Yes I'm finally updating! And ooohhhh do I have an intense chapter for you! Also, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, including some of our new fellow readers! =D Anyway, on with the chapter!

Note: Be sure to check out the gallery on the TNAB website because I've posted a picture of Black Widow, a cute drawing Elin did, and my awesome birthday present from Crimson ^_^

Jack Skellington was once again nervously pacing in his tower the next evening, glancing out the window every so often at the crescent moon.

"How on earth could this have happened!" he shouted, "I don't even know this Black Widow yet she will stop at nothing to kill me!" he nervously wringed his hands and his would-be eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of possible explanations.

"Could it have something to do with Amelia?" he asked aloud, "Did she have a run-in with that nefarious sorceress before and just never mentioned it?" He then shook his head, "No, because then Black Widow would be targeting her instead of me. So, what did I do?" he let out a frustrated groan.

"Oh this just doesn't make any sense!" he slumped into a chair next to the blazing fireplace. He closed his eyes and propped up his head in the palm of his hand.

"You will never find her…Even as we speak, she is slowly disappearing…" Black Widow's words echoed through his mind causing his eyes to snap back open. He slouched forward, putting his face in his hands.

"What did she mean by that?" he spoke barely above a whisper. "Oh Amelia…please be alright." After a moment of silence, he lifted his head with a fierce glare across his features.

"I want nothing more than to just barge into the lair and beat that vile Oogie Boogie to a pulp! If only he didn't have Black Widow on his side!" he sighed, "No wonder he recruited her. She's a formidable opponent, one who I can't hope to beat without using every spell I know." He sighed again and gazed gloomily at the ground.

"This is all my fault." he declared after a moment and he sat up straight. "I'm supposed to be the one to protect her and I just let her fall into the enemy's hands."

Zero whimpered sympathetically as he floated over to his master's side.

"I don't know Zero…if only I had gone outside to see her just a few seconds earlier I might have been able to prevent this whole disaster." He laced his bony fingers together and he propped up his chin. "But then, I might have only delayed the inevitable…"

"Well, that's all in the past now." He abruptly stood up, startling his ghostly companion. "No sense in wallowing over what could have happened. The fact of the matter is that Amelia is in trouble, and I swear on my very soul that I will save her." His determined look faltered back into worry.

"But how?" he crossed his arms and sighed, "I'll think of something…"

The ghostly canine glided up beside his master again and whined as his ears drooped.

"I miss her too, Zero, like you couldn't imagine…"

A while later Jack decided that maybe in sleep he would figure out how to rescue Amelia. Though once he was in bed, terrible thoughts about what could possibly be happening to her haunted him. Finally, his mind succumbed to tiredness and he fell asleep.

"Wha? How did I get here?" I asked no one in particular as I suddenly found myself in the hallway.

I gasped in surprise when I heard a small giggle and, curiosity once again getting the better of me, followed the sound. I carefully peered into the practice room with the mirror-lined wall. To my surprise, I saw Amelia in a breath-taking black dress spinning around. She stopped and laughed a beautiful bell-like sound. I couldn't help but smile, and then muttered a spell under my breath.

All of a sudden, the light dimmed as floating candles appeared throughout the room. Amelia paused and glanced around in a confused daze. Quietly, I entered the room.

"Good evening Amelia," my greeting apparently caught her off-guard for she gasped and turned on her heel to face me. A light blush splashed across her face, oh how I love it when that happens.

"H-hello J-Jack." She stuttered and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Forgive me if I startled you." I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I soon found myself bowing to her and then offering my hand, "Would a dance make it up to you?"

She blushed brighter at the unexpected invitation, much to my amusement. After a moment, she nodded and gently placed her hand in mine. I felt a spark as our hands touched, but I paid no mind as I pulled her close to me. I instinctively placed my free hand on her waist as hers rested on my shoulder.

"What about music?" She asked.

I couldn't help but smile and then snapped my fingers. Beautiful orchestra music filled the room which played a classical waltz tune. I knew it was the perfect song for her. I spun her in a graceful circle, pulled her back to me, and then began to lead her in the waltz. We had danced many times before, but something felt different about this one. Our movements were more graceful and fluid, more perfectly in time, but there was something coursing through me, and I could tell she felt it too.

