Jareth sat on his throne, spinning a crystal without a second thought. Glancing into the smooth
surface, he wondered what his listians were up to and why he wasn't invited. He watched with
interest as they broke up into teams, a smile crossing his face when he realized they needed him.
Disappearing in the blink of an eye, Jareth made his way to where they waited unknowingly for
his royalness to appear.
"We're still short people," Leelee pointed out, glancing around at everyone. "I can't believe it!"
She tossed the glove into the air.
"Oh come on Lisee, it's only a silly game," Jade replied, fidgeting with her glove.
"Yeah, we can make due with who we've got." Selah interjected, her brown hair sweeping across
her shoulders.
"Perhaps I could be of assistance here?" Jareth's voice called from behind them.
The group turned around to see Jareth standing there with a wide grin on his face. They couldn't
believe what they saw. There stood Jareth in sneakers, a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt, holding
a glove in one hand and a bat in the other.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Kara asked, embarrassed by his appearance.
"Just check out his getup," Smut Queen cackled. "Not too bad, Jareth. Is that the jump me,
ravage me' look?"
Jareth raised a stern brow. "I'll have you know, I came here to play ball." He replied.
"Play with your balls?" Essy questioned, only hearing half of it.
"I don't know why I bother with you people," he sighed.
"Because you love the torment," Dee countered happily.
"Oh come on Jareth, it's only a spot of fun," Gemma laughed.
"Yeah, where else are you gonna be so loved?" Jen asked.
"In the Underground of course," he replied. In an instant the stands were full of spectators to
take in the events of the game, and a small squad of cheerers appeared to the left.
It seemed that Jareth had his own personal cheerleading squad. Oh, those poor goblins with their
pom-poms and bouncing wigs. Selah rolled her eyes as Essy laughed at the spectacle.
"Oh look, he's pimping his goblins now!" Leelee shouted, her voice cracking with laughter.
Jareth glared at her outburst, swearing beneath his breath about ungrateful listians and their
warped minds. "Let the game begin," he purred, watching the women waiting patiently for him to
get out of their way. Little did they realize that he intended to play.
"Off the field, tights." Dee cut in, waving her hand in an attempt to shoo him away.
"I do believe I heard you say that you were short players," Jareth countered, looking over them
with a wicked smile.
"Well..." Fairy began, unsure how to tell him he wasn't actually invited.
"Fine, that's settled." Jareth stated before anyone had a chance to protest further. "Whose team
am I on?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
The women glanced at each other and talked softly. The occasional he can't' was heard amongst
other questionable ideas that Essy and Leelee thought up. Five minutes were spent trying to
decide who the unlucky ones were to be. After much argument, they were divided into two
teams, and Jareth was upset by the fact that his own daughter didn't want to be on his team.
Up in the stands, goblins and other undergroundlings sat and waited in anticipation of the
impending event. Willum sat quietly munching on his giant bag of popcorn, while the lichen hung
tight to a nearby pole. When the buzzer sounded the crowd cheered as Sir Didymus walked to
Home plate.
"Let the game begin!" Didymus called gallantly, as the players filed onto the field. "You should
all know the rules," he began, speaking clearly then continued, "that means no cheating, no
stealing, and no magic." He finished, his gaze landing on Jareth. "Sorry, your majesty, but rules
are rules."
Jareth glared; playing without the aid of magic would hinder his performance. Grinning, he
nodded to the Ref, Sir Didymus, and ducked into the dugout. Walking clear to the other end, he
looked suspiciously across the other team, wondering what weakness he could find.
Hoggle, stepped up sheepishly toward home plate, a bat held in his cumbersome hands. His hands
shaking, he wished Jareth had left him back spraying those pesky faeries. Stepping into the
batter's box, his eyes grew wide when he realized just what he was in for. They were going to
throw a ball at him!
Jade stood on the mound, holding the ball in her glove and waiting patiently for Kara to get into
position. Glancing around, Leelee smiled from first, Dee pouted on second because she wanted
to play third base and Paola held down third. Looking back toward home plate, Jade watched her
catcher closely.
Kara crouched behind Hoggle, grinning behind her mask. "Looks like you made the big leagues,
Hogwart." She said as she watched Jade's release.
"The name's Hoggle!" he bit back, turning to look at her.
"Strike one!" Didymus called out.
"Wha? Cor, I wasn't ready." Hoggle stated.
"Better play closer attention Higgle," Kara spoke softly.
"Oh the name's Hoggle!"
"Strike two!" Didymus stated.
Hoggle looked back toward the dugout where he spotted a fuming Jareth.
"Pay attention Heggle!" Jareth called, wondering why he let the little dwarf play. When he heard
the words, strike three' and you're out', his anger boiled over. He was going to ruin their
chances of winning. "You're up Christy, don't disappoint me," Jareth growled.
"Will he never learn?" She questioned herself softly as she walked toward the batter box. "Heya
Jadey!" She called pleasantly, waving.
"Shut up Christy! This isn't a social call," Jareth's stern voice called from the dugout.
"Yeah...yeah...yeah you big lug," She laughed. "Hiya Kara. Lucky you got out of playing with
your dad. How'd you manage that one?"
"Strike one!"
"Christy!" Selah yelled. "Come on!"
Christy glanced back and smiled sweetly, before turning her attention back to the pitcher. Jade let
the ball go and she waited patiently for it. Closer...closer... Christy swung the bat, just nicking
the ball.
"Strike two!"
"Where's my chain saw?! I have a head to add to my cupboard!" Essy shouted.
"This isn't as easy as it looks you know," Christy shouted, her eyes focusing on the ball again.
Jade threw the ball and this time the bat made contact, only to pop it up into the air.
Gemma ran forward from shortstop yelling, "I got it!" and caught it easily. With a huge grin, she
strutted her stuff, mighty pleased with herself. Tossing the ball back to Jade, she went back
where she belonged, awaiting the next batter.
