reminded him of.

"What it is like to lose a human," Vlad responded simply. "Do what you must, Majesty. We are here in whatever form you would ask."

Before he could respond, Vlad bowed and, with a sweep of his cloak, turned back to the other monsters, lending a hand to the other human who was straining herself to free another.

Jack's bones were trembling with such a force that he'd wager anything that the next strong gust of Wind would send him toppling.

"Jack! Jack!"

Or that would.

Jack forced himself to turn to where Edgar was swooping down, a note of alarm in his caw.

"Please, nothing else," Jack begged the sky. "How much do you expect me to take? How much more must I lose?"

"The imposter is coming back," Edgar warned, his beak grinding. He shook himself, feather flaking from stress, dark blue glow flickering weakly. The Citizens groaned, their stamina and ability to fight as low as the ground they'd been trapped in.

"Stay on your guard," Jack called, hoping the Citizens didn't notice the break in his voice and he popped his back and went to turn around. He lit up his fists, narrowing his sockets at the treeline, then dropped his hands in astonishment.

A human-shaped figure was bouncing off the trees, propelling themselves forward as they wove their way through the trees. The form matched the one that had destroyed Halloween Town- but the glow didn't.

Jack's stomach and heart dropped.

The figure broke through the treeline, gliding across the field, and the Citizens broke loose.

"ATTACK!"

Flames of colored light and bits of cobblestone rained down on the figure, the air filling with tired and enraged screeches. The figure pin-wheeled, narrowly avoiding the projectiles, a look of disbelief painted across the face. Jack blinked, his body frozen in shock.

"Hey!" Came the shout - sounding a bit like an echo chamber, but unlike the husky one that had screamed and raged earlier. "It's me, you guys!"

"You can't fool us!" Nicholas growled from over the Gate, sweeping his claws and shooting rocks in her direction. His aim was better than the others: a rock soared straight through her chest, causing her form to glitch and Jack's throat to unlock.

"Stop!" Jack shouted, sending a wave of black fire between the Citizens and the figure with a strength that he didn't know he still had. The Citizens immediately fell back, their attacks dropping even as they glared at Jack.

"It's imitating her face, Jack!" One of the monsters reminded him, their claws still fully extended. "We have to destroy it before it does us!"

"Look at her aura," Jack insisted, hardly sparing a glance to the monsters as he bolted towards the Gate. "It's her, it has to be!"

His chest was tight, and his shoes almost burned at the speed with which he ran, hearing the squabble and debates erupt behind him.

"In the- well, I guess not flesh, but-" the figure grabbed the bars of Halloween Town's Gates and slipped through, coming to a float as Jack skidded to a half before her.

She was almost completely transparent, her hair floating around her face and sneakers hanging awkwardly in the air. There was an odd glow to her hand and no color in her face, but her eyes were their usual warm brown and the smile she gave, half-crooked sheepishness, caused a sound of choked disbelief to escape his throat.

"Told you I'd see you soon, Jack," she said, and the memory slammed into place: of a ghostly figure he'd seen only once, appearing in his past like his other Spirit, standing next to the Reaper-

He stepped forward, hands going to clasp her face only for them to pass through, cold mist between his fingers where warm flesh should have been. He drew back, sockets collapsing with sorrow as Ivy closed her own eyes, concentrating until her form stopped flickering.

"Ghost physics, Jack," she said, echoing the lesson he'd taught her with Zero, and he felt a new rush of aching sadness at the buried fear in her voice. "Gotta change your mindset."

But touching her as a ghost meant accepting the sight before him was real - that his human wasn't quite human anymore, that he'd failed her.

Ivy reached her own hand forward, eyes expectant, and Jack slowly grasped it, feeling the cool solidity in his palm.

"I'm sorry, Jack-" she began but Jack pulled her forward, carefully sliding an arm across her membrane-thin shoulders and burying his face into her hair. There was no warmth or heartbeat, but her arms wrapped around his neck in turn and her voice was in his ear, and that was more than he could have hoped for.

For a moment that wasn't nearly long enough, Jack let himself be overwhelmed with the bitter concoction of relief and grief, feeling Ivy's energy shake in turn.

Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled back, noticing the look in her eyes as she continued to grip his sleeve. With an unnecessary sniff, she curled her fingers tighter and said, "I, uh. Can't float very well yet."

"It's alright,'' he assured immediately. "Ivy… what happened?"

Ivy looked down, her aura souring. "I… I got tricked," she said, her voice thick. "Ciaran, he… he's the one destroying the Veil and he, he kill-" her voice broke and her fingers tightened. "He ki-killed me so that he could, I dunno, make him more powerful and apparently he destroyed Halloween? I don't know." She looked around, eyes widening at the smoke curling from the buildings. "Oh Jesus, he did all this?"

"He did, but - you knew him before all this?" Jack shook his head. "Ivy, you knew there was a human spirit and didn't tell me?"

"I'm sorry!" she grasped both his shoulders, and Jack was struck with the realization of how odd it was to see her at his eye level. "I met him ages ago, but I never thought he would do any of this, and - and he was another human, and didn't like Halloween, so I didn't want you guys to…" she cast a guilty glance to the side as a nearby building crumbled and fell. "What happened? Did you guys catch him?"

Jack shook his head, a smile on his face at last. "No, you don't need to worry. He ran off, and body possessions like that never last long. We'll go into the Hinterlands later and flush him out, then take care of - what's wrong?"

Ivy was gasping, her eyes huge and energy flaring once more. "He bolted? Did he say anything?"

"Nothing of importance," Jack dismissed.

"No, no, shit!" Ivy let go of Jack and grabbed her hair, the motion sending her into a backwards spiral. She clawed her way to an upright position, trying to shake the skeleton's shoulders but only making her own form waver. "He's trying to destroy the -" her entire form vanished, blinking in and out of reality as she became as transparent as chiffon. "Still?" she yelled at the sky before shaking her head and turning back to a baffled Jack. "Fine. There's other Gateways, and he's gonna try and destroy them. If he does, the Human World is gonna forget about Halloween - I don't know what that means for you guys, but I'm gonna guess none of us want to find out. But he's in the Human World, I guarantee it."

"And how do you know this?" Jack said, before answering his own question. "Ah. The Reaper, I presume."

"You guessed it," she said. "But, I meant that I, uh… might have taught him how to find Gateways?"

Jack groaned and tipped his head back, but a small part of him still celebrated that there was something that he could be exasperated at her about. "We're going to have a talk about this, alright?"

"Totally," Ivy agreed, shooting him a thumbs up. "Honestly I'm not even dreading it; I'm just glad that I get to see you again."

Jack blinked. "Not that I don't feel the same, but...what's brought on this bout of honesty?"

Ivy seemed to flinch at that, but she tilted her head and met his eyes. "I'm dead, Jack. Tends to change your perspective."

Jack laughed sadly, reaching out and clasping her hand. "Let's go back and assure the others that you aren't your double, all right?"

"Yeah, the warm welcome was nice," she huffed under her breath, looking back at the rock that had cut her in half.

Jack dragged Ivy back up the hill, where the monsters had consolidated into a large circle, their arguments masking the sound of Jack's footsteps. Vlad stood at the edge, looking bored, and Bezata was crouched by a wounded monster, expertly winding a bit of cloth around their scrape. Jack quickly shot a look at Ivy, but the girl merely blinked sadly at the other, hardly a trace of hostility in her expression.

The monsters noticed the pair and leapt into position, the Lagoon creature readying her damp fists. Jack let go of Ivy to put his hands up, gently placating the crowd as Ivy drifted to his shoulder.

"Watch out, Jack!" one of the children piped up, narrowing their gaze at Ivy. "It learned to shapeshift!"

Vlad rolled his eyes and Bezata's jaw dropped.

"But - are you -?"

Ivy flashed her a peace sign.

"This isn't her body," Jack said to the suspicious crowd. "She's, well -"

"I'm a ghost now!" Ivy flung her arms wide and twisted herself into a summersault, waving her hand through a nearby (bent) lamppost in demonstration. "Ciaran stole my body, but I'm not here to hurt you guys, promise." A look of concentration stole across her face, and her aura grew and glowed, the earthy red and brown tones so unlike the harsh green that had illuminated the Town before.

