A week. A week since That Night and Toby woke up with the touch of lightness in his heart once more. Somewhere in his mind he had remembered a far-away time when he hadn't been hurting and shamed, hadn't been broken and left to question everything he'd ever thought was real. And now that part of him stirred softly back to life once more.

Of course, it might have had a lot to do with the fact that he had just woken up in the arms of someone who cared.

Toby turned his head and grinned slightly, blushing just a little as he pulled himself off Jareth's shoulder. He could just picture the Goblin King's self-satisfied smugness if he were to wake up and see Toby still perched in his lap, his head on his shoulder and his arms around his neck. But then Jareth wasn't awake just yet, thank God.

Toby levered himself carefully out of the firm grasp, holding his breath as the arms tightened their hold for an instant before letting go. He had grown used to the prickles of fear that accompanied such manoeuvres; the comfort that Jareth offered far outweighed the natural dislike for contact.

And breakfast that morning seemed just as inordinately alive as well. For one thing because the Goblin King had finally gotten a full night's sleep and another because Toby had not been visited by his terrors for a week to the date. The injuries had healed mostly, except for the obviously most terrible one and even that was less painful, or so Toby said. Jareth could only be glad nothing was infected or festering. He'd tried to persuade the boy to let him call Arienne. He'd sworn to the healer's secrecy himself, even if he didn't tell Toby that Arienne might be able to trace the presence in his head. The bastard hadn't visited Toby for a week and the Goblin King was reasonably certain that Toby was now safe. He'd never left him alone for a moment! Anyone would be mad to make another attempt and risk discovery.

In the bright sunlight, both returned to better spirits.

The entire meal was spent with Toby discovering a cake of the Underground, much to Jareth's amusement. Jamelia was quickly being put on a list of National Goblin Treasures. Toby was insisting on meeting her. As Jareth knew how much Jamelia loved people who ate her food, he was willing to bet that the little old goblin lady would be asking to see his guest herself before another meal was over.

"Slowly, my elf," he admonished, the nickname now the most common address for his bond mate, "You make me think I've been starving you."

Toby gave a grin and shook his head, taking the time to chew. Once he had swallowed and licked his lips in appreciation, he could talk. "I feel better this morning. Well, at least I'm hungry. And this stuff is good! What is it?"

Jareth stared critically at the light purple glob of cake-like substance on Toby's plate and cocked his head in concentration. "It's a Lady cake," he said finally, "Quite close to your sponge cake except it's moister, and made with glory berries."

"Glory berries?" Toby poked at the cake on his plate, "And why do you eat sponge cake for breakfast?"

Jareth picked up a bunch of deep purple ovals that looked a bit like grapes. "These are glory berries," he said, "And my menus are eccentric. I order whatever comes to mind. So much so that I no longer order and Jamelia simply makes me whatever she feels like. It's usually pastry as you can see."

Toby made an appropriate sound of interest and fell to eating again.

In truth, he felt the stirrings of happiness in him again. He briefly wondered where Hoggle was. The dwarf had come to keep him company the other day and been very upset to find Toby in one of his worst depressions. Jareth had explained it away as sickness and Hoggle had thankfully kept his distance. Had even one hand been laid on him, Toby would have screamed till his throat bled. And poor Kyfrem had been so excited to see him again this morning that the goblin valet had insisted on rigging him out in the most ridiculous suit of clothes ever- blue silk! He'd only worn it so as not to hurt his feelings.

He took the chance to stare out of the windows of the dining hall, carried away on the soft murmurs of the goblins around him as he admired the view from the large windows.

Sarah had often spoken of the Underground, and the Labyrinth in particular, but to actually see it winding and twisting its way around the Goblin City was magnificent. He could just make out the tiny figures trotting around from point to point and content with their lives. Faintly he heard a heard a song of mischief waft from one wooded section that Jareth said was the habitat of the Fieries.

