Effective Immediately

Department Chair Sarah has an unusual encounter with the new Vice Provost of Graduate Studies. Written for the livejournal labyfic challenge prompt of "protection".

Associate Dean MacMillan had just popped his head into my office, and I tried to hide my irritation from him. "The new Vice Provost? Why does he want to see me?" I cast a despairing look at my overflowing email inbox. "And why this afternoon?"

"That new graduate program you're building for the department, I'd guess." MacMillan flicked that half-smile of his I'd learn to be wary of. "He's very interested in new graduate programs."

That gave me pause. "The Vice Provost of Graduate Studies would presumably have sway over the Grad Council in the Academic Senate?"

"Indeed he would."

Well. That could be useful. It never hurt to have blessings from the Powers That Be when trying to get the Academic Senate to approve anything.

"Anyway, I'd suggest making that meeting if I were you." And with that, MacMillan popped back out.

Hmmph. I pulled up the email announcing the Vice Provost's arrival to campus. Dr. J. Aran, originally a theoretical physics professor, then Dean of Arts and Sciences at his home institution before coming to us. Hopefully he was amenable to areas of studies outside his own - you could never tell with these high muckety-mucks.

I stood in the Vice Provost's reception area, trying very maturely not to tap my foot like an impatient child as his secretary knocked pertly on his closed office door. "Vice Provost Aran? Dr. Williams is here."

"Lovely - send her in, please."

I stopped, the world freezing in that peculiar way I distinctly recalled from when I was fifteen. No. It simply couldn't be.

"Dr. Williams?" The secretary was giving me a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

I blinked, swallowed hard, and straightened my spine as I made for the door. "Quite, thank you." It had to be an acoustic illusion. Just a brief burst of temporary auditory processing insanity.

I had stepped just inside the door when the Vice Provost swiveled around in his chair to face me, and the door clicked shut behind me with the finality of a dungeon gate.

Acoustic illusion, my ass.

Of course, he wasn't in armor as black as shadows and a flowing cape this time, and there was a distinct lack of meticulously haphazard elven locks shot through with glitter. He had apparently traded all that in for a tailored grey suit and Zegna tie, with a gorgeous undercut for his hair that made me want to run my fingers up the back of his neck. But still. It was unmistakably him, and he was sitting in the Vice Provost's office like he belonged there in his executive wear.

And the bastard had the gall to smile like a benevolent angel on top of it.

I worked on unfreezing a single one of my muscles. Just one. I knew I could do it. I just needed another moment. It wasn't a spell I was caught in, of course, because I didn't believe in spells anymore. This was just unadulterated shock. Right? Right.

Jareth stood and gestured me to the chair in front of his desk. "Dr. Williams - Sarah, if I may?"

I found myself walking to the chair and sitting down before I could think. I shook my head sharply. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That thing that you're surely doing to control my behavior at this very moment."

"And what exactly might that be?"

I struggled to unearth the right word from my memories. "Compulsion. A spell of compulsion."

He clucked his tongue. "That would be cheating, don't you think?"

I arched an eyebrow. "It sure would."

His laughter rolled over my skin like liquid sunshine. "Ah, how I've missed you. Fine, then. We can dispense with the less subtle methods."

And with that, my skin suddenly stopped stretching over my limbs with an immobilizing tightness. I let out a slow breath, enjoying the sensation of muscle control. And then I leveled a good solid glare at him. "What are you doing here?"

He waved a hand around at the office. "Vice Provost-ing, apparently."

Gears were churning rapidly in my head as I sorted through the barrage of questions I wanted to ask. At last, I settled on the most basic one. "Why?"

He shrugged. "You needed protection."

"What?" I blinked rapidly, trying to process his words into sense.

He fanned his fingers together, and rested his chin on top of them. "You've been stepping on quite a number of toes, Madame Chair."

I kept blinking. "I have?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Apparently unintentionally. Perhaps that should be expected, given your general proclivities. Still, this doesn't attenuate the collective ire of those whose toes you've mashed flat."

"Whose toes? How?"

"Let's just say you've been remarkably energetic in implementing new ideas since assuming your department's Chairship."

I crossed my arms. "Well, of course. We're basically building a department from scratch. It takes doing."

"Indeed, I quite understand, more than you think. Goblin kingdoms don't build themselves from nothing. But still - the toes." He sighed and spread his hands wide. "So, I've taken it upon myself to stand between you and the powers of the Administrative Darkness while you're on your noble quest."

I stared at him, trying to put 1 and 1 together to make 13. "You...have become Vice Provost of my university - and I won't even begin to ask how much reality twisting that had to involve - in order to...protect my academic world-building endeavors. You. The adversarial embodiment of my teenage psyche who looks remarkably like a fae David Bowie and heads a population of creatures with low attention spans and questionable personal hygiene."

He flashed me that sunshine smile again. "That about sums it up, yes. You'll admit I have experience building something from nothing, and managing unwieldy groups." He stretched back in his chair, perfectly at ease. "I can help you, Sarah."

Now I was trying to put 1 and 1 together to get a rainbow pony. I gave up. I pressed my fingers to my forehead, focusing on the situation at hand. "Look, I really appreciate the sentiment but you can't just...I mean, how can you…" I blinked slowly and tried again. "You can't just do this."

He leaning on one elbow, looking positively roguish. "Apparently I can."

I sighed. "Look, it's all well and good to make up a background and insert yourself into reality, but as a Vice Provost, you can't just swan around clearing the way for me. You have lots of other responsibilities."

"Do I? How do you know?"

"What do you mean?" I shook my head. "Vice Provosts do lots of things."

"Such as?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it abruptly. "They...meet with people?"

"And how often do you meet Vice Provosts and other administrators of that kind?"

Silence curled between us.

"Precisely. So, I think it very possible indeed that I 'swan around' clearing the way for you. I'll call it interfacing with vital human resources and motivating the implementation of strategic goals."

I closed my mouth again, because it had fallen right open at his effortless use of bureaucratese. "Where did you pick up that phrasing?"

He look very pleased with himself. "You think ruling a kingdom is all about dancing around and singing musical numbers?" His face fell slightly at my expression. "Ah, Sarah. A bit more faith, hmmm?"

I shook my head, making a quick decision. Looking gift rainbow ponies in the mouth, and all. Besides, I knew what they said about effective leaders - often wrong, but never in doubt. "Forgive me. It's been two decades and I apparently received only a very select view of your royal activities. I'd be most grateful for your aid and protection, Vice Provost."

His sunshine smile returned as if it had never left. "My great pleasure, Chair Williams." He extended his hand. "I look forward to working with you more."

I extended my own hand and felt the warm solidity of his as we shook. "As do I, Vice Provost."