A/N: Chapter eight! Thank you for your patience in waiting for this and the last chapter! ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

A Writer Required

Chapter Eight

I chewed my bottom lip in anxiety as Jareth exited the taxi, and after stealing a silent breath, I got out on my side. My mind was still occupied with thoughts of the strange man at the diner. Speaking to Jareth about it had reassured me to a degree, but it was still a terribly unsettling experience to have had.

As Jareth spoke to Broc, our driver, I moved towards my house and began searching my bag for my house keys.

I'd cleared half of it when the taxi left and I heard Jareth coming to a stop beside me.

"Sorry, just a minute. Hunting down my keys." I explained, brow furrowed.

"Is that the neighbor you spoke of?" Jareth's voice pulled my attention away from my key hunt, and I found myself looking at him, then following his keen gaze where it had landed upon Martin's house.

Martin was standing at his window, coffee cup in hand, and the dark expression on his face was one that immediately sent a chill of alarm up my spine.

Martin's hard eyes moved from Jareth's cool stare to meet my wary glance as I answered him. "Yes."

Martin's expression changed, his eyes softening, but I didn't hold his gaze long enough to see what it was changing into.

I brought my attention back to my purse and finally spotted my keys twinkling up at me from its dark depths. "Finally. I have got to get a smaller bag." I murmured to myself.

Keys in hand, I started up the steps, and after a moment's struggle with the old door, was able to unlock and open it.

I looked back to Jareth, expecting him to be behind me, and instead my eyes dropped down, back to the sidewalk.

Jareth hadn't moved.

I looked past him to Martin's house to see if he was still there.

Right at that moment, Martin stepped out of sight into the dark confines of his home, and my eyes returned to the Goblin King.

I cleared my throat, and when that failed to stir him, I descended the stairs again and placed my hand on his arm.

Jareth's shoulders eased from their tense state-I hadn't realized he was tense until that moment-and I felt some warriness in seeing it. "Jareth? Are you ok?"

Jareth turned to me, "Forgive me. Let's inside." and he began walking me up the steps, his hand at the small of my back guiding me.

We were inside and the door closed behind us before I could utter another word. I gave him a strange look as he shut the door, his eyes turned to my window. It would be impossible for anyone to see in right now, but Jareth acted as though he half expected Martin to try to press his face to the window.

I hung up my bag and began removing my coat to do the same with it, when I felt the air shift with magic behind me, and glanced over in time to see Jareth easing back into his natural form.

His hair was slightly darker and shorter, his feathery locks more chestnut than white blonde, and closer to the tops of his shoulders. His bangs were only a little longer, but the difference was noticeable. I discovered, too, that his clothing was slightly altered than his norm.

More modern than his usual. The Martinet he wore was more polished and simply cut. His shirt was black silk, but still a poet's shirt, and his trousers fit a little looser. Otherwise he was unchanged.

I studied these differences thoughtfully. Was he showing me what he really looked like, a bit at a time? That made sense; but it made me wonder if he thought a full change all at once would have been too much for me to take in. Was his true form really all that different?

He rolled his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair, bringing me out of my thoughts, and I wondered if his human transformation was uncomfortable. I voiced the thought, and Jareth spared me a brief look before answering.

"Not usually. Done in haste, the disguise can feel a little like trying to squeeze one's body into clothing tailored to fit another that gradually grows to accommodate you. Not ideal, but manageable. Otherwise it feels no different than wearing properly fitting clothes."

He settled into his chair while I retrieved my laptop, and I was reminded of our earlier conversation about methods of communication. I asked him more about the reasons why cell phones would not work, and he elaborated further on the subject.

"I would not be able to receive messages through them if I were in my own world-even if using magic to enhance them. And as with most anything, they can be lost or stolen, or if done right, an errant wisp of magic is all it would take to unlock their secrets. Others have attempted it in the past, but to my knowledge, no one has succeeded in making it work as of yet."

With that cleared up, Jareth raised a hand to stop me when I looked to him to begin writing. "As we are on the topic, I would like us to decide how we are going to communicate when you are busy. I imagine we'd both prefer to avoid a recurrence of today."

I agreed. I'd had time to think about the communication problem while in the cab, and I easily answered him now. "I can tap the ring to indicate that we can't meet at that moment." I held up two fingers. "What about twice to say we're okay to meet," I lowered one finger, leaving my index finger up. "and once to say I'm busy. Would that work?"

