Welcome to the Club, Kid
A/N: So…I didn't intend for this to be so long, I just kept writing and didn't know where to end it ahahaha! I want to say a massive thank you to TeamMcCord for looking over and editing my French translation (disclaimer: I don't speak any French, so Google Translate was my friend. If there are any mistakes that we didn't catch, let me know!) You rock! The French is in normal font and the English translation is underneath in bolded brackets.
Lately I've been on a 'conversations around the dinner table' kick, and I was kind of inspired by the promo pictures with Jareth for tonight's episode, 2.19. This plot bunny just would not get out of my head! I'm not entirely happy with it, but now it's over and done and I'm off to write my last undergraduate research paper! Hope y'all enjoy xx
Update: May 15, 2017: Super small, but I changed Elizabeth's age when she lost her parents because my original wasn't canon (LOL that I'm worried about canon in FanFic!) and it was bugging me. Cheers :)
The McCord family gathered in the kitchen while they helped to prepare dinner — and stop Elizabeth from burning the house down in the process. Her cooking skills were legendary, and not in a good way.
Henry finally managed to politely shove his wife out of the kitchen by having her set the dinner table. With her out of the kitchen and not distracting him any longer, Henry put the finishing touches on dinner, as Stevie nervously puttered around the kitchen, cleaning everything in sight.
Henry chuckled, and Stevie's eyes rose from the counter to meet his. "Honey, relax! I promise Mom and I will be cool. I won't bite — much." He cheekily winked at his daughter; almost thankful he never had to be on the receiving end with Elizabeth's parents.
Just then, the phone rang. Stevie ran to the door in anticipation of her boyfriend who was clearing security to enter the McCord home.
Allison and Jason had materialized from their rooms, in search of food, and were looking forward to a night of entertainment provided at the expense of Stevie and Jareth.
After greeting her boyfriend nervously because of the dinner, Stevie pulled Jareth into the dining room to face the music. Elizabeth smirked at her daughter and Stevie visibly relaxed, trusting in her parents to not give her too much of a hard time.
The family and Jareth sat down at the table and awkwardly chitchatted until the food was ready. Jareth sat to Elizabeth's right, with Stevie next to him. Henry was across from Elizabeth at the other end of the table and Alison and Jason were opposite Jareth and Stevie.
Wanting to make conversation, Henry thought he'd give the man who was dating his daughter a softball question to ease into full-on interrogation.
"So, Jareth, tell us about your family? Where are you from?" Henry asked.
Sitting opposite Henry at the other end of the table, Elizabeth watched a shadow pass over Jareth's face. If she didn't know what to look for, she would never have noticed the pain that illuminated Jareth's features for a split second.
Quietly signaling to Henry to ask a different question, she internally sighed and readied herself for the answer. Henry didn't seem to pick up on her distress, which was odd for them, but he forged ahead.
Jareth paused briefly, and Stevie squeezed his hand under the table in a silent show of support.
"Actually, sir —" he started.
"Jareth, call me Henry, it's really okay! We're not a formal household, obviously!" said Henry.
"Well Henry, I'm an only child, I was born and raised in London, and went to boarding school at 14. We have family connections to Georgetown, so my parents encouraged me to apply when I was old enough for university. Then I met your stunning daughter in one of our classes and here I am," Jareth explained nervously.
"And what about your parents? Are they in DC too?" Henry persisted.
Stilling, Elizabeth managed to keep the flashbacks at bay and tried to provide mental support to Jareth and to Stevie, who would probably have to deal with the fallout.
Making eye contact with Henry with the demeanor of someone who has had to tell this story many times, Jareth slowly shook his head.
"My parents actually died in a car crash when I was 14, so I started at boarding school shortly after," he explained quietly.
An awkward silence fell as Henry groped for words and scrambled to try and figure out what to say next. Glancing at Elizabeth, he could see the pain in her eyes, and realized too late that he'd brought up some unwanted memories for both Jareth and his wife.
Elizabeth smiled gently at Jareth with some lingering tightness around her mouth.
"Welcome to the club, kid — isn't it great?" she said sarcastically. Sarcasm was always her default setting when she felt threatened or felt the need to put her guard up, and Henry internally winced at the sound of his wife's voice — brittle, fragile, with a mocking edge.
