Sarah groaned her way out of her bed, trying to ignore the throbbing in her head that had nothing to do with alcohol, this time. She stumbled into the bathroom, brushing her hair and teeth and paused to take her temperature. A sigh escaped her and she did it, again.

99.8F blinked back at her from the thermometer's digital display.

A fever. But it was low enough, maybe she could pretend she hadn't seen it and Jareth wouldn't notice. She knew she'd been working too hard to finish the second dissertation. This was always a risk when she worked too hard, her body couldn't always keep up. Still, she was almost done.

Her presentation to defend it would be in a week. As soon as she'd started taking it back into the school, Tommy had tried to approach her about what she'd done to "his" paper. She'd looked at him and asked what he'd meant. After all, the teacher had already accepted it when she found out that he was a lousy thief.

When she'd mentioned that altercation to Jareth, he'd taken to escorting her to and from classes, and he'd provided her with a locking briefcase to store the new dissertation in. She had one of the keys taped inside her shoe. Jareth had the only other key in his desk in the Underground. There wasn't a chance in hell that Tommy was getting his hands on this one.

Tommy's face when he saw her pull out that second paper that was nearly finished had been priceless. It was totally worth the lack of sleep and overwork to get to see it.

She'd discussed the paper with her professor, made certain he saw her name on the cover, and explained that she'd been working on two simultaneously as a precaution. Her teacher had been pleased with that, and had notated the subject of her draft, accepting it as complete, though she still had a few more edits to do.

Jareth's tinkering with the glitch in the library had allotted her more time than she could have dreamed and she was once again reminded of the benefits of being the lover of a fae king who had that particular talent. As he'd promised, he didn't even try to get between her and her work, not seducing her or distracting her while she worked. He simply tried to make sure she was resting enough and taking care of herself.

Part of the reason she wasn't as overworked as she might have been was because he kept spiriting her away to his castle to insist that she take naps. The advantage to napping there was that she didn't lose time in her own realm. She knew he'd been doing a shameful amount of heavy lifting the last month since her paper was initially stolen, and she suspected that for them it had been closer to a full year of time he'd been reordering to make sure she got that paper done on time.

She owed him so much, but he didn't seem inclined to ask her for anything in return. If anything, he seemed glad that she didn't demand that he set aside his own work to cater to her whims. And he seemed to have a lot of work, himself. She'd noticed when she initially stayed with him, working on her first drafts.

As much time as she'd spent in his study, she'd seen new correspondence that always seemed to pop up on his desk - invitations, letters, something that was so filled with temper that it seemed to want to burst open in front of her. No sooner than they had appeared, they'd vanish, no doubt into Jareth's hands, wherever he had decided to work. In addition, there were several wished away children, which she realized that you could feel before it happened if you were in the Labyrinth, and was audible from everywhere in the castle. Seldom did it go past that, most of the children who were wished away weren't going to be fought for. Some were the case as the one on New Years, just a difficult child - others were like from Christmas, where it was for the benefit of the child to be wished away.

Some of those nights, Jareth was furious when he'd come to bed and he'd lay awake for a long time, glaring into the darkness until she'd roll towards him and find his shoulder and snuggle against him. She realized fairly soon that the ones that made him angry were the ones wished to him for selfish reasons. As much as he knew that sometimes it was in the best interests of everyone involved, he also knew that sometimes that wasn't the case, but he had to take the child, regardless.

One such case was a child that had been wished away to hurt the child's mother. But the wisher was the only one who could run, so the wisher took their dreams and Jareth took the child.

Even after she'd returned, there were some nights she'd call on Jareth so she could stay with him at the castle, rather than in her own apartment. There were still as many where she could tell he needed a break where he'd come to her apartment just to get away from the Goblin City for a few hours. They'd both agreed that trying to sleep without the other was pointless, so they ended up spending most nights together. They'd grown too used to the extra warmth of another body in bed with them. What was the point in torturing themselves, when the other felt exactly the same way about the situation?

Tonight, however, was different. It was the celebration for Imbolc, and one of the few ways she had to repay Jareth for all the ways he'd helped her of late. He was going to pick her up that afternoon so she could get ready. Another one of those frivolous parties, though Jareth seemed to be looking forward to this one more than the last one. When she'd asked him why, he'd said he always looked forward to these events more when she would be on his arm. She knew he wasn't telling her everything, but she'd figure that out later.

In the kitchen, she found a steaming pot of coffee waiting, just like every morning.