A customary pumpkin scream rang out and Bezata jumped, cueing the sound of Ivy's laughter. It was so unlike the strained hysteria of the homicidal ghost's that Jack could see the Citizens begin to relax. "You'll get used to it," Ivy told Bezata, though not unkindly.

Bezata sat down heavily, Vlad absent-mindedly patting her head. "Welcome back," he said simply, eyes tracking as Ivy went to grip Jack's shoulder once more. "What happens next?"

The expectant crowd turned to Jack, a sea of multiple heads and beady eyes, and for a moment Jack felt the same surge of anxiety that had struck earlier. But the movement out of the corner of his socket showed Ivy gazing at him knowingly, a self-assurance on her face that eased Jack's nerves. He turned back to his subjects, straightened his back, and spoke with an authority that had them each pay rapt attention.

"Edgar, I'd like you to lead the search for any other harmed or trapped monsters. Harlequinn, start taking account of what resources we still have. Mayor, I need a list of what places were hit the hardest. Someone has to keep watch on all edges of Town for any other attacks. Vlad, bring the other Classics and the human to the Skellington Manor in-" he turned to look up at the pumpkin dawn, gold streaks beginning to color the sky. "- half an hour, we'll say. Everyone else, check on your families and friends. Go!" He clapped his hands and the Town scattered, falling to their tasks with fervor and determination.

"Hold on," Jack said to Ivy, then began to briskly walk back to the Manor - or what was left of it.

The awning had collapsed, the front door decorated with a new hole, but when Jack slunk through the door and pulled his human through, the place was mostly intact. Rubble and dust coated the floor, a few jars smashed to a fine powder against the wood floor, some of the furniture was upturned, and Jack turned to see Ivy staring in disbelief at the sight.

"He ruined this," she whispered, her aura drooping low.

"Believe it or not, it looked worse when I inherited it from Oogie," Jack tried to joke. "At least there's less grotesque décor?"

Ivy shot him an unimpressed look, pushing off his shoulder to drift around the kitchen area, dragging her finger through dust that wouldn't move and sadly kicking off the table once more. She bumped against a wall, her face twisted with frustration. "How come sometimes I float through stuff and sometimes I don't?"

"Like you said," Jack answered, amused, "'ghost physics' is about mindset. If you're expecting to hit the wall, you will."

Ivy stuttered to a halt, then stretched her fingers towards the wall. After a few bumps, the tips glided through and her face lit up in victory before quickly souring at being unable to pull them out. Jack watched as she struggled, planting both feet against the wall and pushing before resorting to closing her eyes and smoothly pulling them free. He walked over to the couch, thankfully still undamaged, and sat before waving her over. She managed to do so, and Jack was torn between amusement and guilt as she tripped over air currents. He lifted his hand and without hesitation she grasped it in return, allowing him to pull her through the air.

"Is this the Ciaran talk?" she asked meekly, and Jack tried not to notice how much more prominent the echoed nature of her voice was in the silence of the Manor. "'Cause I know, I should have told you earlier, but -"

"We'll discuss that," Jack assured her, "but not right now. I'm more worried about you, Ivy."

"Me?" Ivy's head cocked, her brows furrowing. "I can't feel Ciaran in my body - I mean, if I focus I can feel something weird, but not like, in a way that's hurting or anything-"

"You're dead," Jack said, and Ivy's demeanor fell at the crack in his voice. "How are you feeling?"

Ivy's lips opened and Jack could see the dismissal she had ready, her shoulders tense. Quickly, he added, "it's alright if the answer isn't 'ok'. I'd be amazed if it were. In fact, I likely wouldn't believe it."

Ivy's head lowered and she chewed on her lip, teeth ghosting through the skin. "It's…" she trailed off, then looked at her spread palms. "We don't have to do this right now, Jack, Ciaran's out there and he's trying to nuke this place, shouldn't we -"

"I don't want to make a plan without the council of the others," Jack said firmly. "And as for the ghost… his mind isn't in the best place right now; it wouldn't surprise me if he's gotten sidetracked." He gently turned her face to his, calming his aura as much as possible. "But more importantly, death is difficult to suppress. The more we bury it and push it away with tasks, the more overwhelming it becomes when we're forced to stop and feel it."

