The snow that had fallen the night before froze over in the bitter cold leaving the streets of the city an icy mess. All of London seemed to grind to a halt. There was hardly any vehicle traffic out on the treacherous roads. City transportation ceased until the roads could be cleared. Even foot traffic was minimal. Sarah watched from the bedroom window as a few brave souls slipped and slid over the icy sidewalks, clawing along the walls or crab-walking over the frozen patches.

"I think we should stay in this morning," said Jareth as he entered the room carrying two mugs of coffee and a plate of sausage and toast.

"Agreed," replied Sarah, accepting a mug.

They moved to the bed and stretched out with their coffee in hand and the plate of breakfast between them. Jareth picked up a piece of savory sausage and wrapped it in the buttered toast. He offered it to Sarah and she ate it from his hand.

"What should we do today?" he asked, retrieving his own pieces of sausage and toast and popping them into his mouth.

"Hmmm…" Sarah answered, playfully tapping her jaw with her index finger.

Jareth shook his head. "Haven't you had enough yet, Judy darling?"

Sarah looked at him, his rumpled blonde mop, his lean, pale shoulders and ivory chest. He was beyond beautiful, cream and gold with undertones of azure. His lithe body moved with grace, like a dancer, yet with the command and regal bearing a king.

No, she had definitely not had enough.

The coffee in the mugs and the sausages on the plate were cold when Jareth and Sarah returned to them. Jareth put everything into the microwave and took advantage of the ninety seconds to kiss Sarah senseless.

She loved kissing him. Loved the way he tasted of wine and mint with a hint of tobacco. She loved the way his clever tongue swirled around hers. She could imagine him being able to tie a cherry stem in a knot with only his tongue. He kissed her with his whole body, hands caressing, hips slightly swaying, heart beating in tandem with hers. His kiss was intoxicating and she craved it.

By late afternoon, the snow and ice had melted enough for them to venture out for food. Jareth took her to his favorite sushi restaurant, a tiny hole-in-the-wall place between Soho and Chinatown. They sat at the bar, which only had three seats, and gobbled bite after bite of the chef's specialties. On the way back to Jareth's flat they stopped at a funky Chinese novelty shop to look around. Jareth tried to buy her an oversized Lucky Cat for her living room, which she refused, accepting a red fan with black tassels instead.

Spent and shivering, they returned to Jareth's apartment and huddled together on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Snuggled warmly against Jareth, Sarah must have briefly dozed because when she awoke night had fallen and Jareth had moved to his chair. She blinked her eyes in the flickering firelight, catching sight of what he was reading, a large green book. The Book. She sat up, startled.

"Why are you reading that?" she asked him.

He looked up at her over his reading glasses.

"It's rather titillating," he told her. "The story itself is a bit silly, but it's well-written. The erotic scenes are quite… arousing. Would you like me to read some to you?"

"No thank you," Sarah said, disgusted.

"Oh come, come, Sarah love," tutted Jareth. "After everything we've done to each other last night and today don't tell me you're put off by smut."

"I just don't want you to read it to me," she told him.

"You might enjoy it, love," he coaxed. "The heroine reminds me of a sluttier version of you. She's an adventurous young woman to say the least. Let me read you a passage or two. I think you'll find it quite the aphrodisiac."

He flipped a few pages and was just about to read when Sarah lept off the couch and snatched the book from his hands.

"For fuck's sake, Jareth!" she yelled. "I don't want you to read to me from this damn book!" She slammed it down hard on the coffee table, making Peaches flutter in her cage, squawking a few curse words. Jareth stared up at Sarah, open-mouthed.

"Whatever is the matter, love?" he finally managed to say.

"That book," Sarah spat, pointing an accusing finger at the green cover. "That book ruined my life!"

"How could it have done that?" asked Jareth. "I'll bet you've not even read it."

"Oh, I've read it," fumed Sarah. "Over and over and…" She collapsed onto the sofa, a sob threatening to rise in her throat. Putting her head in her hands, she sighed, resigned. Jareth would find out eventually anyway. She might as well tell him herself.

"Jareth, that book," she began. "I- I wrote it."

Jareth was dumbfounded.

"You wrote Her Majesty's Jewels?" he asked and Sarah nodded.

"The erotic sensation on four continents?" she nodded again.

"The best selling book on Amazon for seventy-five weeks?"

"Yes, Jareth. Geez. It's a dumb book. Get over it," Sarah groaned.

A sudden thought crossed Jareth's mind and he slumped back in his chair.

"You're G.K. Ibis!" he cried, pointing a long finger at Sarah. Sarah hid her face in her hands.

"I've been fucking G.K. Ibis and I didn't even realize it," Jareth said in awe.

"Come off it, Jareth!" cried Sarah, wringing her hands. "Please don't make this into a thing. I shouldn't have told you. Now it's going to be a thing."

Her look of desperation brought Jareth out of his star-struck trance. He moved forward in his chair and took her clasped hands.

"Sarah," he said calmly. "I'm glad you told me, but I won't make it into a thing. It's obviously something you have issues with. I don't understand why. It's a lovely book that millions of people have enjoyed. But if it bothers you, I won't even read it anymore." He picked up the book and moved toward the fireplace.

"Wait!" cried Sarah. "Don't do that. I- I would just like to distance myself from the book. That's all. I mean, I'm fiercely proud of it.."

"As you should be."

"But, at the same time, I'm really embarrassed by it. It's very personal. I never dreamed in a million years it would be such a success. When it took off I was mortified! It was like having millions of people reading my dirty sex diary."

"Is that why you ran away to your little hamlet?" asked Jareth.

