A/N: So you guys have given me enough encouragement that I believe I can go beta free for a while. At least, until I feel swamped.

Chapter 10

And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Tali rarely had a day off since she began working at the age of thirteen, but she quickly learned to love them. With Sarah gone and Kalin apparently okay since she hasn't returned, Tali could finally relax. She didn't know how good a job she was getting when Lydia first approached her. She merely wanted to get out of that town and that bar. It's not as though she disliked her time at the tavern. But, the position of barkeep and waitress never afforded her with ample time to partake in a restful trance, especially in the Palace gardens.

Eyes closed, floating several feet in the air, parallel to the ground, Tali never meditated the way her mother taught her since she believed that sitting upright required too much concentration.

Elves are denied the ability to sleep. Rest can only be gained by the use of certain meditation exercises, which all elves learn as children. However, since Tali was a half-elf, she could sleep yet not as long as other races such as humans or faes. Although she had the ability to sleep, Tali always felt better after a meditation session.

"Nice trick," drawled an amused voice.

Startled, Tali's eyes opened which made her lose concentration, causing her to fall. A pair of arms caught her, holding her close to his chest. She looked down, ensuring that she really didn't fall, and then looked up to see a smiling Lochlan gazing down at her.

"Put me down, please," she said as calmly as she could, hopeful that he didn't notice how much he frightened her. Much to her surprise, Lochlan did as she ordered, carefully placing her on her feet. Tali spun around toward him and took two steps back, which he immediately closed.

"I've never seen an elf in trance before," he admitted. "Cursed with the inability to sleep?"

"I can sleep," Tali explained. "Why haven't you seen that? Dark elves don't do meditate?"

"Dark elves usually stay in their caves unless they're hunting," Lochlan explained. "I'd rather not go in there."

"Yeah, I heard they're… unique," Tali agreed. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Taking a stroll through the gardens, naturally," Lochlan answered.

Tali rolled her eyes and decided that the best thing to do was to ignore him. If he didn't want to answer her question seriously, she didn't have to take him seriously. She settled back down on the ground, forgoing any trances, simply happy to feel the grass. Although her eyes were closed, she could hear the rustling of the grass next to her. Curiosity got the better of her. Going against her better judgment she opened her eyes. Tali turned her head to the left, immediately seeing Lochlan's face, upside down. Apparently, he thought lying in the grass was a good idea also.

"Don't you have gardens at you castle?" she said as she turned her head away to gaze at the sky.

"I do, but draugrs roam throughout them," he admitted. "Flowers smell so much better than rotting flesh. Also, if you don't watch where you're going, you'll fall into their graves. They don't particularly like it when you do that."

Tali wrinkled her nose in abhorrence. "Everything about that sounds horrible and disgusting."

"I consider that a compliment," Lochlan said.

"I'm sure you do," she said, laughing.

Ah, that laugh, he thought. How much he already loved her laugh.

"However," Tali pointed out. "You don't seem someone who likes flowers."

"I don't. They're dreadful things," he said in disgust. Tali sat up which made Lochlan sit up as well. She turned toward him, noticing that he was several feet behind her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again, meeting his gaze, unflinchingly. The intensity of his unwavering gaze made her uncomfortable, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

Silence stretched between them before Lochlan finally let out a sigh, uncharacteristically gazing down as he pulled up clumps of grass, displaying his nerves.

"Would you consider being my guest for dinner this evening?" Lochlan asked.

Tali crawled over to where he was sitting and stilled his hand from destroying anymore of the lawn. She grabbed his hand, holding it against hers, examining it closely as she took note of his long nails. She found them interesting, but she was actually buying herself some time. Tali expected the Unseelie King to ask her to do a lot of things, but none of those ideas included dinner.

"I can't do that," she said, finally looking at him, watching as his reserved yet hopeful face fall to a mask of coldness. "I promised my mother that I would visit her for dinner because yesterday's was cut short. But, I'm free tomorrow."

A sly smile crept across his face before he tackled her to the ground, pinning her underneath him.

"Why are you doing this?" Tali squealed as she tried to push against his shoulders after he nipped her ear.

