Quintessence by Hugs.And.Kisses (book recommendations website TXT) 📕

have abandoned me. Normally, I painted whenever I was mad. Now I couldn't even do that!

It was Aubrey's fault for being so… so… perfect all the time. She always gets all of the attention, what with her being the 'Pumpkin Princess' and all. She doesn't even like the name!

With a huff, I kicked a random bolt down the steps and went back inside. I could hear Ed and grandma in the kitchen, and I could hear Johnny and grandpa in the lab. I didn't want to be with any of them right now. So, I had everything between the floor and the elevator to the lab to be alone in. I started up the stairs.

I didn't realize how hard it was to entertain yourself when you were bored out of your mind. I'd already been to mom's old room, Igor's room (the little hunchback was out in the junkyard somewhere, I guess.), and a bunch of storage rooms. Nowhere I hadn't already been before, and nothing I hadn't seen. Sighing, I trudged up the next flight of stairs, to be face with the elevator to grandpa's lab. I frowned. Explosions and other such noises were coming from upstairs, and I really didn't feel like finding out what they were being made from. I turned slightly, and that's when I noticed the other door, at the end of the floor.

Now, I had never seen this door before. Or, if I had, I certainly hadn't noticed. Glancing at the still raised elevator, then over the banister to make sure that no one was coming, I moved down the hall swiftly, tugging on the door.

It didn't budge.

I was more curious than ever now. Tugging harder, the door slid open with a loud screech. I froze, looking both at the elevator and downstairs. Still no sign of movement whatsoever, so I attempted to squeeze through the opening in the door. I heard something tear, and once I was through, I looked down to see that my arm was falling halfway off. Sighing, I pulled a needle out of my hair (they actually make very good bobby pins) and began sewing my almost detached limb back on. Then I looked up, and my mouth dropped, along with the needle. I had somehow stumbled upon this huge library that grandpa had obviously been accumulating since he died.

"What is all of this?" I whispered, looking over the rows of books. My fingers skimmed along the titles; most of which were in foreign languages that I couldn't read; some I didn't even recognize.

"Mercy?" I jolted, then realized that it was just grandma calling me from downstairs. I slipped back out the door and peered over the railing, making sure to hide my still half-falling-off arm.

"Yes?"

She looked up at me. "Eddy and I," I could almost see Ed cringe at the nickname, "are making gingersnaps. Would you like to help?"

I paused, glancing over my shoulder. "Yeah, sure. Be down in a sec." She smiled and walked back into the kitchen. I shoved the door shut (no noise this time, thank goodness) and did a hasty stitch up job on my arm before running downstairs.

-Later that night, after the Award's Ceremony…-

"Lock, c'mon, come play with us!" Johnny pleaded, pulling on said devil-horned corpse's hand.

"Please?" Ed asked, doing much the same with the other hand.

Lock smirked down at them. "Later, I promise. Right now…" He looked over the boys' heads to see Aubrey standing on the other side of the square, talking to Shock and Sandy, who had snuck out of the underworld to come and visit Aubrey on her birthday.

Johnny and Ed looked at each other, shaking their heads. "Right now you want to go and make kissy faces at Aubrey." Johnny said, sticking out his tongue.

Lock smacked the back of his head lightly. "You won't be thinking like that when you get a girlfriend, trust me."

Ed grinned sneakily up at Lock. "So, you gonna ask her?"

Lock stared down at him, obviously trying not to look surprised. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Johnny and Ed grinned at each other before singing, "Dun, dun, du-dun, dun, dun, du-dun…"

Lock's face flushed bright red and he clapped a hand over each of their mouths. "How did you two find out?" He hissed.

Ed pulled his hand away. "It wasn't hard. I saw you shove the box in your pocket before you guys left."

"Plus," Johnny said, "It's Halloween, a.k.a Aubrey's favorite holiday and her birthday. I'm surprised no one ELSE has figured it out yet."

Lock sighed, knowing the 'we have blackmail on you' tone when he heard it. He practically invented it. "Okay, what do you want?"

Johnny grinned, tapping his chin. "Well…"

Ed clapped a hand over his brother's mouth this time. "Just go ask her."

Lock laughed. "Deal. Oh, and the candy's in my room." Both boys grinned widely and ran off toward Skellington Manor. Lock shook his head and walked over to the girls. He wrapped his arms around Aubrey's waist from behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Come dance with me."

Aubrey looked back at him. "Is that an order or a request?" Lock just rolled his eyes and spun her around to face him, pulling her over to where the band was playing.

The sudden change in music didn't go unnoticed by anyone, especially not the Pumpkin King. Sally put a hand on his arm, smiling. "Jack, look." She whispered, pointing over to Lock and Aubrey. Jack followed his wife's finger. He smiled as he watched the two twirl around the small, designated 'dance floor'.