Sarah nodded. "I wanted to forget the book. Forget G.K. Ibis. Forget all the clamoring for news and gossip about who could have written it. I just wanted to disappear and be Sarah Williams, Writer of children's books."

Jareth moved to the couch and wrapped his arms around Sarah before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Your big bad secret is safe with me, love," he told her. "Though, I do have a question."

"What?" asked Sarah.

"The king in the story, your protagonist's sometimes adversary/sometimes lover… Who was your inspiration for him?"

Sarah looked him squarely in the eye. "Who do you think?" she said.

"Oh Judy," Jareth said hoarsely. "I really do think we need to revisit your role-playing days."

"You weren't at church this morning," said Moira over the phone. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, everything is fine," Sarah told her friend.

"You're not ill, are you?"

"No."

"Where were you then?"

Sarah sighed. "Moira, I stayed in London this weekend," she admitted.

Moira's loud squeal made Sarah push her phone away from her ear. Jareth looked up from his reading at the sound of the high-pitched shriek.

"You did it, didn't you?" Moira laughed. "You and Jareth had sex!"

"Okay, yes," Sarah mumbled into the phone, her face turning bright red.

Her friend laughed. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, you naughty little slut," she giggled. "How was he?"

Sarah gave Jareth a sidelong glance. He appeared to be intently reading, but she knew he could very well be listening in on her conversation with his keen, strigine hearing.

"Fantastic," Sarah told her friend and she was almost certain Jareth quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course he was," gushed Moira. "I knew he had to be. You can't look like that and not be amazing in the sack."

Embarrassed by Moira's raving, Sarah took her phone into Jareth's bedroom. "Yes, he was amazing. Better than amazing," she said, feeling flushed and a bit feverish at the thought of what he'd done to her in his bed. Of what they had done to each other.

"You have to let me meet him now, Sar," Moira insisted.

"Why, so you can jump his bones?" Sarah laughed.

"I may if you turn your back too long, Sarah Williams," teased her friend. "Seriously though," she added. "I want to officially meet the man who has my dear friend skipping church in favor of getting deliciously shagged."

"If you're going to say things like that to him I will never introduce you, Moira Dabney," Sarah teased back.

"Bring him to dinner this week. I'll be on my best behavior."

Sarah sighed. "Fine. When?"

"Friday," said Moira. "I'll do a Lancashire hotpot. He's not Vegan, is he?"

"No."

"Good. I never know what to feed those people."

Jareth looked up as Sarah walked back into the lounge.

"Is everything all right?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"That was Moira," Sarah told him. "She wants us to come to dinner on Friday."

Jareth smiled. "You're going to introduce me to your friends?" he asked, looking a bit like an eager young boy. "That's quite a relationship development."

"You've already met my whole family, Jareth."

"That was different," he countered. "That was just to save you from a Thanksgiving kitchen disaster. This is something else entirely. You are actually bringing me along with you to meet the people with whom you live and work."

Sarah hadn't thought about that way, but it made sense that he would be flattered by the action. Sarah wasn't trying to hide him. She was going to take him out and show him off to her friends.

Sunday evening Sarah reluctantly left Jareth to return to Great Missenden. Moira was waiting for her, eager to hear all the dirty details of her debauched weekend in London.

"Sarah, you are positively glowing!" her friend cried when she met her at The Cross Keys. "He hasn't knocked you up already, has he?"

For a terrifying millisecond Sarah panicked before she remembered that she'd been on the pill for years. The subject of other complications of unprotected sex had come up over the weekend, but Jareth had assured her that there were no known "fairy STDs".

"I'm not pregnant, Moira. Keep your voice down. If anyone around here finds out I've been fornicating, they'll run me out of town."

"Oh pish-tosh," said Moira. "Bunch of busy-bodies. They're all so uptight because of Clarkston. He's on a rampage."

"Still?" moaned Sarah.

"Oh, it's gotten worse," Moira told her. "He's convinced that the devil has come to Great Missenden. Just in time for Christmas, no less. He's been making unexpected housecalls, trying to catch his faithful flock in some manner of sin or other. Yesterday it was Mr. Douthit, reading the betting odds on the Man City and Newcastle match. The day before that he stopped by the Reeves' house and caught the two daughters watching Twilight and gave them a long lecture on the dangers of the occult."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Clarkston would have a field day with Jareth.

"Ugh," grunted Moira. "I don't want to talk about Clarkston anymore." She brightened. "Are you and Jareth still coming for dinner on Friday?"

"Yes," Sarah told her. "We'll be there."

Moira squealed with delight. "I cannot wait," she said, hugging Sarah. "I'm dying to meet the man who has made you so deliriously happy."

"I never said I was deliriously happy," Sarah laughed.

"Oh Sarah, you didn't have to," said her friend. "It's written all over your face. Your eyes are so alight and your cheeks are flushed and the way you smile…" She paused, staring intently.

"Good heavens, Sarah," she gasped. "Are you in love with him?"

"What?!" Sarah cried. "I- I don't…"

"Oh my god," she thought. "Am I in love with Jareth?"

He made her feel amazing and not just physically. Sure, he did wickedly wonderful things to her body, but he made her feel good in her mind and spirit too. In her soul.

"I-I think it's too soon to make that sort of assessment," she told Moira.

Moira eyed her curiously. "Well," she said, "Come Friday night, I'll be doing the assessing. And then we'll see."

A/N:

has been... quirky lately, so you may have missed Chapter 11. Make sure you check out the sexy times there if you haven't already!

What do you think about Sarah's big reveal? Had you guessed already? What clues led you to figure it out?

As always, thank you for reading and commenting. It means a lot to all of us writers!

~Fanny~