"One more step and I'll cut you to ribbons," threatened the stable boy, brandishing his sword and standing up as tall as he could, trying to make himself appear more impressive than he really was. The tall, dark warrior who approached him only laughed darkly. His one eye gleamed with an otherworldly light, a deep red glow that promised pain. He approached.

"I warned you," muttered the stable boy before he lunged forward swiftly cutting off the right arm of his assailant. The dark creature shrieked in pain and swung his mighty fist –the one that wasn't cut off and the one that controlled his magic– into the stable boy's head. He staggered and fell, fighting to stay awake.

The black demon lifted the boy by his hair. "You will pay for that!" he growled, his putrid breath stinging the boy's nostrils.

"Oh, yeah?!" the boy shouted defiantly. It was amazing that through all of this he had held onto his sword, but he had. And it was at this exact moment that he lifted it and stabbed it into the heart of the vile creature.

"Toby!" yelled his mother from her place in the living room, "What are you doing in there?"

The boy only glanced at the mess of toys slung carelessly around the room, casualties from the demon attack, before racing out into the hallway to find his mother. "I have defeated the evil Lord Balor!" he shouted, waving his sword high above his head.

Karen laughed softly. "I see," she said smiling. "Are there going to be any more attacks from Lord Balor today?" she asked.

The small boy seemed to think this over. "I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe."

"I think from now on if we are going to be fighting anyone with a sword, that we need to do it outside," the woman said seriously, hoping to preserve her house. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, mommy," Toby said. "I'll go check outside now!"

"Toby," his mother called after him, "where did you get your sword from?" She was genuinely puzzled because she knew that he would never have received a wooden sword from her or his father and Karen thought that she had monitored his gifts fairly closely.

"It was a birthday present," shouted the boy just as the back door closed on him.

Karen sighed. "I just hope he doesn't hurt himself."

Outside Toby was greeted by a familiar face.

"Merlin! You have to be my scout," he commanded. "It's your job to tell me if any of Lord Balor's friends show up." The old dog sat there panting and wagging his tail. Since Sarah had gone away to college he didn't get nearly as much attention.

Toby heard a deep, rumbling laugh echo from the forest that connected with the Williams backyard. "I hope I don't fall into that category."

Toby knew that voice. "Jareth!" he shouted before launching himself into the Goblin King's arms. "Did you come to play with me?" he asked hopefully.

"Not today," said the monarch with a smile. "I just wanted to see how your swordplay was coming along."

"I beat Lord Balor today," the boy said, looking for approval.

Jareth gave a toothy grin. "Then you have put my sword to good use and vanquished a terrible foe today," he said, releasing the boy. "You will be a knight before you know it."

"Do you think I could be a knight by my next birthday?" the boy asked. "Then can I have a real sword?"

The blond royal made a show of considering this very carefully, knowing that the boy's sister would not be at all pleased if he gave the boy a real sword any time in the near future. "I don't know," he said finally. "Seven years old is a little young to have a real sword. I was at least 100 before I was allowed to have my first sword."

Toby seemed to deflate quite a lot at that comment. Jareth smiled and reached up with his gloved hand to flick the small boy's nose.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm sure it won't take you that long." Jareth stood back up to his full height and a second wooden sword appeared in his hand. "Especially if I teach you a trick or two."

After several rounds the small boy collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Jareth's sword evaporated as he settled down next to the boy.

"You should stay tonight and we can play some more," Toby said. "And Sarah's coming home for a visit today. I'm sure she'd like to meet you in real life. She always tells me stories about you and the goblins."

This made Jareth smile. "Really, now?" he questioned with a laugh in his voice.

"Yep," the small boy breathed. "I bet she'd flip if she knew you were real. I think she has a crush on you."

Jareth's toothy grin spread from ear to ear. "Is that so?" he laughed. "How would you know that?"

Toby looked almost offended that he had asked. "I'm six. I know stuff," he defended.

Jareth grinned. "I'm sure you do. Anyway I can't stay tonight. I have something I have to attend to," said the Goblin King seriously.

Toby stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "Really?" he asked.

"Really," returned the monarch.

The boy hung his head. "Okay," he mumbled. "But you have to come back and play with me soon. Next time we can sword fight in my room so when I fall down, I can fall on my bed."

"I thought I heard your mom say you could only play with the sword outside," Jareth said, emphasizing the last word. As much as he enjoyed chaos, he knew Sarah would not appreciate it.