She'd known when she woke that at some point last night, Jareth got called away, but he made certain she'd have coffee in the morning. There was a plate that had tin foil over it and she found pancakes and bacon waiting for her. A smile curved her lips and she poured herself a cup, taking her breakfast to the table and digging in.

She hadn't yet found a way to express how these acts of thoughtfulness meant to her. It also frustrated the hell out of her that she didn't know how she could reciprocate them.

Speaking of frustration, she was also going crazy, because Jareth seemed to have set his designs to seduce her breathless since her work load had increased with the initial theft of her dissertation. She thought she shouldn't be. After all, he was doing everything she needed and that included trying to not distract her from the work.

Between his kisses and the two times he'd touched her sexually, he'd woken up something inside of her that no other boyfriend had managed. Her damn sex drive. She was getting itchy, and it had been too long since New Years. If he kept this up, she was going to end up pinning him.

Which wasn't something she thought she should admit to him.

He'd spurred her sexual awakening as a teenager, too. But it was different, this time and much more intimate. More frustrating, too, because he gave her plenty of those stirring kisses, but wasn't doing any more than that. When she tried to encourage him, he'd just grin and remind her that she had work to do.

Well, she didn't have any damn work to do tonight.

She shook those thoughts from her head, taking her breakfast dishes and washing them after she'd finished eating. When that was finished, she started straightening her apartment to distract herself from waiting for him.

She wasn't certain how long she'd been cleaning when she finally noticed Jareth dozing on her couch. His sprawl there should look uncomfortable, and yet he managed to look effortless, regardless. She stopped moving, staring at him, wondering how long he'd been there. He hadn't been when she'd folded the throw blanket and tucked it over the back of the couch, and yet, now he was.

A glance at the clock found it was almost three p.m. and she'd been cleaning since she finished eating.

She walked towards him, settling on the floor next to him. He looked exhausted, and must have been if he'd decided to nap on her couch, rather than letting her know he was there. A smile curved her lips as she noticed his hair was pushed from his face to the point that it hung across one eye rather than both. She liked how he looked when he was a little dishevelled, she noted, and brushed her fingers against his cheek.

One eye cracked and he looked at her, then he closed it again, a gusty sigh escaping him.

"I apologize. I meant to let you know I was here when I arrived, but I seem to have fallen asleep instead."

"You say that like a nap is something that needs my forgiveness," she teased, and combed her fingers through his hair, straightening it. "You work hard, Jareth. And if you're tired enough to fall asleep rather than tease me, then you obviously need the rest."

He nodded in agreement. "If we didn't have a previous engagement this evening, I would say we both tuck into your bed and spend the day there. I know you've been working hard, too."

She smiled, and leaned over, brushing her lips soft against his. One of his hands slipped into her hair as if to hold her there for a moment, not letting her pull away immediately. When he finally allowed her retreat, he was looking at her, his eyes narrowed. He was looking like the bully, now.

"You're warmer than usual."

She blinked, wondering how the fuck he'd noticed that, and she gave an awkward shrug. "I'm okay. Sometimes, I get a fever when I've been working too much."

His eyes narrowed and he frowned at how she shrugged it off. The bully was definitely in them, now. "You promise?"

"I'll even shake on it, your majesty," she teased him, and then she got to her feet. "But we should go soon, so we're fashionably late and not just regular late."

"Mmm, but if you're unwell, we could just avoid going altogether." He shifted, rolling onto his stomach, his arm pillowing by his head. The smile that curved his lips was all mischief and he raised his eyebrows at her suggestively. She could see that he was teasing her, but she was still tempted.

"You're incorrigible," she said. "And what would we do if we did avoid going, Jareth? Curl up and take a nap on my couch?"

He groaned as if she'd just stroked him how he liked it with the suggestion. "Darling, never underestimate how much I enjoy a good nap."

Still, he sat up and as she watched, he gave the clock a glare that would have withered it if it weren't plastic and metal. When he looked towards her, his expression was similar. He was pouting as if he hadn't been excited a few days ago to do this. So she shifted, sitting next to him on the couch. His arm lifted automatically, and she slid against his side, slipping her own around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

"We'll go put in an appearance," she said, her voice soft and warm. "Then we can come back here and have a proper rest, rather than just a nap?"

His arm around her shoulders tightened and she felt his lips against her hairline. Then, he heaved a sigh, his breath rustling her hair.

"Fair enough, darling. I admit I have a fetching gown for you, this evening, and I've been looking forward to seeing it on you." She smiled, snuggling against his side, and looked up at his face, seeing him smiling down at her. "And on the bright side, we're not going to be in Gwales, this time."

