"When Words Get In The Way"
Part Four of the 'Words' Saga

**

"Enjoy your visit?" Jareth tossed her a crystal as she walked into the study. She twirled it absently, then set it down on the desk.

"It was...not what I expected."

"Oh?"

She bit her lip and watched the fire dance in the fireplace. Jareth took the hint and didn't press the issue. Normally, of course, this would be a challenge, and he would love to worm it out of her...but right now something slightly more pressing was at hand. "Sarah," he came up behind her and spun her around to face him. "I have news."

"Yeah?"

"We will be having guests soon."

She waited.

"My family will be traveling up to meet you."

"Family? I didn't know about any family."

"Well, it wasn't exactly a topic I felt the need to bring up."

Sarah titled her head to one side, studying him. "You don't seem terribly thrilled about this."

"I'm not," he said flatly, brushing a strand of brown hair from her cheek. "I don't entirely believe the story I was told. After all, I might understand Danielle's interest in you, but Ryo and Titania's? If they wanted to meet my wife that badly, they would have summoned us to their own court."

"Titania? Isn't that the Queen of the Fae?"

"Ah, so you are well versed in your literature."

"Of course I am," she drew herself up. "You of all people should know -"

He grinned at her. "My, but you are rather touchy lately, aren't you?"

"Your kid," she growled in mock anger. "I have horrible hormonal surges."

"'My' kid," he repeated.

"Yes. 'Your' kid. I blame you."

"Naturally."

Sarah grinned, then asked, "So when's the arrival date? Of your family, that is."

"One thing you should learn about Fae," Jareth explained, "is that 'arrival dates' are not a part of their vocabulary. They'll be here whenever they want to be here. All they told me was that they'd be here 'soon'."

"So what you're saying is that 'soon' could either mean 'next month', or it could mean 'tomorrow'?" At Jareth's nod, Sarah groaned and slumped a little in defeat. "And here I thought *you* were bad, showing up unannounced in big puffs of glitter..."

"I hope that isn't an invitation to start an argument," he said blandly. "Because if you're going to start criticizing my methods of entrances, I'll -"

"Oh, relax," Sarah sighed, walking away from him and flopping tiredly into a nearby chair. "I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just a little on edge."

"That visit must have been worse than I thought," Jareth remarked, leaning back against his desk. He eyed her critically. "Anything you care to share, or will I have to drag it out of you later?"

She chuckled softly, then sighed again and shut her eyes. The only sound for several minutes afterward was the crackling of the flames in the fireplace, but just as Jareth was about to make an excuse about having goblins to kick around, she spoke. "Toby told them," she murmured, opening her eyes and looking at her husband. By the look on his face, he had an idea of what she was telling him, but wanted her to elaborate before he said anything. "My parents. They know about our marriage."

"And this is what has you so upset?"

His attempt at levity rewarded him with a Look - the sort that, for centuries, had clearly told men that they weren't being very sensitive to the subject at hand. So Jareth kept quiet and allowed his wife to continue, lest her fluctuating hormones cause her to wish he would sprout wings and fly away.

"Toby accidentally told them that I was married, and so my visit was spent assuring them that yes, I loved you; no, you weren't going to harm me in any way; and while we appreciated their offer of staying with them, we already had a home of our own. They're still rather anxious to meet you, however."

It took a little while for Jareth to digest this information. Not that it bothered him that Sarah's parents knew she was married...it had just never occurred to him that they would find out. "I don't suppose you planned a family meeting already?"

"No. I just told them that I'd bring you over soon. So in other words, it could be next month, or it could be tomorrow." She grinned impertinently at him.

"You learn quickly." Jareth smiled, then pushed himself away from the desk. "We'll plan our visit later, however. I have matters to attend to right now." He turned and began to leave, but then turned right back around and looked at Sarah quizzically. "Do they know about your...."

"Pregnancy?" Sarah supplied. "No, thankfully. The last thing they needed was to find out that not only did I get married without telling them, but that I was already pregnant! As it was, I had to tell them a crazy story about you being in hiding from a feuding family, and that was why I couldn't let them know about the marriage!"

At this bit of news, Jareth laughed. "You'll have to tell me more about *that* later tonight. I'm going to need time to think up a suitable 'sob story', as you would put it."

"I think I'll be able to help with that." Sarah smiled wryly. "I'll tell you more tonight, though. Right now, I think I'll go for a walk."

Jareth nodded, and left the room.

**

She huddled in the cold stone room, hugging her knees to her narrow chest with thin, white arms. She sniffed, but quietly, so as not to disturb her Friend. Her Friend got angry whenever she made noise. She tried hard to be very very still, but the magic in the room made her sensitive nose itchy. She longed to let out a good, strong sneeze, but if she made her Friend mad, her Friend wouldn't help her find her mother.

She squinched her eyes tight closed and pulled her knees closer, breathing softly through her mouth to avoid getting more magic in her nose. She wanted her mother. She wanted her mother right now! But her Friend said, Wait - wait and when you drain the Bad Lady, you can summon the goddess, and the goddess will take you to your mother.

But she wanted her mother right now! She'd said that once aloud, but her Friend had thrown a magic at her, and the magic stung her face where it hit and made her nose itch fiercely. She didn't like it, this Fae magic, but her Friend was Fae and only Fae magic could help her find her mother again. Only the life powers of the Bad Lady channeled through her little body could summon the goddess and get her back to her mother. That's what her Friend said. Her Friend had promised she would help her get her mother back. Her Friend would get her to the Bad Lady, and then she would do the rest, and her mother would come back. In the meantime, her Friend kept her in this room, and covered over with Fae magic to keep her 'safe.'

She buried her face in her knees and cast a last mournful cry to the winds for her mother.

The winds moaned on, heedless.

**