"Well, apparently I've got all of eternity to feel it-" she slapped her hand over her mouth, shaking as her other hand hugged herself tight.

"I was scared when Ciaran told me you were gone," Jack confessed softly. As he spoke, he gingerly unpeeled Ivy's fingers from around herself and rubbed a thumb over her cool knuckles. "I was angry and hurt- not at you, but at myself."

"Why?" she asked, hand falling from her lips.

It was Jack's turn to look down, shame coloring his aura and cheeks. "I told you that no harm would come to you in Halloween," he said, focusing on his shoes. "I said you were safe. And now… I failed you. For that, I'm so sorry."

"This isn't your fault, Jack!" Ivy insisted, floating smoothly into his line of vision, propping herself on one knee and gazing imploringly into his sockets. "I'm the idiot who didn't run when I learned Ciaran was up to no good, who kept him a secret in the first place. I - I was trusting him just because he was human, like me, instead of someone who's actually important to me." Then, with a squeeze of his hands: "That's you, Bone Boy."

Jack laughed, dropping a kiss to the top of her head in gratitude. "Thank you for saying so, but I didn't tell you that to make it all about me. I only meant to assure you that even though I've been around death for centuries - that I've had to tell every soul in this Town and then some that they've passed on - it doesn't take away the shock that death has." He tucked a strand of her wispy hair behind her ear as she thought, her chin resting on his bony knees.

"... I was scared," she finally whispered. "He sucked out my energy, so it kinda felt like falling asleep, but… but I couldn't fight it. Like, my eyes were closing and I felt so heavy but there wasn't anything I could do." She buried her face in his knees, and Jack's hand automatically fell into gently stroking her hair, mourning quietly at the tactile sense of the strands being replaced with nothing but condensed air.

"And then I just breathed and there wasn't any more air and then I was just…" her voice went soft, and Jack had to strain to hear the rest. "I was… gone. Then I was having to fight the Void or something, I didn't even know where or who I was, and -" she gasped, throat blocked.

"Do you see now why most monsters forget about their deaths?" Jack asked. Ivy snorted but shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess. I don't want to forget seeing you in the past, though." She looked up, a grin desperately forming. "Nice rags, by the way."

Jack brushed over his suit, scrounging his memory for what he now knew to be Ivy's ghostly figure. He remembered the glowing human, attached to the Reaper, waving cheerily before vanishing into thin air, and huddled next to…

He stiffened and Ivy's grin vanished. "Nice descendant, too," she said, a hint of accusation in her voice.

Jack groaned, letting go of Ivy and rubbing his sockets. "She didn't happen to tell you anything about herself, did she? Name, where she was from, when she died, anything?"

"Nothing like that."

"Then what, pray tell, could you possibly have been talking about?" He snapped.

A streak of red ran through her form as she bristled. "How pissed she was at you, honestly."

Jack winced.

"Seriously, dude. You better grovel like Hell - even I can tell she's powerful." Ivy leaned back, not seeming to notice her palms sinking through the floor.

"Speaking of powerful," Jack said, desperate to change the subject, "what's that you've got there?"

He gestured to her glowing hand, illuminating the floorboards. Ivy pulled her hand free, staring at the soft pink glow that wove itself between her fingers.

"Do I want to know what you did to get that?" Jack asked, sensing the power that emulated from the soft light, scented like an ancient library on fire.

"You really don't," Ivy said. "It's a member of the Halloween I saw you in." Ivy flexed her fingers. "Apparently she can help us take down Ciaran."

"Us?"

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking of taking him on your own, are you?"

"Ivy, I have to." He reached for her glowing hand only for Ivy to push off her feet and shoot to the ceiling, hands behind her back. "I'm the Pumpkin King, tasked with keeping Halloween safe. I'm not about to endanger my Citizens, and especially not you, to take care of the threat."