Jareth was pensive before he waved his hand in an elegant gesture of acceptance. "Very well." He then made a slightly less elegant gesture at my laptop. "We left off with the mermaids, I believe."

I nodded, checking the notes on my laptop for verification, and then we dove back into his story.

The time Jareth and I spent together was peaceful. He told me his story and expanded on details here and there and I shortly interrupted to clarify something or to ask how to spell a name of a person or place.

He talked of the mermaids, dryads, and the naiads that all lived in close quarters to each other. We moved on to when his father grew ill and he'd had to return home, when we were interrupted by my phone.

My ringtone for my boss-different from any other of my contacts so I'd know to answer it-sounded and drew my attention to the device.

Jareth stopped speaking and I held up a hand to tell him to wait, wincing in apology. "Sorry, just a second, it's my boss."

Jareth leaned sideways in his chair, resting his chin in his hand so that his mouth was hidden behind his fingers. He stared at me intently, making me uncomfortable. The look he was giving me made me think he was not happy with the interruption.

I ignored him for now. "Hello?" I asked into the phone, raising one knee to rest my elbow on it and turning myself away from Jareth. I could feel his eyes focused on the back of my head.

My boss replied. "Hey Amelia, one of the guys has to leave early today, can you come in to cover for him before your shift?" I looked at the simple analog clock on the wall where it hung by the door. I normally started work at three. It was barely after twelve-thirty. Jareth and I hadn't even worked a full hour.

Speaking of the goblin king, I remembered him and chanced a glance over my hand at the monarch. Our eyes met, and I looked away again when he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah I can come in. It'll have to be around one-thirty, though. Would that be alright?" I asked.

"Yes, that'd be great! He will need to leave a little after that so that'll be perfect." The relief in my boss's voice was evident, making my eyebrows rise high. Had something happened?

My brow wrinkled thoughtfully. "...Okay, see you later."

"Great! Thank you, Amelia!" He said, and I smiled.

"No problem. See you then." Saying our goodbyes, I hung up.

Jareth's chair creaked in its telltale way when he crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his seat.

"I'll have to go to work early to cover for one of my coworkers. We have about forty five minutes before I need to leave." I put my phone back into my pocket and saved the document on my laptop with a flick of a couple keys, then looked at him. "We can continue for a while today, and maybe you can come a little earlier on Wednesday to make up for the lost time?" I suggested.

"Does your employer often call you in early?" He queried.

This remark pulled my attention to him. "Not terribly often. He has recently, though." I shrugged. "If he asks me to come in early, I don't have a problem with it most of the time. Besides, I earn a little over-time pay, and that makes it easier."

Jareth made a face, but otherwise didn't reply. I raised my eyebrows at him, straightening up from where I sat on the couch. "I mean, I can stay, if you've half a mind to start providing money for my food and home?"

Jareth's face grew rosy, and I paused to apply a thoughtful expression, tapping my chin with my finger and gazing with a furrowed brow at the ceiling. I then puckered my lips slightly to add to the thoughtful look.

"Although I don't know how well goblin currency will carry in America..." I quipped, trailing off. His red-faced, startled look lightened to allow some humor.

"I see." He said. "Then I suppose an earlier meeting will have to do." I inclined my head a bit, really actually grateful he hadn't thrown a tantrum.

"Great. Let's keep writing before I have to leave." And with that said, we set back to work.

The next morning I woke to my late morning alarm going off, telling me it was nine o'clock. I'd slept in. Rubbing my face, I hissed in pain and felt around my left eye tenderly. "Crap, I forgot about that." I muttered.

I went to my vanity mirror to assess the damage, and groaned. I had a massive black eye. It was worse than last night.

Last night I'd had to break up a fight between two of my clients. Where I worked, we took care of men with disabilities, teaching them life skills so they could one day be independent.

I'd taken off the ring while in my car and put it in my pocket in an attempt to help wean myself of it. The nausea had been unpleasant, but not overwhelming so.

A short time later one of my clients had accidentally elbowed me in the face as he'd reached his arm back, winding up, to punch another client in the face.

I'd stepped forward to separate them, only to receive his elbow in my eye.

My shout of pain and call of, "ASSIST!" had alerted my nearby coworkers. The day's coworker in charge, Marcus, as well as our coworkers Brian and Richard came running, assessing the situation briefly as they ran.

Richard and Brian restrained the clients fighting while Marcus hurried over to me.

Putting an arm around in front of me and turning me away, he hurriedly led me to one of the side rooms, out of danger and out of sight of the clients fighting.