Essy stepped out of the dugout, standing proud and tall as only a Sith could do. Picking a bat,
she ran her hand along the surface as though she knew exactly what she was doing. With a smug
grin, she started for home plate.
"Go get em Easy!" Selah called out.
"DCME!" She retorted quickly, not once glancing back. Stepping up to the base, she stared back
at the lightsider holding the ball. "Give it your best shot," she grinned.
The ball flew through the air, floating high. Essy watched it in anticipation. She could hit it. No
lightsider would get best of her. The ball suddenly dropped, it's trajectory completely catching
Essy off guard. Swinging, her bat just missed the ball as it fell into Kara's mitt.
"Strike one!" Didymus called out.
Essy turned around and glared. "How do you know? You're too short to see the proper zone!"
She threw back.
"Strike two!" he stated.
Essy spun around. "You could have at least waited until I was ready!"
"Now, now, Easy." Kara pushed with a slight chuckle.
Essy couldn't take it. Her anger had swelled up until finally she just couldn't contain it any longer.
The ball flew in front of her, her bat swinging and hitting it firmly, sending it flying through the air
toward left field. Essy took off like a shot, running at top speed toward first base.
Smut Queen watched the ball fall and bounce in front of her. Picking it up, she threw it to
Gemma who threw it to Dee.
Essy collided with Leelee, knocking her to the ground. "Watch it apprentice," Essy remarked,
getting to her feet and brushing the dirt from her clothes.
"Yes master," Leelee answered swiftly.
Jareth walked out of the dugout, his shoes trudging the distance toward home plate. A smug
smile in place, he ignored shouts from Gemma asking whether or not he missed his tights. He
pushed aside the rude comments Leelee and Dee shot between each other. Finally coming to
stand in the batters box, he was ready to show them what he had.
"Why don't you give up now, Dad?" Kara's voice asked, trying to throw him off track.
"Dear, do be a good girl and shut up," he countered, watching the pitch leave Jade's hand. His
eyes followed the ball as it came closer, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. Without
hesitation he swung, knocking the ball out into center field where Mairead tried desperately to
catch it, but the ball tipped the mitt and fell to the ground behind her.
Jareth ran, well as best he could, after all he is a king and doesn't have a set exercise regimen.
Essy ran a base ahead, and Dee tripped her as she rounded second base, but was back up and
running to reach third in no time flat. Jareth rounded first base but not before Leelee planted a
swift pat on his posterior. Mildly shocked, he ran towards second, seeing Mairead throwing the
ball back, he just had to make it. The ball landed in Dee's glove as Jareth touched the base, but in
his exuberance to excel he over ran it.
"Get back to base you jerk!" Essy screamed, standing on third.
Jareth's eyes widened as he realized just how precarious his position was. He started back toward
second only to have Dee lash out at him with her mitt. Jareth narrowly escaped her try and
headed back toward first. Dee threw the ball to Leelee and Jareth stopped dead in his tracks.
Before he knew it, he was tagged out and Essy was retrieving her chain saw.
Minutes later, and after Essy was separated from her chain saw, the teams switched the field.
Jareth took the mound, an evil smile on his face. His turn had come to make them look bad. He
looked at his team. The Sith covered first, Spidey had second and his wonderful Selah was
shortstop, just like Snoopy. With a grin, he called to Selah.
"Selah, come here a moment," Jareth watched her trot toward the mound; as she came to stand in
front of him, he surprised her with the unexpected and sent her back to shortstop.
After the initial shock wore off, Selah's temper flared. "Do you know what he did?" she called
out to Fairy who was covering center field. Fairy shook her head waiting for Selah to continue,
which she did. "He called me out there for a secret conference, so I go out there for this secret
conference on the mound, and do you know what he does?" Again Fairy shook her head, and
Selah continued angrily. "HE KISSED ME ON THE NOSE!"
Fairy couldn't help but laugh as did anyone else who heard the ordeal. Jen held her sides in left
field, she laughed so hard. Poor Hoggle, clear over in right field was the last to hear, and then
even he cracked up.
"Yeah, sure.... laugh it up," she mumbled, putting her glove on and smacking the mitt with her
hand. She watched the first batter take a bat and head for the batter's box.
Gemma stood next to home plate trying concentrate on hitting the ball. Glancing back at the
catcher, she smiled at Christy then turned around to face Jareth. His eyes staring back at her so
cold and calculating almost made her shiver.
Clutching the bat firmly, she breathed in, holding it until finally she swung the bat making contact.
With a small grunt, she hit it with all her might, sending it flying into center field. Releasing the
bat quickly, she ran to first in no time and stood there grinning back at Jareth's glare. Without a
second thought, she blew him a kiss that only made him angrier.
Essy pushed Gemma from the base and snickered from the look of shock. "What?" she asked
innocently.
Dee stepped up to bat shaking her head. "Jareth the pitcher? What a laugh." she snickered,
holding the bat ready.
Jareth had prior intentions before the ball ever left his hand. There in front of him was one of the
most wicked women ever to walk the Earth. He released the ball and sent it flying wildly toward
the batter. In a matter of tick tocks, the ball made contact...but not with the bat.
"Dammit that hurt!" she bellowed, walking toward the mound, bat in hand.
"Player takes first!" Didymus stated, letting a sigh of relief escape his lips as Dee tossed the bat
back.
"Jareth! How can you just walk her?" Selah asked, knowing that this game would be over quickly
if he kept it up.
Jareth didn't reply, instead he watched the next batter step up to the plate. Smirking, he knew
she'd be an easy out. Pitching the ball, his ears beheld an annoying sound...one of the ball being
hit as it buzzed past his ear.
Leelee ran quickly toward first, bestowing the same meeting that her master once did: she plowed
her over. Standing on the base, she smiled as she thought of slaying her master and how easy it
would be at this moment.
Essy got to her feet, anger flashing in her eyes. "How dare you apprentice?" she seethed.