The royal couple weren't the only ones watching. "Would you look at that?"

"Stunning."

"Such a perfect pair." Came the murmurs from the on looking crowd.

Begrudgingly, Mercy had to admit she agreed with them. Lock and Aubrey just… fit together. Not once- ONCE- had they ever practiced dancing together, but it flowed seamlessly, like they had rehearsed for hours and hours. Mercy found it ironic- considering the whole angel/devil thing- how perfect the two of them were together.

But that didn't mean she had to like it. Though even she had to admit that the way the two of them moved was stunning and completely enthralling- no one could pull their eyes away.

The music stopped before they did, though they quickly did once they realized the music was no longer playing, blushing slightly as they stepped apart, though Lock hammed it up and bowed, still holding Aubrey's hand. He pulled her toward the graveyard, the two of them easily maneuvering through the crowd and their complements.

"Lock, what are we doing out here?" Aubrey asked as her boyfriend led her through the gravestones.

"I told you, it's a surprise." He said, smiling back at her over his shoulder. He kicked the pumpkin at the base of Spiral Hill, making it uncurl and reveal the shortcut to the Hinterlands.

"Alright." Lock said, stopping suddenly. "We're here."

Aubrey looked around. All she saw were the dead Hinterland trees. "Lock, where are we?"

He smirked over at her. "What, you don't recognize it?" Aubrey began to shake her head, then looked around again. The place did seem oddly familiar. The trees seemed to be standing in a ring around the clearing, and there were crows circling overhead.

Her eyes widened. "This is…"

"Where the door was." Lock confirmed. "The first place I ever met you. Remember?"

She laughed. "How could I forget that? You, Shock, and Barrel tried to kidnap me to feed to Oogie."

Lock chuckled slightly. "Yeah. I ever apologize for that?"

"Not really, but you made up for it by saving my life. Three times." Aubrey frowned, giving Lock a confused look. "Lock, why are we out here? Why are you bringing all this up?"

Lock took his hand out of Aubrey's, slipping it in his pocket. "I just thought that this would be the best place to ask you."

If anything, Aubrey got more confused. "Ask me? Lock, ask me…" She stopped, her eyes widening in realization as they flicked between Lock's face and the hand he had hidden in his pocket. "Lock?"

Lock closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pulling his hand out of his pocket. With his free hand, he took Aubrey's wrist and placed a small, red velvet box in her hand. "Open your present." He said quietly.

Aubrey looked down at the box in her hand, forgetting how to breathe for several moments. Not that she needed it, but still. Her hands were shaking as she opened the lid of the box, and she gasped as she saw what was inside, a hand going up to cover her mouth. On the black velvet cushion sat a shining silver ring. In its setting (which had been made to look like a thorny vine, the thorns holding in the gem) was a crimson stone that was cut so that when light hit it, a flame appeared to be dancing inside the solid rock.

Lock wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. "La pierre de feu. The fire rock. It's the same thing that the gem in your necklace is made out of." Aubrey looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide. He let go of her and walked back around to face her again, taking the box out of her hands and the ring out of the box. "Aubrey." She looked up at him, her eyes staying on his face as he went down to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

It took several tries for Aubrey to speak, but finally she managed. "Yes." She whispered. "Yes, yes, oh, Lock, yes!"

"Barrel, stop attempting to be sneaky. It doesn't work." Shock sighed, looking up from her book and over her shoulder at said boy.

Barrel grinned and plopped down next to her. "Why are you all the way out here? I thought you liked parties." 'Here' happened to be the bottom steps of Skellington Manor, where Shock was sitting.

She rolled her eyes. "I did before Sandy had to leave. Lock and Aubrey still haven't come back and they're standing right behind me aren't they?" Barrel nodded. Shock took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Shutting her book, she stood up and turned around, glaring at the couple. "How many times have I told you not to-" The witch stopped suddenly, her mouth falling open.

Barrel peered around at Shock's face. She had her eyes fixed on something intently. Following his girlfriend's gaze, Barrel suddenly realized what she was staring at. The silver ring that was resting on Aubrey's finger.

"Holy crap." He finally managed to get out. That, however, was about the same time as Shock let out a very loud squeal and tackled Aubrey, consequently sending both girls falling to the ground.

"Ow… Shock, that hurt…" Aubrey groaned, extricating herself from beneath the witch.

Shock just laughed and hugged her again. "Congrats." Then, she turned around and glared half-heartedly at Lock. "Took you long enough!"

Lock smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets and shrugging. "I was trying to figure out how to tell Jack."

"Tell Jack what?" Lock leapt around in surprise to see the Pumpkin King and Queen standing behind him, a look of wry amusement on said King's face.

Aubrey stood up and walked over to stand next to Lock. "You tell him or I will." She warned/threatened, her hand conveniently hidden by the fact that she was hugging Lock's arm.