The following few days, Sarah did have a lot of trouble walking to her classes. She'd roll out of bed, feeling rubber legged, and Jareth would just watch her and act smugly sympathetic. Still, that did nothing to stop them both from repeating the activity which kept causing her problems with walking.

She managed to complete her dissertation defense to her satisfaction while standing on rubber legs.

They didn't play every evening. Sometimes, it was just really fantastic sex until they'd finally collapse on one of their beds in exhaustion. She didn't think she'd ever met a man that she had such explosive chemistry with. She doubted she'd ever meet one, again, and that scared her a bit. Still, she remembered their conversation in her car after Christmas, about jumping ship when there wasn't a problem.

So, rather than panic, she threw herself into studying for her exams, and decided that for now, she could go with the flow. She didn't dare speak the words that she thought with increasing frequency. She didn't want to risk everything falling apart. She knew Jareth cared, but she was worried that her human feelings would be burdensome to him, and she didn't want that.

As Valentine's day approached, Jareth's own workload picked up. This didn't seem to surprise him. He said holidays were a trigger for some people. Still, she could see that each time it pulled him away from her that it annoyed him.

They had managed to work out a compromise with one another. She spent a few nights a week at his place. They'd work together on their respective work. She'd tuck in on the couch with a lap desk or a book she was studying, and he'd work from the massive desk. It gave them the company of being together, which was something she realized he appreciated. She appreciated the quality time, even when they weren't focused on one another.

She'd been trying to decide if she should ask him to go to dinner with her on Valentine's day. They hadn't really done much of the dating thing outside of their functions in his realm. Now and then, he'd bundle her up and take her to dinner. Still, this would be different and she knew it. While they'd gone to visit her parents and to the holiday celebrations in his realm, they hadn't done much as a couple.

As she walked through the halls near her class, she noted a vibrant red poster pinned on the cork board that hung there. She focused on it, turning the idea over in her mind. It was for a couple's party on Valentine's day. Dancing and alcohol were almost guaranteed, given the venue the party was being held at. Plenty of dark corners to steal away to.

She stood at the bulletin board, staring at the flyer for a long time, considering it.

Laughter startled her out of her focus, and she realized before she turned who was laughing. She turned and saw Tommy with several of his friends approaching her. Her ex-boyfriend wore a look of mean tempered amusement on his face.

She realized, after a moment, that Tommy was the sort to claim to be 'dominant' in a relationship in order to get away with being cruel to his significant other, while having no idea of the responsibilities that someone took when they claimed such a title.

"Don't bother, Sarah." Tommy and his friends were sneering, forming a half-circle around her. She squared her shoulders, turning towards them.

"Oh. Hello." She said, keeping her tone cool. "What should I not bother with?"

"Couple's only, Sub Zero. Haven't seen your new boy-toy around, lately. Did he dump you when he realized what a frigid bitch you really are?"

She inclined her head, feeling a cold smile curving her lips. She could see the theatrical way Tommy's friends shivered, as if it would hurt her. She allowed herself a moment to wonder how fucking desperate she'd been to actually agree to date this complete idiot in the first place. She would have spoken, could feel the acerbic words rising to her tongue.

A hand on her waist drew her attention, and she smelled the spicy scent of her lover. His hand curved around her waist, over her stomach. The move was so possessive she actually gave a bit of a shiver as Jareth's chest came to rest against her back.

"I apologize for my tardiness, darling. Did you wait long?"

She turned in Jareth's arms, ignoring the men behind her. As usual, his glamor was in place and he wore a handsome tailored suit that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and trimness of his waist.

A smile lit her face that she knew looked warmer than anything those idiots would have ever seen. She couldn't help it, Jareth always brought that out of her. She lifted her arms, putting them around him. She could hear the men behind her sputtering. "Not long at all."

He turned, putting himself between the other men, shifting to her side, and escorting her down the hallway. Once they were out of earshot, Jareth spoke, his voice close to her ear.

"I'm amazed you are willing to tolerate that boy's bullshit, Sarah."