Jareth held tight to Stevie's hand under the table and took a breath. He would have never expected his girlfriend's mother of all people to understand; they seemed like too much of a perfect, special family to have dealt with this kind of pain.
"You lost your parents too?" He questioned. Allison and Jason were frozen at the dinner table, waiting for this to play out. Their mom never really talked about her parents, as it was a tough subject. Only their dad knew everything about their mom; they were two halves of a whole.
Elizabeth let out a shaky breath, trying to keep the tears at bay. She would never understand how something she thought she had dealt with long ago still caused her pain and heartache as fresh as when the police came to their door to tell her and Will that their parents were dead.
"Yeah," she said shortly. "I was 15, so a little bit older than you. I was lucky though, in a way, to still have my brother. We both got shipped off to boarding school afterward, so I can relate to that," she chuckled dryly.
"Did you like your boarding school? Mine was absolute crap, and graduating really was one of the best days of my life," Jareth asked curiously.
Elizabeth's eyes glazed over slightly as she reminisced. "Honestly, boarding school was a lifesaver in a really awful situation. I made some great friends and the academics were so intense that I didn't have the time to think about anything else."
"My brother went to the same school too, but left as soon as he could. He's over in Syria performing life-saving surgeries right now; he always was one for adventure." Elizabeth said with a laugh, as she raised a glass of wine to her lips and sipped thoughtfully.
Nothing could be heard for a few moments besides the clinking of cutlery on the plates and the passing of dishes across the table; everyone was deep in thought, Elizabeth and Jareth included.
At last, Jareth broke the silence. "Mrs. McCord?" Elizabeth shot him an exasperated look from across the table. "I mean, Elizabeth?" She smiled in approval. He paused briefly and swallowed hard. Elizabeth looked at him questioningly.
"Will it ever get better? Losing someone you love…people say time heals, but I'm not quite sure if I buy into that. Did it get better? For you, I mean?" he asked nervously. This was not exactly the perfect conversation for the first sit-down dinner with his new girlfriend's parents, and not exactly how he'd imagined the night in his head.
Elizabeth sighed thoughtfully. "Well, people aren't exactly wrong. It'll fade eventually, although it never goes away. For years, I walked around feeling as if I had a gaping parents-sized hole in my chest. I was so afraid of forming connections and being vulnerable because I thought, what's the point, people are just going to leave anyway, right?" Jareth nodded; he definitely understood that feeling.
"And then, I met Henry in college, and he just…got me completely. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't afraid to open up to someone. Even my brother noticed it the first time he met Henry," Elizabeth said wispily, holding back another flood of tears that threatened to escape.
Henry smirked at his wife, who blushed. He was absolutely transfixed after all these years, by the crimson that slowly crept its way up Elizabeth's neck; she was so adorable when she blushed.
"Well I mean, to be fair, I was a bit scared of Elizabeth at first. Her brother had told me that she had a black belt in karate and was an old pro with guns. I didn't know whether to be scared or impressed, so I just tried not to 'anger the beast,'" he said mockingly.
Dancing with mirth, Elizabeth's eyes snapped up to meet her husband's. She pretended to be shocked by his statement, but was honestly grateful to him for lightening the mood. His attempt to get a rise out of his wife worked as she burst out laughing, and Stevie, Alison and Jason soon followed.
Elizabeth drew herself up haughtily and decided to needle Henry further.
"I'll have you know that I was a CIA analyst for 20 years and you should be scared of me. I'll kick your butt, McCord — I know all your weak points! And as an added bonus, I speak all of the languages!" She teased.
"What languages do you speak other than English?" Jareth asked curiously.
Jason exaggeratedly sighed. "Oh here we go again! 3 – 2 – 1…." He waited for his mother to take the bait and wasn't disappointed.
"Excuse you, Mr. Anarchist!" Elizabeth said mock exasperatedly. "Just because someone refused to do his Spanish homework because he didn't want to 'support the corrupt school system' doesn't mean it's not useful to speak multiple languages!"
Redirecting her attention to Jareth, but not before smirking playfully at her youngest, she said, "I'm fluent in French, German, Arabic, Farsi and barely remember a year of high school Spanish, but it so totally counts!"
Jareth's face lit up as he started to thank Elizabeth in French. Surprised, Elizabeth barely missed a beat before volleying back in one of her favorite languages.
