Chapter Three: Setting the Story Straight
Calliope struggled ineffectually to free herself from Stephan's strong grasp. Scrunching her eyes shut, she squeaked. "Stephan, don't. I'm covered with enough snow as it is and it's freezing out here!"
"Ok."
Calliope's eyes flew open only to quickly shut again as she found herself nose to nose with the Fey King.
She licked her lips nervously. "Stephan...?"
"Shh." He placed a finger over her lips. "Listen." Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. Snowflakes gently caressed her face as Stephan moved his hand to brush her cheek. Leaning close, he softly pressed his lips against hers. A sigh of pure pleasure escaped her as Calliope slid into the kiss.
She never noticed his hands release her arms nor did she notice when her own hands slid up to entangle themselves in his dark brown hair.
The kiss lasted forever and was over too soon. Reluctantly, the pair separated and Calliope snuggled close to the Fey King.
It was only then that she opened her eyes.
And realized they were floating several feet above the ground. "Um, Stephan?"
"Yes, love?"
"Look down."
"Oh dear." Stephan sighed. "Are you doing that or am I?"
Calliope carefully extracted herself from his warm embrace. With a yelp, Stephan dropped like a rock, landing with an explosion of snow. Calliope giggled. "Whoops. Must have been me," she said as she gently floated to the ground.
"Minx."
The muse smiled sweetly. "You said that already."
* * * * *
"Well now, this is more like it!" The young boy grinned at the furiously blushing redhead and started towards her.
"Back off, pipsqueak!" Caillean said, grabbing a pillow off of the bed and brandishing it. "Unless you want to eat feathers!"
"Ooh, a feisty one. I like that in a woman."
"Jareth!!!! I'm going to KILL you!!!"
"Do you know who you are speaking to?" He adopted a haughty tone more suitable to an adult. "I am the eldest son of an Earl. One day, I shall be Lord Cecil." He looked at her once again. "You should bow to me, you know."
"Bow?" Her eyes narrowed. "Look here, you little brat...."
Before she could finish, her vision blurred once more, and she and Little Jareth disappeared from the room.
* * * * *
"Look. There isn't a book of rules. Dickens wrote the blasted story. It didn't come with an instruction manual! Just make us invisible to all the people we visit."
The three Goblins looked at one another and conversed quietly. Finally, the Goblin of Christmas Past came forward.
"We think we can do that, but we need to bring back the Lady and your younger self."
"Yes. Bring them back now."
A flash of light later, Caillean and Little Jareth appeared in the room. Caillean looked rather like she was about to strangle his younger self, so Jareth stepped forward and took her arm. "Welcome back, my dear."
"Oh no, not you too!" She threw off his arm and stepped back. "I don't want either of you coming near me!"
Jareth sighed. "Well. I suppose we should get back to business. Okay, Goblin of....oh for heaven's sake, do you have a name?"
"Sure. I'm Past, he's Present, and he's Future."
"I should have known. Okay then, um, Past. Why don't you help us try to find something good that I have done in my childhood."
"Oh my." Future mused. "Have you done anything nice?"
Caillean giggled. "This should be interesting." She turned and noticed that the younger version of Jareth was wandering around the room looking intently at the walls. "What's wrong with him?"
Jareth smiled. "We're invisible to him now."
"Oh, good. It's about time."
"Why? I thought you would be flattered." He directed a well-placed glance to her bosom.
"Jareth..."
"All right." He laughed. "Let's get on with it."
The group walked out of the room into the grand castle of Queen Elizabeth.
* * * * *
"How do you think they're doing?"
Stephan shrugged. "I don't know, really. He's done a lot of nice things in the past - but I doubt the goblins will actually take them to those times. They didn't seem to know up from down, come to think of it." He picked up a poker and began to tend to the fire. "What will we do if they can't find a good deed?"
Calliope pulled the fur wrap around her more snugly. "I don't know, make up something?"
"Or create something?" Stephan smiled.