"All the better to hone your rage, master." she replied, waving at the patrons in the stands.
Jade grabbed a bat and walked up to the box. She pitied any pitcher that threw her a ball.
Swinging the bat lightly, she waited for Jareth to throw the first pitch. As the ball left his hand, all
she could think of was how sorry he was going to be. The bat thudded against the ball as it went
screaming straight back at Jareth.
Jareth had no time to react. Before he knew it, the ball had hit him hard and below the belt
sending him faltering backwards to land on the ground. His loose tee shirt flew off to land on
Spidey's hat.
"Get it off!" She wailed, flinging it away as the runners ran past.
Gemma flew across home plate followed by Dee. Leelee ran towards third, past shortstop only to
have Selah bite her on the ankle. "What the hell are you, a dog?" she cried, out making it to third
before Jareth regained his composure.
Selah grinned. "I'm Snoopy today!"
Leelee shook her head and sighed.
"You're going to pay for that," Jareth threatened Jade, who stood on second. Turning around to
face the next batter, his face turned red at the next comment to fly at him.
"That's why real men wear a cup!" Smut Queen shouted, picking up a bat. Her batting only lasted
a whole three seconds as she popped it up and Christy caught it.
"Batter's out!" Didymus stated, much to the dismay of the batter.
SQ walked back to the dugout mumbling about catchers and their teasing with stories. Passing
Kara along the way, she smiled before disappearing back into the dugout.
Kara smiled and walked up to the plate. Noting who was where, she was ready to show her
father what she was made of. The bat struck the ball, flinging it into right field to the
unsuspecting Hoggle.
"Get the ball Hoghead!" Jareth roared as his daughter rounded the bases, pushing the runners in
one by one. He couldn't believe it. Leave it to his own flesh and blood to do this to him. This
was war.
Hoggle ran as quickly as his short little legs could carry him. The ball dropped from the sky to hit
him in the head. Rubbing the tender spot, he picked it up and threw it toward Essy...at least that's
where he aimed, but managed to toss it between first and second.
"Can't you do anything right Higgle?" Jareth roared, retrieving the ball and holding Kara off at
second. "You're grounded!" he stated, pointing at her with an angered expression.
"You can't ground me, I'm an adult!" she shot back, crossing her arms across her chest.
Jareth swung around angrily. "Kids!" he muttered, watching the next batter walk up to the plate.
Oh his little peanut, how he'd missed her.
Paola stood, just a short little thing that she was, by home plate and waited. A few minutes later,
she was back in the dugout. "I can't believe he struck me out!" she seethed. "Can you onna?" she
asked.
"Calm down Paola." Jade said, glancing out at the stands.
A goblin peddled his hotdogs to the spectators. Up and down the stands he walked, calling out to
whomever would listen. "Hotdogs! Peanuts! Popcorn!" Making his rounds, his pockets would
be full of money when this was all said and done. The king getting his butt whooped by a bunch
of women is something everyone wants to see and will thoroughly enjoy. Why not make a profit
from his misfortune? Snickering, he continued on his way, stopping briefly to watch the game
commence.
Mairead stood at the plate, holding the bat in her hands. She heard Selah yell from shortstop that
she'd be an easy out, and wasn't too fond of the idea of giving in so quickly. Swinging at the
approaching ball, she nicked it, sending if flying back against the cage.
"Foul. Strike one." Didymus stated.
"You can do it Mai!" Dee shouted from the dugout.
"Shut up you!" Jareth bit back.
"Make me, tightsboy." she replied, grasping the fencing trying to antagonize him.
Jareth started from the mound toward her, only to have Selah pull him back. "Cut it out! Do you
want to forfeit this game? Over a petty little thing like this?"
"But she dared me!" He growled.
"So? I dare you to ignore her!" Selah shot back. For an instant she wondered if he would
actually consider her idea, but then was relieved when he started back for the mound.
"Chicken!" Dee shouted, then began making clucking sounds.
"I'll kill her!" Jareth fumed, turning around and having Selah's nose hit him square in the chest.
"Ow!" she screamed at him. Pushing him backwards, she was determined to make him listen.
"Now get your scrawny butt back on that mound and pitch!" she bit out, handing him the ball.
"Fine," he replied, then continued with a grin. "After the game, I'll kill her."
Selah threw her hands in the air and took up her position. Watching Jareth throw the ball, she
imagined many things that would make a sailor blush with shame. Thoughts of Jedi filled her
mind as Mai's ball came flying toward her. Quickly, she snatched it from its flight, to make the
third out. Running toward the dugout, she dropped the ball on the mound and nearly tripped over
Jareth's big feet.
"Stay out of my way," she mumbled, jogging on. Once inside the dugout, she sat down and
groaned when he sat down beside her. "What do you want?"
"Nothing," he grinned, watching the players on the field.
"What are you grinning for? You suck at this Jareth." she replied, jumping to her feet as she
realized she was up.
"Good luck Ziggy." he offered.
"Who needs luck? I've got the Force!" she grinned, running out and up to the plate. Swinging
the bat, she knew she was a good athlete. Nothing to it. She swung once more for practice,
making Kara duck as she blindsided Didymus and knocked him off his feet. Realizing what she
had done, she helped him back up and apologizing all the while.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The game continued on, the players making the other team miserable as they went along.
Tripping, biting, pushing...anything they could do to slow the other team down they did it.
Jareth's teams, the Llamas, were being skunked by the Tigers by the end of the fourth inning.
Jareth's batting abilities seemed almost nonexistent since his pitching to killer hitters took it's toll.
"What's wrong with you Jareth?" Essy asked, her Sithly nature still vigorously fighting to keep
them in the game.
"Nothing," he replied, thinking twice about joining in this game. They were making fools of him,
and so far the only good thing was the little secret conference he had with Selah on the mound.
