Chapter 19: Old Friends

Sarah had a long, lonely drive back to college. She had a lot to think about. She spent the first hour muttering dire imprecations about nosy, spying goblin kings, and the second hour thinking about what he and Toby had said. By the time she pulled into the parking lot by the student apartments she was feeling very foolish indeed.

Paris was there, doing homework at the kitchen table. She looked up as Sarah walked in. "Yo, Sar," she greeted. "How'd things go with Mister Bitchy? Didja get some last night?"

Sarah emphatically did not want to talk to Paris about Jareth -- but she did want to talk to someone. "It went okay," she said. "He's pretty cool," she said in a non-committal voice as she headed up the stairs.

"Cool, you say? Hot is what I'd call him," Paris muttered, then shrugged and got back to work.

Sarah went into her room and locked the door, then, not wanting to take any chances, slid her bureau over to block it. Heart in her throat, she sat down at her desk and looked up at the mirror she'd installed for this very purpose but had never used. "Hog -- " she cleared her throat. "Hoggle? I need you."

Sitting at a conference table in the middle of his meeting with the troll-king and the dwarf-king, Jareth felt the shift in magic and suddenly smiled.

Hoggle appeared in the mirror. "Sarah? It's been so long!"

"I know, Hoggle. I'm sorry. Things are... complicated." She helped him out of the mirror. Slyly she looked at him. "Toby says hi."

As she'd known he would, he looked away and blushed. "So you... you know about that, huh?"

"Let's just say I've had a very illuminating weekend," Sarah said. "Jareth has been fairly omnipresent for a few days."

Hoggle nodded. "He hasn't been around here very much. My king is getting fairly put out with him, because Jareth promised to help him with the wedding arrangements. Mighta known you were the distraction! He's always kinda had a soft spot for you."

Sarah giggled, amused to learn of Jareth's neglecting his duties. "Hoggle, can you take him a message for me? I don't want to call him again if he's busy, but I need to tell him something. We kind of had a fight and I want to smooth things over."

"Cor, missy, you don't need me for that," Hoggle told her, laughing. He handed her a crystal. "Write down whatever you want sent, put this on top of it, and just wish it to him. Better than the U. S. Post, I can tell you."

Sarah smiled. "Thanks, Hoggle." She got out a sheet of paper and hesitated for a moment before beginning to write.

Dear King Jareth, there, that ought to cover both bases, she thought, addressing it to both Jareth and the Goblin King at once

I apologize for losing my temper with you today. I had no right to be angry; I was just very surprised. This is one of those "need-to-know basis" things, isn't it? I promise to try and not react to all of them that way!

Can you forgive me?

Your affectionate friend,

Sarah

Sarah placed the crystal on top of the letter and said aloud, "I wish for King Jareth to have this letter." It promptly disappeared and the crystal flickered.

A/N: Fret not: there's a longer chapter to follow.