"I won't lie," she said, giving him a grin. "I have considered wishing him away to the goblins on a few occasions."

"Now, darling," he laughed, looking at her. "What have I done lately to deserve a threat like that?"

She laughed, slipping her arm around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder. "It's fine, Jareth. I know he's an idiot. I'm not going to wish him off to the goblins just because he is butthurt that I didn't decide to be his blushing bride over his three inches of misery."

"So cruel, darling." He sounded like there was a laugh tickling his throat. "So, what weren't you supposed to bother about?"

"There was a flyer on the bulletin board. There's going to be a themed Valentine's party near the school. I was already thinking about asking if you wanted to go on a date that night. I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining me. It's couples only, and we haven't really done much here like that. I like spending time with you, and I like going to the functions you have to attend. It's been years since I went to a party like this, so I don't know what it'll be like, but I'd like to go if you can spare the time."

He was quiet for a long moment, and when she looked up at him, she found that he had a soft sort of expression on his face. "I think time can be set aside on the fourteenth, darling. Your paper is finished, yes?"

"I just finished defending it, yesterday." She said, feeling a disgraceful flutter in her chest.

"What do you have left before your commencement?"

"Oral exams."

"I could give you an A on that, myself, precious thing." His voice was a low, seductive growl near her ear.

The change in endearment caused a flush to rise to her cheeks. He only called her that when they were playing, and the words now nudged her over into that headspace. A shiver worked its way up her spine and she gave him a light smack, a signal that this wasn't a good time or place for that. He barked out a laugh, and shifted, holding the door open for her as they left the hallway.

"From your reaction, I take it they aren't grading you on how skilled your tongue is. My mistake, darling."

"Jareth," she bit her lower lip, hoping her raging blush wasn't too obvious.

The smile he gave her tried for innocent and crashed and burned miles away from it. The action, however, reminded her again how much she loved his smile. He laced his fingers with hers and lifted them to his lips.

"Shall I take you shopping, then? A pretty new dress for our date? Or do you need to study for your exams, tonight?"

He knew exactly how to spoil her, didn't he, she thought. A smile curved her lips and she tapped her chin, feigning deep thought on the matter, even knowing how she'd answer. Then, she shifted, putting herself in front of him, smiling up at him.

"Dinner, then shopping. Maybe a movie? And after Valentine's day, I can study."

He smirked, inclining his head. She knew he understood that she wanted him to help her partake in the midnight glitch at the library so she could have ample time to do so. They looked at each other, neither of them budging for a long moment, and then he laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist as they moved along the sidewalk again. His expression was one of absolute delight.

"Deal, darling. Assuming you can walk to the library."

A blush colored her cheeks and she rolled her eyes. Still, she didn't draw away from him, slipping her arm around his waist as well as they walked across the quad, feeling happy and content.

So, Jareth escorted her to a lovely little restaurant for dinner, and the jeans and sweater became a lovely black sheath dress, and her sneakers were swapped out with a set of unspeakably comfortable nude pumps. She was pretty sure that the shoes were enchanted, because there was no way they'd been made that way.

Funny, how asking him on a date prompted a date, she thought, but that's what this felt like. So, they had champagne, and Italian food, and Sarah tried to not feel too smug about all the women staring at the man who was acting oblivious to the attention. After dinner, he teased her about taking her shopping in the Underground, which she told him would be lovely another time, but she needed something that held up to the modern aesthetics. A few boutiques found her a dress she was happy with, but she didn't let him see it on her, yet.

She liked the gut-punched look he got when she dressed up too much.

He teased her about defying him, again, and she promised to make it up to him, later. She didn't find out until later that he'd picked up some pretty jewelry for her to complete her look with, and a pair of black pumps that reminded her of the nude ones, they were so comfortable.

They were so busy they missed the movie, which didn't bother her. They went back to her apartment and put on something, and snuggled on her couch while they watched it together. Jareth seemed just as content with that decision, his chin resting on the crown of her head, his hands finding the muscles in her neck and shoulders that were always tight after working all day.

