Chapter Four: Who Said Tomorrow Never Comes?
They danced in comfortable silence for a few moments, and then Caillean looked up at the Goblin King and smiled shyly. "Thank you for dancing with me."
"It's nothing, really." He swept her into another graceful turn. "I don't suppose you can come up with anything nice from the Past, can you?"
"Jareth, we met the younger you - who gawked at me and told me to bow to him. Then we saw you visiting the human realm during the American Revolution. Not a lot of help there."
"I'm British, what did you expect?"
"Then, we traveled here to the Regency. I can't believe you actually abducted a woman, took her to Gretna Green, then left her there!"
"I did not abduct her, she abducted me!" His look was indignant.
"It certainly didn't look that way."
"Well..." He frowned. "I did give her money to get back to London."
"And ruined her reputation."
"Hardly!" Jareth laughed. "She immediately married her true love, if I'm not mistaken."
Caillean looked at him and smiled. "But that had nothing to do with you. Her true love asked her to marry him in spite of her ruined reputation... and because of her great fortune."
"Are you enjoying finding fault with me?"
Caillean looked around.
"Jareth, the music has ended."
He pulled her a bit closer and continued dancing. "Don't you remember? They can't see us?"
"No - but we can." Past piped up. "It's time for you to return to the present." Before they could object, a bright light surrounded them, and they disappeared...
...Only to reappear in the study of Stephan's castle. There, wrapped in a warm fur blanket, sat the King of the Fey and Calliope. Sitting awfully close, actually. Strains of their conversation drifted towards them.
"...But if Jareth goes to rescue her, then what should we do about the Goblins...."
"... Why don't we drop her into the Bog..."
Caillean's eyes widened. "What the hell are you two plotting!?!"
Jareth laid a hand on her arm. "Don't you remember? They can't see or hear us."
"Oh." She looked around for a moment. "Right." A wicked grin spread across her face. "This could get interesting."
* * * * *
"Ew! Don't you think that's a *little* extreme?" Calliope stared at the Fey King. "We want it to appear that she's in danger, not scar her for life!"
Stephan laughed. "Just brainstorming. But seriously, we have to come up with something."
The Labyrinth Muse frowned. "Hmm..." She snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"
"Do tell."
Caillean and Jareth exchanged a glance. "Yes, do."
"Ok, here's the idea: Caillean knows what a reputation my father Zeus has for being a 'ladies man.' So, what if Zeus should just happen to develop a little crush on our favorite redhead and decide to come whisk her away to Olympus with him?"
Stephan looked skeptical. "I remember your last meeting with Zeus. Are you so sure he'd be willing to play along?"
Calliope shook her head impatiently. "But that's just it. We won't actually use Zeus. You've got magic. Be creative."
"Ooh, very nice. I think I could like this. After all, it's not every day you get to become the King of the Gods."
The muse snorted. "Don't let it go to your head."
* * * * *
Present cleared his throat. "Well, as interesting as this all is, we do have to be going now. It's Future's turn to have a go at it.
"Wait, I want to hear the rest of the plan!" Caillean grabbed Present's arm.
"I *said* we have to go *now*." The goblin looked annoyed. "Y'know, getting attacked was never part of the job description." He turned to his two compatriots. "We're going to have to have a talk with those two when this is all over with. I don't care how many chickens they're giving us!"
Jareth's eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"
"I said we're ... oops."
Jareth looked archly at Caillean. "It appears our little friends have been busy."
"Indeed. That probably wasn't even the real Santa!" Caillean pouted.
Meanwhile, Past was berating Present. "You twit! What'd you have to go and say *that* for? Now we're going to get in trouble from everyone!"
Present looked indignant. "It slipped! I didn't mean to." He glared at Past. "Besides, at least I knew enough to make them invisible!"
The small goblin hopped up and down. "Ooh! That was mean!"
Future looked impatient. "Right, right, can we get on with this, please? I haven't had a turn yet!"
Goblin and human alike turned on him. "Oh, be quiet!"
"Well!" Future huffed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room...
"Did you hear something?" Calliope sat up.
The Fey King frowned. "No. Why?"
"Because I would swear I just heard Caillean's voice..." The muse shook her head. "But that's impossible." She paused. "Unless -"
But she never got a chance to finish her thought as the room was enveloped in a swirling gray mist.
"I said it's my TURN!!" Future cried. And with a wave of his short arm, one Goblin King, one red-haired mystic, one Fey King, three goblins and a Labyrinth Muse disappeared...
...Reappearing in the next day.
"Oh dear. That wasn't supposed to happen."
Jareth snorted. "You can say that again."
Past stifled a chuckle. "Smooth move, Future."
"Hey, I was under a lot of pressure..."