Our gazes met once more and I felt myself becoming lost in those two cyan blue oceans. It was as though we were peering into each other's soul. Her soft, happy expression filled me with an inexpressible joy. It was something only she could do and no one else. I knew she felt the same way I did, I just knew it.

The song softly came to a close and I held her close to me, even more so than when we began. Oh how I wish I could just keep her in my arms forever. She shyly looked up at me and there was the tint of pink that would spread across her face whenever we were together like this. Before she could say anything, I held my hand between us and snapped my fingers. Within my grasp appeared a black rose. I smiled as she gazed at the flower in awe, and then carefully placed it in her soft, light brunette hair. I held back a chuckle as she turned a darker shade of red and looked away. But then, I heard her gasp softly as she stared at our reflection in the mirror-lined wall. The black rose really did accent her stunning beauty. I turned to gaze at our reflected image and smiled warmly. There was absolutely no one else in the world I would rather spend a moment like this with. She is the one I can't seem to stop thinking about, she is the one I care for so deeply, she is…

I looked away, gently cupped her chin, and turned her gaze back toward me. My eyes began to close and I found myself leaning in toward her, and she didn't seem to be pulling away. Instead, she did the same. Her eyes became half-lidded as she tilted her head up to me.

Suddenly, I didn't feel her anymore. My eyes snapped open and I gasped in surprise to find that she had vanished. But not only her, the entire room as well. I was standing alone in pitch darkness. I couldn't even see my own hand in front of my face! Quickly I conjured up a flame in the palm of my hand.

"Amelia?" I called and looked around for her, but all I couldn't see anything.

"Amelia!"

I sprinted off into the black abyss, searching for any sign of her, or of Halloween Town for that matter. I don't know how long I was running and calling her name, but after what seemed like an excruciating eternity, I saw something up ahead. I dashed toward it and the figure came into focus. I skidded to a halt, gaping at what I saw.

There stood Oogie Boogie with a triumphant sneer across his gruesome face, but to my utmost horror, the trio came into view carrying an unconscious Amelia.

"Perfect! Our plan is working like a charm!" Oogie cackled and the trio joined in with the laughter as they haphazardly dropped the sorceress to the ground.

"What's next boss?" Barrel asked giddily.

"We enlist the help of our new comrade." The monster grinned.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs and dashed toward them. But before I knew what had happened, all of them quickly faded into the blackness and I was once again left alone.

"What's going on here!" I shouted and kept turning myself around in hopes of catching a glimpse of either Oogie or Amelia.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a red light and quickly whipped around toward it. It grew brighter and brighter to the point where I had to shield my eyes. But it soon died down and a familiar laughter rang through the air. My eyes went wide and had I any blood, I'm sure it would have run cold. There before me, levitating in the air was Black Widow.

"Finally, I am free!" she shouted with evil glee. "Now I can take back what is rightfully mine and destroy that worthless excuse for a king!" she softly landed onto the ground. "And once I get Oogie out of the picture, nothing will stop me from taking control of Halloween Town and the rest of the holidays."

She let out another shrill cackle before she too faded back into the shadows. Suddenly, a high pitched scream rang out. A deathly cold chill ran through my entire body as I recognized it.

"AMELIA!"

I bolted toward the source of the sound, panting heavily from the burst of adrenaline. I came to an abrupt stop when I approached something grey and square sticking out from the ground. My breath left me entirely and I collapsed to my knees. It was a grave. It was Amelia's grave.

"No…no…No! NO!"

I held either side of my head with my hands as I became stricken with the most intense agony I have ever known. My heart was ripped to shreds and my very soul withered into nothing. Tears formed and cascaded down my face, but no longer did any sound escape me. And that's when I heard it. It was low at first but slowly grew with intensity. A wicked laugh, one so sinister, so cruel, so purely evil, that it even scared me. I looked up and the tombstone was gone. Instead, towering over me was none other than the dark sorceress, Black Widow.

"You have lost Jack. You failed. You cannot save her. It is too late and it was all because of you." Her words continued to echo over and over as she disappeared, yet they still remained after she was long gone.

