"Bloody hell," Toby gasped, "You've changed the sofas. Thank God! I hated those terrible chintz ones."

Karen looked miffed but allowed it to pass. Her grandchildren were here; her son was here; Christmas was going to be great. And she only had two more weeks to go! Which would be a long two weeks if Harold continued to glare at Jareth like that. "Jareth, dear, it was nice of you to come too."

"It was nice of you to invite me," Jareth said easily, looking around in some interest. He hadn't experienced an Aboveground Christmas for some time, and never except in the dirt-poor artist circles he'd revolved in. A very large and very furry pine tree stood in the sitting room. That, at least, had escaped the red and gold decorations.

"Hi, Ereditha," Karen cooed, bending to give her small granddaughter a big hug, "How are you?"

"Fine! Can we make fudge?"

"Sure. I thought we could do that tomorrow morning. Come in, all of you, and sit down. Would you like something to eat… drink?"

Toby gave his mother a peck on the cheek and threw himself in an armchair, bouncing experimentally a few times with the most serious expression on his face. "Hmmm… not bad! Oh, no thanks, mom. I think we're all good."

It was all a little awkward and all a little exciting, and by the time they had talked for ages and then Toby managed to think of an even more pressing matter than when to decorate the tree. "Jareth, we can't walk around like this!"

The Goblin King nodded. "Glamors," he explained succinctly, "Whenever you're ready."

"Glamors?" Karen echoed, "What's that?"

"It's a bit like a disguise," Aidan explained, "Only magical. Basically, they will cloak their real appearance in a layer of visual energy that acts to specific measurements."

Karen and Harold blinked. "So people will see Jareth and Toby differently?" Harold translated.

Toby sniggered. "What Aidan's trying to say is that Jareth will look mortal and I'll look my real age, or somewhere close enough."

"That makes more sense," Harold sighed, "How will you do it?"

Jareth stood up. "I'll do it. Toby isn't very well versed in this. Come here, my elf. All right; close your eyes and hold still." He flicked up a crystal and began to fill it with excess energy, careful not to break it.

Everyone watched breathlessly.

Jareth smirked a little at his lover's placid face, quite surprised that Toby was obeying so meekly. But then that little stunt in the library had said a lot more than he would have guessed. He let go of the crystal and let it weave its way over the smaller male, aging him before their eyes. Twenty-one turned to twenty-five, turned to thirty-two and then thirty-five. Jareth took a step back and surveyed his handiwork.

Toby opened his eyes and blinked a little. "Crap, I think I need glasses," he groaned, trying to read the cards on the mantelpiece. "No, I don't. How do I look?"

His kids were staring at him with slight frowns.

"What? I don't look that bad, do I?" No answer. "Jareth?"

The Goblin King was staring. "You actually look not very different," he admitted.

Toby brightened. "Really?"

Jareth nodded. And then proceeded to get himself done. It didn't take very long but he didn't like the amounts of precious energy he was using for this. He only hoped he wouldn't be called on to use magic again for the rest of the day, because then he'd be sucked dry for a week. So long as there was always a little magic left to regenerate every day, he would be happy. The crystal vanished, it's work done, and he dusted himself off with a careless hand.

Toby stared.

Arradine and Aidan stared.

Harold and Karen stared.

Ereditha squealed in delight and bounced on the couch.

Jareth looked from his in-laws to his lover with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?" he asked lightly.

"Your hair…" Toby sounded as if the words were strangling him. "And those jeans!"

"It's hardly such a surprise," Jareth argued, turning so Toby could get a proper look. "I cut my hair and darkened it a little, and I'm in mortal clothes. Why is this such a shock?"

Karen coughed as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "No wonder Toby always liked your legs," she commented, smiling mischievously at her son's mate.

Jareth smirked back and preened just a little. This attention was not something he was necessarily averse to. "That good?" he asked Ereditha.

"I don't like the jacket," she told him, "You should wear something else."

"Like what, little one?"

She bit her lip in thought and sent a selective eye over his apparel. "Longer," Ereditha said finally, "In black."

Jareth obediently changed his jacket to a long black one. It didn't really matter. He'd be taking it off in a minute. One didn't wear jackets indoors, at least not in the Aboveground. He didn't even need it, anyway. Never mind what he looked like, he didn't feel the cold like mortals did. He could walk around in the snow in the nude and be completely comfortable. Well, apart from the fact that he never actually was in the habit of walking around in public without any clothes on. In private, he couldn't give a hoot, but in public…

"Jareth? You okay? You got a little lost in thought, there, love." Toby snapped his fingers under Jareth's slender nose, effectively bringing him back to reality.