She reminded herself to give him a massage one of these days.

The next day, she took some time and studied before the party, and Jareth got called away fairly early for a wished away child. It was closing in on five p.m. when she decided she'd meet him at the party and left him a note, getting herself ready to go.

She put her hair up in a simple knot, and put the deep garnet earrings in. They were a simple design, not the queenly type jewelry he lent her in his own realm. But they were pretty, and the same elegant design he always picked for her. When she slipped into the dress, she gave a turn, admiring the way the skirt flared out a bit from her. She put those wonderful pumps on, and grabbed the black handbag. Giving herself a quick look, she grabbed her winter coat and headed out.

She was glad that it had stopped snowing weeks ago, but the trade-off was a cold that set the teeth chattering. Today, she didn't seem to feel it, and she grinned a bit in excitement as she arrived at the venue. The club was playing pop music when she ducked inside. She headed over to the bar, and got herself a bourbon and leaned against the bar, trying to relax.

Valentines day had never been her favorite holiday. Too many times, it was just a precursor to disappointment. This was the first time since she'd been a teenager that she felt excited about it. Still, as she leaned against the bar and nursed her drink, she noticed several of her exes were there. She'd have to make a concerted effort to keep Jareth away from them when he arrived.

If he didn't get kept away with work.

She didn't want to consider that. Still, she kept close to the door so she'd be easy to find, and looked out at the revelers.

"Where's your sugar-daddy?"

Funny, how Jareth's obvious show of wealth took him from "boy-toy" to "sugar-daddy" she thought, looking towards Tommy who had a stunning red-head on his arm. The woman wore a much shorter, much tighter dress than she wore, and the shade of red was flattering. She was petite, pretty, and looked like she'd bought Tommy's act hook, line and sinker.

Sarah straightened, inclining her head as she turned to face this particular pain in the ass. She could see others glancing towards them, seeming surprised to see her there. She knocked back the rest of her bourbon and set the glass on the bar beside her, inclining her head. She heard the soft clink as the bartender gave her a refill. She gave Tommy a cool smile, lifting the glass in front of her, again.

She ignored the way he was looking her up and down as if she were there for his consumption.

"Surprise, surprise. Looks like even the Glacier can look pretty hot when she puts in some effort." Tommy's date looked at him, a pout pulling at her lips. Sarah gave the woman a look of sympathy, then looked back at him.

"I fail to see how that is any of your business, Tommy." She knew she looked good. The dress was eye-catching, brilliant red, with skirts that hung down to just past her knees. It emphasized her curves, and lace in the same shade of red covered her chest from neck to the tops of her breasts. The fact was, however, she wasn't dressed like this for him, and they both knew it. "I saw you managed to fix whatever problems you had with your original dissertation."

"Well, after you sabotaged mine -"

She rolled her eyes. True, it was her fault, but not her hand that did it.

"Tit for tat, you stole my original dissertation when it was almost finished, and ready to turn in. I'm not an idiot, Tommy. I managed to scrounge up one of my older copies, with the date printed on it." She gave him a smile when she saw he paled a little bit. "And you can't prove that I had anything to do with whatever sabotage occurred."

"Fucking bitch," he snarled, stepping towards her.

"Now, if you're quite done trying to prove that you're a big man to the lovely young woman on your arm, please step off. I was trying to enjoy myself." She lifted her drink in a toast, her smile on the chilly side of pleasant.

Tommy stepped towards her, away from his date, every line on his face screaming aggression. She looked at him, shifting her grip on her glass, ready to smash it into his face if it came to a fight. She shouldn't have worried.

The air around her got cold, like she was standing outside. A hand grabbed Tommy's shoulder, and the grip stopped the man's forward momentum. Behind him, she saw Jareth standing there and sucked in a surprised breath at the unpleasant look on her lover's face.