"Merci, Elizabeth, pour ouvrir votre cœur et votre maison pour moi. Je l'apprécie vraiment. Il était bon d'être autour d'une famille encore," Jareth started, wanting to thank Elizabeth for everything; dinner with the McCord family acted like a balm to his broken heart.
[Thanks, Elizabeth, for opening up your heart and home to me. I really appreciate it. It was nice to be around a family again.]
Tears filled Elizabeth's eyes; always thinking of her family and what would have happened if her children had lost her because of her CIA work or current job.
"Tout le plaisir était pour nous, Jareth! Tu rends Stevie heureux, et tu es toujours bienvenu chez nous," Elizabeth replied, seeing so much of her younger self in Jareth. There was a certain something about him that she couldn't put her finger on until he opened up about his parents; then she knew, she recognized remnants of her younger, struggling self.
[It was our pleasure, Jareth! You make Stevie happy, and you're welcome any time.]
Jareth hesitated for a second. "Puis-je vous poser une question?" He asked anxiously, almost fearful of her response.
[Can I ask you a question?]
"Bien sûr," Elizabeth replied.
[Of course]
Jareth sucked in a breath, gathered his courage and went for it.
"Le faites vous," he paused for a second and then pushed on. "Me tourmente la situation avec mes parents. Ça fait presque sept ans et il est toujours difficile de faire face. Qu'est-ce que vous fait pour faire face?"
[Do you…I'm really struggling still with my parents. It's been almost seven years and I still am having a really hard time dealing with it. What did you do to cope?]
Henry, Stevie, Alison and Jason carried on a quiet conversation amongst themselves to give both Elizabeth and Jareth time and space to support each other during a tough conversation.
Elizabeth paused and sought Henry's eyes for reassurance; they had an undeniable connection after all these years and just his mere presence comforted her enough to continue this conversation.
Sighing, she said in rapid-fire French: "Je sais qu'il est difficile, mais il faut que tu lâches toute la colère que tu as envers tes parents. Dieu sait que je suis furieux avec les mien pour quitter a moi et Will, et il n'a pas jusqu'à j'avais les enfants que j'ai réalisé: ils ne jamais voulaient nous laisser. Quand Stevie est né, franchement, me sent comme mon cœur brisé de nouveau, et je compris que j'avais besoin de lâcher afin d' aller de l'avant."
[I know it's hard, but you have to let go of any anger you have toward your parents. God knows I was angry at mine for leaving me and Will, and it wasn't until I had kids that I realized: they never would have wanted to leave us. When Stevie was born, honestly it felt like my heart broke all over again, and I realized I had to let go in order to move on.]
Switching back into English without missing a beat, Elizabeth tried to reassure Jareth. She had been that same young, lost soul what felt like ages ago, and wanted to give him what she had always craved after her parents died — the sense of belonging.
"Oh honey, it'll take a while, but you're young. It'll get easier, you'll see. Especially if you ever have kids too." Gesturing to Stevie, she continued, "When this one was born, I finally felt like I understood my parents. I stopped blaming them for dying and I put away my anger, because I realized if they had felt anything like I feel about all my kids, they didn't want to leave us.
Silence fell once again. Elizabeth didn't talk much about her parents, but Stevie's heart went out to her mom as a scared, angry 15-year-old, and to her Uncle Will. Maybe that explained so much about Elizabeth and why she acted the way she did with Stevie, Alison and Jason.
Dinner was pretty much over at this point, and the younger people at the table were awkwardly wondering what to do next, as Elizabeth tearily stared at her husband; both having an unspoken conversation after so many years together.
Finally, Jareth glanced at his watch. "Oh crap!" he exclaimed. His outburst broke the cone of silence around the dinner table, and everyone turned to stare at him.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, everyone, but I just realized — we're going to miss our plans if we don't hurry," he said excitedly.
"Plans? What plans?" Alison asked.
Jareth winked at her. "You'll see! What do you say, McCord gang? Are you up for it?"
Elizabeth and Henry rose together and started gathering dishes from the table and bringing them into the kitchen.
"Mom and I will take care of dinner; you guys go and have fun! Be home by…10pm?" Henry said.
The kids nodded their assent. "Sounds good, Dad!" Stevie agreed. "I wonder where we're going – Jareth, what are these big plans?" she asked curiously.
Jareth smirked. "You'll see, Little Miss Impatient! But I know you're all going to love them."
