A/N: Ready for a little fluff? LOL. This has no movement whatsoever in it. It's really just a cute little side story from in this story of Toby and his friend. I just didn't want to leave you all hanging for too long. I hope you enjoy!

MAY EVE

Deep within the winter forest among the snowdrift wide
You can find a magic place where all the fairies hide...
~Author Unknown

Chapter 10:The Pixie Exchange

Toby woke up early the next morning and decided that before breakfast he wanted to take a walk. He suddenly missed his parents, but didn't want to tell Sarah that, because then she'd blame herself for him not returning home.

He dressed in his boots and snow suit, pulled his hat over his head and found his gloves in his snow suit pockets.

Slinking down the stairs and out of the castle he walked to the frozen garden he had spent time in just days before. He hoped he'd see his friend Ari, but wasn't sure if she'd be out in this weather.

"Ari! Are you here?" He called as he marched through the small maze. He heard a small squeak and felt something burrow up under his hat. The hat no longer covered his ears, but he felt a small thing sitting on his head, shivering. "Ari. . ." He giggled.

"It's cold, Toby! Who made all this white stuff?" Her voice was muffled, making her sound funny. This caused Toby to laugh further.

"It's snow and I think Jareth did." He replied and then sighed. "I wish you weren't so cold."

"Oof!" He felt her falling off of his head and he caught his hat as it tumbled to the ground. He peeked inside and fell on his rear laughing hysterically. "This is not funny! Stop that laughing, Toby! This isn't funny at all!"

Out came a very puffy pixie. Ari was wrapped in her own pink snow suit, gloves and hat. Her wings were flapping wildly as she attempted to adjust her flying to the added weight. Her arms and legs stuck out making her look like a flying starfish. She attempted to point at him which only made her zig zag in place. "I'm sorry! You just look so freaking cute!" He howled.

"And I thought we were friends!" She pouted and bobbed up and down in the air.

"We are, I wouldn't have cared if you were cold if we weren't. Are you still cold?" Toby asked, trying with all his might to stop laughing.

"I. Well. No, I am no longer cold." She replied, beginning to deflate.

"Then be happy!" He replied with a huff.

"Fine." She snapped.

"Well, that made me feel a little better." He sighed. The real reason he was out there came back to him and he frowned.

"What's the matter, Toby?"

"I miss my parents." He answered and Ari landed on his knee and patted him.

"I wish I could sympathize. I feel bad for you, but I. . . " Ari looked around trying to figure out the best way to make Toby happy again.

"It's OK. You're lucky, you still have yours." Toby said.

"What? Oh, no, silly! I don't have parents, I don't think." She tapped her little chin with her gloved hand. "As far as I know if you clap enough times, or make a baby laugh, or some silly thing I'll have a bunch more siblings." She giggled.

"You don't know how you're made?" Toby, once again, became distracted.

"No! I don't!" She laughed. "Come on, let me show you something."

Toby watched as the extremely puffy Arianna flitted off in front of him. He followed her, a wide smile on his face, his depression nearly forgotten. He followed her for what seemed like ages when they came to a large, knotty, willow tree with its long branches swooping down nearly to the ground. There were still long, green leaves on it as the snow only appeared recently, the tree had no time to wilt.

When he scurried up underneath Ari started knocking on a few of the knots and suddenly little doors flew open and several little heads popped out. "Who's there? It's cold out there, leave us alone!" The little voices sounded quite put out, but Toby was amazed. There were more like Ari so close to the castle.

"Ari, are they. . .like you?" Toby asked, blushing.

"Yep! These are my family. Course, I'm not really sure if they're actually related." She screwed her face up, then smiled and shrugged. "The green haired one is Glee, and the pink haired girl is Bee, then the purple haired girl is Lee, and this one with the white hair," She went right up to Toby's ear to whisper conspiratorially, "Is Wee, and he's old as dirt and grumpy, all the time!"

"Nice to meet all of you! I'm Toby, Ari's friend." Wee came buzzing out, his wrinkly body covered in a long striped night shirt, and his white fluff hair sticking up everywhere, and shook his fist at Arianna.

"What have I told you about making friends with. . ." He lost his steam as he turned to Toby and sniffed him. "What are you, anyway?"

"A boy?" Toby's answer sounded much more like a question and he looked to Ari for guidance.

