After Sarah left that hallway with Jareth, he took her around the castle, on what amounted to a tour, though she suspected he was buying time so they could have a bit of a grand entrance after the ball 'officially' started. The architecture was beautiful, however something about the cold beauty chilled her. The gardens, however, were impressive and she was careful to stay far away from several plants that looked like they were straight out of the Little Shop of Horrors.

Jareth was charming, which wasn't a surprise. She remembered well enough from her peach dream that he could be that. He was knowledgeable about things she wouldn't have thought held an interest for him. He could name the flowers in the garden and did when she asked. He also seemed to be careful to avoid other people who were gathered in the halls and gardens, steering her away from them.

She knew he wasn't shy, but he didn't seem to want to engage in them with conversation. Those people also took a look at them, and didn't come near. What she noticed, however, was that Jareth's reception of most of the people that passed was colder than her reception of most of her ex-boyfriends.

"So," she said, looking at him from the corner of her eye and leaning close enough that she could keep her voice low. "Who exactly do you need me to be for this party? Doting lover? Airheaded bimbo?"

Jareth leaned towards her as if to hear her. She hoped that just made them look thick as thieves with her arm through his and them leaning close and whispering to one another. Then, he looked at her, and she saw warm humor in his eyes. "For tonight? I suggest you take your time to understand exactly what this arrangement would entail. Enjoy yourself as much as you can stand, which considering last night, I suspect is quite a lot when you manage to relax a little."

She pouted at him and glanced at him from the side of her eyes. "You don't need to tease me about that. And you'd better not tell dad when you meet him. He'll start asking questions, and when he does that, it's very difficult to get him to stop."

The laugh that escaped him pleased her and she watched as his face changed when that happened. "Duly noted, precious. If I had to pick a role for you, a jealously protective lover might be the most effective. You have the benefit of knowing who and what I am, which is more than most here can claim. That gives you an advantage, and is beneficial for me, as well. Most will expect you to be easily fooled and just as easily led astray."

They were heading towards the entryway again, and she could hear the water crashing into the fountain at the base of the stairs. "Good thing they'll underestimate me, I suppose."

"Indeed. However they may underestimate you, stay on your guard, and don't stray from my side. It's easy for a mortal to get caught up in the dance and end up trapped."

She looked at him as he warned her and found she was far more at risk from looking at him. She turned her eyes towards the large double doors which led to the ballroom, finding them standing open. "Good thing I have you to keep me on my toes, then, isn't it, your majesty?"

Before they cleared the doorway, he barked out a laugh, and looked her in the eyes. "Keep that cloak of sass, my dear. It'll serve you well."

When they entered the grand ballroom, the sound in the room seemed to stop, dancers frose, and she found every dancer on the floor had turned to stare at them. Those standing on the sidelines hid their faces behind fans and hands, whispers the only sound in the room for a time.

It was a good thing that Jareth's steps didn't falter, because hers had. His continued movement forward propelled her into the room with him. She felt his arm shift so that his hand rested at her waist, his other hand taking hers and guiding her across the floor. The sensation in her belly was familiar enough from when she'd been in theater during school. Stage fright, those initial nerves before she lost herself in the play.

Then, it died down and she felt a moment's relief that she'd managed to keep her emotions from showing on her face as they moved past dancers and diners and -

She blinked for a moment at the people writhing in a pit of pillows, in various stages of undress and cleared her throat deciding to pretend she hadn't seen anything there at all.

The whisperings of the others in the room seemed to have done nothing at all to the king at her side. "Does it do your reputation any harm?"

"What?" He glanced towards her, interest in his eyes.

"Having a mortal woman on your arm, here."

He found a pillar that was in a somewhat secluded part of the ballroom, and turned towards her, a smirk on his lips. "I am a king, my dear. That means I can do nearly whatever I damn well please."

"And to hell with their delicate sensibilities?" She lifted her eyebrow at him and saw pleasure on his face from her verbal sparring.

He gave a shrug that wasn't as careless as it looked. "Pretty much."

She laughed, and met his eyes as she did so, setting her hand on his arm.

They wandered around the room, and Jareth secured them both glasses of champagne, assuring her that it was safe before she took the first damn sip.

Music cued up and dancers fell upon the dance floor again. The spectacle reminded her of her peach dream and she glanced at him, considering for a long moment. He met her gaze, his lips quirked into a bit of a smirk, but she couldn't tell if he was hiding how he felt or if his amusement was genuine.

"Something the matter?"

"The peach dream," she said, and saw the way his eyes sparkled. A mask he'd been wearing, then.

When he spoke, his lips were very near to her ear, and she could feel his breath on it. It took some effort to focus on the words. "Still remember that, do you? Yes, it was based on a similar affair. Although, I admit, the fashion of the time was quite different. As quaint as the dress you'd worn was, then, I think this one suits you more, and flatters you better."

