Jareth waited just outside the castle, ready to pounce. He watched closely as his mother and future bride (or so he very much hoped) wandered out to the gardens. Right behind was the little serving girl, or should it be said serving scab. He waited until the little traitor hiked up his skirt to show very male boots as he ran to keep up with Sarah. Yes, it was him. Jareth didn't know whether to laugh out loud or Bog the fool where he stood. A calculating evil glee came over the Goblin King. Perhaps a third choice was in order. A chat of some sort - just to determine what Higgle was up to following Jareth's bride around like a love struck puppy.

Lifting a hand, he materialized Hoggle away from the gardens and into Jareth's throne room. After a moment, the king materialized upon his throne, leg dangling off the side, bored expression on his haughty face and had the satisfaction of seeing the dwarf flinch. The various goblins in the room glanced at Hoggle and scratched their heads as they muttered amongst themselves.

"Why ugly lady here? Is she a runner?"

"I'd run from that - she's scary!"

"Maybe she's a chicken thief - hey lady, don't be grabbin' our chickens or we'll have to...um, well - we'll think of something!"

"Seriously? Blue eye shadow with that dress?" A pause. "What - it's tacky."

Jareth made a show of ignoring his subjects to focus on a crystal he lazily spun in his hand. Hoggle hopped uneasily from one foot to the other, suddenly realizing that just maybe, Jareth knew who he was. Then he realized he was still dressed like a woman. He went to pull the dress off then noticed his king rising from his throne. Then Jareth began slowly walking toward him, an evil glint in his eye. Uh oh.

"Tell me my dear, why I have not seen you at my parent's castle before now?" Jareth purred as he looked Hoggle up and down, licking his lips. The king made a show out of circling his prey, watching as the 'serving girl' trembled in fear.

"I'm in the kitchen a lot, that's why," Hoggle muttered, irritated as he remembered he was supposed to be cleaning the Goblin castle's kitchen. It was probably twice as dirty now.

"I suppose you are wondering why you are here," Jareth was saying, tilting his head to the side to watch Hoggle's reactions.

"I's gonna be missed - you probly should send me back," Hoggle stammered not meeting his gaze.

"Probly?" Jareth smirked at the poor enunciation of the little dwarf. This was fun. It had been far too long since Jareth had had actual fun. "Probably," Jareth said, stressing the correct pronunciation, "you will not be missed at all. I doubt they appreciate you there. I have decided that you should work for me."

"Work for you? Good idea - I'll just go out and water some flowers," Hoggle said quickly, trying to run off. Looking skyward, Jareth grabbed the back of his frilly blouse and yanked, making Hoggle yelp as he was almost choked. Jareth stared up at the ceiling, trying not to laugh. He composed himself again and looked down at his trembling servant.

"No, you should not work in the gardens being such a rare bloom yourself. So beautiful a flower should be admired in the proper setting. Perhaps you should start by drawing me a bath."

"A - a bath? What for?"

"I have just come from seeing my darling Sarah and feel - dirty."

Suddenly the two of them were in Jareth's large bathroom. Steam rose from the enormous black marble tub and Jareth started pulling off his shirt. Hoggle's eyes grew wide. Soft romantic music floated in the air, a song of passion and pleasure. Jareth sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment to speak.

"I have chosen a bride. A beautiful child who blushes quite prettily when I touch her. Oh how I long to touch her soft eager flesh! When I marry her, bathing me will be one of her many tasks, but for now I shall enjoy the attentions of a pretty, um, girl." He held his arms out wide, opening his eyes to leer at Hoggle. "Remove my pants."

"What? No way, Hoggle's gettin' out of here," the dwarf yelled and ran for the door. As he flung it open he found himself in a stone room with no windows and only the faint light of day shimmering down from a grated opening far above him. An oubilette.

He spun around to escape and bumped into a fully clothed Jareth.

"Hibble, explain yourself," Jareth's voice held a measure of threat in it and the dwarf gulped loudly.

"You ain't takin' her from me! She's my friend and you can't have her. I loves her!"

"Do you believe she belongs to you? Have you begun collecting a harem?" Jareth's tone was mocking as he watched Hoggle squirm under his glare. "And if she deigns to be yours, what then? Do you plan to marry the girl yourself?"