A shiver crept up her spine when she remembered the last time they'd been there. The mean tempered charm Titian had placed on her, how Jareth had to rush her away from the ball. Then, she blushed, remembering how Jareth had helped 'take care of her' after, and she took a moment to pretend her fingernails were quite interesting.

She could feel him looking at her and knew the smirk he'd have on his lips would be showing his sharp teeth.

"You're thinking about when I went down on you, aren't you, precious," he breathed against her ear and she swallowed hard, the blush on her face growing darker. When she looked up at him, it felt like he'd dumped a bucket of hormones over her head. He had that dark and sexy look in his eyes, and she swallowed hard. His hand lifted, finding some of her hair and he teased his fingers through it, using it to pull her closer. She watched as he kissed the hair he held, his gaze never leaving hers, burning into her.

Her brain shorted out for a moment before their prior engagement came to her mind again. She leaned kissing close to him, not looking away from his gaze. "Jareth, if we don't get moving, we're going to be late."

He looked unrepentant as he grinned wider at her, and his hand slipped behind her neck, pulling in for a soft kiss. When he drew back again, they were in an unfamiliar dressing room. "Don't think I'll let you worry about us being late every time we've got places to be, darling. Being on time or even early to a fae party is absolutely shameful."

"Always going for a dramatic entrance?" She asked, grinning as she hopped to her feet.

He remained silent for a moment, and she turned to look back at him. He was looking at her and waiting, again. A look around the room found there wasn't a side room as there had been for Yule and New Years. She returned her gaze to him, lifting a brow in askance. He just continued to look up at her from under his brows, not speaking.

She realized after a moment, he was waiting for her to decide if she was comfortable changing for the part in the same room as him. Taking a steadying breath, she took a moment to consider that, herself.

"If you wish, I can make sure you have a changing room of your own. However, given that I've seen…" He paused and his lips quirked into that damn smirk, again, before his eyes raked over her. When they met hers again, she could see hunger in them. "Everything and you've seen almost everything, I think we can manage with this, if you choose."

She flushed at the reminder that he'd seen her naked on several occasions, now and she looked towards him. He was still peering up at her from under his brows. He looked positively carnal when he looked at her like that. She felt her mouth go dry and she forced herself to nod in agreement. "As long as you don't try to distract me, I think we can manage fine."

He barked out a laugh and stood, moving towards her. His lips were curved into a smile that was somehow both charming and sinister and he tilted his head. "Where's the fun in that?"

She couldn't pull her gaze from his, and was almost overcome by the urge to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him in for another kiss. Before she could do so, he waved his hand, gesturing past her. She turned and her breath caught in her chest.

The gown was lovely, silk chiffon that started soft pink and darkened to a dark almost black purple at the waist. The skirts were full, and it wrapped over the tops of her arms, leaving her shoulders bare. She moved towards it, not touching it, yet, and walked around it, in awe. She could feel Jareth's eyes on her as she looked at it and when she lifted her gaze to his, she saw pure satisfaction in his eyes. She swallowed hard, moving back towards him and taking his hands in hers and giving him a generous kiss.

"Your taste is impeccable as ever. It's beautiful."

He smiled, leaning very closer to her, so she could feel the whisper of his breath against it. "I look forward to helping you out of it, later."

She flushed dark red and bit her lower lip, feeling the tremble that went up her spine. Instead of arguing, she lifted her gaze to his, defiant. She could feel her own hunger scratching at her. Whatever he saw in her eyes must have surprised him, because that speculative interest brightened his eyes, and he pressed closer to her.

"Here you blame me for being distracting, and yet here you are, distracting me," he said, his voice a low and quiet growl.

"You're the one who keeps teasing me," she pointed out, not reaching for him, because if she did, she'd start kissing him and it was very hard to stop. "And then you turn around and leave me hanging."

"Hardly, darling. I already told you, remember? Before we went to visit your family." His lips found her ear, brushing against it as he whispered to her. "I won't fuck you unless you ask me to."

Her heart stopped for a moment, the way he'd said those words made her knees grow weak. Her breath hitched in her chest and her hands caught the sleeves of his shirt, curling in them to keep herself upright or to keep him close to her. She couldn't be certain which was her main reason for it.

His lips curved into a smirk against her ear and his arms went around her waist, pulling her against him so she wouldn't fall. The proximity let her feel every single damn muscle and she curled her hands to keep from running them over him.