She swallowed hard to clear her throat, knowing she was blushing. "Sweet talker."

He leaned towards her, and the smile on his face had a predatory edge to it that she found she rather liked. No, no, she wasn't here to get swept off her feet. This was business.

Did that mean they weren't allowed to enjoy themselves, she wondered, and refused to lean away from him, meeting his gaze.

The voice that broke through was soft and feminine. "Oh, Jareth! We're so glad you could make it!"

Sarah was nearly dislodged from the man who had one hand resting low on the back of her corset, and she found herself wondering when his hand had gotten there. She staggered, catching herself on the man who now had a pretty blonde attached to his other arm.

The woman was petite, delicate looking, with heavily coiffed blonde hair piled on her head and a dark look aimed right at her. She could see the woman was trying to hug Jareth's free arm into her cleavage, giving her a baleful glare.

A man approached behind the woman and Sarah fixed her eyes on him for a moment. She felt something wash over her that made her nauseous and then a sharp, clean scent surrounded her and that something went away. Now that she didn't feel like she was going to hurl, she took a moment to examine the man. Tall, dark and handsome, with a charming smile and a darkness in his eyes that would be easy to fall into if she weren't so wary of men to begin with. His eyes were running over her as though she were a tasty treat. She felt herself bristle.

A glance towards Jareth found the man looking mild, but she saw tension around his eyes. She wondered at her ability to read his expressions so clear, but he looked like he had before he had set the cleaners on her.

If the other man and woman noticed, they said nothing about it.

So, she put on the mask of a protective lover, and lifted her hand, brushing satin gloved fingers on his cheek, and drawing his attention back to her. His eyes met hers and she saw a darkness swirling in them that was worse, even, than when she'd insulted him as a child. "Jareth?"

The woman clinging to his other arm glared daggers at her and she just kept her expression one of passive interest.

"Ah, of course." The skill with which he disengaged his arm from the woman clinging to him, and turned so he was at her side, arm at her waist again was impressive. "Lady Sarah, allow me to introduce Queen Georgine and her consort, Prince Titian."

The woman pouted, and moved to try for his arm, again. Sarah stepped forward and intercepted the move. Her hand slid into the woman's, and she gave her a brilliant smile, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty. Are we your guests for the evening?"

The woman looked somewhere between stunned and outraged. Her pretty, young face was flushed, but she didn't try for Jareth's arm again. When she was certain she'd made her point, she turned next towards the man. Her smile had a cold edge, and she knew it. Men who looked at her like that had given her the nicknames she had around campus for a reason. She could turn on the ice as needed, and quite well. "Prince Titian."

The queen gave an impressive huff, addressing Jareth. "Really, darling? A mortal woman? If you were that desperate for company, we would have accommodated you."

Jareth's hand on her elbow drew her back, and his arm slipped around her, resting in a possessive way on her waist. She saw the biting smile on his mouth, and looked back towards the woman, knowing that jealousy had its grip on the woman's tongue. She set her own hand on her escort's waist, looking at the queen and her consort.

"Is that going to be a problem, Georgine? I know it's unusual, but it's not unheard of. And I doubt you'll find another mortal woman who can manage herself around this many fae dancers and not find herself spellbound." His words were dripping with ice, aimed at the woman.

Sarah had a sneaking suspicion that he'd been dealing with her for a very long time.

"Very well, then, Jareth. Just be certain to keep your little pet out of trouble." The woman wore a pout and looped her arm through her consorts, then flounced away without another word.

When they were gone, Jareth turned towards her, looking both entertained and gratified. "It would seem I was correct - you handle yourself just fine. Come, let's dance. If we appear busy, it'll be harder for any more of them to come over and feel out exactly how attached we are or aren't."

"Don't want them to figure out that you're escorting the woman who beat you at your own game?"

The tease was low, and close to his ear as he escorted her to the swirling dancers on the floor. She felt a flash of pleasure when he barked out a laugh, as if he hadn't expected the tease, and his arm found her waist, turning her as they joined the other dancers. When she stopped, she was facing him, her hand against his, her hand steadying herself against his chest.

Smooth bastard, too, she thought.

"Not to burst your ego, precious, but you aren't the first to defeat the Labyrinth, my dear, and you won't be the last. I'll grant that the number of runners these days are few and far between, but I've seen many come and go."

She wondered how many of them had been subject to the offer he'd made at the end. Instead of asking about that, she snorted, relaxing into him as he pulled her close. "So, then. Why me? You clearly had plenty of others here that would be interested in being your plus one. Or plus two," a smirk curved her lips, and she glanced to the side and saw many eyes turned their way.