"He was my friend," Ivy shot back. "I've got a better chance of getting close to him, plus Chakis gave me this." She pointed a glowing finger at Jack, determination setting her jaw tight. "I tried to stop Ciaran before - from destroying the Veil, from hurting the Town - and I'm the one that failed. I'm not gonna sit on my ass and let him do it again."

"Ivy, if he kills you again, that's it," Jack stressed. "No third chance, no chance to have an afterlife, let alone see your family again. You'd be gone for good."

"So would you!" Ivy's fists flared red and swooped low, jutting the finger in his face. "You're the King, Jack, and we're all screwed if you kick it. So, you need backup. I don't know if that's me, me and the Classics, or somebody else entirely, but you're not doing this by yourself."

"You think I want to lose you twice?" Jack snapped, standing and making a wild grab for the girl. She yanked her feet upward and wheeled backwards. "You can't even float right!"

"I've been dead for less than a night, give me a break!" Ivy righted herself and crossed her arms, glaring down at Jack. He decided at that moment that he certainly didn't care to have someone looking down at him.

"Also," Ivy continued, "what're you going to do when you pop yourself into the Human World? Can you use trains? Read signs?"

"I've been to the Human World a few times, Ivy."

"Yeah, one time a year, at night. It's broad daylight in the Human World. You need somebody who knows what's going on, and Bezata can't go through the Gateways."

Jack stared at her, unimpressed. "And you suddenly can?"

"I'm a ghost now," she argued, floating through a ceiling beam in a twirl of showmanship. "I've got to be part of Halloween now, right? The Gateways don't just let Citizens through, so maybe I can get there too."

"But what if - "

"Tell you what," Ivy interrupted, lowering herself back down to Jack's eye level. "If I can't go through the Gateways, I'll let you and somebody else go through, and I'll stay here and try to fix things on this end. But if I can get through… then you've got to let me help."

Jack cupped her cheek, anxiety churning. "Just don't make me watch you die," he begged. "I don't want to fail you twice."

"I'll be careful," she whispered back. "Just… you do the same, ok? You…" she went silent, eyes darting around before piercing his. "When I was in the shadowy place, you were what helped me remember who I was, and… and start to become something better. I don't want to lose you either, Jack."

Words hovered between them, an expression that was nearly fully formed, but Jack swallowed them back and instead pulled her close once more. She was harder to hold - his fingers kept slipping through her, and she was far too light- but she clung to him just the same, her head tucked into the side of his neck. Human children changed all the time, and this was just another one.

He wasn't sure how long he held her before a scream ripped through the house, causing them both to sigh. Ivy slipped backwards through his arms and floated over to the door, struggling with the knob for only a moment before opening it to the other monsters.

The Creature came in first, hulking mass blocking the rays of sun as he stared at Ivy, who returned his gaze coolly. After a moment the Creature broke eye contact, holding up his arm for Vlad to slip through, taking off his hood (fleece-lined) as soon as he stepped into the darkness of Jack's foyer. Bezata trailed after him, eyes darting between the Creature, Vlad, and Ivy, floating a foot above her head. She remained silent, but Jack caught her pinching her skin with the same desperation he'd seen from Ivy when she'd first arrived. Nicholas came in last, settling himself against the wall as Ivy carefully closed the door.

"Marvel?" Jack asked.

Ivy tilted her head, then dove down and kicked her leg.

"Ouch!" A voice erupted, causing Bezata to nearly leap out of her skin. "Just because you're a ghost now doesn't mean I won't find some way to crush you like a gnat!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Jack warned. He jerked his skull at Ivy and the girl rolled her eyes before gliding back over to Jack, using his shoulder as a steadying point. "Gentleman and ladies. We're here to discuss a plan to recapture and potentially eliminate the threat of the ghost."

"He's in the Human World, looking to destroy a Gateway that might lead to humans forgetting about Halloween," Ivy interjected. "It's how Bezata and I got through, and he knows that."

Vlad pressed the tips of his fingers together, eyes flickering to Bezata. "And I presume the plan is to follow him into the Human World?"

"Two points for Vlad!" Ivy cheered. "The real question is what to do with him once we get him."