"Rude," she whispered, clinging to him until she felt steady enough that she didn't think she'd faint dead away.

He drew back and gave her a smile that was all teeth.

"Am I distracting you, again, darling?"

She laughed, breathless, resting her forehead against his chest. After a steadying breath, she decided to get her own little bit of revenge and drew back, meeting his gaze. She stepped back and pulled her shirt over her head, keeping eye contact with him as she tossed it aside. Then, she unhooked her bra, letting it slide to the floor between him, lifting an eyebrow at him. She could see his pupils dilate, swallowing the color of his eyes until they looked dark and hungry. Instead of answering his question, she turned her back to him, setting about getting dressed.

Pleased to find the dress a button up, she pulled it on over her head, brushing her fingers over the soft skirts. Glancing at Jareth, she found his eyes feasting on her, the look in them just as hungry as before. She took a moment to steady herself, and then lifted her hair from her back, pulling it over her shoulder.

"Would you help with the buttons?"

She watched as he stalked towards her and a shiver worked its way up her back. When he stopped, he barely touched her, his fingers starting at the bottom button and working their way up. He was slow about it, like he was teasing her and her breath grew faster with each second he stood at her back. Once it was fastened, he turned her towards him and the look he gave her burned through her. He lifted something, circling it around her neck, and she felt the weight of the necklace he set there. He didn't look into her eyes while he fastened it, and then he straightened, and she looked down.

Dark Tahitian pearls circled her neck, closing at a platinum flower that was accented with diamonds. Her breath caught at the necklace, as it always did when he dressed her like a queen. She swallowed hard, lifting her gaze to him and found him looking at her, his eyes running over her. When his eyes lifted to hers, he seemed to fight with himself for a moment about something, and then he gave a smile, sighed, and stepped back.

"And you called me a tease," he said, eyes shining. Then, he snapped his fingers and turned away from her, starting to get himself ready.

There was a cracking sound and Pan appeared again, starting to immediately fuss over her hair, pushing her to sit at the dressing table. Laying there, she saw pearl drop earrings, similar in style to the necklace laid out, waiting for her. They were lovely, but couldn't hold her attention. She kept trying to steal glances at Jareth in the mirror while he played least in sight.

Probably teasing her, again.

Now that he'd pointed it out to her, he had told her that he wouldn't have sex with her until she asked it of him. But she hadn't realized how serious he was about it. After all, he'd practically initiated sex with her, twice before -

No, that wasn't quite true. Both times, he'd paused. He'd waited for her to ask for more. He'd given her the chance both times to put the brakes on what he was doing. He'd only moved forward when he knew that she wanted it, when she literally asked him to continue. At first, she'd thought that was just to be sure she knew what she was getting into. Now, it seemed more like he couldn't, because he said he wouldn't.

That was both a turn on and singularly terrifying, because it meant she'd literally have to ask him. Given his wording, she had a sneaking suspicion that what she had to do was quite literal. He wouldn't go any further than she gave her permission to. Her cheeks heated and she used her hand to fan herself a bit, mortified and really aroused by the idea.

Pan noticed her flush and frowned at her, patting her cheek. Then, her goblin attendant frowned deeper. "Is Lady sick?"

Silence in the room behind her and she swallowed hard. She shook her head, feeling the sharp eyes of the Goblin King on her. "No, no. I'm not sick, Pan. I'm just tired. I run warm when I'm tired."

More ominous silence followed her words and she took a deep breath, not daring to look back at Jareth. Pan was looking past her now, and whatever the goblin saw behind her worried it. "If lady sure -"

"I'm sure, Pan," she said, smiling. It was just the low grade fever from that morning, that was all. She wasn't sick, so it was fine. She'd keep telling herself that until everyone else believed it, too.

The goblin gave a slow nod, though she suspected it wasn't aimed at her, and got to work on her makeup. The look was more neutral, this time. A simple smokey look around her eyes, a sweet shimmer for highlights. She was still given the sharp contour to her cheeks, and then a bold, dark red lip. Now, she tried to avoid meeting Jareth's gaze in the mirror. When Pan had finished and left, she lifted the earrings, appreciating the simpler look and hair from the previous ones. She slipped the earrings in place, and once they were settled, she looked at the mirror again and almost jolted, finding Jareth standing there behind her.

Damn, he cut a fine figure.

He wore a dark gray vest and his shirt was brilliant white. Over, he wore a jacket that was a shade darker than the vest, with a soft pink square in the pocket. There were grey streaks and glitter in his hair. He looked positively captivating, and very pissed off.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet and almost stern. "Are you ill?"