After the fight was stopped, Marcus and Brian took care of me. One retrieved an ice pack and the other a bottle of ibuprofen.

I insisted I was fine, though I was holding back tears.

Marcus frowned and insisted I take a break, and after hesitating, I finally relented. I cried a little, there in the side room, and Marcus kept his arms around me as he patted my back to offer comfort.

"That was really stupid, you know." He gave a small, half-hearted chuckle at the end, until I raised my head to glare at him.

Marcus grimaced when he saw my black eye. "Damn, that looks bad. Er-sorry…" He hurried to say sheepishly when I looked away, wiping my face furiously.

I couldn't be crying-not here. My clients would think they could walk all over me if they saw me in tears. I frowned. I had to be tough.

"It was pretty brave, though, too." He admitted sincerely, smiling a bit before his frown returned. "But seriously, don't ever jump in like that again. Call for me or one of the other guys, or call 'assist' like you did."

He jerked his head toward the doors. "You did pretty well just then, and that was good thinking on your part for calling for assistance. But next time don't get involved. You'll get yourself killed." He rushed to add when I began to protest. "I know you've had training-I know you're strong-but it doesn't matter. You're still half the size of most of the guys here."

He paused to be sure I understood, going as far as to duck his head to one side to see my eyes. "OKAY?" He asked.

I half grudgingly nodded, the tears gone from my face now and I sniffed.

He released me carefully, seeming uncertain of whether or not I was being honest about how I was feeling, and he left one arm around my shoulders. "Good. Now clean yourself up and get your ass back out there."

He grinned to show he was partly joking and I laughed, smiling, "Yes sir!" and pretended to salute.

After I'd made sure my face was clean and my eyes less red, he made me sit on a couch with the ice pack on my eye; to wait until the situation outside was fully settled.

Only then did he allow me to go back out there, and even then he kept close to gauge the moods and reactions of the clients, staying half in front of me.

The client who'd hit me saw me, and hurried over.

At once Marcus tensed and stepped fully in front of me.

The man raised his hands in surrender and explained. "All I wanted to say was that I'm sorry."

That remark made Marcus glance back at me, and when I saw that our client was sincere, I nodded.

Marcus moved carefully aside, and the client stayed where he was. "I am so so sorry, Amelia!" He apologized profusely, truly concerned for me, and regret for his actions shone clearly in his eyes.

I smiled slightly to reassure him. "It was an accident. I appreciate your apology. Maybe we should try to figure out solutions for the next time you disagree with someone, so you don't get so upset, ok?"

Relieved I wasn't angry, he agreed, and we sat down at a table to work together to come up with solutions to help him keep calm in stressful situations.

I put the ring on after we talked and he went to watch tv. The nausea promptly abated and the ring seemed confused initially and increasingly concerned as it took in my state of being.

Luckily I was away from others enough that I could rest my chin on my hand and my elbow on the table top, to murmur to the ring. "I'm fine, it was an accident. I'll explain it to Jareth later."

The ring's response was hesitant, almost frustrated, but it eventually calmed and turned silent, the calm reassurance returning stronger than before.

Marcus checked on me regularly, and I was grateful for that. He was like a big brother, always having my back and at times teasing me.

He'd told me as much one day that I was like a little sister to him, and if I ever needed anything or wanted to talk, that he'd be there.

It'd really touched my heart, knowing I'd have someone to talk to if work got to be too much.

I smiled at the memories, and winced when the action made my black eye twinge painfully. I studied the bruise in the mirror.

I wasn't excited for Andrew to see it. We had a breakfast date this morning-in fact, he'd be here any minute.

I worked swiftly to apply a liberal amount of makeup, in the hopes it would hide the nasty bruise, but it wasn't quite enough. One side of my nose was showing color, too, and I covered it with makeup. I turned my head left and right, watching the bruise. It wasn't noticeable unless someone was close to me, and the majority of the swelling had gone down after I'd iced it.

Before I could do more, there was a knock at the door. Muttering about punctual boyfriends-though there was a timid smile on my face at the thought of seeing him again, despite the worry I felt about his reaction-I put on my slippers and hurried to the door, grabbing a blanket from the couch to wrap around my shoulders.

I was still only wearing a tank top and shorts, my thick blankets enough to keep me warm at night. I grinned as I opened the door. "I'm not yet ready, Andrew-" I began, only to stop.

It wasn't Andrew at my door.

It was Martin.