"Come on, dude, can't I at least have a hint?" Stevie pleaded.
Jareth handed Stevie her coat. "It might have been something we were maybe talking about last week that you said you wanted to do…" he trailed off with a smile.
Stevie took a second to process and then her face lit up in recognition.
"Jareth! Seriously?!" she said while playfully punching him on the arm.
"I make no promises, my lady, but you'll see." Jareth exaggeratedly kissed her hand with a smile and stared into her eyes.
Alison and Jason simultaneously rolled their eyes at the duo's antics. Elizabeth got a little misty eyed, which seemed to be the theme of the evening, because Stevie and Jareth reminded her so much of her and Henry when they first started dating. One look at her husband signaled that he too was thinking of the same thing.
Jason piped up, a little exasperated at the situation. "So are we going or are you two lovebirds just going to stand there with gushing eyes at each other?"
Stevie and Jareth snapped apart. With a blush reminiscent of her mother's, Stevie said mockingly, "Ready to go, nerds?"
The troops hustled out of the dining room to hunt down their coats and Jareth hung back in the dining room for a second, intent on thanking his hosts yet again for welcoming him into their home.
"Elizabeth?" he said once the room had cleared slightly.
"Yes, sweetheart?" she turned to Jareth, arms full of dishes.
He hesitated. "Let me help you with that!" And without another word, he grabbed the pile of dishes from her arms and headed to the kitchen.
Henry quietly slipped into the office to give the pair some space.
Jareth awkwardly scraped the plates off in the sink while still thinking how else to convey his gratitude and appreciation for this night. Elizabeth stood on the opposite side of the island, hands resting on the countertop, waiting for him to speak.
"I just wanted to thank you again, for everything. I didn't expect you to understand my situation, and I…I didn't expect it, that's all. It's overwhelming, but thanks for 'getting it.' Not a lot of people do, I suppose, and it means a lot." He cut off with a self-deprecating laugh.
Elizabeth crossed to the other side of the island to wrap Jareth in a big hug. She felt him shake a little; she knew all too well what it felt like to not let people in. After a second, she felt him return the hug, clinging onto her like a lifeline.
"Babe, are you ready to go?" Stevie yelled from the foyer.
Jareth reluctantly broke off the hug; it had felt so good to be hugged by a mom-type figure. He'd almost forgotten what that felt like.
Elizabeth gently kissed him on the cheek knowingly and reassured him that she would be there to talk if he wanted to. It was scary how much she understood him, but he found that people who had lost close family members at a young age tended to close ranks around each other in support, because only they knew what it was like.
Stevie padded into the kitchen and slipped her hand into Jareth's. She didn't know what her mom had said to him, but he seemed lighter and more at ease than she'd ever seen him before. She should have known; her mom was Wonder Woman and could fix anything.
"Mom, we'll see you tonight, yeah? And Babe, I was thinking, if you're interested, that you could come to family movie night next week? If you're free, that is." Stevie said.
Elizabeth dryly chuckled. "Yeah, I think it's Jason's turn to pick the movie, so we'll probably be watching an action movie or something. You're more than welcome to come! The more the merrier!" she said with a smile.
"Sounds thrilling," Jareth replied. "I'll do my best to be there!"
They retreated out of the kitchen and joined Jason and Alison who were already waiting in the car.
Elizabeth heard the front door slam as the children left the house and let out a deep sigh. Pulling on yellow, rubber gloves, she started tackling the mountain of pots and pans left in the sink, needing something to sink all of her energy into after an unexpectedly emotional dinner.
She didn't hear Henry slink into the kitchen from the office until she felt his arms wrap around her waist. He nuzzled the back of her neck and she leaned back into his strong chest. Henry waited for his stunning, challenging, beautiful wife to break the comfortable silence.
She turned around in his arms so that they were facing each other and gently lifted a hand to his cheek.
"Hi," she breathed.
"Hi, babe," he replied in a worried and cautious tone. "You okay?"
Elizabeth thought about his question for a minute. Was she okay?
"Yeah," she said thoughtfully. "Yeah I think so. Tonight was definitely unexpected, but I think it went well, all things considered."