She bit her lower lip and turned towards him, looking up at him from where she sat. It took her a moment before she could get the words out. She paused, and took a deep breath.

"I'm not sick, Jareth. I'm just overworked. Like I said, earlier, I run warm when I'm tired. I remember our conversation at Christmas about who gets hurt when I do foolish things. I promise.

His eyes narrowed and he took her hand, pulling her to her feet in front of him.

She jolted when he fixed her with his stare and she saw more darkness in there than anything else. An anxious flutter went through her.

"That means if you've done something imprudent, I'm going to have to find a way to punish you. You realize that?"

She swallowed hard, the words making her libido go nuts. Instead of saying anything, she set her hands on his chest and gave him a soft kiss. The rouge on her lips didn't smudge on his mouth. She wondered if there was an enchantment in it. Useful thing, that. When she spoke, she stayed kissing close to him, looking into his eyes.

"In that case, Jareth, if it turns out I'm wrong and I am sick, you can punish me however you see fit."

The darkness in his eyes changed, turned hotter. She knew that she'd just issued a challenge to him. When he spoke next, his lips curved into a smile that matched the darkness in his eyes.

"Count on it, darling."

She felt a shiver work it's way up her back, but she didn't move away from him. That seemed to please him, too.

He offered her tulle opera gloves that were the same soft pink as the dress, and she slid them on, trying to ignore her nerves and not sure if she hoped that she was right or wrong about her physical condition. Still, she wanted a pleasant evening. She wanted to enjoy the time she got to spend with him. So she found her silk slippers, putting them on, and slipped her arm through his, letting him guide her out the door.

As during Yule, he gave her a tour of the castle before heading towards the ballroom. This one she found to be far brighter and full of hope and joy. The gardens reminded her of the arboretums in the above, complete with butterflies dancing in the light. It was beautiful, and a far less cold beauty than she'd seen in Gwales.

Mag Mell, he'd called the place.

The biggest difference, however, was how different everyone behaved when they entered a space. She noticed that the fae moved away from her, giving her a wide berth. That made her nerves jumpy.

"Did something happen? Is my being here a problem?"

He blinked, as though confused and looked around them. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and pensive. "I suppose the word got around regarding what happened to Titian after New Years."

A chill crept up her spine at the mention of him. "What happened to him?"

"As I mentioned before, his queen will handle the final punishment." Jareth's expression wasn't pleasant but it was very pleased. "However, before we left at New Years, I ensured his queen would not be getting any use out of him for some time in their bedroom," he said. There was a tone in his voice that both invited and dared her to ask him more regarding it.

She didn't think she was feeling brave enough to ask him to elaborate right then, so she ignored the dare. Regardless of what he'd done, she knew from experience it was equal to what had been done to her. She didn't like Titian. He'd hurt her, and took what had looked to be a pleasant evening and almost turned it into a nightmare. She didn't doubt that whatever Jareth had done in return was equally nasty. But she didn't think she wanted the details.

They arrived at the ballroom, just as the first dance started, and he swept her onto the floor, not taking her to introduce her to their hosts, yet. She thought she saw a bit of nerves in her eyes, but she wrote that off as impossible. They'd danced several dances, before he pulled her from it, guiding her towards the edge of the dancers towards the dias where there sat a king and queen, resplendent in silver and gold. The pair looked too wrapped up in one another to notice the approach of guests.

Jareth just looked at them for a long moment, his lips pulling into a bit of an annoyed look before he glanced towards Sarah. "Brace yourself, precious. This is likely going to be…" He gave a sound not unlike a grumble, and he sighed. "A thing."

A thing? She looked at her escort, perplexed, and then he cleared his throat. Her eyes moved back to the pair on the dias. The woman, dressed in gold, with a crown that reminded Sarah of the sun, looked up first, her blue eyes growing bright with joy. Her eyes moved over Jareth first, then to Sarah, running over her more slow, as if considering her. Then, a knowing smile twisted the woman's lips. She got to her feet and raced down the dias towards them.

To Sarah's surprise, Jareth placed a hand over his chest and bowed at the waist as the woman approached. Instinctively, she sank into a curtsey, rising when Jareth did.

"Oh, darling boy, it's a joy to see you!" The woman took Jareth's hands and bussed both of his cheeks with kisses. Sarah was surprised to see her escort enduring it without complaint, without even a glance towards her to rescue him. The king moved towards them at a more sedate pace, coming to a stop behind the queen, his silver and black clothing like the moon and night sky in comparison. "I didn't realize you'd be in attendance!"