His eyes grew wide at my next to naked appearance, and his gaze fell down to take all of me in. I "Ahem!"'d and scowled at him, going red in the face.

I turned my blanket from a cape to an oversized bib in half a second and held it over myself.

"Martin." My firm voice brought his eyes back to mine, and his cheeks darkened.

"I-I'm sorry!" The middle aged man sputtered. But then he stopped, and leaned at me with lowered brows. "What's-?" He stopped short and his eyes widened. "Is that a black eye?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a demand.

"Can I help you?" Andrew's sharp voice reached past Martin to me before I could respond, and relief eased my tensed shoulders. He'd saved me from a very awkward conversation.

At least, that's what I thought.

Martin's face went plum colored for an entirely different reason than before, and he jerked around to glower-up-at Andrew.

My neighbor took half a step back, and I could feel his previous fury crumble just a little.

Andrew was almost a full foot taller than Martin; which the older man only now seemed to realize. He surprised me, though, by speaking to Andrew. "Yes. You can tell me why she has a black eye!"

"Martin, really, it's fine! It was an accident-!" I began in exasperation.

He cut me off with an angry snap to his voice, half turning his head to scowl at me. "Is that what he told you to say?"

I gaped, annoyed. "No, I meant-"

But Andrew silenced me this time when he shoved past Martin. "A black eye?!" He stopped short when he saw my face, his hands still wrapped around Martin's upper arms when he'd moved the other man out of his way.

Martin sputtered in anger but stopped when he saw Andrew's face. "Amelia…" He breathed, wide eyed. "How did this happen?" His countenance darkened. "Who did this to you?"

My ring was starting to feel warm, a wary protectiveness radiating from it that had me concerned. It seemed to be questioning whether or not it should alert Jareth.

My face went red in panic because of this, and Andrew's eyes narrowed further, misinterpreting my blush.

"You can tell me, Amelia. I'll set it right." His promise made the ring even warmer, and I curled my hand into a fist.

It seemed pretty concerned now. Would it call Jareth?

Panic hit me.

For him to just show up here, now, would be a disaster! I knew that regardless of whether or not the ring would call Jareth, I couldn't let this ridiculous fighting continue.

Andrew seemed to realize the man next to him might know something, and he whirled round on Martin. "Do you know who did this? Out with it!" He added with a shake to the older man's shoulders when Martin didn't immediately answer.

They started arguing again, Martin denying to have anything to do with it, and accusing Andrew of lying. They grew heated in a hurry and I had had enough.

"STOP!" I shouted at them, and both men froze. "For heaven's sake!" I said quieter, exhausted by the ridiculous testosterone battle before me.

I rubbed my forehead and took a deep breath, letting it out again. "One of the guys at work-" Andrew's face darkened and I flinched when the ring almost grew hot.

I folded my arm so my ring was pressed under my opposite elbow. What was wrong with this thing? I thought in frustration.

"One of your coworkers did that?" The dark look on his face resonated into his voice.

Martin opened his mouth to add something else, but I cut him off.

"No! Enough, I said!" I snapped firmly in an attempt to silence their bickering. "If either of you had let me finish speaking, you would know that it was an accident at work!"

Surprise colored their expressions and I pressed on quickly. "Two of my clients were fighting and when I tried to step in to stop them, one of them accidentally elbowed me in the face!"

I shifted my folded arm under my blanket, away from my other arm when the ring began to cool, and I scowled at them. "Now will you two please stop fighting? You're grown men, for goodness sake!" I reprimanded.

Both Andrew's and Martin's shoulders sank, ashamed-though Andrew still looked angry when he released Martin.

"That's really all that happened?" Andrew asked me, his voice quieter.

I nodded. "Yes."

His eyes studied mine as though to be sure, then his shoulders relaxed fully and he took a breath. "Ok. How are you feeling? Do you still want to go out?"

I hesitated. After the fight that had just happened before me, I thought about canceling and climbing right back into bed.

But I needed to reassure Andrew that I was fine, and going out with him would put his worries to rest. "Yes, I'm fine." I waved him forward. "Come in and wait in the living room while I finish getting ready."

Andrew made to step forward when Martin stepped in the way to glare at him. "You might not have hurt her, but know that I've got my eye on you. If you ever hurt her, I'll-"

I interrupted my neighbor in barely checked aggravation. "-Yes. Thanks, Martin. I can handle things now. Have a good day."

And with that said, Andrew slipped past Martin into my house, putting one arm around my waist and leading me gently back from the door.