"Thomas, for your own sake, I suggest you step away from my lover, before I decide to resort to violence," Jareth's tone was cool and clipped, and Tommy turned, ready to swing, but he went pale when he saw the look on Jareth's face. He wasn't doing much to hide his nature. His fae features were hidden, yes, but the wildness that was usually held in check by the glamor seemed to be pulsing. Like his magic was just begging to be let loose on this fucking idiot.

Tommy's date, however, looked like she'd been struck by Cupid's bow and was just eating Jareth up with her eyes.

She stepped around the pair, towards Jareth, slipping her arm around her lover's waist and setting her bourbon in his hand with a smile at the pair.

"Tommy, I may be a fucking bitch, but this bitch isn't one you're ever getting to fuck." She kept eye contact with her ex while she pressed her lips against the underside of Jareth's jaw, before she turned her attention to his date. "I do hope you have a fun evening."

She steered Jareth away from Tommy, keeping her warmth pressed against him to help distract him from any potentially murderous tendencies. She noticed, almost too late that Jareth arrived with flowers and chocolates, and her heart fluttered, a smile curving her lips as he handed them to her.

"Don't think I don't know you were trying to get those fools out of a potentially explosive situation." He said, lifting a brow at her.

She shrugged, smiling at him and giving him a generous kiss. "It would be a shame to spoil the evening because one idiot didn't know how to shut the fuck up."

He waved down the bartender, handing her back her drink, looking amused."You don't have to force yourself to tolerate fools who insult you in such a way, darling."

"Jareth, if I got into a scuffle with every idiot like him, I'd be in jail." She gave him a smile, looking him up and down and taking him in. His suit was as beautifully tailored as ever, with a sharp sport coat and vest beneath. He wore a blood red shirt that was the same depth of color as the garnets in her ears. The tie was whimsical and unexpected, black with little red lip prints on it. When he leaned towards her, she turned to listen so she could hear him over the music.

"Come along, darling, at least let me dump him in an oubliette for a few hours? Imagine the good it might do for his personality?" He said, quiet against her ear. She could hear the smirk in his voice.

Her lips quirked into a bit of a smirk and she drew back, looking at him. "Are you trying to be a bad influence on me, your majesty?"

"Always," he teased, eyes shining as he looked at her. He sipped his bourbon, and gave a pleased sound, then finished it in one go. "I do apologize for my tardiness. The wisher actually wanted to run the Labyrinth."

"Did they succeed?" She asked, sipping her own.

"By the skin of their teeth, I believe is the saying. They were quite clever." His eyes were running over the room, gaze sharp. Then, his eyes snapped back to her and a sharp smile curved his lips. "Not as clever as you, however."

She ran her fingers over his vest to the collar of his shirt, a smile curving her lips. "Dressing to match, again?"

"Under ordinary circumstances, it lets others know whose partner you are." He glanced around the room again, and a breath huffed out of him. "Here, however, given the number wearing red this eve, it seems that will not be the case."

"Well, I think you look fantastic," she said, smiling up at him.

He leaned close to her and she inclined her head to hear what he was going to say. Except he didn't say anything at all. Instead, he growled, low and deep in his throat. As usual, that sound went straight to her libido, and she sucked in a sharp breath, gripping his arm. He knew exactly what that sound did to her, and she saw the pleasure in his eyes at her reaction.

His arm went around her back, helping keep her on her feet.

"So, my darling, what exactly was that fool attempting to pull, this time?"

She snuggled closer to Jareth and tucked her face against his collar. She could smell that warm, spicy scent from there and gave a quiet hum. "He was just trying to posture in front of his date. Had to try to pull that he was Billy Badass and pick a fight with 'The Glacier'."

Jareth gave her a perplexed look, and then a laugh bubbled out of him. The sound drew the attention of several people nearby, who turned to look, as if they were spellbound by the sound alone.

She could sympathize.

"Of all things they could call you, they picked that?!"

"Of the guys in this room, right now, there's maybe five I haven't been involved with at some point during the last eight years. Tommy wasn't the first to use a nickname like that on me to call me frigid. In all honesty, he wasn't even the worst about it." She shrugged, not wanting to talk about this, more. Still, she noticed the dark, dangerous look that flashed in his eyes. She wasn't certain she understood it at first.