"Oh, stop picking on him, Wee. He's just a little boy!"

"Hey, I'm not so little. . ." Toby pouted.

"He's what? A boy what?" Wee shrieked.

"I'm human!" Toby replied exasperated. "What else am I supposed to be?"

"Oh. I thought you were one of them, the Fae. They don't tend to like us much. Usually they capture us and do Gods know what since we never see them again. Pardon me Human Boy." Wee folded his arms over his chest and pouted.

"My name is Toby." Toby corrected.

"Pleasure, you're welcome here any time, just don't go telling any Fae about where we live. It has taken us centuries to find a nice hiding place safe from those giant killers." Wee harrumphed.

"Well, um. . . About that, Wee. . . I sort of got accepted into the castle." Arianna kicked the air as if she were toeing dirt and blushed.

"You WHAT? No, you can't come back here! If he finds us we're. . . He just wants us for himself and if he knew there were more of you. . . Oh deary, no, you must go!" Wee was zig-zagging around the space between Arianna and the tree.

"So wait, now we have to leave?" Toby was having a hard time following Wee's quick changing decisions.

"Oh, Toby Human Boy, you may stay, but she must go! The King probably has some kind of tracking spell on her and as soon as she goes home he will pounce. Oh my Gods! She's come home! It's all over. All of you, pack your bags, we've got to go!" Wee started ordering the others around and they began to yip and squeak.

"Tobias Williams. You had your sister very worried about you. What are you doing all the way out here?" Suddenly Jareth appeared on the other side of the cascade of branches and Wee and the other pixies froze.

"I uh, nothing. I'm sorry, I'll just be going now." Toby blushed and hurried to the other side away from his pixie friends.

"And what do we have here?" Jareth smiled and pulled back the branches for a better look. His eyes grew wide and his smile grew even wider still. "Pixies. . ."

"We ain't pixies, Mister. Run along now." Wee snapped as he began shoving nosy heads back into the knots.

"I know exactly what you are, do not lie to your king." Jareth replied haughtily. "Arianna, you did not say that there were more of you."

"You didn't ask." She squeaked.

"Why are you all out so far away from the protection of the castle? You do know what a rarity it is to find a pixie, don't you? You go for quite a large sum a piece." Jareth laughed.

"Why?"

"It is not for you to know. Please, return to the castle grounds where you can all be safe." He offered.

"You're Fae, we aren't about to trust you!" Wee snapped.

"Hey! Jareth is fair! He let me stay friends with Ari and he didn't try to sell her or anything!" Toby interjected.

"Toby!" Sarah called as she marched up the hill. "Jareth, you could have waited for me."

"I apologize, Sarah, but when I saw the boy I was happy to have found him. Please forgive me." He bowed and winked.

"Wow! What's all this?" Sarah asked as she looked around. "Hi, Arianna!"

Arianna waved and blushed again.

"Take her with you and be gone evil Fae!" Wee shouted and Sarah gasped.

"What's the problem?" She asked.

"Apparently, these little devils believe I am evil. I have no time for these little games, it is cold and nearly lunch. Tobias, let us return. Bring the little pixie with you if you'd like." Jareth looked bored and Toby frowned looking back at Arianna's family. They may not be related like he was to Sarah, but he could tell it bothered his friend to be kicked out of her only home.

"Go on with you! You're a traitor!" Wee shouted and Ari sighed as she glanced once more at her family and then plopped on Toby's coat.

"Come on, Toby. . . Let's go." She cried. He turned and looked at Jareth who held out his hands and Sarah took one. Toby gripped Ari with his fingers lightly and took Jareth's other hand. Instantly they were standing in the throne room. Toby turned and ran back to his chambers and slammed the door.

"I can't believe they did that to you!" He shouted. Arianna shimmied out of her snow suit and shook her head.

"It's OK, Toby, as long as we have each other. Who needs parents?" She sniffled.

"Jareth is a great guy, and a great king. You could maybe look to him like a parent?" He suggested.

"That's OK. I like you better anyway. She buzzed to his nose and kissed it. Toby blushed scarlet. Arianna giggled. "I'm starving! Let's go find food!"

A/N: I know, I know, this didn't really take us anywhere. I hope you liked this little side story. I wanted to put something up, but I have my mind in Damage right now. Please forgive me! I know not what I do! : D