Out of Martin's line of sight, he kissed my forehead lightly, then turned to the door.

Martin had spun round to face Andrew, who spoke. "As Amelia said. Good day."

Martin hesitated until I smiled thinly at him in reassurance.

His anger melted, and he cast Andrew a grudging glower. "You too, Amelia." My neighbor reluctantly turned and walked down the stairs.

I realized then that Martin never explained why he'd come over in the first place. I was thinking of asking him, when Andrew promptly shut the door.

"Nosey old man." My boyfriend growled.

I was inclined to agree, but I frowned at him. "Nosey or not, he was just showing concern."

Andrew's head snapped round to stare at me, disbelief entering his eyes as he faced me fully. "He was accusing me of abusing you, Amelia! You can't tell me that didn't upset you!"

"Of course it upset me!" I explained. "Knowing it wasn't true just made the accusation ridiculous. He didn't know the circumstances behind the injury and jumped to conclusions-" I leveled a look at him pointedly. "-just as you did when you saw it."

Andrew went red in the face, averting his gaze to glare at the fireplace. He folded his arms, and I took that as admission.

Shifting my blanket to my left hand, I reached out my right hand to him to rest it on his cheek until his eyes met mine. "You both had my best interests at heart. Don't be too upset with him because of that."

Andrew's gaze softened, and he sighed when he placed his hand over mine, moving it down to his lips to kiss my palm. "Alright. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt-this time."

He added, kissing my hand again firmly. "I can't say that next time I will offer him that same courtesy."

The warning was clear in his voice, and I nodded in understanding. "That's fair."

Releasing my hand when I began to pull it away, Andrew folded his arms, and I turned toward the kitchen. "You can sit on the couch while I get ready. I'll be just a minute."

Andrew hummed in acknowledgment and moved to the couch while I retreated to my room to change.

Breakfast was pleasant after we'd settled everything about my black eye, and I had explained to Andrew in detail all that had happened.

"I'm glad your coworkers were there to have your back." Relieved, Andrew took up my right hand in his and pressed a kiss to the knuckles. "I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you." His voice quieted, his brow wrinkled with worried lines.

Breakfast continued uneventfully, though Andrew seemed at times as though he were far away, his mind thinking of something else.

When I noticed his distant look for the fifth time towards the end of our meal, I finally asked him what was wrong. "Is something wrong? You seem kind of distracted this morning..." I trailed off when Andrew's gaze snapped up from his breakfast to meet mine, his eyes returning to the present.

His cheeks grew slightly pinker in embarrassment at being caught, and he explained himself. "Sorry, I've just been thinking about work. My boss has been pushing me towards an opportunity, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet."

Although he appeared honest in his words, the way he said it made me think he wasn't telling me everything.

The rest of our breakfast was partially riddled with thoughtful silences, and Andrew dropped me off at my house with a distracted kiss.

I felt weird after the kiss, like his heart wasn't really in it. He'd seemed suddenly distant. What was wrong with him?

Wednesday arrived, and I worried as I got ready for Jareth's early arrival. I didn't bother covering the bruise up with makeup. I knew hiding it would just make him angry, and I'd rather be honest about it-I was already hiding the stalker incident from him-I didn't want to add more lies to the short, nearly growing list.

I pressed my lips together thin when I opened the door at nine am, and crouched down to pick up the newspaper.

I felt it as Jareth arrived in his owl form, gliding invisibly above me.

He must have noticed something was off, for I felt the unsteady shift in the air as his flight faltered just before me before he quickened past me into the living room.

I felt his turbulent, shocked emotion as he passed.

I stayed there a moment longer as he transformed, his magic hovering like a mist behind me.

It was when I felt his eyes on me, that I stood up with the newspaper in hand. I would just have to come out quickly and say it and have it over with. Tell him like I was ripping off a bandaid.

I sucked in a shaky breath and shut the door and locked it, then faced him.

Jareth's brow was already furrowed as though he couldn't quite believe what he'd just seen.

His expression darkened dreadfully when our eyes met, and I looked away from his face in discomfort.

I flinched when he approached and took a step backwards, waiting for his certain reproval.

His steps halted, then continued at a slower, surprisingly reassuring pace, as he stepped nearer to me.

My tense posture relaxed a margin in seeing this.

"What happened to your eye?" His voice was quiet, likely sensing from my body language how worried I was about his response.