Lochlan reached up, cupping her chin with one of his hands as he tilted her head upward. Tali felt the strain as her neck became taut, feeling one of his nails snaked across her throat. She eyed him intensely, almost daring him to do something, as amusement shown in his. Even though she probably should be, Tali wasn't frightened by his actions at all. He's harmless was the phrase that rang through her mind. His face went to her neck, and his breath brushed across her skin like silk, making her shudder.

"I don't care much for your trickery," he whispered in her ear as his longer hair fell on her cheeks.

"Oops," she smirked. Lochlan released his grasp on her jaw and turned his head, almost kissing her lips. However, Tali stopped him in time as she covered his mouth with her hand. Lochlan furrowed his eyebrows as an indignant looked crossed his face.

"I only agreed to have dinner with you," Tali explained. "Nothing more." Suddenly, she felt a wet sensation across her palm, causing her to retract her hand. "AH! Did you lick my hand?"

"Taste sweet," he teased as he stood up from the ground. Lochlan reached out a hand to her, which she took without reservation. She knocked off the residual leaves and grass off her dress, trying to ignore his intense stare.

"I need to leave," she said, finally looking up at him. "My mother- she'll be expecting me soon."

"Punctual are we?" Lochlan said. "Another thing I appreciate about you. Meet me outside the Palace gates at the nineteenth hour tomorrow. I abhor the process of going through the Palace shields."

"You don't think that I can travel to your castle by myself?" Tali asked.

"But I admire this alluring face," he said as he traced his thumb along her high cheek bones. "I'd hate for one of my creatures to tear it to pieces."

"Serious?" she asked, eyes going wide with fear.

"Did you believe that my kingdom consisted of only dark faes and elves?" Lochlan countered, not able to cease the smile that formed across his face. "Have I scared my Little Bird away?"

"Stop calling me that. Tomorrow, outside the Palace gates," Tali replied, pushing aside any anxiety she had. "I'll be there."

Jareth's breathing was heavy as he slowly moved with Sarah, his lips claimed hers. She raked her nails down his back. Jareth loved morning sex. And afternoon sex. And evening sex. Anytime, actually. But at this moment in time, it was morning; therefore, this was his favorite. When Jareth bit her neck, Sarah released a moan.

Unexpectedly, the sound of the door bell rang throughout the house.

Sarah went still.

"Ignore it," Jareth growled out. She tried to do what he said, trying to forget the disruption. Then, someone knocked on the door.

"I can't ignore it," she whispered before stopping his actions. "I have to get the door." Yet, he refused to concede defeat, placing kisses on her shoulder. Another knock on the door made Sarah push against his shoulders, stopping his caresses. "I need to get the door; It's going to drive me crazy."

"We're not done," he said, annoyed.

"Well, then just finish," she countered.

Jareth was appalled. "I don't want to just finish." Sarah ignored his remarks, pushing him off her. She put on her pajama bottoms and a large, over sized rock band t-shirt, ignoring Jareth's irritated glare.

"Don't look at me like that," Sarah said as she quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail before she left him alone in their bedroom.

"Bloody humans," Jareth muttered while he slowly left the bed.

Sarah jogged to the door, hoping to arrive before anyone left. She would hate to have to stop their morning activities for nothing. Jareth would surely be annoyed at that fact. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Toby and Karen.

"Hi," Sarah said, her eyes moved from mother to son and back.

"He told me that you two were back in town," Karen sighed. "I didn't believe him, but he told me to keep knocking. Did we wake you? So sorry about that."

"Oh no, you're fine," she said, dismissing her concern. "We're… late sleepers. Is there something that you need?"

"Feel free to say no…"

"Mom!"

"The new library is having its grand opening," Karen explained. "Robert and I are on the board, and we have to be there for several hours, possibly most of the day. But Toby would rather not go…"

"And, you would like us to watch him?" Sarah interrupted.

"I understand if I'm asking too much, but I would rather not have him home alone," Karen earnestly explained. "Sitting in front of the TV like a zombie."

Sarah looked over to Toby, who was not so subtly pleading for her to say yes by clasping his hands together under his chin. Memories flooded Sarah's mind of all the times Karen asked her to babysit him.

"Of course," she said. "It's no problem."

"Are you sure?" Karen asked in earnest, not quite believing the young woman agreed to watch a troublesome teenage boy.

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah answered as she nodded her head, moving to the side to allow Toby inside. He tried running in to the house, but Sarah snatched him by the arm. "Don't run off like that. Say goodbye to your mother."