Calliope broke in. "Hi, hello, um, could somebody *please* tell me what exactly is going on here? One minute, I'm enjoying a lovely evening with a charming and gracious host and the next, I'm -" She paused, looking around. "Ok, where exactly am I?"
Future looked uncomfortable. "Er, perhaps the better question would be *when* are you."
The Fey King looked at him sharply. "Excuse me?!"
"Well, um, you see, we were, um, that is..."
"He screwed up!" Past chimed in cheerfully.
Present stepped between the two glowering goblins. "We were in the present and they had just overheard your plans to trick Jareth. Caillean got mad when I said we had to go and then Future started complaining he hadn't gotten his turn yet and..." He waved his hands vaguely in the air. "Poof!"
"Oh, I see." Calliope fixed the goblin with a cold stare, mimicking his hand signals. "Just 'poof'?"
He nodded enthusiastically.
"Uh-huh. And how is it that Jareth and Caillean ended up in Stephan's study?"
Present smiled proudly. "I took 'em there!"
"Uh-huh." She said again. The muse turned to face the Fey King. "We never should have used goblins."
"Indeed, you shouldn't have." Caillean said dryly from behind her.
Oops. Forgot about Caillean.
Calliope cringed and slowly turned to face the glowering redhead. "Caillean, I'm sorry."
"I just have one question for you."
"And that is...?"
"What the hell were you THINKING?!?!"
Self-preservation won out over loyalty and the muse pointed at the Fey King. "It was Stephan's idea!"
"Oh *really*?" Both Caillean and Jareth turned to the blushing man.
Stephan gave the muse a sideways glance. "Thanks."
She smiled. "Anytime."
Jareth stepped forward. "Perhaps you would like to explain?"
"Well, you see... Caillean was trying so hard to enjoy her first Christmas at Greywolf Manor, and you seemed set against having a speck of cheer enter your life." He looked to see his brother glaring at Caillean. "No, no. She didn't have anything to do with this. Calliope and I thought we could teach you a lesson. And when Caillean didn't want to help, we thought we'd teach her one as well."
"Practice what you preach, my dear." Jareth smirked at her.
"Shut up, your majesty." Caillean retorted, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Calliope frowned. "Okay, so now what? We're in the future, how do we get back to our past... I mean present?"
Future shook his head. "Oh no. Our contract states we must show Jareth his future. Granted, I expected to go much further into the future, but since we're here, I might as well show you around." And before anyone could object, he waved his arm, and they disappeared.
* * * * *
They danced in comfortable silence for a few moments, and then Caillean looked up at the Goblin King and smiled shyly. "Thank you for dancing with me."
"It's nothing, really." He swept her into another graceful turn. "I don't suppose you can come up with anything nice from the Past, can you?"
"Jareth, we met the younger you - who gawked at me and told me to bow to him. Then we saw you visiting the human realm during the American Revolution. Not a lot of help there."
"I'm British, what did you expect?"
"Then, we traveled here to the Regency. I can't believe you actually abducted a woman, took her to Gretna Green, then left her there!"
"I did not abduct her, she abducted me!" His look was indignant.
"It certainly didn't look that way."
"Well..." He frowned. "I did give her money to get back to London."
"And ruined her reputation."
"Hardly!" Jareth laughed. "She immediately married her true love, if I'm not mistaken."
Caillean looked at him and smiled. "But that had nothing to do with you. Her true love asked her to marry him in spite of her ruined reputation... and because of her great fortune."
"Are you enjoying finding fault with me?"
Caillean looked around.
"Jareth, the music has ended."
He pulled her a bit closer and continued dancing. "Don't you remember? They can't see us?"
"No - but we can." Past piped up. "It's time for you to return to the present." Before they could object, a bright light surrounded them, and they disappeared...
...Only to reappear in the study of Stephan's castle. There, wrapped in a warm fur blanket, sat the King of the Fey and Calliope. Sitting awfully close, actually. Strains of their conversation drifted towards them.
"...But if Jareth goes to rescue her, then what should we do about the Goblins...."
"... Why don't we drop her into the Bog..."
Caillean's eyes widened. "What the hell are you two plotting!?!"
Jareth laid a hand on her arm. "Don't you remember? They can't see or hear us."
"Oh." She looked around for a moment. "Right." A wicked grin spread across her face. "This could get interesting."
* * * * *
"Ew! Don't you think that's a *little* extreme?" Calliope stared at the Fey King. "We want it to appear that she's in danger, not scar her for life!"
Stephan laughed. "Just brainstorming. But seriously, we have to come up with something."
The Labyrinth Muse frowned. "Hmm..." She snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"
"Do tell."
Caillean and Jareth exchanged a glance. "Yes, do."
"Ok, here's the idea: Caillean knows what a reputation my father Zeus has for being a 'ladies man.' So, what if Zeus should just happen to develop a little crush on our favorite redhead and decide to come whisk her away to Olympus with him?"