"And who's 'we'?" Nicholas snarled, crossing his arms.

"Ivy and I, at least," Jack said smoothly. "Marvel, I'd like you to slip through now and meet up with us at a later point."

"Sure thing," Marvel said lazily, and there was a thump on Bezata's back that had her jump backwards into Vlad, who in turn glared at the air before her. "What's the destination? Good ol' Stuggi?"

Both Bezata and Ivy made a face of disgust.

"Wait a moment," the Creature interrupted. "Jack, you're bringing Ivy? Isn't that a tad...risky?"

Jack turned to her in triumph, but the human plowed on. "Sure, it's risky, but of everyone here, I know Ciaran best, and how to get around our hometown since Bezata here can't get back. I know where he's going and what he'll get distracted by." She paused, looking at the translucence of her hand. "Plus, I'm calling dibs on kicking his ass for killing me, so there's that."

The Creature rolled his eyes but seemed to concede to the point.

"Excuse me," Bezata said softly and with a voice fraught with hesitation. "So you're...actually dead?"

Ivy floated down to the other girl's level, making direct eye contact before catapulting herself through Nicholas. The werewolf hissed, clawing at the fur of his chest in discomfort as she passed through, snapping teeth that sank through her foggy ankles. She held out her wrist to Bezata, the strange neutrality back on her face. Reluctantly, Bezata reached forward, letting her own fingers touch the cool mist of Ivy's wrist. Almost immediately she snatched her hand back, fear coloring her cheeks.

"What am I gonna tell the polizei?" she moaned.

"Bigger fish to fry right now, Bezata," Ivy admonished, though not nearly with the bite that Jack would have expected from someone who created the bruises on the other girl's face less than a few hours ago. "Let's save the world and then worry about the polizei, 'k?"

Bezata nodded mutely.

"Where is this place he's heading?" The Creature asked, getting them back on track. Bezata and Ivy shared a glance, the answer passing between them.

"Vaihingen," Ivy answered. "The Gateway is there- at least one of them. That's where Bezata and I came through." A thought occurred to her and she spun around, pointing an accusatory finger in Jack's face. "Actually, hold on! It's the Human World in broad daylight; how are you not gonna be seen?"

"Mortals are good at overlooking things their brains don't understand," Jack said, although there was a clear hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Perhaps a slight disguise will be necessary, but-"

"A wig isn't going to make you not eight feet tall! Or me not see-through!"

"Nah, no one's gonna see you," Marvel said, taking on a tone rivaling that of a professor. "Humans almost never see actual ghosts, and when they do, they almost always dismiss them since they're not 'spooky' enough. More people see ghosts on the bus than anywhere else, but nobody's out calling Ghostbusters on every weird guy sitting in the back."

Vlad leaned over to the Creature. "Once this is over, we are revoking his Human World and movie privileges."

"Agreed," the Creature returned in the same breathless whisper.

"Ok, listen here you uncultured assholes-"

"It's Fasching."

Each head turned to Bezata, who bit her lip as though astonished at what had flown out of her mouth. There was a clamor of voices and movement, but Vlad held up his hand for silence, tilting Bezata's head until he was all the girl could see.

"Explain."

"It's- it's nothing, I'm sorry," she stammered, but Vlad hissed and flapped his hand.

"You are welcome to speak here," the vampire said, assurance clunky in his tone. "Now, explain what you mean."

"I - I just meant that Stuttgart is celebrating Fasching right now," Bezata said, tensing with each word as though expecting a strike. "So - so there's lots of people in costumes; I think there's another parade today."

"She's right!" Ivy flipped in excitement, turning to the baffled monsters. "Fasching. It's our celebration period before Lent, to drive away the, ah, evil spirits and get all the fun out of our systems before we have to repent and everything. We dress up and there's candy and -" she gasped, turning to Bezata. "That's how you got in! Fasching is similar to Halloween so the... you-know-what was open. Right?"

Jack had no idea what his human was talking about, but Bezata seemed to grasp it, nodding her head. Ivy clapped and twisted herself to face Jack once more, her face alight. "Jack - you'll fit in perfectly! We'll just nick a costume and say you're on stilts if anybody asks! It's perfect!"