Karen was pleasantly surprised by the gesture. Toby rolled his eyes and gave his mom a halfhearted hug.

"Bye, mom," he mumbled before heading inside.

"And he might learn manners from you? I should pay you," Karen said, impressed. She started digging in her purse, searching for her wallet. "At least, let me give you some money for food. He'll eat you out of house and home."

"There's no need to do that," Sarah demurred. "We'll give you a call if he acts up."

"But you don't have our cell numbers," Karen said, genuinely confused.

Damn.

"Um, I…I assume Toby knows it," Sarah recovered.

"Oh, right, of course," she said as she laughed at herself. The sound of a honking horn startled the two women. "So impatient. I have to go. Thank you again!"

Sarah waved goodbye as she watched Karen awkwardly jog in heels to the car where Robert was waving as well. She turned around to see Toby's cheerful face as he sat on her couch.

"When did you become a morning person?" Sarah mumbled, locking the door.

"Mornings suck," Toby admitted. "But mornings at the library suck more."

"Sounds fun to me," Sarah shrugged, walking away from the door. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Nope!"

Sarah chuckled, shaking her head as she made her way to the kitchen. "Food is on its way."

Toby stood up from the couch to follow Sarah when he noticed Jareth descending the stairs. Shirtless and wearing only black silk trousers, Jareth hadn't noticed the teenager when he finally made his way downstairs. He heard a breath hitch and turned to see Toby standing in the middle of the living room. This was also the first time Toby had seen Jareth without glamour since he was a baby, outside of his dreams.

Jareth smirked at the sight of the alarmed teenager.

"Notice something, Tobias?" he asked as he approached him. He wasn't really angry at the young boy, but he thought he could get some payback, since he was the reason for the knocking at the door.

"Um, no," Toby mumbled, trying not to show fear but failing miserably. He couldn't stop staring at Jareth's face, no matter how rude the act might be.

"Still wish to learn more about us, hm?" Jareth asked, walked toward Toby.

"You guys did promise that you would," he replied as his back hit the wall. He could see into the kitchen, but Sarah wasn't in sight.

"Want to know an interesting fact about me?" Jareth asked, leaned over to gaze in Toby's eyes. Toby nodded, cautiously. "I assume you've discovered that there are two courts, yes?"

Toby nodded his head again but still said nothing. Jareth's hand stroked his chin in contemplation.

"However, I possess the magic of both," Jareth said. Suddenly, his eyes went black, and the nails on his fingers extended.

Wide-eyed, Toby gasped, surprising himself by not screaming.

"That's not funny, Jareth!" Sarah chastised from the kitchen, finally looking at them. "You're going to give him a heart attack." He stood to his full height, laughing the entire time.

"Ah, he's young. His heart can take it," he said, slapping Toby on the shoulder, causing the teenager to lose some of the tension he was holding. "Go eat, Toby."

Toby ran into the kitchen looking over his shoulder to see a pleased Jareth sauntering behind him.

"Don't be afraid of him," Sarah said at the stove, her back to him. He took a seat at the kitchen island. "He'll continue to taunt you if he thinks he can get a rise out of you."

"Telling him all my secrets?" Jareth said, entering the kitchen. "How dare you take away all my fun." He walked over to the corner of the kitchen near Sarah, leaning against the counters.

"So, you don't actually eat children?" Toby asked him.

"Children are revolting. I prefer middle aged adults," Jareth replied with a straight face. "More marbling."

Sarah, who was still cooking at the stove, very much unamused with his antics, slowly turned her head to glare at him. He chuckled as he leaned over to kiss Sarah on the forehead, dissipating any angry words she have hurled his way. He walked over to the island to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"I don't eat humans," he clarified, becoming more serious. "And I appreciate you tell whoever told you that to cease that horrid propaganda."

"But you're the Goblin King and goblins…"

"Don't eat children," Jareth interrupted, a little bothered by the accusations. "They drink beer and too much of it."

"Come to the think of it, I've never seen them eat or drink anything else," Sarah said with a snicker as she placed a small plate in front of Toby.

"Awesome! Egg and cheese sandwich," Toby said in awe. "I love these, but of course, you know that."

"Toby, it's a long story and a complicated one at that," Sarah sighed.

"That's fine; I'll listen," he said while taking a bite of his sandwich.