"Ooh. I like how you think."
* * * * *
"My time is coming to a close tonight." Past piped up as Jareth looked out over the sea of people in the Regency ballroom. "Perhaps Present can help you find a good deed."
"But," Caillean interrupted. "We've only been through three centuries. We have at least two more to go!" She smiled ruefully. "Besides, I'd like to dance. Could you just make me visible for awhile?" She looked down at her period correct gown and dancing slippers with longing.
"I am sorry." The goblin shook his head. "We learned the hard way with making you visible."
Jareth looked over at Caillean. Her forest green dress was lovely. It had lovely silver braiding for trim, which brought out the brilliance of her gray eyes. The effect was much more stunning than the earlier, more revealing gown. In fact...
"Oh, what the hell."
"Excuse me?" Caillean turned.
"Would you care to dance with me?" He asked.
Caillean gaped at him, shocked. "Dance? With you?"
Past and Present looked at each other and nodded. "You can dance for a bit, if you wish." Present smiled. "We have a few moments before turning to the present."
"I do know how to dance, you know." Jareth smiled.
"Well, I ah..." Caillean looked out across the ballroom wistfully. "I *would* love to dance..."
He took her hand, booking no argument. "Then let's go."
He led her out onto the floor.
* * * * *
The three Goblins watched their King and Lady Caillean gracefully move to the sounds of the waltz. With a sigh, Present shook his head. "They do make a handsome couple."
Past nodded. "Yes, it would be nice to know if..." He broke off as he and Present looked questioningly at Future.
"Oh no. I'm not telling."
* * * * *
Calliope sipped her hot cider and stared into the fireplace. "You know, if something were to happen to you - Jareth would certainly come running to help."
Stephan nodded, scooting a little closer to where the muse sat in his study. "Yes, if something happened to any of us. But then again, we both have magic. We should be able to get out of trouble without too much of a problem."
"Caillean can't." She replied in an offhand manner, then turned and looked at Stephan.
"No." He smiled widely. "She can't."
* * * * *
Calliope struggled ineffectually to free herself from Stephan's strong grasp. Scrunching her eyes shut, she squeaked. "Stephan, don't. I'm covered with enough snow as it is and it's freezing out here!"
"Ok."
Calliope's eyes flew open only to quickly shut again as she found herself nose to nose with the Fey King.
She licked her lips nervously. "Stephan...?"
"Shh." He placed a finger over her lips. "Listen." Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. Snowflakes gently caressed her face as Stephan moved his hand to brush her cheek. Leaning close, he softly pressed his lips against hers. A sigh of pure pleasure escaped her as Calliope slid into the kiss.
She never noticed his hands release her arms nor did she notice when her own hands slid up to entangle themselves in his dark brown hair.
The kiss lasted forever and was over too soon. Reluctantly, the pair separated and Calliope snuggled close to the Fey King.
It was only then that she opened her eyes.
And realized they were floating several feet above the ground. "Um, Stephan?"
"Yes, love?"
"Look down."
"Oh dear." Stephan sighed. "Are you doing that or am I?"
Calliope carefully extracted herself from his warm embrace. With a yelp, Stephan dropped like a rock, landing with an explosion of snow. Calliope giggled. "Whoops. Must have been me," she said as she gently floated to the ground.
"Minx."
The muse smiled sweetly. "You said that already."
* * * * *
"Well now, this is more like it!" The young boy grinned at the furiously blushing redhead and started towards her.
"Back off, pipsqueak!" Caillean said, grabbing a pillow off of the bed and brandishing it. "Unless you want to eat feathers!"
"Ooh, a feisty one. I like that in a woman."
"Jareth!!!! I'm going to KILL you!!!"
"Do you know who you are speaking to?" He adopted a haughty tone more suitable to an adult. "I am the eldest son of an Earl. One day, I shall be Lord Cecil." He looked at her once again. "You should bow to me, you know."
"Bow?" Her eyes narrowed. "Look here, you little brat...."