Mismatched eyes refocused and Jareth offered a weak smile. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"Can I speak to you upstairs, please. In private."

Arradine sniggered and hid it very well behind her hand. Karen stood up and put a pleasantly neutral expression on her face as she held out her hand to her grandson. "Come on, Aidan. You need to help me get something out of the shed. Your grandfather hurt his back the other day and I don't trust him not to break it."

"As you wish," Aidan agreed, getting to his feet and following her out with a backwards glance of shared knowing with his sister.

Harold ignored them all except to say, "Toby, you're staying in your old room."

Toby looked a little puzzled, but shrugged and took Jareth upstairs. Nothing much had changed, really, in the house. The carpets were new and the Christmas stuff was tasteful and less tacky. He had loved the tacky stuff, but then he'd been seven at the time. Ivywound around the banisters and he silently made a note to tell his mother that it looked good. She liked hearing that sort of thing.

"Was there something in particular?" Jareth asked from behind him.

"Yes. I thought we needed to talk about how to make sure that Arradine doesn't actually feel too uncomfortable over the next three weeks. With that bond she's going to be drawn back to the Underground. It won't be pretty after about a week of that."

"No, it won't. I intend to take her back to the Underground in a few days so she may meet with Zaraith for a few hours. It should work. Zaraith has already agreed."

"Has he now?"

Jareth pricked up his ears. He knew that tone of voice and it was far too serious. But it told him nothing. He stayed quiet while he went down the hall and Toby opened the door of his old room and led the way inside.

"Wow." The mortal looked around his previous place of habitat with wide eyes. Everything was the same as it always was. A print of Dahli's 'Swans Reflecting Elephants' was still on the wall. The mirror still hung just opposite his bed. A handful of photographs were stuck up collage-style on a corkboard that had been over his desk. But the desk had moved; the bed was a double bed now and took up more room. The desk was shoved under the window. "It feels so small!"

Jareth sat down on the bed and looked interestedly at the mirror. "What was that for?" he teased, pointing to it. "You didn't seem the kind overly concerned with his appearance."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Toby griped, "As a matter of fact I have no idea why that mirror is there. Elaine… put it up and I just sort of left it there." He saw the flash of jealously. "Jareth, I have had a girlfriend before you. Get over it."

"I had no idea that this girlfriend attempted to rearrange your room," Jareth said casually. He went backwards on the bed and folded his hands behind his head. "Rather pushy of her."

"Jealous, are you?" Toby sniggered, crawling up next to him. The sharp-featured face remained in complete repose. He let his finger trace one dark brow and then the other. "I can't possibly think why."

"I am not jealous."

Toby bent down to nibble on the curve of his ear. "I don't believe you," he whispered, blowing gently.

Jareth pinned him with a growl at his laughing face. "I think you have forgotten how to show respect," he snapped, "Believe me, Toby. If I say I am not jealous, then I am not jealous."

"Okay! I got it! Can you let go now? You're hurting me."

"Really." There was an oddly dark look in those dual-coloured eyes and Toby felt an unaccustomed worry for just a second. The brown eye was partially obscured by an errant flick ofblond hair. "Would you like me to let go?"

What kind of question was that? "Well, I'd like you to loosen your grip, yes."

The grip loosened and Jareth sat up, that unreadable expression still on his face. It wasn't unfamiliar, but Toby hadn't seen it for so long that he was not comfortable in its presence. The world was beginning to take on an unreal feel to it. And he knew that feeling too, but so vaguely it threw him off balance.

"Jareth, what's wrong now?"

"Nothing." The Goblin King sounded genuine. "But I think this relationship is a little unbalanced, don't you?"

"I think you've got an idea and you're not telling me what it is."

"It all depends, my elf," Jareth murmured, stroking Toby's knee with long white fingers, "On how you behave in the next three weeks."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Toby declared, wriggling a little as the white fingers tickled him.

Jareth would only smirk knowingly and say nothing. He was the only one of them who didn't seem too surprised to hear a knock at the door. "Come in, Arradine."

She entered, looking a little guilty over disturbing them. "Um, Grandma wanted to know if you could go to the store for her. She needs a few things."

"Very well." Jareth stood up and helped Toby off the bed. "Does she have a list or are we supposed to guess?"

"It is downstairs."

Arradine and Toby watched him swan out of the room. The girl patted her father sympathetically on the shoulder. "Have fun," she said.