"The peonies don't go there. That would look ridiculous!" Kalin shouted. "Why would they go there? Obviously, the morning glories go on the trellises! Not the peonies!"

Kalin stood in the middle of the bridge that lead to the gatehouse of her castle. Her long hair was wrapped tight in a high bun, and she was dressed unexpectedly in her riding cloths for fear that today's activities would muck up her more glamorous clothing.

"There's no reason why you should be out here, ordering people around," Taggert said, very much entertained by what he was observing. He slightly startled her as he wrapped an arm around her waist from behind.

"I absolutely should be," Kalin countered as she watched several pixies and two faes move the peonies off the lattices. "Who else would do it?"

"Someone. Anyone," he retorted. She turned around in his arms, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I have to work out my nervous energy somehow," she said.

"I can think of better ways to use that energy," Taggert whispered in her ear before placing a kiss on her neck.

Kalin rolled her eyes before freeing herself from his grasp. "This is important. Everything needs to be perfect." She looked over Taggert's shoulder, noticing something was askew. "Those coleuses- they need to be in the sun!" she yelled to a group of elf and dwarf workers. "They'll die if you leave them there! Take them away from the wall!"

Taggert laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Do you really believe Sarah would think less of you if a flower is misplaced here or there?"

"No, she wouldn't," Kalin conceded. Her voice became more erratic as she spoke. "But others might. Not only are my people going to be flooding my capital and periphery of my castle, but people from the entire kingdom are going to be following Her Majesty around like a caravan. A reigning sovereign of the Seelie Court has never visited this kingdom. All the inns iare booked- this is going to be insane!"

Taggert grasped her hands in his, lifting them up to his lips kissing her knuckles gently.

"Calm yourself, Mo huirnín," he muttered against her skin. "Everything will be fine."

"Easy for you to say," she said, pulling her hand away. "You're almost last on the list. By the way, what special events do you have planned for her visit? A head butting contest?"

"No," he said with a chortle. "Although, that sounds like a marvelous idea. Thanks for that. How about you give your workers a break from you and have lunch with me?"

"What do you mean 'a break from me'?" Kalin asked, flabbergasted. "That's a rude thing to say out loud."

Taggert covered his eyes with one of his hands, shaking his head. "Come on," he said, hooking her arm with his. "Let's get you away from here."

When they arrived in her dining hall, Taggert was taken aback by all the changes. He hadn't spent much time in this part of her castle, but he was shocked by the remodeling.

"Did you do all this because of Sarah's visit?" he asked, pulling out her chair at the head of the table.

"I've wanted to change it for a while," she admitted as she sat down. "Her visit gave me an excuse."

The entire room was in white, including the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the statutes in the corners of the room, and the long wooden table, except for the wing backed chairs which were black.

"This seems very much unlike you," he mumbled as he moved a chair out of the way so he could sit next to her.

"The stark color contrast will bring out the flowers that I plan to bring in here," Kalin said, proudly. "You'll see. It will be marvelous."

"You are setting the bar very high for the rest of us," Taggert said. "I refuse to take on a makeover job. I assume you are taking security in consideration as much as you are the flower arraignments."

"I'm insulted that you would think that I only concern myself with frivolous things," she said as she summoned for their meals. "I am capable of holding two things in my mind at once."

"Cormac sent several Palace guards, didn't he?" he said as he eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes! And so did Jareth. I'm so happy I don't have to think about that," Kalin admitted. "Maybe this whole ordeal is really over. We haven't heard a thing from those people."

"That's what they want us to think," Taggert said, cutting into his food. "Thankfully, we haven't received any threats, and yes, nothing has occurred. But now is not the time to let our guard down. Promise me you'll put as much care into your and everyone else's safety as you do about the plants."

"Of course, I will," she said, rolling her eyes. "Stop acting as though I was just crowned yesterday."

When they finished their meal, Taggert led Kalin to the courtyard of her castle. The decorations were already in place which explained why no one else was there and why Kalin wasn't barking orders at people.

"Is there a section of your castle that you haven't redone?" Taggert inquired.

"Your constant questioning sounds as though I have a problem," Kalin said. "I decided to build this for our scheduled tea time. Sarah will love it, I sure. Isn't it gorgeous?" She gestured to the large gazebo in the middle of the courtyard. The structure was grand and magnificent. The walls were carved to imitate the veins in the leave but, due to their height, they also looked like trees. The roof has tightly shingled with wood that flared up to resemble wings of the pixies.