"Well, yeah…" said the boy, "but–"

"But nothing," said the monarch sternly. "Promise me you will obey your mother."

Toby turned his lip up in a pout and dug the tip of his wooden sword into the dirt at his feet, refusing to look at the Goblin King.

Jareth sighed. "Will you promise if I tell you a secret?" This was a trick Jareth had learned early on. Toby liked to know stuff and he loved to know secrets.

The boy's head perked up.

"First, promise me that you'll obey your parents, be kind to your sister, and," Jareth paused from dramatic effect, "that you will never tell a soul what I am about to tell you," he finished in a stage whisper.

Toby nodded eagerly and made a gesture to cross his heart. "I promise," he said.

The Goblin King leaned in close to Toby's ear and whispered, "I have a crush on Sarah, too."

Then he was gone, and Toby was left covered in golden glitter.

The Williams family had had a great evening. Sarah had told them all about her school at dinner and about the friends she had made. Sarah had told him that she had a surprise for him, but that it had to wait until tomorrow morning. However, Toby was not a very patient boy and decided to make a guessing game of it. He guess all kinds of things, from his own real sword to a horse to a toothbrush. No matter what he said, Sarah said 'no'.

"It's not an object," she said finally.

This started a whole new line of questioning. Toby was not about to give up. He asked if she was moving back home or if she was going to take him to Disney World. Every question was answered negatively.

"Are you getting married?" he asked finally.

Sadness overtook Sarah's eyes for a moment, but then she smiled at him and said, "Nope, not getting married," in her teasing voice. The moment had passed so quickly, Toby wasn't sure he had even seen it. Even if he had it probably wasn't a big deal. He knew girls were more emotional anyway.

Late that night, after Toby had gone to bed, he heard his parents talking to Sarah. Very faintly, he thought he heard crying, so with as much care as he could muster, he tiptoed to his door and eased it open. Breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't make any noise, Toby shuffled to the staircase where he had a clear view of the living room. His parents were sitting on the couch facing Sarah who was on the other side of the wall and out of sight. His mom looked like she had been the one crying, but now she was calming down. His dad had his arm around her in a comforting way. They all sat in silence for a while before dad finally spoke up.

"What about the father?" he addressed Sarah. "Have you talked to him?" This was the first time Toby had ever seen his dad this broken up. Something was very wrong, but he didn't understand what.

Toby heard Sarah sigh. "We have talked," she started, and Toby could tell that Sarah was really upset too, "but with the situation being what it is, there is no way we can be together."

"Oh dear, Sarah. Is he married?" his mother asked.

Toby didn't hear Sarah answer, but he assumed she shook her head. "It's just impossible," she said, her voice shaking.

At this point Toby's mom stood, her arms stretched out toward Sarah. "I'm sorry, dear."

It was all quiet for a moment but for the sound of tears and sniffling.

"If there's anything we can do for you, sweetheart, please tell us," said his father. "You can stay here for a while if you want. Whatever you decide to do, you have our support." He tried to smile at his daughter, but it was a pained smile.

"I think I'd better get some sleep," was the phrase that made Toby jump up and run back to his bed. The shuffle of feet that passed his room and went into Sarah's room next door alerted him to her presence.

He knew he should stay in bed. He waited and tried to sleep. For a whole five minutes he tried, but his desire for knowledge got the better of him and he found himself sneaking over to Sarah's room. He knocked quietly before peeking his head inside. He found Sarah sitting on her bed, dressed in her night gown, hugging her stuffed bear, Lancelot.

"Toby," she greeted with a smile, "I though you went to bed a long time ago." She patted the side of her bed, inviting him to come sit with her.

"What were you and mom and dad talking about?" he asked settling down beside her.

"You heard that?" she returned, drawing the covers up over them.

"Yeah, but it didn't make any sense. Whose father were you talking about?" asked the inquisitive little boy.

Sarah sighed. "My baby's," she said. When Toby sent her a confused look she continued. "I was going to tell you in the morning. Toby, you're going to be an uncle."

The biggest smile grew across the six year old's face. "Really?" he shouted excitedly.

Sarah smiled, "Yes, really. He or she will be here sometime this Spring."

"You don't know if the baby is a he or a she?" Toby asked.

"Not yet," Sarah said, "It takes a little while for the baby to grow enough for us to be able to see if it's a boy or a girl."

