CoffeeKris: Ok, I know I kinda sorta fell off the face of the planet...but I'm updating now so please don't kill me! A great big thank you to my reviewers and my sincerest apologies for taking so long. I blame work, it makes me go to bed at 9pm, I havn't gone to bed that early since I was ten! Also I'd like to dedicate Heather's character to my reviewer OceanFae :D

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For the most part, Jareth thought he was getting along with Sarah's family relatively well. He didn't think he'd said anything wrong, or acted inappropriately and judging from the affectionate glances Sarah was giving him as she spoke with her aunts and grandmothers, Sarah was pleased with his behaviour as well. It was for these reasons that Jareth could not figure out why Sarah's grandfather was currently glaring at him as the old man puffed on a cigarette. Jareth glanced around the yard as he took another sip from his soda, yet when he returned his gaze to Sarah's grandfather, the man was still glaring at him. What was it that was causing the old man to glare at him so intently? A better question, why did the Goblin King feel intimidated by his girlfriend's eighty-six year old grandfather?
Jareth returned the old man's glare with a cool stare of his own, he was the Goblin King dam it, he would not be intimidated by an eighty-six year old mortal! If it was a match of wills Sarah's grandfather wanted, Jareth was more than willing to oblige. He didn't care how long the contest lasted, he would not be cowed.

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Evelyn slept, but it wasn't a very restful sleep. Every few minutes she would awaken, sure that she heard a snap of a branch or the sound of pebbles and earth grinding together as someone approached. Finally as the sun rose, she abandoned hope of gaining any rest, but the restlessness of her sleep wouldn't fade, even with being completely away of her surroundings. Something was in the air…something tugged at her senses. The only question was what.

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Siian sat on the garden bench staring vacantly into the distance. Her mouth was pressed into a tight frown and her posture was rigid, two signs that indicated to Wilfred that his wife was not in a good mood. He approached her silently, feeling it best to let her speak first.

"The Council is looking for her Wilfred, they're not happy she's evading them and they're starting to get desperate."

Wilfred sucked in a breath and blew it out again.

"I'm sure Evelyn had no idea that the Council had any intention of summoning her, if she did I doubt she would evade them. I do not know where our daughter is, I wish I did."

Siian rounded on her husband and glared at him.

"Do NOT speak to me as though I were an idiot Wilfred! I don't always agree with the Council, but she's going to get herself into more trouble by evading them than if she just went to the summoning in the first place! I love that girl but the fact is that she is not 'our' daughter, she's your daughter, if she was mine as well none of this would be a problem."

Wilfred's features schooled into a masque and he pursed his lips.

"Wife, I assure you that our daughter is not evading the Council. Such talk is ridiculous, unfounded and dangerous. Imagine if one of the Council's advocates were to hear you and mistake your paranoia for truth, it would make fools out of us all."

Siian made an angry noise.

"There are no Council advocates hiding in the garden bushes Wilfred."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I would not be so sure, Siian."

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Sarah was enjoying chatting with her aunts and grandmothers when Phil slid up beside her.

"Hey super-babe, I have an important message for you. Ladies, I'm gonna have to steal Sarah away," He looked at Sarah's grandmother Reetsie in surprise "Hey, I didn't know you were still alive! Awesome, and if I do say so you don't look chronologically challenged at all."

Reetsie glared at him as he dragged Sarah away, thinking of the various objects she could place in her large purse that would make it heavy enough to inflict some serious damage when she hit him with it.

Once Phil had dragged her off Sarah sighed in irritation at her Uncle's random acts.

"What is it Phil?"

He pointed to where Jareth and her grandfather were sitting. She looked over briefly.

"Jareth is sitting with papa, your point?"

Phil shook his head.

"Your man candy isn't just sitting there with Vince, Vince has been glaring at Jareth and Jareth has been staring at Vince for about…." he glanced at his watch "forty eight minutes and thirty four seconds, thirty five seconds, thirty six seconds, thirty seven…"

Sarah hit him to stop his counting.

"Why are they staring and glaring at each other?"

Phil shrugged.

"I dunno. I noticed Vince glaring at him awhile ago, Jareth only started staring back after about five minutes. I don't know why Vince is glaring at him and I'm not about to ask, your papa scares the crap out of me."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Papa isn't scary, he's just a big softie."

Phil shook his head.

"No he's not! I doubt you remember but when you were about seven, he threatened to take a shotgun to me!"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"I do remember and if you had been siphoning my gas, I probably would have said something similar."