"Can we go see the Labyrinth?" he asked eagerly, selecting one of the many pitchers and pouring out what looked like orange juice.

Jareth was rolling a peach in his fingers with a dreamy look in his eyes when the question came. He fixed a pair of startled blue-brown eyes on the questioner. "Pardon?"

"The Labyrinth," Toby reminded him, "Can we see it?"

Jareth opened his mouth and shut it again. He'd been thinking of Sarah and the ball when Toby broke into his thoughts. "I don't think the Labyrinth is a good idea," he cautioned, tossing the peach carelessly over his shoulder where it startled a goblin by landing in his soup, "But we can certainly go exploring in and around the Castle."

"But your Majesty," a goblin guard broke in, "You have to meet with someone important today!"

"Who is it this time?" Jareth growled, "Never mind; get rid of them. And if you wish to keep your hands firmly affixed to your body, don't dare question me again."

The goblin gulped and stepped back with a bow and a subdued, "Yes, Your Majesty." Toby winked at the little thing and saw it smile. He turned sweetly innocent blue eyes to meet Jareth's stern glare and saw the goblin guard start to laugh into his hand at the charade.

Breakfast done, the two left to go back to their respective rooms. Toby was getting the distinct feeling that he couldn't go exploring in silk. What he needed, in short, were jeans and an old shirt. But that would mean... he stopped outside his original bedroom and eyed the door suspiciously.

Jareth stopped behind him and folded his arms. "It's only a room," he reminded the child.

Toby took a deep breath and pushed open the simple wooden structure. He raised his eyes off the floor and relaxed. The room was empty. The bed was made with fresh linen and his things had been settled back into order. The sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the stone floor and the fur rug still beckoning for his cold feet to be warmed by the bed. Nothing was left of the horror that Toby remembered.

Arms slid around his waist from the back and a soft cheek rested against his hair. He had one panic-stricken moment and then the smell of pine and smoke reassured him.

"You need never re-enter this room again," the Goblin King promised, "But it is only a room. Your memories are now the only evidence left of that night. Your room has been cleaned. In time you will be able to do the same for your memories too."

Toby sighed and leaned back against the warmth behind him. Never mind that he wasn't gay. He had come to think that he didn't care. He had clambered over and touched every part of this older male and been touched in his turn with gentleness and control. Jareth was a good man; that was enough.

Jareth for his part was breathing in the unique scent of Toby's hair. It still smelt like something he wouldn't mind being buried in. But the thoughts in his head were anything but good and he was

firmly of the opinion that if Toby knew exactly what he would like to do with that golden hair, the mortal would spring out of his arms and likely go into a fit. But oh, how was it possible to think otherwise when the boy was lithe and pliant in his arms, his back rising and falling against Jareth's chest with each regular breath.

Without thinking another thing, the fae leaned closer and pressed a kiss into the soft skin of Toby's neck. Startled, he waited for the protests and fear, waited for Toby to wrench himself out of his arms and turn suspicious blue eyes on him.

Nothing happened. Toby simply made a soothed sound in his throat and stayed where he was.

Hesitantly Jareth did it again.

This time Toby moved, but not to leave, no. He simply shifted his head so that more of his neck and face was exposed to Jareth's mouth.

The fae wanted to stop, he truly did. But the golden body. He hadn't thought the child would be ready so soon or so easily, but if he was getting this close... he lowered his head and dropped tiny kisses over the taunt skin of Toby's throat, allowing only the tip of his tongue to taste the warm salt.

Toby had no idea why this was suddenly all right. But Jareth's kisses weren't rough or wet, and so far the caresses had been... interesting. He sat down firmly on the little voice telling him over and over that he was a pervert for even enjoying this and let the gentle moment carry him away, far-away to a land of sunlight and moon shadows.

Arms tightly around the narrow waist, pulling the small body backwards and further into Jareth. Apart form an instant move to take his backside out of any direct contact with Jareth's body, the boy permitted it, even going so far as to run a timid finger down one of Jareth's arms to his hand.