"It does sound like a good opportunity," the Creature mused. "So you'll go find him there. What then?"

Ivy opened her mouth, bringing her glowing hand forward, but Jack stepped forward first, clasping his hands to draw the attention from her.

"I aim to bring him back, if I can," he said. "Not only does he have Ivy's body, but attempting to reason with or destroy him might be disastrous for the surrounding area and humans. We can bring him to justice here in Halloween."

Nicholas snorted, pointing to the carnage surrounding them. "The last time he was in Halloween, he did this!"

"So he's weak now," Jack said. "He hasn't traveled through a Gateway since he arrived in Halloween and he's possessing a stolen body. He's going to burn out, it's just a matter of finding him first."

"Ciaran in the Human World," Ivy mused. "I almost feel bad for him. Who knows what he's doing?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stuttgart, Germany

In between the Universitt and sterfeld Stations

8:20am

Ciaran was sweating.

The person had pulled two pieces of paper from an angry device mounted on the wall and muttered something about 'fares' before pulling him towards a beast of metal and noise. It had screamed to a halt, the wind nearly knocking him off the feet if it weren't for the firm grasp the person still had on the neck. Then he'd been forced into the Beast, only a hiss in the ear about attracting attention keeping him quiet as he'd been manhandled into a seat, covered in atrocious fabric and lined with wide windows and posters.

Now they were speeding along, Ciaran having no idea where, and the person had yet to take their eyes off him. They pursed their lips, leaning back and gently crossing neon nails over their mouth as they looked him over.

"Is something the matter?" Ciaran asked at last, unable to take the silence (despite the rumbling from under the feet).

They seemed to snort at that, shuffling to face Ciaran better. "Please don't throw up on this train, kid."

"I - I have no such intention of doing so," Ciaran protested. "I am simply… unsettled at the speed that this vehicle travels."

"Understandable," they said, in a tone that implied the opposite.

Light streamed in from the windows as the Beast left the underground, showing vast fields of green and a few cozy houses, joined together by biking trails and a few paved roads. Ciaran shifted to his knees and gazed out in astonishment as the ground opened up and a valley stretched before him, filled with trees and houses, a large metal spiral rising gracefully from the huddle.

"Astonishing," he said, leaning closer only to be blocked by the pane of glass. "How much the world has changed yet remained the same." He turned to his companion, who was looking at him in genuine amusement.

"What is your name, compatriot of mine?" he asked.

The pink eyebrow raised. "Reese," they said, and Ciaran blinked at the unfamiliarity of it. What did that mean? "And yours?"

"I am Ciaran," he said, then froze. "I mean -" was giving Ivy's name dangerous? The person - Reese - already seemed familiar with Ivy's appearance (at least her old one), perhaps a name would be…

"Hey, it's alright," Reese said, raising their hands placatingly. "You don't have to explain anything." Lowering their voice despite the nearly empty train car, they said, "body doesn't quite match you, does it?"

Ciaran blinked in surprise- another body stealer? Perhaps that explained Reese's strange demeanor: one like him, existing in a body unfit for their true identity.

"Absolutely!" View forgotten, Ciaran spun around on the seat once more, stumbling for only a moment. "This female form: it is limiting, and strange! If it weren't my only option, I wouldn't be using it at all."

Reese nodded enthusiastically, tapping their heels together. "I understand completely. But you know, you're allowed to change."

"Pardon?"

They gestured to Ivy's hair, hanging short around the face. "You're on a good track with that, but you can change how you act and present yourself, you know."

The train rattled around the corner and they entered a village, people in suits and backpacks clustered at the platforms. The door beeped and an overhead voice echoed with instructions, but Ciaran hardly noticed as he thought over the concept.

"I hadn't thought such drastic change could be… good," he admitted, plucking at Ivy's shirt and pulling it from the body.

"Eins nach: Herrenberg. Nchste Station: Vaihingen. Abstieg in fahrtrichtung rechts."