The arm at her waist tightened, pulling her closer, and his lips came very close to her ear. "Sarah, while we're on this floor, in this room, your eyes need to stay on me."

Her gaze jerked to his at the low warning in his voice. She took a steadying breath, searching his gaze for a moment. "Because someone might try to spellbind me?"

His lips twitched. "Among other things. Alternately, they may realize that you are not spellbound and wonder why I would bring a woman who wasn't under my spell here as a buffer between me and my own kind?"

"Why would you do that, anyways?"

His eyes lifted from hers, but she watched his face, regardless. His expression was aloof, but she got the impression that he was hiding something. "Now and then, even I can grow tired of the monotony of these types of ordeals. They are fairly constant, and you certainly have provided a different entertainment here than most are accustomed to."

"Constant?" She would have bristled at the implication that she was here for entertainment, but he wasn't entirely wrong. She was a distraction and she knew it. That was part of the deal.

His lips curved into another of his devastating smirks and his gaze met hers, direct and amused. "Wanting to back out of the arrangement, now?"

His voice was a low purr that gave her usually quiet libido an unexpected jolt. She ignored it. "You do realize that the whole reason I need a fake boyfriend for Christmas is because I don't have time for men in my life, right?"

"So cruel, precious," his voice still had that sexy purr and she wished he'd stop that. His smile was all sharp teeth. "What if I could promise all the time you need outside of these parties for whatever it is that's causing such a disturbance in your social life? You could dance all night and still have plenty of time for whatever tickles your fancy."

That was a tempting offer, and by the look in his eyes, he knew she was tempted. She narrowed her eyes up at him, but her lips curved into a smile that had a chill to it. "I wouldn't call it something that tickles my fancy. It's school work."

That seemed to surprise him. His brows lifted closer to his hairline and his head inclined in interest. His eyes were sparkling, again. "Oh? Still in school? I would have thought you'd have been done with that ages ago. Is that why your father is so keen on my approval of your choices?"

She considered how to answer that. "For most, college ends in a person's mid twenties. For some, like me, they spend a great deal of time pursuing higher education. I'm a graduate student, working on a doctorate in philosophy, and my dissertation is time consuming and...well. Heavier than many of my textbooks."

Even more interest in his expression. "Philosophy? That's what you're studying with such vigor?"

She gave him a grin, and decided that for now she wasn't going to answer. "We've discussed what I've been doing since the last time we met. What about you? Just snatching babies and going to parties?"

His laugh drew the attention of nearby dancers, and she realized with only a hint of dismay that Jareth was a fine person to just spend time with. He turned her on the floor, letting her change the subject, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before he pinned her about her dissertation and her doctorate again. He avoided her topic as neatly as she had avoided his, and they continued dancing both verbally and literally.

And she decided that for a fake boyfriend, Jareth was doing a better job at it than most of her real ones. That was both troubling and exciting, because it meant he'd do fine over Christmas, but she worried that when their play was over, she was the one who would come out of it feeling bruised.

She wasn't certain how long he'd turned her around the dancefloor when she finally begged a rest, and he laughed again, leaning close to her.

"Darling, we must work on your stamina."

The words made her cheeks heat whether she wanted them to or not, and he set a hand on her waist, escorting her to another section of the ballroom, where there were tables with screens for privacy. He waved down a waiter, and claimed another glass of champagne for her, setting it in front of her, and once the waiter was gone, a plate of cheese and crackers appeared before her. She blinked, looking at the small spread of food as Jareth slipped into the seat beside her.

"Had all this ready for tonight?" She asked, her voice dry as she lifted the glass and sipped the bubbly, arching a brow at him.

"Had all what ready?" He glanced towards her, genuinely perplexed.

She looked at him for a long moment, lifting a brow. "You were gone for maybe three hours, my time. And you've managed a custom fitted dress, with accessories, makeup that's perfect for my coloring, safe food. Either you reordered time to have enough to manage this or some things were already prepared in advance."

She was inviting him to tell her if he'd planned to ask her to rescue him from dealing with this alone, but she wouldn't demand it. His eyes met hers and there was some speculation in them for a long moment. "In my defense, precious, I was able to start planning last evening, when you started this affair. I suspected you would find the situation beneficial as I did, so I saw no reason to not get started on it then."

That was a reasonable line of thinking, but she wasn't certain she believed him. "So, you're saying that last night, well before I agreed, you made certain to have these things on hand just in case?"

"Pretty much."

And if I'd said no? The thought didn't leave her, because somehow, she knew the answer. She wasn't certain she liked it, though. She took a drink of her champagne and saw him turning the stem of his, watching the bubbles rise through the liquid. When she had her thoughts straight, she looked at him and gave him a smile. "I appreciate the effort."

He looked towards her, and his lips twisted into a faint smile. It looked genuine, so she took it at face value. "You're quite welcome."