"He's just being a baby," Selah interjected. "He wanted to be all big and bad and know what? He
isn't. He sucks at softball, but won't admit when he's wrong so we're all going to lose because of
it."
"If we lose, it won't be because of me!" he shot back, not at all pleased with the conversation.
"Will too!" Selah pushed.
"Will not!" he replied.
"Jareth, you haven't hit the ball but once this whole game," Jen offered.
"What do you know?" he seethed.
"That you can't bat worth a damn?" Jen laughed as she left for her turn at bat.
"She's right Jareth. We all hit better than you. Catch better than you-"
"Shut up Christy!" he bit back.
"I was only trying to help," she smiled sweetly.
"Batter out!" Didymus' voice carried into the dugout.
"I should have known better than to let Higgle play," Jareth spat.
"I bet you can't get a home run by the end of the game," Selah spoke, her voice serious.
"What?" Jareth replied.
"You heard me Glitterboy." Selah stated, placing her hands on her hips. "You get a home run,
and I'll give you the kiss of your life!"
Jareth could scarcely believe his ears. Did she actually offer to kiss him? Yes, she did. A sly
smile broke out across his face at the prospect of the supposed prize. "Deal, better pucker up
buttercup. I'll be collecting that kiss at the end of the game," he replied, getting up to bat.
A few minutes later he returned to a snickering dugout. "Not a word," he warned. Sitting down,
he shook his head in disappointment. Struck out again, oh the humiliation.
"You won't win batting like that tights," Jen said, just ducking his arm as he swung to shut her up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whoo hoo! Seventh inning and we're ahead by twenty!" Leelee shouted happily, dancing around
like a loon.
"Calm down. The game's not over yet." Mairead replied. "Then again, there's no way they could
catch us."
"They have a snowball's chance in hell of catching us!" SQ laughed, knowing that Jareth must be
burning up over the loss. "What do you suppose Tights is thinking right now?"
"The best way to kill Dee for the chicken thing?" Gemma offered. "Leelee, you're up."
"Thanks," she replied, trotting off to try hitting Jareth again to see if his clothes fell off that easily
all the time.
"If we win, which we will, I say we celebrate!" Gemma giggled.
"I say we rub it in Jareth's face that he lost to a group of women," Paola threw in.
"Yeah!" they cheered in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Top of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded and the Llamas trailing by fifteen. Ludo stood at the
scoreboard wondering if he would turn another number or not. Shaking his head as he saw his
king walk up to bat, he expected it to be over in the blink of an eye.
Jareth held the bat ready, knowing this was his last chance to prove himself. He heard Selah
shout to Essy on first that they may as well pack up and leave right now. Gritting his teeth, he
had only one chance at this.
Jareth watched as Jade let the ball fly into the air. Everything seemed to slow down, moving in
slow motion. Jareth swung the bat, making contact and sending the ball flying.
"No no no no no no!!!" Selah cried out in disbelief, her eyes watching the ball fly over the fence.
She stood there shocked as the runners rounded the bases, passing her on their way to the dugout.
Jareth ran across home and smiled at her, knowing she owed him something. "Shuddup." She
smirked, walking up to bat.
Selah swung her bat in a practice swing, this time both Kara and Didymus moved back until she
was ready. As the ball came toward her, her concentration was shattered.
"You owe me a kiss Selah!" he yelled.
Selah lost her train of thought as she hit the ball. Normally, she could have hit into left field, but
this time, thanks to Jareth and his big mouth, she popped it up to Gemma who made the last out.
"We won!" Gemma bounced with glee, holding her glove tightly to her chest.
"That really whipped the Llamas ass!" Dee shouted happily.
Selah stood there dumbfounded, then realized that it was all Jareth's fault. Turning around, she
charged at him, bat in hand. "Why did you do that?!" she yelled.
"Give it up Selah, we were going to lose anyway." Fairy replied, heading out onto the field to
congratulate the other team.
All the other team members rushed out onto the field past them, except Essy. Essy had made her
way to the stands and was having an in depth conversation with Willum and sharing his salted
popcorn.
"I believe you owe me...a kiss." Jareth stated. Smirking at the look on her face, he took her hand
and pulled her toward the dugout. "A little privacy, don't you think?" Selah nodded briefly before
disappearing with him.
Hoggle walked slowly back toward the dugout, feeling a bit sorry for how terrible a player he
was. Taking one step into the dugout, Hoggle stopped dead in his tracks and instantly covered
his eyes. "Cor, get a room!" he said, backing away.
Selah pulled away from Jareth gasping for breath. Getting to her feet, she smoothed her shirt and
glanced out across the field. Thankfully nobody missed her yet.
"Way to go Ziggy! Whoo hoo, can we see that in instant replay?" Leelee shouted, pointing to a
camera in Dee's hand.
Selah flushed bright red, knowing that she would never live this down. Running from the dugout,
she chased Dee down to try and get that camera, while everyone else laughed and had a blast.
An hour later, after Dee had put her camera in a safe place, things got back to normal. At least as
normal as they could be considering. Jade, Kara, Selah, Gemma and Christy roasted
marshmallows over a fire compliments of the fierys. Dee, Leelee, SQ, Essy and Spidey stood
around their latest masterpeice.
"I think it's a job well done," Essy stated, cocking her head to the side.
"I agree," Leelee threw in, a wicked smile on her face.
"Oh now what do you say we have a little fun?" SQ replied, reaching forward slightly.
"This is wicked!" Dee grinned.
"Whose idea was it again to tie him to this pole?" Spidey asked, her eyes flashing misheiviously.
"Girls!" Jareth shreiked as his pants fell down around his ankles. His next plea fell silent as they
went about their business showing him the delight of being a man within their grasp.
As the night progressed, many of them watched the fireworks that filled the sky, others were
more interested in Jareth's fireworks'. Soon, they all had to go their separate ways, leaving
Jareth standing alone in the dark still tied to the pole.