Stephan looked skeptical. "I remember your last meeting with Zeus. Are you so sure he'd be willing to play along?"
Calliope shook her head impatiently. "But that's just it. We won't actually use Zeus. You've got magic. Be creative."
"Ooh, very nice. I think I could like this. After all, it's not every day you get to become the King of the Gods."
The muse snorted. "Don't let it go to your head."
* * * * *
Present cleared his throat. "Well, as interesting as this all is, we do have to be going now. It's Future's turn to have a go at it.
"Wait, I want to hear the rest of the plan!" Caillean grabbed Present's arm.
"I *said* we have to go *now*." The goblin looked annoyed. "Y'know, getting attacked was never part of the job description." He turned to his two compatriots. "We're going to have to have a talk with those two when this is all over with. I don't care how many chickens they're giving us!"
Jareth's eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"
"I said we're ... oops."
Jareth looked archly at Caillean. "It appears our little friends have been busy."
"Indeed. That probably wasn't even the real Santa!" Caillean pouted.
Meanwhile, Past was berating Present. "You twit! What'd you have to go and say *that* for? Now we're going to get in trouble from everyone!"
Present looked indignant. "It slipped! I didn't mean to." He glared at Past. "Besides, at least I knew enough to make them invisible!"
The small goblin hopped up and down. "Ooh! That was mean!"
Future looked impatient. "Right, right, can we get on with this, please? I haven't had a turn yet!"
Goblin and human alike turned on him. "Oh, be quiet!"
"Well!" Future huffed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room...
"Did you hear something?" Calliope sat up.
The Fey King frowned. "No. Why?"
"Because I would swear I just heard Caillean's voice..." The muse shook her head. "But that's impossible." She paused. "Unless -"
But she never got a chance to finish her thought as the room was enveloped in a swirling gray mist.
"I said it's my TURN!!" Future cried. And with a wave of his short arm, one Goblin King, one red-haired mystic, one Fey King, three goblins and a Labyrinth Muse disappeared...
...Reappearing in the next day.
"Oh dear. That wasn't supposed to happen."
Jareth snorted. "You can say that again."
Past stifled a chuckle. "Smooth move, Future."
"Hey, I was under a lot of pressure..."
Calliope broke in. "Hi, hello, um, could somebody *please* tell me what exactly is going on here? One minute, I'm enjoying a lovely evening with a charming and gracious host and the next, I'm -" She paused, looking around. "Ok, where exactly am I?"
Future looked uncomfortable. "Er, perhaps the better question would be *when* are you."
The Fey King looked at him sharply. "Excuse me?!"
"Well, um, you see, we were, um, that is..."
"He screwed up!" Past chimed in cheerfully.
Present stepped between the two glowering goblins. "We were in the present and they had just overheard your plans to trick Jareth. Caillean got mad when I said we had to go and then Future started complaining he hadn't gotten his turn yet and..." He waved his hands vaguely in the air. "Poof!"
"Oh, I see." Calliope fixed the goblin with a cold stare, mimicking his hand signals. "Just 'poof'?"
He nodded enthusiastically.
"Uh-huh. And how is it that Jareth and Caillean ended up in Stephan's study?"
Present smiled proudly. "I took 'em there!"
"Uh-huh." She said again. The muse turned to face the Fey King. "We never should have used goblins."
"Indeed, you shouldn't have." Caillean said dryly from behind her.
Oops. Forgot about Caillean.
Calliope cringed and slowly turned to face the glowering redhead. "Caillean, I'm sorry."
"I just have one question for you."
"And that is...?"
"What the hell were you THINKING?!?!"
Self-preservation won out over loyalty and the muse pointed at the Fey King. "It was Stephan's idea!"
"Oh *really*?" Both Caillean and Jareth turned to the blushing man.
Stephan gave the muse a sideways glance. "Thanks."
She smiled. "Anytime."
Jareth stepped forward. "Perhaps you would like to explain?"
"Well, you see... Caillean was trying so hard to enjoy her first Christmas at Greywolf Manor, and you seemed set against having a speck of cheer enter your life." He looked to see his brother glaring at Caillean. "No, no. She didn't have anything to do with this. Calliope and I thought we could teach you a lesson. And when Caillean didn't want to help, we thought we'd teach her one as well."
"Practice what you preach, my dear." Jareth smirked at her.
"Shut up, your majesty." Caillean retorted, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Calliope frowned. "Okay, so now what? We're in the future, how do we get back to our past... I mean present?"
Future shook his head. "Oh no. Our contract states we must show Jareth his future. Granted, I expected to go much further into the future, but since we're here, I might as well show you around." And before anyone could object, he waved his arm, and they disappeared.
* * * * *