The first thing Sarah did, upon stepping into her apartment, was check her phone. She found out her mother was postponing her visit – for which she sighed in relief – and that Mr. Wilson was back in rehab, and Mrs. Wilson was talking about taking him back – which prompted a sigh of frustration. Amy and the others had it under control, but it was a frustrating setback, though one she couldn't do anything for the moment. Nothing terribly urgent, no calls she needed to return, so with Jareth and Toby trailing behind her and providing a soundtrack of banter, Sarah set out to get her errands accomplished. She couldn't help shaking her head a little at the sight of Jareth looking human, and wearing a suit; she had seen it before, but it was still a novel experience. Despite how well he wore it, he just didn't look right to her without his fae finery and with his hair tamed down. The hair was harder to ignore than even the conservative apparel; attractive, mind you, but too contained for her actual taste, at least regarding Jareth.

Sarah stopped by a pet store first, to pick out a small cushioned bed for Neesk that would fit in her drawer, ignoring Toby pointing out the bird toys to Jareth. She also picked up some soft blankets, and though it bothered her a little to buy pet supplies for someone she considered a person, she'd been to a couple baby showers and knew baby stuff would be too cutesy and too expensive. Sarah consoled herself with the thought of picking up some miniature furniture for him; a jewelry box would serve as a dresser, and there were chairs and tables sized for some larger dolls that ought to suit.

The next stop was the dry cleaners, and Jareth deigned to carry her clothes even as Toby carried the bag from the pet shop. Sarah had planned this so she'd get to the corner store last, to pick up the few groceries she needed. The cake was ordered from an actual grocer, which she would pick up on the way out of town, but most of her own food came from the tiny corner deli. Cooking for one meant she tended toward microwave meals, minute rice, and canned goods. She also picked up breakfast sandwiches and salads for lunch at the same place, most days.

Sarah stepped through the door, Toby following, and Jareth paused for a second; the space was rather crowded, even with just the three of them, another customer off by the deli case, and the couple who owned it behind the counter. Sarah exchanged waves with the owners as she picked up her coffee and a four-pack of Canadian soda she'd learned to enjoy, then headed for the register. "And a pack of Newport Menthols, please," Sarah added, fishing out her driver's license.

"You're smoking?" Toby said, as disapprovingly as only a little brother could.

"I'm bringing my boyfriend home to meet my parents. That deserves some stress relief," Sarah shot back.

He frowned. "You said you were only a social smoker, you just bum from other people if they offer and never buy your own. Liar, liar, Sare."

Jareth chose to add, though his voice was light and not judgmental, "A most unladylike habit, Sarah."

Before she could round on them both, the other customer in the store spoke up. "Good thing I'm no lady," Alix said sardonically. "You can have one of my cloves if you want, Sarah. Take two or three. If you buy the whole pack, you'll decide to smoke them before they go stale. And that's how you wind up smoking a pack a day like me."

Sarah chuckled, and waited as the dryad bought her own cigarettes. Jareth eyed her warily. "However do you turn up so fortuitously?" he asked, as all four of them left the shop together.

Alix opened the pack and shook out a clove, offering one to Sarah as well. "I admit, I keep an eye on Sarah's comings and goings. I like to know when she's around, since she does so enjoy bringing troublesome company to the city. This time, however, was pure coincidence. That shop has the best price on cloves." She glanced at Toby curiously, raising an eyebrow, as she lit both cigarettes.

Sarah made the introduction, blowing smoke Jareth's way in retaliation for the disdainful look he was giving her. "Alix, this is my brother, Toby. He knows. He came down for the coronation, actually. Toby, this is my friend Alix. She's fae, but she lives up here. She's teaching me magic." It felt weird to say that out loud on the street in New York, but no one was paying them any attention. Sarah had overheard a couple of businesswomen on the subway speaking with absolute solemnity of their previous lives in Atlantis, though. The bar for 'weird' was quite high in the city.

Alix shifted the cigarette to her left hand and held out her right. Toby shook with her, bemused. "So, fae in New York. Cool. Nice to meet you."

"My pleasure. It was not exactly my choice, but this city grows on you," Alix replied. She shot Sarah a look – he was taking the knowledge of fae existence remarkably well. "And you mentioned the coronation – I'm glad that went off without a hitch. Congratulations, Your Majesty."

She should have known Alix would tweak her nose on that one. From anyone else, she could almost abide it, but not from the dryad. Especially not from her. "God, Alix, don't start that shit," Sarah said immediately. "My friends don't call me by my title, nor are they expected to."

Jareth chuckled. "You are a queen, and Alix is not. At least, not yet. A certain degree of bowing and scraping is necessary to maintain the status quo. At least we know you are not entirely sincere about it, dryad."