"Oh," said Toby, thinking deeply. "I bet it's a boy," he said finally.

Sarah laughed. "That's what his daddy said too. We'll just have to wait and see," she said.

Toby settled into his thinking face again. "Mommy says that when a mommy and daddy love each other a lot that the love spills over and that's what makes a baby."

Sarah grinned. "That's right," she said emphatically.

"You must love the baby's daddy a lot then," observed Toby.

A strange look came over Sarah's face and Toby didn't know how to describe it. She looked kind of happy but kind of like she had just fallen down and scraped her knee.

"I do…" she breathed wistfully before the look disappeared and she was normal Sarah again. "Now why don't we try to get some sleep?" Toby's big sister reached over and turned out the lamp, blanketing them in darkness.

Sarah told him a bedtime story as she always did when she was home about the Goblin King and his goblins. Halfway through the story a thought struck Toby, "If you love the baby's daddy, I guess that means you don't have a crush on the Goblin King."

Sarah seemed surprised and was relieved that the darkness hid her blush. "Why would I have a crush on the Goblin King?" she asked.

"No special reason," he said. He closed his eyes and the story resumed.

Toby was at the very brink of sleep when the bed shifted and a deep voice whispered through the air. "Sarah," Toby knew that voice but he couldn't place it. His groggy brain was too tired. The whispered conversation went on as Toby floated in and out of his dream world. The last thing he heard before giving into sleep was his sister's whispering voice, "I wish you could stay with me."

The quiet response that followed was barely audible, "As do I, my love. As do I…"

The next day Sarah went back to her college. When dad asked if she really was okay with going back, she said that she only had one more semester until graduation and wanted to see it through. In the weeks that followed, Toby didn't see too much of the Goblin King, but he did come by for a little while at least once a week. On one such day, he had disguised himself as Toby's regular babysitter and had played with him almost all day. Once on his way back from the bathroom, Toby had caught the monarch looking at Sarah's ultrasound photo on the fridge.

"Sarah says I'm gonna be an uncle," said the boy his chest swelling with pride.

"Is that right?" said the Goblin King, injecting surprise into his voice. "That's great. Are you excited?"

Toby nodded. "Sarah says we have to wait and see, but I know it's gonna be a boy."

The Goblin King smiled in a sad way, just like Sarah had. "I'm sure it will be. Now, why don't we see how your sword hand is doing?"

Toby's nephew came at the beginning of May. Toby went to go see him in the hospital after the doctor's finished taking him out. Mommy said that Sarah was resting so Toby saw him at the baby center. His nephew was a tiny thing with wispy blond hair. On his small wrist was a plastic band with his name written on it. Ian J. Williams.

Inside Sarah's hospital room, a very proud blond papa sat by Sarah's bedside smiling down at her.

"You did wonderfully, my dear," he said, practically glowing as he intertwined his fingers with hers. "He is beautiful."

Sarah smiled. "I noticed he has his father's features."

He grinned. "Perhaps, but he has his mother's eyes," the Goblin King purred. However, after a moment a slight frown marred his face. "I only wish that I could have been with you through all this."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah said, concerned. "You were here. I felt you grab my hand."

Jareth forced a smile. "Yes, but it's not the same. No one else knew I was even here," the Goblin King sighed. "It's not that I want recognition. I know that just as there is no magic that can make you fae, there is no magic that can make me human. Even if there was, I wouldn't wish it. I just wish that I could truly be a part of your family."

"Hey," the new mother placed her hands on either side of the fae king's face. "You are a part of this family. You have been here for me through all of this as much as you possibly could, and I know that you have been looking after Toby." The realization that she knew surprised him. Not that he thought his Sarah wasn't smart. It was just that he thought he had always been careful to disguise his presence in their home. Sarah smiled and continued. "I've been able to feel your magic all around me and my family. I know they can feel it too. Even if they can't see you, you are a part of this family, Jareth," she said never turning her deep green eyes away from his crystal blue ones.

He placed a light kiss on her palm and remained quiet, content to gaze at her.

"You are going to be an amazing father, Jareth. There is not a single doubt in my mind of that," the dark headed woman smiled, dropping her hands to rest on her abdomen.