"NO!" Jack had shot up in bed, his eyes wide and his hand reaching out in front of him. He remained still for several moments. He didn't even speak when Zero rushed over to him with a worry-stricken expression. The ghostly canine whimpered and nudged his master's arm. The sensation finally caused Jack to snap out of his daze.

"Huh? Wha? Zero?" he looked at his faithful friend, "It was…just a dream?" He let out a sigh of exhaustion and held his head in his skeletal hands. "No, it was a nightmare, and not the good kind." He kept quiet for a moment, then softly whispered. "Black Widow…is she going to kill Amelia?"

"Where am I?"

Amelia had finally opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was the locket sprouting spider legs and latching onto her throat. Now, she found herself standing alone, everything around her shrouded in darkness. She brought up her hand to her face and couldn't even see it. But then, she thought she noticed something and peered closer.

"What the!" she realized that her hand was transparent, barely visible at all. She glanced down and saw that her entire body was exactly the same way.

"What happened to me!" she cried and became panic-stricken. "W-What's going on! How did I get here! Why am I practically invisible!" she gasped with shock, "Am I dead!"

She placed her hand over her chest and felt her rapidly beating heart. "Okay…I'm still alive. That's a good thing…I think."

The sorceress warily stepped forward, wandering through the darkness.

"Hello?" she called, "Is anyone here? Hello?" She repeated over and over but all she got in response was her own echo. After a while she gave up and kept walking absentmindedly.

Amelia didn't know how long she had wandered, but finally she spotted something in the distance. It was a small but bright light. She hurried her pace until she was running straight at it. The object came into view and she began to slow as soon as she realized what it was.

'A mirror?' she thought but still approached it. It was indeed an old antique mirror that appeared to be hanging on an invisible wall. Cautiously, she peered inside. Instead of her reflection, or what was left of it, she saw a room. It appeared to be a young girl's bedroom by the pink wallpaper and bed. There were white dressers, matching vanity and chairs. A bookshelf filled with children's stories. The room was mostly dark except for the light that came in from the hallway outside of the door. Suddenly the room was illuminated by a nearby lamp and Amelia quickly ducked away.

"Read me a story daddy, please?" A little girl's voice asked. A masculine voice chuckled.

"Ok sweetie, what do you want to hear tonight?"

"Sleeping Beauty!"

"Alright, let me find the book…"

Amelia curiously peered back into the mirror and saw the father searching through the bookshelf as the little girl got underneath her bed covers and eagerly waited for him to begin telling the story.

The sorceress quietly slinked away but stopped when she came across another mirror. It was square, small, and rather bland-looking. Carefully Amelia peered into it and saw what looked like a pre-teen boy's room. Footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, and baseballs littered the room. Every sports poster imaginable covered the walls and several jerseys and uniforms were crammed into the closet that seemed about ready to burst open at any minute.

"You're reading her another story, dad!" a boy's voice shouted from down the hall. "She woke me up last night because she thought the wolf from Little Red Ridding Hood was in her closet!" He stormed into the room but spun on his heel when the girl responded.

"I had a nightmare!"

"That's enough you two." The father ordered. "Mike, leave your sister alone. Amy, don't wake up your brother in the middle of the night."

The two siblings grumbled and the boy closed his door. He turned and glanced at his mirror.

"What the?" he said and hurried over to it, causing Amelia to hastily dive down and away from the mirror. However, she could see him squinting at the glass.

"I guess I just imagined it…" he muttered and walked away.

The sorceress let out a sigh in relief and got up from the place she had crouched out of view.

"So the mirrors act like windows?" she asked herself, arching an eyebrow in confusion. "Does that mean I'm not even on earth anymore? Or am I in some sort of parallel dimension?" she scratched her head and continued to walk. "Well, wherever I am, I'm stuck. But if that boy could see me, maybe I can find someone who can help me. Maybe I can find a mirror to Halloween Town!"

As if on cue, several more mirrors became illuminated before her. She turned and found that she was surrounded on all sides by them as far as the eye could see.

"Well, this is going take a while…"

Dun dun DUUUNNN What on earth is this crazy authoress up to! Please review and check out TNAB's Gallery! ^_^