Before she could finish, her vision blurred once more, and she and Little Jareth disappeared from the room.
* * * * *
"Look. There isn't a book of rules. Dickens wrote the blasted story. It didn't come with an instruction manual! Just make us invisible to all the people we visit."
The three Goblins looked at one another and conversed quietly. Finally, the Goblin of Christmas Past came forward.
"We think we can do that, but we need to bring back the Lady and your younger self."
"Yes. Bring them back now."
A flash of light later, Caillean and Little Jareth appeared in the room. Caillean looked rather like she was about to strangle his younger self, so Jareth stepped forward and took her arm. "Welcome back, my dear."
"Oh no, not you too!" She threw off his arm and stepped back. "I don't want either of you coming near me!"
Jareth sighed. "Well. I suppose we should get back to business. Okay, Goblin of....oh for heaven's sake, do you have a name?"
"Sure. I'm Past, he's Present, and he's Future."
"I should have known. Okay then, um, Past. Why don't you help us try to find something good that I have done in my childhood."
"Oh my." Future mused. "Have you done anything nice?"
Caillean giggled. "This should be interesting." She turned and noticed that the younger version of Jareth was wandering around the room looking intently at the walls. "What's wrong with him?"
Jareth smiled. "We're invisible to him now."
"Oh, good. It's about time."
"Why? I thought you would be flattered." He directed a well-placed glance to her bosom.
"Jareth..."
"All right." He laughed. "Let's get on with it."
The group walked out of the room into the grand castle of Queen Elizabeth.
* * * * *
"How do you think they're doing?"
Stephan shrugged. "I don't know, really. He's done a lot of nice things in the past - but I doubt the goblins will actually take them to those times. They didn't seem to know up from down, come to think of it." He picked up a poker and began to tend to the fire. "What will we do if they can't find a good deed?"
Calliope pulled the fur wrap around her more snugly. "I don't know, make up something?"
"Or create something?" Stephan smiled.
"Ooh. I like how you think."
* * * * *
"My time is coming to a close tonight." Past piped up as Jareth looked out over the sea of people in the Regency ballroom. "Perhaps Present can help you find a good deed."
"But," Caillean interrupted. "We've only been through three centuries. We have at least two more to go!" She smiled ruefully. "Besides, I'd like to dance. Could you just make me visible for awhile?" She looked down at her period correct gown and dancing slippers with longing.
"I am sorry." The goblin shook his head. "We learned the hard way with making you visible."
Jareth looked over at Caillean. Her forest green dress was lovely. It had lovely silver braiding for trim, which brought out the brilliance of her gray eyes. The effect was much more stunning than the earlier, more revealing gown. In fact...
"Oh, what the hell."
"Excuse me?" Caillean turned.
"Would you care to dance with me?" He asked.
Caillean gaped at him, shocked. "Dance? With you?"
Past and Present looked at each other and nodded. "You can dance for a bit, if you wish." Present smiled. "We have a few moments before turning to the present."
"I do know how to dance, you know." Jareth smiled.
"Well, I ah..." Caillean looked out across the ballroom wistfully. "I *would* love to dance..."
He took her hand, booking no argument. "Then let's go."
He led her out onto the floor.
* * * * *
The three Goblins watched their King and Lady Caillean gracefully move to the sounds of the waltz. With a sigh, Present shook his head. "They do make a handsome couple."
Past nodded. "Yes, it would be nice to know if..." He broke off as he and Present looked questioningly at Future.
"Oh no. I'm not telling."
* * * * *
Calliope sipped her hot cider and stared into the fireplace. "You know, if something were to happen to you - Jareth would certainly come running to help."
Stephan nodded, scooting a little closer to where the muse sat in his study. "Yes, if something happened to any of us. But then again, we both have magic. We should be able to get out of trouble without too much of a problem."
"Caillean can't." She replied in an offhand manner, then turned and looked at Stephan.
"No." He smiled widely. "She can't."
* * * * *