Then he leaned down and kissed her, his teeth catching her lower lip and biting it just enough to sting. She relaxed into that kiss, and opened her eyes as he drew away. She set her hand on his jaw and looked him in the eyes.

"Before you ask, lover, no. None of them were ever in bed with me the way I let you be. I didn't trust any of them enough to do that with them."

That look faded back and pleasure took its place. The smile that curved his lips was just a little smug.

"Ahh, good to know, darling."

She smiled, finishing her drink and ordering them each another one.

His fingers brushed down her arm from her shoulder to her elbow. "You don't plan on drinking to your own disservice, do you, darling?"

"I don't plan on getting as drunk as I did when I...damn, what's the fae version of a drunk dial?" She grinned at him. "That said, maybe I should get that drunk more often. I can't say it ended up being a bad decision on my end, hangover aside."

"Oh, darling, I'm touched." There was a trace of sarcasm in his voice, but it was tempered by the grin on his face. He leaned close to her, his voice low and smooth when he whispered in her ear. "Everyone here has their eyes on you, Sarah. I admit, that dress is quite fetching on you. It leaves just enough to the imagination to make one's mouth water. Your hairstyle makes those lovely hickeys I left on the side of your neck visible to everyone."

Her hand shot up, just remembering them. They weren't visible in the mirror when she put her hair up.

"Like half the place doesn't have their eyes on you," she said, feeling the blush on her cheeks. "I thought Tommy's date was going to faint when she saw you. You, acting like my knight in black armor, dressed to your exact advantage."

He grinned. "Maybe they're just curious about the man that melted you, Sarah-mine."

"Maybe," she conceded. "But you don't see what we see when we look at you. Your anger on my behalf was impressive, and damn sexy. You weren't doing a very good job hiding what you are, I thought you were going to rip his arm off and beat him with it.

"I can't say I wasn't tempted. I suppose it's lucky for him that you objected to such a show of violence." Jareth leaned very close to her, his smile all teeth. She didn't back up an inch. Instead, she leaned closer to him, her lips brushing his ear.

"He's not worth the effort."

He gave a quiet laugh, turning so their faces were very close as he looked at her. She felt his hand come to rest low on her back, just above the curve of her ass. His lips brushed against hers, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Mmm, very well, darling. Let's finish our drinks and have a dance. We have no reason at all to stay for long if we don't actually enjoy ourselves."

"Understood," she smiled up at him, putting her arm up around his neck, stroking his hair between her fingers. "I think you'll enjoy dancing here. It's quite different from how they dance Underground."

She saw his eyebrow lift in interest and his eyes turned towards the dancers who were writhing against one another in blissful oblivion. Sarah turned to watch them a bit, lifting a brow and shaking her head a bit. The music turned to something slower, and she grinned, stepping back towards the floor, keeping her hand behind his neck, drawing him with her even as she maintained her hold on her glass. Jareth's hands came to rest on her hips and she tucked her head against his chest.

They swayed on the floor for a moment before either of them spoke, but she did notice that Jareth approved of the closeness between them.

"I noticed that there are several pairs in various stages of undress, already," he said, casting a glance around the room.

"Not a surprise. That tends to happen. There are also party drugs being passed around if you keep your eyes open. So, don't leave your glass alone. I did say at Yule that it seemed pretty mild, by current Aboveground standards for a party. Although I admit that was the first real pillow pit I'd seen. People here can be a lot more prudish about sex."

"So I can see," he said, and she felt his arms loop low on her waist. When he spoke again, she heard the smirk in his voice, the sound full of mischief and promise. "You know, darling. Everyone here is fairly deep in their particular vice of choice. We could spread a little mischief, if you'd like."

She lifted her head, looking at him from the corner of his eyes. "What did you have in mind, your majesty?"

"Oh, there's so many wonderful options. A drink spilled at just the right time, a really large spider, a terrible case of erectile dysfunction -"

She sputtered out a laugh at the last one, and Jareth grinned looking very pleased with himself. "You sound like you had that last one in mind already."