"Hey, I was parked behind him! If I hadn't siphoned his gas, I wouldn't have been able to move the car and his gas wouldn't have done him any good anyway!"

Sarah laughed at her Uncles warped logic and thought about how best to diffuse the situation.

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"She's no longer in the mortal plane, she's somewhere in the Underground."

"Do we know where?"

"We have a general idea now, but nothing specific…I've ordered back our search team back to the Underground, if we move fast we should be able to catch her."

"What if she hops the planes again?"

"Even she can't be that strong. She must be exhausted from all the running, I've no doubt her escapades have put a large strain on her. I don't think she'll be able to make another transfer from one plane to the next."

Evelyn gasped as the vision released her. They knew she was no longer Aboveground and worse, they had an idea of where she was. They were right, she was exhausted. The constant running was a strain on her body, mind and magic. There was one thing they were wrong about though; she did have enough to make another leap to the Aboveground. If she did go the Aboveground now though, she doubted she'd be able to return Underground quickly. On the one hand, she'd have the element of surprise by moving to the Aboveground now, on the other if she did she wouldn't have such a quick means of escape if they found her just as quickly.

She sighed, she was tired of running and tired of living like an outlaw. All the constant movement made it difficult for her to come up with a plan of action. Everywhere she hid, the Council seemed to be able to find her; despite the fact that she avoided places she believed they would expect her to be. Perhaps that was the answer, to go where they would least expect her.

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Jareth continued his staring match with the old man when he felt a small tug on his shirtsleeve. He turned to find Sarah's little cousin Heather there with a small on her face.

"Hi! My cousin Emily wants to know if you'll tell us a story, but she's too shy to ask so she asked me to. She still thinks you're Prince Charming by the way, because Sarah didn't get to answer her before our mommies got to her, but if you're not Prince Charming, please don't tell her because she likes to believe in that kind of stuff and I know that I was sad when the kids at school told me that Tooth Fairy isn't real and I don't want Emily to feel sad like that. But, I'm a big girl so if you're not Prince Charming you can tell me and that'd be ok, because I wouldn't be sad, I'm just curious. Everybody says that curiosity killed the cat and the first time I heard that I cried cause I felt bad for the kitty but Sarah told me that something brought it back but I don't remember what it was. So will you come tell us a story?"

Jareth was impressed such a small creature could speak for so long without taking a breath, he was also impressed that the girl cared so much about her younger cousin. He spared a glance at Sarah's grandfather, who's glare seemed to have intensified as he puffed on his cigarette. Returning his gaze to Heather's hopeful look, he smiled.

"I'd be delighted." He rose and nodded to the old man before Heather grabbed his hand and skipped him over to where the young cousins were playing, he failed to notice Heather give Sarah a thumbs up which she returned before sitting across from her grandfather.

Sarah sat across from her grandfather with a smile.

"Hello Papa."

He grunted in response and puffed on the cigarette again before speaking.

"I don't like him."

Sarah frowned.

"Who?"

He nodded in to where Jareth was sitting with the children.

"Jareth?"

Her grandfather grunted again.

"Why?"

He puffed on the cigarette again before he spoke.

"Do you remember when you were little and you asked me how I knew where to dig wells?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, you divined for water, right?"

He nodded.

"And you asked me how I could tell how much water and how deep it was by doing that, and I told you I don't know how it works, I just get a feeling from it."

She nodded.

"What does that have to do with why you don't like Jareth?"

"Same way, I just get a feeling and I don't like it."

Sarah put her hand on her grandfather's.

"Papa, Jareth is a good man."

Her grandfather shrugged and returned to his cigarette.

"He better be or I'll take the shotgun to him."

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Jareth: (appears in a burst of angry glitter)

Kris: Uh...oh...

Jareth: (points accusingly at Kris) YOU! You dropped this story and myself into an oubliette for nearly a month!

Kris: It's not my fault! It's work's fault! You try waking up at 4:30 in the morning and then working all day, coming home, cleaning the house, eat supper and then tell me if you feel like writing in the little time you have before bed! Oh and don't forget to be patronized by golfers because you're a GIRL! (glares)

Jareth: (sniffs and pulls at his gloves) Fine. So long as you don't leave the next update so long AND as long as you stop forcing me to strip for the reviewers.

Kris: I'll only agree if you make sure the reviewers will be too distracted to attack me for taking so long to update.

Jareth: (rolls eyes and disappears, reappearing covered in whip cream, and leather) The things I do for you.

Kris: (gapes.) Uh...(waves dismissivley at readers) Review!