"I was accidentally hit at work. Two of my clients were fighting, and when I stepped in to stop them, one elbowed me in the eye on accident." I quickly added as I felt the air between us become treacherous with his anger-though it didn't seem to be aimed at me.

Would he take out his anger on my client? That made my worry increase, and I quickly added. "He apologized afterwards, and I worked with him to help him manage his anger in the future. He promised me he would be better, and I believe him."

The anger between us diffused and Jareth came a little closer as he spoke. "Your ring should have protected you from receiving any harm." I could feel his unsaid question of 'Why hadn't it?' left in the air between us.

Jareth bridged the gap between us completely. "Why weren't you wearing your ring?" He reached up to my face before I could think to step away.

His hand rested on my cheek, his thumb lightly tracing the outline of my black eye. His touch was cool; surprisingly soothing in its gentleness.

His delicate, careful touch made me freeze, alarmed and dumbstruck by it.

What was even happening right now?

I snapped out of my stupor while Jareth was still examining my injury. I didn't dare move away-a big part of me was worried that he might accidentally poke it with his thumb if I did.

I carefully answered his question instead. "I didn't want to be constantly wearing it because of where I work." I shrugged one shoulder and he moved closer still, frowning at me.

His breath breezed over my face and my stomach did a flip.

I went on hurriedly to explain, stuttering. "It-It can be dangerous there, and the ring could get broken."

Jareth's frown turned severe. "The ring's built to withstand a great deal, and can easily be replaced. You, however," His voice became gentler. "You, can not."

I stared at him, thunderstruck, and heat flooded my cheeks.

Jareth pulled me from my thoughts as he murmured under his breath. The skin around my eye tingled where his thumb had touched it and when the tingling faded away, I sucked in a breath when I realized what had just happened.

He'd used magic on me!

My cheeks cooled rapidly as they paled in anger. How dare he! The ring's constant attention was bad enough-but now this?

I could feel without touching it that the swelling had gone down. Did he fully heal my eye? What would people say when they saw how quickly my bruise had healed?

There were sure to be a whole slew of awkward questions launched my way when they noticed-and they would notice.

My thoughts must've shown clear enough on my face for him to interpret, for he quickly put my concerns to rest.

"The spell I just used will quicken the healing process and lessen the pain. It will heal faster now, cutting the time it would normally have taken in half. In that way, no one will question how your bruise healed so quickly."

My mouth opened, but no words came out. He'd practically read my thoughts-just from looking at my face!

I was too surprised by his thoughtful action to form the words to express myself.

Jareth smiled faintly at my expression, looking a bit satisfied with himself. His eyes fell to my lips as he reached up to softly take my chin between his thumb and the side of his forefinger.

I turned pink once again, frozen in place as butterflies stirred in my stomach.

His gaze grew warm briefly before it cleared away, and his eyes flicked back up to meet mine. Gently, he tipped my chin up to close my mouth.

I went pinker in embarrassment. 'Jeeze! For a minute there I thought he was going to-'

Jareth's voice cut off my thoughts. "I knew you would protest if I informed you of my intentions." He pulled his hand away with care and I ducked my head a margin, looking up at him in sudden discomfort. "An indirect assist seemed the best option."

I hated to admit it, but he was right. I would have protested the action quite firmly. I took in and released a breath, causing his long hair to flutter slightly when I did, and I abruptly held my breath.

He was close. 'Too close.' I thought, and then spoke aloud. "Thank you." I said it sincerely, and his eyes widened slightly as though he hadn't expected that response.

The truth was, even though he had used magic on me, he had also taken my future into his consideration, and made it so the healing process would be unnoticeable to others.

I didn't want to believe it, but in that moment I realized that maybe-just maybe-he might actually care enough about my well being, to make things easier on me.

My head began to hurt at that thought, and I winced.

But maybe I was reading too much into this, or maybe the magic's effects were messing with my perception of the moment.

I put my hand to my left temple where the headache was forming and rubbed it lightly, missing it when Jareth's eyes followed the action.

Either way, the situation at that time was too much to take in, and I turned my attention away from it. "Now we've settled that, maybe we should get back to work."

Jareth was strangely silent, and he studied my face a second longer before he at last nodded, and retreated to his chair to begin our work for the day.

I went to the couch, aware of his gaze on me, and settled into the couch. I really hoped his using magic on me wasn't going to become a thing.

As much as I loved the idea of magic, I didn't fancy him using it on me. I heaved an internal sigh and opened my laptop. 'Back to work.' I thought, and we continued where we left off.

A/N: Let me know what you think! ^_^