"Didn't we all get word of this tour only a day or two ago?" he said with concern in his voice. Taggert still couldn't believe that she had done all this work in such a short amount of time.

"What's your point?" she said, walking into the gazebo. "I have swift working subjects who happen to be very resilient. You might be right. They probably wanted me to stop yelling at them. Win-win, really."

Taggert gently gripped her face, stroking her cheeks. "You're becoming very high-strung over this visit."

"Have you lost your mind?" Kalin asked with an air of indignation. "I'm always high-strung. How dare you not know this about me by now. I'm nothing if not self-aware." She spun away from his touch and turned toward the main doors of the courtyard. "Where's Cristel or anyone really? Where's my tea? I always have tea after my meals. It helps with digestion."

Transforming into his human form, Taggert collapsed against the pillows, allowing them to fall over his. He knew who she was, flaws and all, yet he loved every bit of her. Lochlan was right; he must be a masochist. The pain that still radiated from his shoulders that occurred at the hand of his beloved- he deserved everything she threw at him. Forget the fact that it wasn't really punish since he enjoyed it, Taggert thought as he reached up to massaged his upper arms.

"I can take that pain away, if you want," she smirked, standing over him. "I'm sure you've learned your lesson."

"Maybe I haven't," he murmured as he seized her arms, bringing her down to the cushions, holding her close against his body. That's when Kalin finally realize that he was no longer in his centaur form.

"Are you naked?" she shrieked as she attempted to wrestle her way away from him. "Put some clothes on. And do not ruin this gazebo!"

A fae servant walked into the courtyard, carrying a tray with the Queen's much beloved tea, doing her best to ignore her Queen's and her lover's odd antics. Taggert gave her a kiss on her shoulder before releasing her. Kalin crawled to the opposite side of the low table. She conjured a robe and threw it at his overly satisfied face.

"Jerk," she muttered as the servant placed the tray on the table before walking away.

Sarah quietly stood next to the stove while Jareth paced behind her, waiting for Toby to speak. She didn't tell him everything. He didn't need to know about how Oberon died or that several people out there who want to do harm to Jareth or even that Jareth gave her the book. Regardless, she felt a weight lifting off her shoulder when she told Toby the truth about they really were. He didn't say anything for several minutes, thinking what he was told over in his head as he stared at his half-eaten sandwich.

"So, you're my sister," Toby finally said, gazing up at Sarah. "Just like in my dreams." Jareth stopped his pacing, giving him a curious glare. She looked at Toby with a mixture of sadness and pity.

"No. Did you not hear what I said?" Sarah asked carefully. "I was sent here- Robert and Karen aren't my real parents."

"But they helped raise you, more than your actual parents," he argued. "You said so yourself."

"That's… very true," she agreed.

"That makes you my sister," he stated again.

"Toby…"

"No. You're my sister," he emphatically said. Sarah's features soften, and she felt tears forming in her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she said softly. "In a weird way."

Toby left his seat and walked toward her, wrapping her in a hug. Sarah hugged him back as she kissed him on the temple. She inwardly winced at how much he's grown in the few months she's been gone. At least his voice hasn't changed yet; she didn't think she could handle that many changes at once.

"Wishing me away? That's really not cool," he said as he pulled back a little.

"Have you ever looked after a baby?" Sarah asked. "You'd say regretful things too. You wouldn't stop crying."

"I couldn't have been that bad," Toby said.

"Sarah was merely a temperamental teenager," Jareth said. "You and I got along splendidly."

"Shut up," she muttered as she glared at him. "I got him back, so there."

"Mom and dad are going to flip," Toby said. "They can barely understand any of those fantasy movies that I drag them too."

"You can't tell them," Sarah implored.

"But, they think something is different about you also," Toby explained. "They don't really admit it, but maybe…"

"Robert, Karen, you can't… I don't think they would understand," Sarah said. "At least, let me be the one who tells them when the time is right, not you. Okay?"

"Okay," he said with a nod. "I can do that."

"Does this mean I can't eat him?" Jareth asked.

"We just found out that Eòran has been captured," said a male fae, approaching camp. "But he hasn't said anything. They believe he's the only one behind the explosion."