"Hello?" he cried out. "Blasted listians. Love me then leave me, just like Snoopy and Teddy." he
whined.
surface, he wondered what his listians were up to and why he wasn't invited. He watched with
interest as they broke up into teams, a smile crossing his face when he realized they needed him.
Disappearing in the blink of an eye, Jareth made his way to where they waited unknowingly for
his royalness to appear.
"We're still short people," Leelee pointed out, glancing around at everyone. "I can't believe it!"
She tossed the glove into the air.
"Oh come on Lisee, it's only a silly game," Jade replied, fidgeting with her glove.
"Yeah, we can make due with who we've got." Selah interjected, her brown hair sweeping across
her shoulders.
"Perhaps I could be of assistance here?" Jareth's voice called from behind them.
The group turned around to see Jareth standing there with a wide grin on his face. They couldn't
believe what they saw. There stood Jareth in sneakers, a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt, holding
a glove in one hand and a bat in the other.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Kara asked, embarrassed by his appearance.
"Just check out his getup," Smut Queen cackled. "Not too bad, Jareth. Is that the jump me,
ravage me' look?"
Jareth raised a stern brow. "I'll have you know, I came here to play ball." He replied.
"Play with your balls?" Essy questioned, only hearing half of it.
"I don't know why I bother with you people," he sighed.
"Because you love the torment," Dee countered happily.
"Oh come on Jareth, it's only a spot of fun," Gemma laughed.
"Yeah, where else are you gonna be so loved?" Jen asked.
"In the Underground of course," he replied. In an instant the stands were full of spectators to
take in the events of the game, and a small squad of cheerers appeared to the left.
It seemed that Jareth had his own personal cheerleading squad. Oh, those poor goblins with their
pom-poms and bouncing wigs. Selah rolled her eyes as Essy laughed at the spectacle.
"Oh look, he's pimping his goblins now!" Leelee shouted, her voice cracking with laughter.
Jareth glared at her outburst, swearing beneath his breath about ungrateful listians and their
warped minds. "Let the game begin," he purred, watching the women waiting patiently for him to
get out of their way. Little did they realize that he intended to play.
"Off the field, tights." Dee cut in, waving her hand in an attempt to shoo him away.
"I do believe I heard you say that you were short players," Jareth countered, looking over them
with a wicked smile.
"Well..." Fairy began, unsure how to tell him he wasn't actually invited.
"Fine, that's settled." Jareth stated before anyone had a chance to protest further. "Whose team
am I on?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
The women glanced at each other and talked softly. The occasional he can't' was heard amongst
other questionable ideas that Essy and Leelee thought up. Five minutes were spent trying to
decide who the unlucky ones were to be. After much argument, they were divided into two
teams, and Jareth was upset by the fact that his own daughter didn't want to be on his team.
Up in the stands, goblins and other undergroundlings sat and waited in anticipation of the
impending event. Willum sat quietly munching on his giant bag of popcorn, while the lichen hung
tight to a nearby pole. When the buzzer sounded the crowd cheered as Sir Didymus walked to
Home plate.
"Let the game begin!" Didymus called gallantly, as the players filed onto the field. "You should
all know the rules," he began, speaking clearly then continued, "that means no cheating, no
stealing, and no magic." He finished, his gaze landing on Jareth. "Sorry, your majesty, but rules
are rules."
Jareth glared; playing without the aid of magic would hinder his performance. Grinning, he
nodded to the Ref, Sir Didymus, and ducked into the dugout. Walking clear to the other end, he
looked suspiciously across the other team, wondering what weakness he could find.
Hoggle, stepped up sheepishly toward home plate, a bat held in his cumbersome hands. His hands
shaking, he wished Jareth had left him back spraying those pesky faeries. Stepping into the
batter's box, his eyes grew wide when he realized just what he was in for. They were going to
throw a ball at him!
Jade stood on the mound, holding the ball in her glove and waiting patiently for Kara to get into
position. Glancing around, Leelee smiled from first, Dee pouted on second because she wanted
to play third base and Paola held down third. Looking back toward home plate, Jade watched her
catcher closely.
Kara crouched behind Hoggle, grinning behind her mask. "Looks like you made the big leagues,
Hogwart." She said as she watched Jade's release.
"The name's Hoggle!" he bit back, turning to look at her.
"Strike one!" Didymus called out.
"Wha? Cor, I wasn't ready." Hoggle stated.
"Better play closer attention Higgle," Kara spoke softly.
"Oh the name's Hoggle!"
"Strike two!" Didymus stated.
Hoggle looked back toward the dugout where he spotted a fuming Jareth.
"Pay attention Heggle!" Jareth called, wondering why he let the little dwarf play. When he heard
the words, strike three' and you're out', his anger boiled over. He was going to ruin their
chances of winning. "You're up Christy, don't disappoint me," Jareth growled.
"Will he never learn?" She questioned herself softly as she walked toward the batter box. "Heya
Jadey!" She called pleasantly, waving.
"Shut up Christy! This isn't a social call," Jareth's stern voice called from the dugout.
"Yeah...yeah...yeah you big lug," She laughed. "Hiya Kara. Lucky you got out of playing with
your dad. How'd you manage that one?"
"Strike one!"
"Christy!" Selah yelled. "Come on!"
Christy glanced back and smiled sweetly, before turning her attention back to the pitcher. Jade let
the ball go and she waited patiently for it. Closer...closer... Christy swung the bat, just nicking
the ball.
"Strike two!"
"Where's my chain saw?! I have a head to add to my cupboard!" Essy shouted.
"This isn't as easy as it looks you know," Christy shouted, her eyes focusing on the ball again.
Jade threw the ball and this time the bat made contact, only to pop it up into the air.
Gemma ran forward from shortstop yelling, "I got it!" and caught it easily. With a huge grin, she
strutted her stuff, mighty pleased with herself. Tossing the ball back to Jade, she went back
where she belonged, awaiting the next batter.