Jareth let out a groan as those fingertips ghosted over his hand. Damn it, did the child have to become like a drug in his veins? It simply wasn't fair!

He moved his mouth over the slender jaw, licking softly at the bone and placing a little nip on the lightly stubbled skin over it.

Toby heard himself giggle- actually giggle- at the almost ticklish feeling he got. Jareth's rough chuckle followed, a sound so similar to the rich gloating he'd heard in his dreams that he almost panicked. But the touches remained delicate and tender.

Finally, when he couldn't bear such games any longer- because generally he never had to wait on his partner's pleasure- Jareth stroked his hands up the thin torso before slowly turning the mortal around to face him, gazing down at eyelashes that fluttering maddeningly, so blond they were almost invisible.

The eyelashes rose, Toby looked up and Jareth caught his breath with awe. Blue eyes were now electric, darkened and ever so slightly glazed with growing desire. Realizing he had better end this, the fae placed a single kiss on Toby's lips before releasing him.

Toby blinked. That was all? Why was Jareth moving away? He wondered fretfully if he'd done something wrong. Was it something he'd forgotten to do? "Jareth?"

The Goblin King looked back and cursed inwardly. It seemed to be becoming a habit. Toby looked like a lost child, and a slow-witted one at that. The Toby before the rape would have fought against him, or fought for him. And in that one fact lay everything that was wrong. "You are not ready," he said simply, "And I won't take advantage of your weakened condition."

A flare of irritation greeted his words and Toby straightened his shoulders with a huff. "You make it sound like I've been knocked up. Don't keep wrapping me up in cotton-wool and making my decisions for me. I hate that!"

Jareth smiled for the first time, a delighted, wicked, scheming smile. His dark brows rose in mock surprise. "Is that so," he purred, "Perhaps I should have kept going? For someone who is not gay, you seemed to quite enjoy my caresses."

Toby sniffed. "They were okay, I guess," he muttered, going a little red and sheepish, "I just wanted to know what it would feel like so don't flatter yourself."

Jareth gave a short bow and left, laughing quietly under his breath. "Brat," was his parting shot, "Come to my chambers when you are dressed and ready for our expedition."

Toby stared in exasperated petulance at the door. Brat, indeed! He made for his closet, stripping off his clothes on the way and sighing happily as he clambered in his jeans. Raising a hand to his chin where the skin still tingled from Jareth's nibble, he discovered a shocking state of affairs- he really needed to shave! Sure he didn't get much more than blond fuzz but at least he wasn't such a complete eunuch. Eunuch! Gay! Oh God, he'd kissed a guy!

Jareth was quite prepared for Toby to look embarrassed when he sidled into the room an hour later. But the change of clothes had done him some good. He looked more rested and comfortable now and as for the rest... Jareth almost salivated at the sight of the newly softened skin on the mortal's face. He gave himself a swift lecture on the indecency of lecherous behaviour and ignored his own urges. "Which parts do you want to see?" he asked, leading the way back into the corridor and strolling down the stone passageway.

Toby shrugged, still trying to figure out why he had let Jareth kiss him. Sure the fae was good-looking, especially those eyes and that mouth- No! He was not going to think about that!

"Toby?"

Apparently they had stopped because he'd just had that conversation with himself out loud. Oh God! Jareth was leaning against the wall and smirking at him. Toby hid his face in his hands and groaned in despair.

The Goblin King chuckled and shook his head. "Flattered as I am, what exactly are you not going to think about?"

Toby peeped out from between his fingers and shook his head pleadingly. He really didn't want to be having this conversation.

And so woebegone did he look that Jareth sighed and apparated the both of them down to his garden. He usually found it the best place to have conversations of this kind. "Sit down," he motioned, pointing to a stone bench in the sun, "Now, I'm not quite sure what you aren't going to think about but if something troubles you, then I hope you will let me help."