"See?" Sawyer said. "Still loyal 'til the end. No need to worry."

"No need to worry?" Odhran repeated, incensed. "They'll charge him with treason-he'll be killed."

"Have they stated his charges?" Sawyer asked the fae standing in front of him.

"No, not yet," he answered.

"There's your answer, Odhran," Sawyer said. "If he was going to be charged with treason, his charges would have been stated already. He's fine. We're fine."

"That's it? We're just going to leave him to rot in the dungeon," Odhran said. "No plans to help him?"

"He made his choice when he left the safety of our camp!" Sawyer yelled, becoming annoyed with Odhran's complaining. "I'm not going to put our lives at risk because he was foolish with his."

"That's how it's going to be? Stand together until things turn bad?" Odhran asked.

"If you want to leave, you can leave," Sawyer countered. "Become the next Eòran for all I care." He turned to the fae delivering the news. "What else have you learned?"

"The Queen is planning a Court-wide tour," he answered. "Begins during the middle of next week."

"Is there an itinerary?"

"She begins at the Pixie Kingdom first, then the Elves," he listed. "The crowning of the new Elf Queen will take place at that time."

"Who is it?" Sawyer asked.

"Gwendolen, the Countess of Muirias," the fae said. "That's no big surprise there."

"What's the rest of the itinerary?"

"Dwarves, Giants, Trolls, Centaurs and then Goblins."

Sawyer stood up from the ground and turned to address the camp. "All right. Let's start planning."

"Wait a minute!" Toby exclaimed.

"Toby, stop yelling," Sarah hissed.

He lowered his voice as instructed but barely. "You're the Goblin King, in charge of the Goblin Kingdom, but there are more than goblins there?"

"If you drop that ice cream again, you're going to eat it off the grass," Jareth warned.

Sarah decided that the best way to follow up breakfast was a walk to the ice cream shop. As they walked back to the house, Toby already dropped his ice cream from the cone due to his excitement and not holding his hands still, which Jareth magically replaced. Toby gawked at the magic ice cream for several second before Jareth snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face.

"Just because a kingdom is named after the goblins, doesn't mean that others don't live there as well," Sarah explained in between spooning ice cream in her mouth.

"And you're the High Queen, but he's the King of the goblins," Toby pondered aloud. "So that means you're the boss of him?"

"How about you never say that again," Jareth said while Sarah chuckled at his annoyance.

As they made the turn down the side walk toward the house, Toby walked out in front and spun around, causing Sarah and Jareth to stop.

"So when can I come visit?" he asked. The two faes looked at each other, surprised at his question.

"Now is not a good time," Sarah responded. "We are very busy, and it's problematic."

"How busy can things be?" he countered. "You made time to come here, right?"

"Making time wasn't easy, Toby," Jareth said as they continued walking. "We can't abandon our duties to come up here all the time."

"So I can only see you guys when you have time?" he asked, upset.

"That's how life works, Toby," Sarah sighed as they walked up to the house. "You don't remember, but when I lived in Seattle, I only saw you once a year, if that. If we were humans, we would still be having these issues. Please understand that I'm not trying to keep you away from us."

"All right," Toby grudgingly conceded.

"Don't act like you don't have anything to do," she said. "Don't you get shipped off to camp soon?"

"Next week," he answered. "Wow, you have a crazy memory."

"One of my many talents," Sarah joked as she placed the key in the door, but Toby stopped her.

"Wait a second. I'm going to get something," he said as he turned toward his house.

"Get what?" Sarah asked, but it was too late. Toby was already running back to his house.

"How does he expect to get in?" Jareth asked still eating his cup of ice cream.

"He has a key. I don't know what he's getting though," she said.

A few minutes, Toby came out the front door with a bag on his shoulder. He quickly locked the door to his house and ran down the street towards them.

"What is that?" Sarah questioned as he made it back to them.

"I brought some games for us to play," he answered.

"Did you say games?" Jareth asked as a smile crept across his face.

Setting up the console took Toby only a few minutes. When he finished, he walked toward the couch on the opposite side of the room. Jareth sat on the floor in front of the couch while Sarah sat on the sofa, behind Jareth, with a bowl of popcorn, eager to watch what was about to unfold. Toby handed Jareth a small, white steering wheel.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Jareth asked holding the item out in disgust.