"I may or may not have already used it on your unfortunate ex-boyfriend. I fear his date will have a very unsatisfying tryst this evening."

As if saying the words summoned them in person, the cute red-head stormed off towards the bar, chased by Tommy, who was fumbling with his belt, trying to fasten it.

"Babe, I swear this has never happened before!"

Sarah pressed her face against Jareth's jest, her hand clamped over her mouth to muffle the laugh that escaped her. Jareth tilted her face up, looking at her for a long time, his expression one of pleasure. His hand cupped her face, holding her face up, looking at her as if he was drunk just from that. Then, he kissed her, holding her there with that faint touch on her cheek. His tongue parted her lips and she gave a happy groan, her hand curling into his collar to encourage him to not go too far away.

There were several pranks, though she drew the line at the spiders, just because some of the people were tripping from things other than alcohol. Some of the ladies were going to have excellent evenings, and several of the men were going to have very bad ones after the party. She noticed that whichever end of that a person ended up on largely had to do with her impressions of the person and how those people treated her.

Something about that was quite touching, that his opinion of others was influenced by their treatment of her. It was normal, she supposed, if he cared for her even a fraction that she cared for him. Of course he'd be protective and defensive of her.

Between drinks and dancing and a lot of mischief, Jareth pinned her several times during the evening, and that told her more than anything how the rest of the evening was going to go. They both got quite a bit deeper into their cups than they should have, she thought. He didn't even want to risk transporting them to her home, as tipsy as they were.

When they got to her home, they collapsed into her bed in a frenzy. Jareth teased her mercilessly, until she begged for him before he gave into his own lust. She could remember him staring down at her and pinning her wrists, the intensity in his gaze almost spellbinding her. He looked like he was getting more drunk off of touching her, off the power she let him have over her.

When she woke the next morning, they were still tangled together in her bed. She knew she had a hangover before she opened her eyes, and burrowed against her moan that escaped her was echoed by the man snuggled up beside her. Grabbing the blankets, she lifted them over their heads and rolled away from the window to block out some of the light.

"Stars, how much did we drink?" Jareth's voice sounded sleep slurred, and pained. She would have laughed, but she thought it would hurt, and frankly, it wouldn't be kind.

"Way more than we should have," she said, wrapping her arms around him and heaving a sigh. "But I had more fun than I've ever had at one of those."

A rough chuckle that ended in a groan escaped him, and his arms tightened around her, cuddling her quite close. She felt his fingers in the hair at the base of her scalp, rubbing her neck.

"I'm glad that you had fun, darling. We should do that again, sometime. Even the pranks. Perhaps next time to my kind. That would be an interesting change of pace to those events."

She giggled, wrapping her arms around him, enjoying the closeness for now. She knew they couldn't hide in the bed forever, though. She needed to go study, but for once, she really didn't want to. A sigh escaped her, the sound wrung out of her and she closed her eyes, breathing the smell of him in as deep as she could. It was scary, how much she cared about him, now. They'd been together just short of two full months, but he'd wedged himself into her life so perfectly she couldn't imagine him not being there, anymore.

A sigh escaped her lover, and he stroked a hand down her back. She felt the pressure of his lips at the crown of her head. "We should get some water and eat something. This damnable headache has teeth."

"Can't we snuggle a little longer?"

Another chuckle that ended in a groan. "I thought you were going to study, today, darling?"

"Do I have to?"

He went quiet and she drew back enough to look at him. There was a soft-looking smile on his face and he cupped her face, dropping a kiss to her forehead. "If you let me get us something to eat and drink, we can spend the rest of the morning snuggling if you wish."

She gave him a shrewd look. "Can we have coffee, too, then?"

"Naturally," he agreed, shifting so he was leaning over her, a smile on his face. "And if you decide you don't want to study, today, I won't tell a soul."

She watched as he rolled out of the bed, and as she stared up at his naked back, the words fell from between her lips without thought.

"I love you."