Essy stepped out of the dugout, standing proud and tall as only a Sith could do. Picking a bat,
she ran her hand along the surface as though she knew exactly what she was doing. With a smug
grin, she started for home plate.
"Go get em Easy!" Selah called out.
"DCME!" She retorted quickly, not once glancing back. Stepping up to the base, she stared back
at the lightsider holding the ball. "Give it your best shot," she grinned.
The ball flew through the air, floating high. Essy watched it in anticipation. She could hit it. No
lightsider would get best of her. The ball suddenly dropped, it's trajectory completely catching
Essy off guard. Swinging, her bat just missed the ball as it fell into Kara's mitt.
"Strike one!" Didymus called out.
Essy turned around and glared. "How do you know? You're too short to see the proper zone!"
She threw back.
"Strike two!" he stated.
Essy spun around. "You could have at least waited until I was ready!"
"Now, now, Easy." Kara pushed with a slight chuckle.
Essy couldn't take it. Her anger had swelled up until finally she just couldn't contain it any longer.
The ball flew in front of her, her bat swinging and hitting it firmly, sending it flying through the air
toward left field. Essy took off like a shot, running at top speed toward first base.
Smut Queen watched the ball fall and bounce in front of her. Picking it up, she threw it to
Gemma who threw it to Dee.
Essy collided with Leelee, knocking her to the ground. "Watch it apprentice," Essy remarked,
getting to her feet and brushing the dirt from her clothes.
"Yes master," Leelee answered swiftly.
Jareth walked out of the dugout, his shoes trudging the distance toward home plate. A smug
smile in place, he ignored shouts from Gemma asking whether or not he missed his tights. He
pushed aside the rude comments Leelee and Dee shot between each other. Finally coming to
stand in the batters box, he was ready to show them what he had.
"Why don't you give up now, Dad?" Kara's voice asked, trying to throw him off track.
"Dear, do be a good girl and shut up," he countered, watching the pitch leave Jade's hand. His
eyes followed the ball as it came closer, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. Without
hesitation he swung, knocking the ball out into center field where Mairead tried desperately to
catch it, but the ball tipped the mitt and fell to the ground behind her.
Jareth ran, well as best he could, after all he is a king and doesn't have a set exercise regimen.
Essy ran a base ahead, and Dee tripped her as she rounded second base, but was back up and
running to reach third in no time flat. Jareth rounded first base but not before Leelee planted a
swift pat on his posterior. Mildly shocked, he ran towards second, seeing Mairead throwing the
ball back, he just had to make it. The ball landed in Dee's glove as Jareth touched the base, but in
his exuberance to excel he over ran it.
"Get back to base you jerk!" Essy screamed, standing on third.
Jareth's eyes widened as he realized just how precarious his position was. He started back toward
second only to have Dee lash out at him with her mitt. Jareth narrowly escaped her try and
headed back toward first. Dee threw the ball to Leelee and Jareth stopped dead in his tracks.
Before he knew it, he was tagged out and Essy was retrieving her chain saw.
Minutes later, and after Essy was separated from her chain saw, the teams switched the field.
Jareth took the mound, an evil smile on his face. His turn had come to make them look bad. He
looked at his team. The Sith covered first, Spidey had second and his wonderful Selah was
shortstop, just like Snoopy. With a grin, he called to Selah.
"Selah, come here a moment," Jareth watched her trot toward the mound; as she came to stand in
front of him, he surprised her with the unexpected and sent her back to shortstop.
After the initial shock wore off, Selah's temper flared. "Do you know what he did?" she called
out to Fairy who was covering center field. Fairy shook her head waiting for Selah to continue,
which she did. "He called me out there for a secret conference, so I go out there for this secret
conference on the mound, and do you know what he does?" Again Fairy shook her head, and
Selah continued angrily. "HE KISSED ME ON THE NOSE!"
Fairy couldn't help but laugh as did anyone else who heard the ordeal. Jen held her sides in left
field, she laughed so hard. Poor Hoggle, clear over in right field was the last to hear, and then
even he cracked up.
"Yeah, sure.... laugh it up," she mumbled, putting her glove on and smacking the mitt with her
hand. She watched the first batter take a bat and head for the batter's box.
Gemma stood next to home plate trying concentrate on hitting the ball. Glancing back at the
catcher, she smiled at Christy then turned around to face Jareth. His eyes staring back at her so
cold and calculating almost made her shiver.
Clutching the bat firmly, she breathed in, holding it until finally she swung the bat making contact.
With a small grunt, she hit it with all her might, sending it flying into center field. Releasing the
bat quickly, she ran to first in no time and stood there grinning back at Jareth's glare. Without a
second thought, she blew him a kiss that only made him angrier.
Essy pushed Gemma from the base and snickered from the look of shock. "What?" she asked
innocently.
Dee stepped up to bat shaking her head. "Jareth the pitcher? What a laugh." she snickered,
holding the bat ready.
Jareth had prior intentions before the ball ever left his hand. There in front of him was one of the
most wicked women ever to walk the Earth. He released the ball and sent it flying wildly toward
the batter. In a matter of tick tocks, the ball made contact...but not with the bat.
"Dammit that hurt!" she bellowed, walking toward the mound, bat in hand.
"Player takes first!" Didymus stated, letting a sigh of relief escape his lips as Dee tossed the bat
back.
"Jareth! How can you just walk her?" Selah asked, knowing that this game would be over quickly
if he kept it up.
Jareth didn't reply, instead he watched the next batter step up to the plate. Smirking, he knew
she'd be an easy out. Pitching the ball, his ears beheld an annoying sound...one of the ball being
hit as it buzzed past his ear.
Leelee ran quickly toward first, bestowing the same meeting that her master once did: she plowed
her over. Standing on the base, she smiled as she thought of slaying her master and how easy it
would be at this moment.
Essy got to her feet, anger flashing in her eyes. "How dare you apprentice?" she seethed.