"And I know you both appreciate that I am not overwhelmed by such lofty royal company," Alix replied easily. "Would you like to come to lunch at the club, all of you, by way of celebration? We have something catered for the staff almost every day. I honestly don't remember what today's meal is, but it should serve."

"We do need to eat something," Sarah admitted, even as she appreciated the adroit politicking of the offer – acknowledge her as Queen, then invite her to lunch like a casual friend. "I don't want all of us to turn up at my parents' like a pack of starving dogs. Karen will fuss over us even more. I'm happy with lunch at your place if these guys are. Just let me drop my stuff at my apartment."

Sarah looked to them both questioningly. Jareth didn't object, and Toby had never turned down free food – this was no different. So Alix nodded. "I will meet you there, then," the dryad said, turning to go.

"It's only a block, walk with us," Sarah said.

Alix turned and raised a fine brow at her, while Jareth chuckled, "Sarai, you should reconsider offering your address so freely."

The dryad added to that, "I would prefer to be able to say, even under duress, that I don't know where you live, Sarah."

That thought hadn't occurred to her, having forgotten the political dance of her own world, and the implication of danger made Sarah grit her teeth. "Let someone try to get to me through you. If they do, someone's gonna get a big damn surprise."

Alix started to shake her head, but it was Jareth who spoke next. "If you come to harm by association with Umardelin's Queen, then Umardelin shall answer for it."

At that, Alix went very still. Sarah was aware of foot-traffic flowing around them, and decided that someone must've cast a glamour of some kind to keep people from paying attention. They'd been standing still for too long, by the city's standards. After a pause, Alix said softly, "Be careful what you promise, King of Umardelin."

"You did not ask for our intrusion into your life," he replied, his voice low and musical. Toby looked from one fae to the other, darting questioning glances at Sarah as well, but she kept quiet and listened. "You could have passed by, and not alerted Sarah to my neglect in leaving the Key visible, but you intervened for our safety as well as your own. You gave me your oath to protect that which I love most, all unasked. You offered instruction in magic without demanding recompense, and you have done so at some inconvenience. And when my mother made her offer of restitution for the offense she gave you, instead of making her pay for her folly, you answered her with a truth it cannot have been easy to relive."

"You speak to a dryad sundered from her tree," Alix said, a trifle sharply. "No part of my life is easy, o son of Etaron, least of all the past. I acted as I did because I at least will do what is right, not only what benefits me. And I will not use what power falls into my hands for anything so petty as revenge."

Once again, Sarah marveled that Alix only seemed to take offense when the high fae treated her with respect and consideration. When Jareth was being a dick about who exactly had a crown, she tossed it off with a jest. Now that he was being conciliatory, she bristled.

"Do you think we do not know that, daughter of the Green?" Jareth chided. He shifted his stance slightly, moving Sarah's garment bag to the other shoulder, and she blinked a little at the contrast. A high fae king, being very kingly indeed … and also a handsome Brit in a sharp suit whom she'd conned into carrying her stuff.

Jareth wasn't done, and even as Alix's chin came up stubbornly he leaned into her space. "You have in one month acted with more honor and justice than most of our kind ever does in a lifetime. I am not the kind of man, or fae, or king to take that lightly. So Umardelin's protection you shall have."

"I am not your vassal," Alix growled, shoulders stiff. "I owe you no fealty, nor would I give you such."

He laughed then, and people turned to look, whatever glamour hid them dissipating. "No, Alix, nor would I ask that of you. You are a friend to Sarah, she names you so and you admit it. We look after our friends. I have always done so, sometimes to my detriment."

The dryad just scoffed at him, but she seemed mollified. Sarah was about to make a comment, anything to get them moving before they became today's latest offering of New York street theater, when Toby finally spoke up cautiously. "So … lunch is out?"

Alix laughed at that, the mood lightening. "No, no, come to lunch. I suppose I must learn to negotiate with kings someday. Though I may decide to serve you mice, Jareth, to keep from being too friendly."

Jareth made a face. "No mice for me. I have the shape and the flight of an owl, but not its dietary habits."

"Then take your lady's shopping in, o mighty and powerful king, and I shall see the lot of you at Imperiale," Alix replied.

In the elevator up to her apartment, as Sarah was sighing in relief after that little confrontation, Toby spoke again. "You fae people are kinda weird," he said. "I mean, did that whole argument just amount to 'we like you, we'll watch out for you, deal with it'? You make high school look drama-free, and let me tell you, that's saying something."

"Alix doesn't particularly appreciate help of any kind from the high fae," Sarah said, before Jareth could respond, sighing and leaning back against the wall of the car. "She's up here because one tried to kill her. It's a topic she takes pretty damn seriously."

"Yeah, but she likes you, Sare," Toby countered. "I thought for half a second with the 'take my cigarettes' thing she was hitting on you. And us humans, if the legends are even half right, we're the reason the fae have to stay Underground now."