"You should have told us you'd be joining the celebrations, this year," the man said, as he came to stand at his Queen's side. "Your absences have been conspicuous of late."

Jareth looked towards the king, nodding his head in agreement. "As was pointed out by several letters I've received. It was made clear that this duty could no longer be neglected." He reclaimed one of his hands and brought it to rest against Sarah's lower back. "Allow me to introduce Sarah Williams, accompanying me from the Above. Sarah, this is King Nuada and his wife, Queen Boann."

Sarah gave another curtsey, trying to not look surprised at the courtesy that Jareth took during this introduction. As she straightened, she found both regents looking at her. Nuada's gaze pinned hers for a long moment before he looked back at Jareth. Boann, however, moved towards her immediately, setting her hands under hers, a brilliant smile on her face.

"This is a pleasant surprise," she said, eyes sparkling. "Jareth seldom brings anyone to events like these. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sarah Williams."

"The pleasure is mine, your majesty," she managed.

The king had moved in front of Jareth, and Sarah noticed for the first time the similarities in their faces. The same thin lips and nose. The same cheekbones. Meanwhile, Boann had the same silvery blond hair, and blue eyes. It hit her quite suddenly that these were Jareth's parents, and she wondered why he hadn't introduced them as such.

"We may not be here for long, Sarah is suffering from overwork," Jareth said, shooting her a look from the corner of his eyes and she gave him a guilty smile. "But I wanted to show my face and let you know that I actually made it for once."

Nuada's eyes found her, and his lips twitched. The same smile, she noticed, meeting the king's gaze. "He lets you get away with overworking yourself?"

"I only get away with it because afterwards I let him get away with bullying me into taking naps I don't want," she responded, lifting a brow and slanting a glance at her lover.

Boann gave a lilted laugh that drew the attention of the dancers that were close enough to hear. "Oh, I do want to hear more about this another time. It's a pleasure to see him happen to someone else, and that person actually holds their own against him."

Jareth gave a sound that was close to a groan, his eyes fixed on a point on the ceiling. "Mother," he grumbled.

Sarah smiled at the queen, biting her lower lip. "It's less holding my own and more a very complicated dance of compromise. As it is, I doubt I break even."

"That's still better than most," Nuada said, his eyes on his son, again. He lifted a brow, as if waiting for more information.

Jareth cleared his throat. "Sarah ran the Labyrinth many years ago, the first to defeat me, as it were. Since we've been seeing each other again, we've been keeping one another on our toes."

Sarah recognized the thunder in Nuada's expression. She couldn't have explained it, but it reminded her of Jareth when they'd faced off in the tunnels again. She blinked, surprised, and remembered what Jareth had told her. His parents had been the former regents of the Goblin Kingdom.

"Is that what happened at New Years?"

A chill worked its way up her and she wondered, again, what Jareth had done to Titian to punish him for hurting her. That tone couldn't have been aimed at Jareth, could it? Sarah looked at her lover, and then at the king.

Jareth's tone was equally dark when he spoke. "At New Years, Titian placed a mean spirited charm upon her. I had no hand in that. In fact, father, I was the one who got her out of there, and took care of her until the charm broke."

"Good," the older king said, his tone turning lighter. "Don't let us keep you two. Enjoy your evening, and I do hope we'll be seeing you for more of these celebrations."

She looked at Nuada and gave him a warm smile, trying to ignore the chill she felt at the reminder of the "mean spirited charm" and Titian. "Any event Jareth decides to attend, I'm agreeable to being his plus one. I enjoy dancing, and he's an excellent partner.

Jareth bowed to his parents, again, and she sank into a curtsey at his side. Then, he escorted her away from the rest of the dancers, looking a bit like someone had stroked his feathers the wrong way. She stroked her hand over his harm, a smile curving her lips. "Did they think you'd spellbound me?"

He shrugged, taking a steadying breath. "You're mortal, and you're with me. Besides, it's not like they don't have reasons for their concerns."

She stopped, and circled around him, setting her hand on his face, meeting his gaze. "What was that?"

"My parents," he said. "I thought that much was obvious."

"I figured that out. I mean why would they think you'd spellbind me like that?"

Jareth shook his head, looking around. "This isn't a good place to discuss that, darling. Let's dance a little longer, and when we retire for the evening, we can discuss that."

"I'll hold you to that, Jareth."