"All the better to hone your rage, master." she replied, waving at the patrons in the stands.
Jade grabbed a bat and walked up to the box. She pitied any pitcher that threw her a ball.
Swinging the bat lightly, she waited for Jareth to throw the first pitch. As the ball left his hand, all
she could think of was how sorry he was going to be. The bat thudded against the ball as it went
screaming straight back at Jareth.
Jareth had no time to react. Before he knew it, the ball had hit him hard and below the belt
sending him faltering backwards to land on the ground. His loose tee shirt flew off to land on
Spidey's hat.
"Get it off!" She wailed, flinging it away as the runners ran past.
Gemma flew across home plate followed by Dee. Leelee ran towards third, past shortstop only to
have Selah bite her on the ankle. "What the hell are you, a dog?" she cried, out making it to third
before Jareth regained his composure.
Selah grinned. "I'm Snoopy today!"
Leelee shook her head and sighed.
"You're going to pay for that," Jareth threatened Jade, who stood on second. Turning around to
face the next batter, his face turned red at the next comment to fly at him.
"That's why real men wear a cup!" Smut Queen shouted, picking up a bat. Her batting only lasted
a whole three seconds as she popped it up and Christy caught it.
"Batter's out!" Didymus stated, much to the dismay of the batter.
SQ walked back to the dugout mumbling about catchers and their teasing with stories. Passing
Kara along the way, she smiled before disappearing back into the dugout.
Kara smiled and walked up to the plate. Noting who was where, she was ready to show her
father what she was made of. The bat struck the ball, flinging it into right field to the
unsuspecting Hoggle.
"Get the ball Hoghead!" Jareth roared as his daughter rounded the bases, pushing the runners in
one by one. He couldn't believe it. Leave it to his own flesh and blood to do this to him. This
was war.
Hoggle ran as quickly as his short little legs could carry him. The ball dropped from the sky to hit
him in the head. Rubbing the tender spot, he picked it up and threw it toward Essy...at least that's
where he aimed, but managed to toss it between first and second.
"Can't you do anything right Higgle?" Jareth roared, retrieving the ball and holding Kara off at
second. "You're grounded!" he stated, pointing at her with an angered expression.
"You can't ground me, I'm an adult!" she shot back, crossing her arms across her chest.
Jareth swung around angrily. "Kids!" he muttered, watching the next batter walk up to the plate.
Oh his little peanut, how he'd missed her.
Paola stood, just a short little thing that she was, by home plate and waited. A few minutes later,
she was back in the dugout. "I can't believe he struck me out!" she seethed. "Can you onna?" she
asked.
"Calm down Paola." Jade said, glancing out at the stands.
A goblin peddled his hotdogs to the spectators. Up and down the stands he walked, calling out to
whomever would listen. "Hotdogs! Peanuts! Popcorn!" Making his rounds, his pockets would
be full of money when this was all said and done. The king getting his butt whooped by a bunch
of women is something everyone wants to see and will thoroughly enjoy. Why not make a profit
from his misfortune? Snickering, he continued on his way, stopping briefly to watch the game
commence.
Mairead stood at the plate, holding the bat in her hands. She heard Selah yell from shortstop that
she'd be an easy out, and wasn't too fond of the idea of giving in so quickly. Swinging at the
approaching ball, she nicked it, sending if flying back against the cage.
"Foul. Strike one." Didymus stated.
"You can do it Mai!" Dee shouted from the dugout.
"Shut up you!" Jareth bit back.
"Make me, tightsboy." she replied, grasping the fencing trying to antagonize him.
Jareth started from the mound toward her, only to have Selah pull him back. "Cut it out! Do you
want to forfeit this game? Over a petty little thing like this?"
"But she dared me!" He growled.
"So? I dare you to ignore her!" Selah shot back. For an instant she wondered if he would
actually consider her idea, but then was relieved when he started back for the mound.
"Chicken!" Dee shouted, then began making clucking sounds.
"I'll kill her!" Jareth fumed, turning around and having Selah's nose hit him square in the chest.
"Ow!" she screamed at him. Pushing him backwards, she was determined to make him listen.
"Now get your scrawny butt back on that mound and pitch!" she bit out, handing him the ball.
"Fine," he replied, then continued with a grin. "After the game, I'll kill her."
Selah threw her hands in the air and took up her position. Watching Jareth throw the ball, she
imagined many things that would make a sailor blush with shame. Thoughts of Jedi filled her
mind as Mai's ball came flying toward her. Quickly, she snatched it from its flight, to make the
third out. Running toward the dugout, she dropped the ball on the mound and nearly tripped over
Jareth's big feet.
"Stay out of my way," she mumbled, jogging on. Once inside the dugout, she sat down and
groaned when he sat down beside her. "What do you want?"
"Nothing," he grinned, watching the players on the field.
"What are you grinning for? You suck at this Jareth." she replied, jumping to her feet as she
realized she was up.
"Good luck Ziggy." he offered.
"Who needs luck? I've got the Force!" she grinned, running out and up to the plate. Swinging
the bat, she knew she was a good athlete. Nothing to it. She swung once more for practice,
making Kara duck as she blindsided Didymus and knocked him off his feet. Realizing what she
had done, she helped him back up and apologizing all the while.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The game continued on, the players making the other team miserable as they went along.
Tripping, biting, pushing...anything they could do to slow the other team down they did it.
Jareth's teams, the Llamas, were being skunked by the Tigers by the end of the fourth inning.
Jareth's batting abilities seemed almost nonexistent since his pitching to killer hitters took it's toll.
"What's wrong with you Jareth?" Essy asked, her Sithly nature still vigorously fighting to keep
them in the game.
"Nothing," he replied, thinking twice about joining in this game. They were making fools of him,
and so far the only good thing was the little secret conference he had with Selah on the mound.
"He's just being a baby," Selah interjected. "He wanted to be all big and bad and know what? He
isn't. He sucks at softball, but won't admit when he's wrong so we're all going to lose because of
it."