Toby's hands had long since dropped so he looked absently over Jareth's left shoulder and nodded. He opened his mouth and tried to think of how best to put it- "I don't know what to think," he finally settled on.

Jareth looked appropriately confused. "About what, my elf?"

Toby pointed between the both of them. "Us," he answered succinctly, "If there's an 'us' anywhere around, that is. You know, one minute we're fighting and you threaten me and there's all these weird dreams, and then I get hurt and you act like you really care about that and- and then we're kissing. I keep telling you- I'm not gay! I don't get attracted to other men. At least, before the... 'thing', I didn't."

"The bond makes you more open emotionally to a person," Jareth pointed out, "I told you that in the beginning. I care for you because you're in pain and I can see how it affects you. You respond to me because I seem to understand."

"So all of this comes down to the bond and hormones?" It sounded vaguely disquietening when Toby put it like that. "So you care because the bond makes you care. And I let you kiss me because I'm confused and grateful and mixed-up. Huh!"

"No!" Jareth tried to think of another way to explain it. "The bond encourages us to turn to each other. But it cannot manipulate feelings. I care for you because I do. You're an innocent and a child; rape is something you should never have experienced. I wish to protect you from any more harm."

"And me?" Toby tried not to sound wistful. He didn't want to kiss Jareth. He didn't! He didn't! At least he hadn't until Jareth had kissed him

Jareth stared moodily at a dark green shrub with small blue flowers. "I don't know." He turned back to look at his bond mate. "You should know your own motives. Why did you let me? Especially after what happened?"

Toby decided that the dark green shrub was interesting too. But the feathery little balls of petals were too bright in the strong sunshine and he looked away. "When that guy... did those things to me, it hurt. Badly! But this didn't. Your kisses weren't trying to devour me whole, or force me into anything; they just tasted me. I didn't mind them. And you didn't try and touch me or anything. I hadn't had that before."

Jareth nodded. He was fairly glad the conversation wasn't being peppered with vows of undying love. He'd been slightly afraid of that, given recent events. "And so you let me go on. Why did you let me start in the first place?"

Sitting side by side and with Jareth's knee almost touching his, Toby felt a bit like some ridiculous heroine in a romance novel. "I, uh, wanted to know what it would be like," he mumbled.

"Sounds reasonable," Jareth commented, getting to his feet and giving a quick cat-like stretch of his long limbs, "You've never kissed another man before. You felt curious and let me kiss you. It's natural."

"But Jareth, I still don't understand..."

A blue eye and a brown eye turned to him- one reflecting the sky, the other reflecting the earth- and both offered him compassion. Toby felt his breath hitch as something in his blood began to dance. The sunlight burned the back of his neck and he had one moment of wishing Jareth's cool lips would touch him there just once more. "I would never have done it before," the mortal pleaded, getting up to walk to his bond mate, needing the comfort of his touch for where his mind was going. "That man lay on top of me and- and... did things, horrible things. But- but they were exactly what any other gay guy would have done to me. What if it's made me strange, or- or mad, or what if this thing- what he did- is the only reason I got curious?"

Jareth pulled off his gloves and let his fingers trail over Toby's features. They were delicate and ethereal, with big eyes in a heart-shaped face and mysterious hollows in the smooth cheeks. High brows arched in dark blond over eyes with lashes so pale and fine they were almost invisible. Toby shivered at his touch but seemed to lean into it.

"What happened to you, my elf, was rape," Jareth said clearly, closely watching the resultant flinch, "You were raped and it was horrible. It will change you; it would change anyone! But it will not, and cannot, turn you gay. It has forced you to trust me, however; so let your walls down around me. That's all."

Toby nodded and bit his lip in the nervous habit had developed, looking down as if ashamed.

Jareth opened his mouth to say something when a shout sounded from quite near. Swallowing a particularly pungent expletive, he dropped his hand to look to the approaching person. Suddenly he broke into a genuine smile and waited with his hands clasped behind his back for the being to draw nearer.