"It's easier once you let go of who you're used to seeing yourself as," Reese advised, sounding as wise as the Fathers Ciaran had studied under. "If you keep thinking that you have to look or act or be a certain way, then it holds you back from who you could be."

Ciaran watched as an old man shuffled past the pair, his cane knocking against every seat before he collapsed with a huff, unfurling a newspaper decorated with colorful images and print. How would he have perceived the man if he'd come in looking different, acting in a way opposing how he had?

"S-one to: Herrenberg. Next Station: Vaihingen. Doors will open on the left."

Vaihingen.

The name rattled around in Ciaran's mind, and he frowned, flapping the hand as though to dismiss it. But it was still there and Ciaran closed his eyes, hearing Ivy's voice echo.

"- Gateway is there!"

He gasped, standing from his seat. Reese looked at him in astonishment as he rushed towards the door, their large hand gripping Ivy's upper arm. "What are you doing? Sindelfingen is ways off-"

"This is where I am meant to be," he gasped. "I apologize, Good Reese, but this is where we must part." He twisted himself out of their grip, giving a short bow despite the passengers struggling to get on. "Much thanks for your assistance, but I am confident I can handle it from this point forward."

"If you say so," Reese said, twisting their wrist to see their watch. "Scheie, I don't have long before work." They looked up and sighed, giving Ciaran one final shake. "Sober up and watch out for the parade, alright?"

Ciaran gave a wave and dove out of the closing doors, stumbling over the platform and falling flat onto the asphalt. He turned over to see the orange train begin to pick up speed as it left the station, Reese giving a small nod from the window.

With a new wave of confidence, Ciaran picked himself up, spinning around and taking in the sights of towering buildings. Other passengers stared at him as he carefully descended the stone stairs, following nothing but the curve of the street and his own intuition. There was a patch of trees - perhaps in there?

A smaller train chuffed through the middle of the road, and Ciaran spared a moment to stare at it in wonder. It was quieter in this village than where he'd first landed, but through the trees he could see lights flashing. Curious, he walked forward, ignoring the fierce wind that froze the tip of Ivy's nose and caused the jacket to flap frantically. A few children were playing on a colorful structure nearby, and only the cold prevented him from stopping to marvel at the sight. It had been over 400 years since he'd seen children… he smiled as a young girl chased another around the structure, their giggles warming him better than any fire.

He slowly left the park, casting a glance up and down the road. It appeared to be another place of commerce, decorated with colorful lights and blockades that kept the road clear. There were people gathering on the sidewalks, wrapped in thick blankets and coats as they sat down on the curb.

English hit his ear and he turned to see a door swing open, a group of men leaving with rosy cheeks and small glasses. Curious, he looked at the sign hanging above and nearly felt Ivy's heart start.

Auld Rogue Irish Pub.

Ciaran's eyebrows raised. Perhaps there was no danger in a slight delay…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jack asked, looking over at Ivy, who was determinedly not looking at him.

"Sure I am," she said back, tossing her head and flexing her fingers. "Simple. Get in, find Ciaran, take him down, come back. Nothing to it."

In spite of himself, Jack smiled. "I wish you weren't coming… but I'm still glad to have you here."

Ivy met his gaze then, a look of slight indignation on her transparent features. "I'm gonna just hear the nice part of that, ok?" She reached out to feel the air around them, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "Feel any Gateways?"

"They're easier to find when silent," he reminded her gently. She huffed but obeyed, gripping his shoulder and moving with him as he began to search, his sockets closed in concentration. In a speed that had Ivy jealous he paused, his fingers shifting to a point in the air before them.

"Last chance," he whispered to his ride along, not expecting any change despite the irrational hope that she would.

Instead, she hooked herself more firmly around Jack, who in turn enveloped her with a bit of his aura to keep her close. "Let's go, Bone Boy."

With that, Jack pulled Ivy through the Gateway, and the world shifted, turned, considered the anomaly-

-then shifted to accommodate the two as one, and ghost and skeleton slipped through the Veil between worlds, leaving nothing but disturbed air behind.


Thanks for reading! Chapter 43 will be updated the week of Christmas.

Good luck on finals to all those taking them!

-Aria