"Your god, and your iron," Jareth said, with unaccustomed solemnity. "Still. We have had thousands of years to adjust to the reality that the world Above belongs to you. Her grief is fresher than that. And again, your sister is just the sort of person who would have fought on our side, or gone Underground with us when it came clear the battle was lost."

The door dinged, and Sarah stepped out on her floor, rolling her eyes at Jareth. "You overestimate your appeal, sir."

"Nay, milady," he shot back. "You do so love to champion the underdog, and once mankind learned to smelt iron, we fae were doomed."

Any more witty banter was offset by Neesk appearing as Sarah unlocked her door, hopping to her shoulder happily. "I jus' woke up," he proclaimed, puffing his tiny chest out. "Big goblins says I can't drinks wif 'em cuz I's too little. I showed 'em! Royal page can outdrinks anybody! "

"Oh my God, I don't even want to imagine the hangover," Sarah groaned, realizing why he hadn't been about during the picnic or the goodbyes. They all headed inside, Sarah pointing Jareth at the closet to hang up the dry cleaning, and putting away the coffee and sodas. She took the packages from Toby next, and headed into her bedroom.

Neesk crowed laughter at that. "No hangover, is hangunder, sleeps under bed cuz too drunk to gets in it. Minty drink made hurty-head go 'way, then I just sleeps."

"How much did you drink?" Jareth asked, sounding concerned. He'd figured out her closet organization at a glance and put things away in their proper places, now hanging up the garment bag itself.

"I dranks a whoooooole barrel of wine, jus' me!" Neesk told them proudly.

"Holy crap," Toby muttered, leaning in the doorway.

Sarah went white. She'd seen alcohol poisoning before, in college where some people didn't know when to stop partying. "How did he survive that?" she demanded of Jareth.

"They are resilient. And it was likely a goblin-sized barrel," the king put in.

"I's could still swims in it," Neesk replied. And then, a little crestfallen, "Maybe I hads some help…"

"I'm sure you can outdrink any goblin you need to," Sarah reassured him. "Now, while we have a minute, I picked up a few things for you."

"For me?" Neesk squeaked, his tail flicking back and forth in excitement.

"I said you could live here, I might as well make you comfortable," Sarah replied.

She emptied out a dresser door for him, while Neesk bounced around delightedly, and put the soft pet bed in there. Neesk fell into it, singing gaily as a bird, and wrapped himself up in the blankets Sarah had also bought. "I've got to order furniture," she said apologetically.

"Is 'k, goblins has carpenters, we makes furnitures," he replied. "Don'ts needs much. This's good, sleep safe, smell nice too."

Jareth and Toby had been talking quietly while Sarah set up Neesk's bed, and now the king turned his attention to her again. "Neesk, be aware, you are not to steal, chew, wear, or otherwise bother Sarah's clothes," he said sternly.

Neesk looked crestfallen, but he nodded. Jareth continued to Sarah, "I'm sure you don't want to find him camping in your brassiere."

"Cute mental image, but no, it'll stretch the cups," Sarah said, making sure she didn't sound angry. "Neesk, we're going to Imperiale to have lunch with Alix. Do you want to come?"

"Sure!" he chirped, and leapt to her shoulder. Sarah gave a small laugh, nudging him gently with her cheek. That was her Royal page, always up for an adventure.

They were heading out again, Jareth and Toby both following her lead, and Sarah locked up behind herself. Jareth touched the door and hissed. "Jareth? What is it?" she asked, worried.

He frowned, and shook his hand as if he'd touched something hot. "I thought to put a spell of protection on your door, but its core is made of steel. Iron and its alloys do not take magic well."

"Yeah, security was one of the reasons I picked this building," Sarah replied, taking his hand and curling her fingers around it. "No worries about additional Goblin King wards. We don't have a lot of problems with break-ins, here."

"Well, having a resident goblin will probably help too," Toby pointed out. "I wouldn't mess with Neesk."

"You's brother, you's 'k," Neesk told him. "Going out, gots t' hidey-hide." With that, he flattened himself against Sarah's neck, wrapping his tail around the necklace that bore the Key to Umardelin on one side, and gripping it in his front paws on the other. She saw the look of consternation on Toby's face, and glanced down. Instead of the live, warm, furry goblin she felt against her throat, she now appeared to be wearing a sculpted necklace with jeweled eyes. He looked exactly like one of the realistic dragon ones she'd been seeing online of late. It was an excellent disguise.

"Very nice, Neesk, good work," Sarah muttered, ruffling the end of his tail with affection as she marveled at his choice. Neesk was, as ever, full of surprises. "All right, gentlemen, let's go before Alix thinks we stood her up."

"Free food, here we come," Toby laughed.

"And more fae, for you to test your hypothesis," Jareth added. Sarah arched a brow, wondering what that was about, but heard her landlord in the hallway and remembered she had to ask him about that damn faucet.