"If we lose, it won't be because of me!" he shot back, not at all pleased with the conversation.
"Will too!" Selah pushed.
"Will not!" he replied.
"Jareth, you haven't hit the ball but once this whole game," Jen offered.
"What do you know?" he seethed.
"That you can't bat worth a damn?" Jen laughed as she left for her turn at bat.
"She's right Jareth. We all hit better than you. Catch better than you-"
"Shut up Christy!" he bit back.
"I was only trying to help," she smiled sweetly.
"Batter out!" Didymus' voice carried into the dugout.
"I should have known better than to let Higgle play," Jareth spat.
"I bet you can't get a home run by the end of the game," Selah spoke, her voice serious.
"What?" Jareth replied.
"You heard me Glitterboy." Selah stated, placing her hands on her hips. "You get a home run,
and I'll give you the kiss of your life!"
Jareth could scarcely believe his ears. Did she actually offer to kiss him? Yes, she did. A sly
smile broke out across his face at the prospect of the supposed prize. "Deal, better pucker up
buttercup. I'll be collecting that kiss at the end of the game," he replied, getting up to bat.
A few minutes later he returned to a snickering dugout. "Not a word," he warned. Sitting down,
he shook his head in disappointment. Struck out again, oh the humiliation.
"You won't win batting like that tights," Jen said, just ducking his arm as he swung to shut her up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whoo hoo! Seventh inning and we're ahead by twenty!" Leelee shouted happily, dancing around
like a loon.
"Calm down. The game's not over yet." Mairead replied. "Then again, there's no way they could
catch us."
"They have a snowball's chance in hell of catching us!" SQ laughed, knowing that Jareth must be
burning up over the loss. "What do you suppose Tights is thinking right now?"
"The best way to kill Dee for the chicken thing?" Gemma offered. "Leelee, you're up."
"Thanks," she replied, trotting off to try hitting Jareth again to see if his clothes fell off that easily
all the time.
"If we win, which we will, I say we celebrate!" Gemma giggled.
"I say we rub it in Jareth's face that he lost to a group of women," Paola threw in.
"Yeah!" they cheered in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Top of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded and the Llamas trailing by fifteen. Ludo stood at the
scoreboard wondering if he would turn another number or not. Shaking his head as he saw his
king walk up to bat, he expected it to be over in the blink of an eye.
Jareth held the bat ready, knowing this was his last chance to prove himself. He heard Selah
shout to Essy on first that they may as well pack up and leave right now. Gritting his teeth, he
had only one chance at this.
Jareth watched as Jade let the ball fly into the air. Everything seemed to slow down, moving in
slow motion. Jareth swung the bat, making contact and sending the ball flying.
"No no no no no no!!!" Selah cried out in disbelief, her eyes watching the ball fly over the fence.
She stood there shocked as the runners rounded the bases, passing her on their way to the dugout.
Jareth ran across home and smiled at her, knowing she owed him something. "Shuddup." She
smirked, walking up to bat.
Selah swung her bat in a practice swing, this time both Kara and Didymus moved back until she
was ready. As the ball came toward her, her concentration was shattered.
"You owe me a kiss Selah!" he yelled.
Selah lost her train of thought as she hit the ball. Normally, she could have hit into left field, but
this time, thanks to Jareth and his big mouth, she popped it up to Gemma who made the last out.
"We won!" Gemma bounced with glee, holding her glove tightly to her chest.
"That really whipped the Llamas ass!" Dee shouted happily.
Selah stood there dumbfounded, then realized that it was all Jareth's fault. Turning around, she
charged at him, bat in hand. "Why did you do that?!" she yelled.
"Give it up Selah, we were going to lose anyway." Fairy replied, heading out onto the field to
congratulate the other team.
All the other team members rushed out onto the field past them, except Essy. Essy had made her
way to the stands and was having an in depth conversation with Willum and sharing his salted
popcorn.
"I believe you owe me...a kiss." Jareth stated. Smirking at the look on her face, he took her hand
and pulled her toward the dugout. "A little privacy, don't you think?" Selah nodded briefly before
disappearing with him.
Hoggle walked slowly back toward the dugout, feeling a bit sorry for how terrible a player he
was. Taking one step into the dugout, Hoggle stopped dead in his tracks and instantly covered
his eyes. "Cor, get a room!" he said, backing away.
Selah pulled away from Jareth gasping for breath. Getting to her feet, she smoothed her shirt and
glanced out across the field. Thankfully nobody missed her yet.
"Way to go Ziggy! Whoo hoo, can we see that in instant replay?" Leelee shouted, pointing to a
camera in Dee's hand.
Selah flushed bright red, knowing that she would never live this down. Running from the dugout,
she chased Dee down to try and get that camera, while everyone else laughed and had a blast.
An hour later, after Dee had put her camera in a safe place, things got back to normal. At least as
normal as they could be considering. Jade, Kara, Selah, Gemma and Christy roasted
marshmallows over a fire compliments of the fierys. Dee, Leelee, SQ, Essy and Spidey stood
around their latest masterpeice.
"I think it's a job well done," Essy stated, cocking her head to the side.
"I agree," Leelee threw in, a wicked smile on her face.
"Oh now what do you say we have a little fun?" SQ replied, reaching forward slightly.
"This is wicked!" Dee grinned.
"Whose idea was it again to tie him to this pole?" Spidey asked, her eyes flashing misheiviously.
"Girls!" Jareth shreiked as his pants fell down around his ankles. His next plea fell silent as they
went about their business showing him the delight of being a man within their grasp.
As the night progressed, many of them watched the fireworks that filled the sky, others were
more interested in Jareth's fireworks'. Soon, they all had to go their separate ways, leaving
Jareth standing alone in the dark still tied to the pole.
"Hello?" he cried out. "Blasted listians. Love me then leave me, just like Snoopy and Teddy." he
whined.