"Elizabeth, I just want to apologize for pushing Jareth at dinner. I didn't realize it would bring up so many emotions for him; do you think I should apologize to him? I really didn't mean for this all to happen. Poor kid, officially meeting the parents for the first time, and it turns into a freaking therapy session," Henry trailed off in a huff.
"And I want to apologize to you too. I'm sorry if dinner brought up anything for you, and I just want you to know I'm here if you want to talk. You know that, right?" Henry tried to reassure his wife. She acted so strong that sometimes he forgot that that scared, angry young woman from so many years ago whose first instinct was to push everyone away.
Elizabeth considered his question for a moment, and then pulled him in close for a hug, comfortingly trapped between his body and the kitchen counter.
"Yeah, sweetheart, I know, and I appreciate that. I think I really am okay though," she said as she pulled back slightly to look at her husband's face.
"It just makes me sad sometimes, remembering the girl I used to be. I was so angry and sad and bitter, and seeing those same emotions in Jareth just broke my heart a little bit. My Mama Bear instincts definitely came out in that moment," she said with a laugh.
Henry caressed her face lovingly and cupped her cheeks in his hands. "I am in awe of you every day. Your parents would be so proud of you — you are such an amazing mother. You are a brilliant, beautiful, stunning woman, and I love that I get to spend the rest of my life with you."
Elizabeth tearily smiled. "McCord, you're trying to make me cry, aren't you? I love you so much, baby. Thank you for always being there for me."
Henry's eyes lit up as his memory was jogged by something Elizabeth had said. "Wait a minute, before we get sidetracked, can we just talk about your little French interlude of the night?" Henry chuckled and licked his lips. "I'll be honest, that was really hot."
"Yeah?" Elizabeth smirked and bit her lip coyly.
"Yeah." In one swift move, Henry pulled Elizabeth up to sit on the counter, and came to stand in between her legs.
"Why, Dr. McCord, are you trying to seduce me?" Elizabeth asked knowingly.
Henry smiled and said. "Maybe — Is it working?" He wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her in for a long, slow kiss that left both of them panting, gasping for air.
"You know, I'm really thankful all the kids are gone for at least the next hour. When was the last time we had some fun in the kitchen?" Elizabeth asked. Her hands roamed around her husband's strong back, while Henry's hands moved from cupping her face to her ass, pulling her in closer. He couldn't get enough of his wife; she was simply intoxicating.
"We had fun in the kitchen last weekend, remember? I made pancakes and Alison and Jason bickered over the TV," Henry said, pretending he didn't know what she meant.
Elizabeth threw back her head and laughed. Henry slyly captured her lips again while simultaneously unclasping her bra, trailing his hands down the smooth skin of her back.
"Henry!" Elizabeth said in mock annoyance. It was really hard to be annoyed though, when her husband's magic hands roamed her body.
"What?" He said innocently. "The kids aren't going to be home for probably like an hour — and I told Matt to text me when he was ready to drive the kids home. Never thought I'd be thankful for having agents all around, but it helps!"
Elizabeth remained unconvinced, but Henry could tell she was wavering. He pulled away with a reluctant sigh, wanting to play with her a little.
"Never mind though, I actually do have some papers to finish grading, so I'll just be in the – mmpppffhhh." Henry's trick had worked, and he was stopped mid-rant as Elizabeth launched herself off the counter and her lips frantically crashed onto his.
He wrapped his arms around her and brought her to sit on the opposite counter. Slipping his tongue in between her lips, he swallowed her moan, and their tongues dueled as they both tried to divest the other of their layers. Frustrated, he slowed the kiss as he tried to concentrate on a particularly tricky button.
Elizabeth's eyes glinted with need and she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and yanked it over her head, hearing a loud rip in the process. Barely fazed by ripping one of her favorite shirts, she returned to the task at hand. Her bra was already unclasped, thanks to her sneaky husband, and she quickly pushed the straps down her arms, wanting to feel Henry's bare chest against her own.
Lost in their heated embrace, Henry barely registered that the phone was ringing. Elizabeth broke from their kiss and groped for the phone.
"Henry, I can't reach the phone," she whispered.
"Wha –" he said groggily, intoxicated by his wife.
"The phone's ringing," she giggled and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Oh — right." Reaching for the phone, he cleared his throat and answered, distracted for a moment by the vision of his wife; with her mussed blonde hair, pulling her lacy blue bra back on — she always looked so incredible in blue — and searching for her shirt, which was somewhere on the floor.