"It's a steering wheel; it's your controller," Toby explained. "Have you ever driven a car before?"

Jareth scoffed as such a notion. "Driving is such a ridiculous mode of travel."

"Yeah, whatever," he sighed, dismissing his insult. "This thing is really sensitive. Use it to steer your car right or left. Push the number two to accelerate and the B button- this will let you use special moves and stuff."

"Why don't you have one of these?" Jareth asked.

Toby held up the sleek, white controller. "Because I have the almighty GamePad."

After an unimaginable amount of time that Toby had to wait so Sarah could help Jareth pick out his kart…

"Pick Princess Peach," she demanded.

"I don't want to be a princess," Jareth argued. "Why would I want to be a princess?"

"Ugh. Fine. Then go with Yoshi," Sarah said.

"What the hell is a Yoshi?!"

"Oh! Choose the cloud glider," she said, trying to grab the controller from his hands. "I don't remember what they do, but they're cute." However, Jareth wouldn't let her take it.

"Do you realize that everything you've said for the past five minutes has made absolutely no sense?"

"Ready to get your butt kicked?" Toby said as he looked out of the corner of his eyes at Jareth.

"Uh oh," Sarah whispered as she started to eat her popcorn again. "Um, Toby, you should probably make some stipulations."

Toby gazed down at the floor, thinking over what she just said.

His head darted up in realization. "You're not allowed to use magic."

Jareth turned his head to the side to glare at her.

"What?" Sarah asked innocently, retreating to the couch cushions.

Toby pressed a button, and the screen began to countdown. The race starts as Toby pulls out ahead into the lead. To his credit, Jareth kept his pace at the third and fourth position yet unable to catch up. The final lap turtle and his cloud buddy appeared on the screen causing Jareth to curse under his breath. He finally managed to make it to the second position, but Toby was still in the lead. The Goblin King had enough of this nonsense. Suddenly, Jareth reached over and seized Toby's controller, throwing it across the room.

"Hey!" Toby cried out as his go-kart spun out while Jareth crossed the finish line in first place.

"Look at that. I won," he said smugly. Sarah burst into laughter as Jareth crossed his arms, clearly proud with himself.

"You cheated," Toby accused, standing next to Jareth, glaring at him.

"No, I didn't," Jareth said matter of factly as he looked up at Toby.

"Yes, you did," Toby said. "You can't just throw someone's controller across the room."

"You say that now."

"All you said was 'no magic', Tobes," Sarah chortled. "You should have made more demands."

"But...but," he stuttered, disbelieving the events that took place. "You so cheated!"

Jareth stood up and leaned down to Sarah, giving her a small kiss. "What's that dish with the spices and wide noodles?"

"Dragon noodles," she answered. "It's Thai. You want Thai for lunch? The menu is on the fridge in the kitchen."

"But you cheated," Toby said emphatically again.

"I'll order," Jareth said as he walked away into the kitchen, ignoring the outraged outburst of the teenage boy. "Don't worry, Toby. We'll feed you even though you're languishing in defeat."

"Toby, calm down," she said, trying not to laugh again. Toby wasn't the most competitive person except when it came to his video games. Sarah learned this a long time ago."Think of this as a lesson: use your words wisely. You're dealing with faes. Be explicit. Don't leave any loopholes."

"You're taking his side?" he asked.

"Hey, I'm the nice one here," Sarah chuckled. "I warned you. Not my fault that you didn't think things completely through."

"Why does that even have to be said?" Toby asked, holding his arms out in response to the indignity that was placed upon him. "You can't just throw someone's controller while playing the game."

"You didn't say he couldn't," Sarah shrugged. "So, why not?"

"Because…well…Because!"

"Listen, Toby," she sighed, taking his hands in hers. "I'll take you to the Underground one day. I made you a promise, and I will keep it. You won't be harmed when your with me, but that doesn't mean someone act like Jareth just did- which in grand scheme of things, isn't that bad. But if this upsets you that much, then you need to use your words and use them well. Don't leave anything open to interpretation. Otherwise, this will happen all the time. So, either think things through or grow a thicker skin."

Toby said nothing; he only rolled his eyes while frowning a bit.

"Oh come on! You have to admit that was funny," Sarah said, poking him in the sides, trying to make him smile.

"It was dumb- that's what it was," he said, attempting to hide his grin but failing.