Toby composed his face to as expressionless a mask as possible and then got the shock of his life. The man walking towards them was, for want of a better word, gorgeous. His fair skin shone with an almost translucent sheen and his dark hair fell around it in uneven strands, just as Jareth's did; only his was longer and streaked with ice-blue. He was tall and broad- shouldered, his torso narrowing to slim hips and perfectly sculpted legs. He was dressed seemingly simply in blue tunic and light tan breeches, but to Toby's mind, he looked like some kind of lesser deity.

Jareth let out a glad cry in the Old Language and went to meet him, clasping hands as if meeting a long lost friend. They conversed in that language for a while until a pair of spaniel-brown eyes lit on Toby's dropped jaw.

Then Jareth brought him over. "Toby, this is a cousin of mine- Archer. He is a nobleman of the Fae Court but we don't usually hold that against him."

"Careful, cousin," the stranger laughed, "You dishonour my Queen. As her Ambassador I should retaliate. That in itself will start a war!"

"Then by all means let us never mention the woman," Jareth retorted, "Archer, this is Toby Williams." A gentle finger eased Toby's dropped lower jaw closed.

Archer didn't seem put out by such an intense stare, but nodded reservedly. "How do you do," he murmured formally.

"Very well," Toby answered thoughtlessly, still staring.

"Toby, you really must overcome this urge to stare," Jareth whispered to him.

"It is no matter, Jareth," Archer said quickly, "It is the Fae Effect. Do you not have it?"

Jareth growled and shook his moon-blond head. "Not to such a high extent. I'm afraid people call me queer more than beautiful."

That snapped Toby out of it. Of course Jareth was beautiful! Who could possibly think otherwise? And queer? Well, all right, the hair was unusual and the feline grace was a little overmuch, but beautiful all the same. Toby opened his mouth to say so but thought better of it.

"They would be right by all accounts," Archer teased, his full lips twitching at the corners as he turned to Toby, "I really must be allowed to present my felicitations on your bond."

Jareth shook his head quickly but the words were said. Toby's eyes widened but he didn't seem too embarrassed. Indeed, he seemed rather relieved that Archer knew. There was a very pleasant blush creeping over the boy's ears. "We're not quite sure yet, Archer," Jareth cautioned, hoping the fairy would get the message, "The bond is there, as I told you, but we're still learning our way."

Archer nodded and peered closer. "Your Goblin Babe," he mused aloud, "You've chosen well, cousin. He is stunning."

Toby was now feeling distinctly uncomfortable. This man was speaking of him as if he were a horse, born and bred to be shown off. He almost expected him to check his teeth and legs next. "Thank you," he said quellingly, "But in case you didn't know, Jareth didn't choose at all. It was an accident."

Archer raised an eyebrow at the gentle slap on the wrist. "I see," he commented coolly, "Spirited too. But then you always did detest passive types. Is he this fiery between the sheets?"

There was dead silence. Toby's jaw dropped again at the unbelieve cheek of the fairy Lord. Jareth, for his part, was perplexed. His cousin, fairy or not, was ill-bred to anyone. Indeed, Jareth was usually the one making the cruel taunts. The silence was solved when Toby excused himself- "I'm sure you have business to discuss and I want to go exploring. Jareth, I'll see you back at the Castle." He didn't deign Archer with so much as a glance but the fierce dislike was wafting off his trembling shoulders in waves.

"Don't lose yourself," Jareth instructed distractedly, "Here! Take this in case you need me." He tossed him a crystal and waited until his bond mate was out of earshot before turning to look a cold enquiry at his cousin. "What was that?"

"I merely asked a question. My pardon if he is offended." Archer shrugged dismissively at first but broke into a rueful smile when Jareth continued to glare. "I am sorry, cousin. Apologize on my behalf. It is a bad business I come for and my nerves are pulled too tight."

Relaxing enough to nod once, the two got down to business, making their way to the Castle deep in discussion of Inter-State Affairs.