"Mr. McCord? Are you there, sir?" Matt asked calmly.
"Yeah, Matt, what's up?" Henry replied, hoping nothing was wrong with the kids. He'd told Matt to text him, but hopefully the call was nothing.
"I just wanted to let you know we're heading home with the children. Alison isn't feeling well, so I just thought I should give you a heads up." Matt said. Henry could hear his Noodle retching in the background. He sighed heavily.
"Thanks for the heads up, Matt! We'll be here." He hung up the phone and turned to face his wife.
"Babe, Ally's not feeling too well. She sounded like she was throwing up or something, so they're all heading home. Matt just called to let me know." Henry said reassuringly.
"Oh no, poor Noodle! She did look a little pale today, but she told me it was nothing," Elizabeth said worriedly.
Bustling around the kitchen now fully clothed, Elizabeth began gathering supplies and anything she thought her baby might need.
"Honey? Do we have any of that chicken noodle soup left? That might be good for her stomach if she hasn't been able to keep down any food," Elizabeth said distractedly.
Henry quickly wrapped his arms around his wife, who was vibrating with nervous energy and bustling around the kitchen.
"Babe, I'm sure she's fine. Let's just wait until they get home and take it from there, okay?" Henry said soothingly.
Elizabeth sank into her husband's arms and they stood in the kitchen for a while soaking up each other's affection and support. Henry kissed Elizabeth on the head as he heard the cars pull up outside. The kids shuffled in the door, with Stevie and Jareth supporting a pale and groggy Alison between them.
Elizabeth all but flew over to them. She hated when one of her babies was sick; she felt so helpless.
"Hey sweetheart! Let's get you up to bed, okay?" she said, as she guided Alison slowly up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Whenever one of the kids falls ill, they always set up shop in their parents' room. As a child, Elizabeth would always end up in her parents' bedroom when she was sick too, and she remembered feeling safe and loved, snuggled in their bed while trying to recover from sickness.
Jason followed them up the stairs, ready to help if they needed anything, and Stevie and Jareth joined Henry in the living room.
"Oh hey guys! I would ask how the rest of your night was, but obviously not the greatest, yeah?" Henry chuckled understandingly.
"Yeah, poor Ally — one minute she was fine and the next, we had to pull over so she could throw up! She's probably got the stomach bug thing that's been going around." Stevie replied.
They sat there for a few more minutes, until Jareth looked at his watch and stood up with some regret.
"Thank you for the lovely dinner, but I should probably get going. I have an early class tomorrow unfortunately," he explained.
Henry rose too. "Not a problem, Jareth. Glad you could make it! Hope Elizabeth didn't scare you off with her cooking — although Stevie and I managed to save the food I think!"
"Elizabeth and I definitely have atrocious cooking skills in common, but the food was delicious! I really enjoyed tonight," Jareth said wistfully.
Henry thought for a moment. "Oh hey, if you're not doing anything later this week, you should join us for family movie night! I think it's Jason's turn to pick, so it'll probably be an action movie, but Elizabeth and I make some killer popcorn! Stevie can let you know all the details," Henry explained.
"Elizabeth did mention that, and I'm totally up for it! Looking forward to it for sure," Jareth said with a smile.
Stevie led Jareth to the foyer and stopped him with a kiss just before he was about to open the door.
"Hey," she said apologetically. "I really am sorry about tonight, with the way that dinner went down and everything. I should have warned you or said something to my parents beforehand."
Jareth thought for a moment before pulling his girlfriend into a hug. Kissing her hair, he said, "it's really okay, love! It was good to talk about them for a little, and your mum was incredible. I didn't realize she lost her parents as well, but we had a chat about it. It was refreshing. She's a great person."
Stevie smiled up at her boyfriend. "Yeah, she's the best. And you know, now that both my parents have mentioned movie night to you, you basically are obligated to come. So you definitely should!"
"I definitely will, love! It sounds fun! If spending time with you didn't seal the deal, your parents and their legendary popcorn-making skills definitely did!" He teased her and bent to kiss her gently before opening the door to see himself out.
Closing the front door and stepping out into the cool Washington D.C. night, Jareth smiled to himself briefly. It was great to be part of a family, if only for a night. He was looking to many more family gatherings with the McCords, and many more dates with his amazing, brilliant girlfriend.