Disclaimer: I only own the Councillor, and the two Councilmen Tiana and Flynn. I only borrow the others. I promise to return them when done, no worse for wear.

Author's Notes: This chapter covers the tenth hour. In its entirety.

Vespera3: Wow. Thankyou! Not that in your tears, but that.. wow…

Mab, Queen of Faerie: Thankyou also. Think you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

Becky Sharpe: Settling might be the right word. Glad you enjoy.

LabyLyrPhx: Ah, which 'THAT' was that? Sarah's confession, or Flynn kissing Tiana? Or both? Glad you're enjoying, hopefully this chapter will hold more such surprises?

dramatiks: what to say, what to say? Very glad you enjoyed the chapter. And very glad you enjoyed my little tiana/flynn moment. I've been figuring out how I'd set that up for most of the story, good to know I managed to pull it off. Little more on Jareth and Sarah in this chapter. And, yes, I'd definitely say Tiana was a bit shell-shocked.

I move the stars for no one/You've run so long/You've run so far/Your eyes can be so cruel/Just as I can be so cruel/Though I do believe in you/Yes I do/Live without the sunlight/Love without your heartbeat/I, I can't live within you… --"Within You", David Bowie

Four separate people. Four separate rejections. He smiled at the apparent irony.

All around them, the courtroom raised into uproar. "This is an outrage!" one jury member yelled. "Do something, Councillor. This is a courtroom, not a marriage ceremony."

"Now, Garrett—"

"You have two opposing lawyers –and men, I might add—, currently kissing in your courtroom."

"Yes, I know." He felt like he should give them a few more minutes. But perhaps he had already given them too long.

Tiana had certainly been shocked at first. Under the intial feel of Flynn's lips upon his, he had stiffined, before he had relaxed into that same touch, and had firmly knotted his fingers in Flynn's long, midnight blue hair. Flynn's own hands had snaked around Tiana's waist, his fingers bunching up between Tiana's muscles and shirt tunic, pulling the white-haired fae closer to his body, giving the very image that the bodies had seeminly melded into one form. Both had long lost any sense of order, of any sense of where they were, or who they were; they were only aware of the other.

The Councillor sighed, and he cleared his throat. This whole situation had lost all its irony. If he didn't know better, he'd suspect Oberon and Puck of causing their courtly-romance mischief again.

Except, they weren't in Athens. And, Puck had promised to leave this courtroom alone.

Jareth had long since retreated back into his masked amusement, and he watched the two Councilmen with a bare hint of a smirk, while the Miss Sarah William's gaze hovered between, attempting to watch both Jareth and the two Councilmen. Her own look was that of a longing and equal amusement. She looked liked she was trying hard not to laugh, still while drying the stray tears from her cheeks. The Councillor guessed that she wasn't too concerned about the salt streaks on her cheeks.

All around, the outburts and chaos had settled into a dull roar against his ears. "Order!" he yelled. "Order!" He pounded his gavel onto the table. "Councilmens Flynn and Tiana, while I do assure I am glad of this turning point in your relationship, this courtroom and trial is neither the time nor the place to do this." Slightly guiltily, and entirely relectantly, the two pulled apart. But no one there missed the quick, darting gaze that passed between them, or the way their hands just barely brushed as they did pull apart. "Now," the Councillor continued, and his eyes danced merrily, "I do believe it is your time to question the witness, Councilman Tiana."

"Err, yes, right," Tiana nodded. He quickly caught his breath. He determined from the Councillor's twinkling, that his cheeks were flushed and his lips swollen, but at the moment he didn't care. He stepped around the table, did his best to ignore both Jareth, King of the Goblins, and Flynn, (although, he could feel Flynn's eyes and smirk boring into the back of his head), and stood in front of Sarah. He smiled softly, and said, "Hello, Sarah. Holding up well?"

"Very," she answered. "How long have you and—he been together?"

Tiana laughed, and he caught the last of the previous tension of the room melting off his shoulders. "A very long time. By both your and our standards." He allowed himself a small grin. "Now, Miss Williams, previously you confessed your feelings towards Jareth, King of the Goblins?"

"Yes…"

"Trust me, when I say, I am happy for you, but I still need to ask… did he ever hurt you, inay form or shape?"

Sarah cocked her head slightly. "Aren't you on Jareth's side?"

Tiana's grin widened. "Minor technicalties, I fear. Yor answer, Miss Williams."

"Well, he did, he gave me a peach…"

"A peach?"

"Yes… he had put some sort of spell on it, to make me forget Toby, to make me forget I was searching for something and someone, to make me forget I was against him…"

"And, did it work?"

"For a while. He brought me to this place, to this ballroom, and he sang to me, and he danced with me, and I… I…"

"You?"

"I belived him. And, I began to fall. Both literally and figuritively."

"And, what did you do then?"

"I left him. Knowing that I first needed to find Toby, and save him. I didn't know that I could have stayed… and save him too…"

"Would you have wanted to? To stay, I mean."

"Yes…" Sarah breathed, and her eyes fell again. "Oh, I can't do anything right, can I?"

Tiana hesitated slightly, before he smiled that same soft smile again, and briefly rested his hand atop the witness stand. "No further questions, Councillor," he stated, and he returned to his seat. This time, he looked over at Flynn, and smiled. Flynn smiled back.

"Yes… Well…" The Councillor stammered. "You may step down, Miss Williams," he added.

Sarah nodded, and she stood. Idly, she smoothed the folds of her peasant blouse and skirt, and she stepped from behind the witness stand. She took a few hesitant steps forward, before she stopped, and whispered, "Jareth…"

And, Jareth was standing as well, and his arms were around her, and hers around him, and he was clinging to her like he never wanted to go, burying his head in her hair, while she buried her head in his chest. "Jareth…" she whispered again.

"Quiet, love," he chided, but his voice was gentle. And, very gently, he released her, and he held her at arm's length, before he took her chin between his forefinger and thumb, and pressed his lips to hers; but where Tiana and Flynn's kiss held passion and love, Jareth's kiss to Sarah held tenderness and love. "You did do something right, my dear," he whispered, and underneath his lips, Sarah smiled.

The Councillor cleared his throat. "You can finish this display and conversation after the court session is over," he warned. "We have only three hours left, and I am not ready to spend any more time in this courtroom." He passed a hand over his eyes. Already, he could hear the chaos rising again among the jury. "Councilman Flynn call your next witness."

Reluctantly, Jareth and Sarah parted, and reluctantly, Sarah followed the guard out of the room, repeatedly looking over her shoulder to the still-form Jareth, whose own eyes never left her face. He smiled, and she waved. And, very quietly, Flynn announced, "I call Jareth, King of the Goblins to the stand, Councillor."

Curtly, the Councillor nodded his consent. "Proceed, Councilman. Jareth, you will now take the stand."