The Goblin King grinned arrogantly. "Oh, that I have never doubted, love," he said matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes at him, and he leaned over until his breath fell on her pale cheeks. "Just as I have never doubted that you will be the best mother in the world," he said before planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

Toby had just disarmed his third opponent when the lunch bell rang. It was turning out to be a very good day. It was only the second week of camp and he was already one of the most popular kids there. For a 13 year old, that was a big deal. This was largely due to his success in the fencing arena. Fencing had not been that difficult to pick up, especially since he had been trained by the Goblin King in sword play since he was six. Even if that hadn't been the case, most of these kids were just swinging their sword around madly and had no idea how to fight. It didn't matter that he was a little rusty.

At least that was the case until Ian showed up. Toby's blond nephew was now six years old himself. Sarah was always really careful about letting him go places by himself, but the boy had begged and begged to go to camp with his uncle Toby, and Toby had promised that he would take care of the little kid. So Sarah had finally relented and let her son come as a day camper.

The truth was that Toby liked his nephew a lot. Having him around was almost like having a younger brother. Still, he had to admit that at times the kid was weird. Wherever he went, mischief followed him. Inevitably something would end up bent, broken, or burnt, and he had all these imaginary friends that he was constantly ordering around or scolding for getting into trouble. Sometimes he would disappear for hours on end and then show up talking about how he had met a wood sprite or some other mythological creature.

One day Ian hadn't come back. Sarah had been frantic when she came to pick him up and no one knew where he was. She had been furious at Toby. The anger had only been amplified by the fact that she was pregnant and hormonal. After giving him a major tongue lashing, she had gone into the office and Toby had to go back to his cabin, feeling like a dog.

Imagine his surprise the next day when Ian showed up for morning activities like nothing had happened. The only difference was that this time he was being trailed by a scrawny looking kid with glasses and unusually pointy ears. When Toby had asked him what happened he only said, "My dad found me."

Toby had let it go at that. He made it a point never to ask Ian about his dad 'cause he figured that he wasn't around. At least Sarah and Ian never said anything about him and he never came to family get-togethers. Then again Sarah was mysteriously pregnant again so what did he know.

That weird kid had been with Ian every day since that incident. Everywhere Ian went, the kid followed. Ian followed Toby around enough for him to learn that the kids' name was Leon. Leon liked books and bugs. That was it.

On this particular day Ian and Leon had followed Toby to the fencing area, and Ian surprised his uncle by challenging him to a duel. In the beginning, Toby was going easy on him because he was only six after all. However, Toby soon realized that Ian knew what he was doing, and he was very, very, good with a sword. Toby barely managed to pull out a win, and it had been mostly due to his strength more so than his skill. If they had been the same age, he realized, Ian could have beaten him easily.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Toby asked, completely astonished.

Ian just shrugged, "My dad taught me."

Immediately after this Ian had started berating an empty chair about not trying break its legs. Toby had no idea how to react to this kid.

Toby sat outside the delivery room playing checkers with Ian while his dad bounced Gwyn on his knee. She was 3 now, and Ian would be 10 next month. Toby had driven to the hospital himself with his brand new license. His parents had already gone to the hospital to be with Sarah. Every time they heard a scream Ian would look up.

"It's alright," Toby's dad assured them. "The same thing happened when you were born, and when little Gwyndolen was born," he said nuzzling the girl's tiny golden ringlets. "It's normal."

Ian nodded curtly and tried to focus on the checker board.

An hour or so later the little group heard a different kind of cry, the cry of a new life taking its first breath.

Toby's mom came out saying that Sarah wanted just the kids to come in first. Ian stood, took his sister from Toby's dad, and the two blond children disappeared into the delivery room.

Half an hour passed. Surely that was enough time. His parents had gone to get something to eat so Toby was alone. He turned the cold metal door handle and was surprised when the room that he walked into was not a hospital room at all. It was a spacious and comfortable bedroom with a roaring fireplace on the far wall and large hanging tapestries on the walls. In the middle of the room was a large bed covered in furs, and in the middle of the bed lay Sarah, her children curled up at her side and the newborn in her arms. And sitting at her side was none other than the Goblin King.

"Jareth…" Toby's mind went totally blank and then it was racing. It seemed like everything was thrown into chaos and then all of the sudden everything made perfect sense.

"You're my sister's baby daddy?!"

This was my first story for this fandom. I hope you like it. I don't plan on continuing this. I just got this itch that I had to scratch.

I'll be returning to my Vampire Kisses series now.

Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think! :)