"Marry? Me and Sarah? No way! She would come and take cares of me. She could come live with me and clean my house and cook my meals and - darn my socks. And I'd bring her food to cook and we'd be happy."

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose as the truth hit him. The little scab was looking for a mother. He should have realized that Sarah's kindness and beauty would appeal to his little traitor. Hibble was old for an immortal but very young for a dwarf and his own mother had given him up eons ago. Jareth paused, sympathy almost breaking through his own selfishness.

"You cannot take what does not belong to you, Hibble. You cannot force someone to love you." Jareth froze - what had he just said? Surely he was not trying to force Sarah to love him? Surely she would just naturally come to the conclusion that she was his queen as soon as her father ordered her to do so? He was simply planning to ask the girl's father for permission to court her, but perhaps there were other considerations. Would her father deny Jareth's suit? Humans were rather unpredictable after all.

"You want to take her away from everyone who loves her," Hoggle muttered.

"Not from everyone - not from me," Jareth announced and realized that he was beginning to believe it. He wanted to spend time with her and not to order her around or command her to do his bidding. He just wanted to see her again, hear her voice. He was beginning to realize - he actually liked her. He might even love her but he needed to be sure before asking her to marry him. If he was wrong about loving her, he would not die but would he want to live? So many burning questions and no easy answers. The one thing he was sure of though was that they all needed Sarah in one way or another. He glared at Hoggle again.

"Did it ever occur to you that I'd be bringing her back to all of us? As queen? She'd never leave here again, she'd take care of all of us. But she will not be darning your socks."

Hoggle considered Jareth's words carefully.

"Do you think you love her?"

"I - I mean I," Jareth blustered and Hoggle's eyes widened again. The rat was blushing! He'd never seen such a thing in all of his very long life. "I want Sarah as my queen," Jareth said airily. Hoggle shook his head.

"We all knows that - but do you love her?"

"I think I may - quickly - how do you know you love her? And that she loves you in return?" Jareth pounced on Hoggle, gripping him by his blouse. Hoggle reailzed that he was still wearing a dress and sighed.

"Can I gets out of this thing?" At Jareth's irritated nod, Hoggle threw off the dress, wiping his face with it to get the make up off as fast as he could. "Now that I'm me again - I knows Sarah loves me because she told me so!"

"She what?" Jareth shouted. Hoggle raised his hands in the air.

"Not like that, you big baby. She said she's my best friend. Friends loves each other - it's a rule. So Sarah loves me and I loves her. End of story."

"Well she agreed to be my friend," Jareth said softly, deep in thought. Hoggle rolled his eyes.

"That's just like Sarah - being friends with people who doesn't deserve it. Well - good for you. Maybe she might love you a little. But not the way she loves me. I'm her best friend. You're just a pain in the -" Jareth shook him roughly.

"I suggest you not finish that observation unless you'd like to swim in the Bog." Hoggle gulped.

"Fine. So what ya gonna do now? Ask Sarah to marry you?"

"No." At Hoggle's look of shock Jareth smiled. "I must court her properly. To do that, I must research human courting rituals and then - we go to see her father."

"We?" Hoggle was amazed.

"Yes - we - I can't very well impress Sarah's father without a retinue of faithful servants. Just don't wear the dress again - it makes your hips look impossibly huge."

Jareth led the way out of the oubilette talking non stop about courtship and how blue eye shadow just did not go with Hoggle's choice of dress.

JSJSJS

Sarah followed the High Queen into the gardens. The scent of the queen's favorite lilies caressed Sarah's mind, soothing her. Part of her wanted to run, wanted to scream. What was Jareth planning? Who was the man he'd been talking to earlier, shaking his hand and looking entirely too pleased with himself?

The queen was looking at her expectantly. Sarah frowned, had something happened?

"I asked you if you were enjoying the gardens," Seline grinned. Sarah blushed and apologized.

"I don't know why my mind is wandering - I'm loving the gardens. I love everything about this place, I can't believe it's an entirely different universe. Oh my gosh, does that mean you are all aliens?" Sarah froze. "Are all Fae really aliens? What about vampires - are they real? If they are, are they from another planet?"

"Patience, child - one question at a time," the queen laughed, delighted. "Yes this is a different universe, but still within your own, think of it this way. Clouds cover your atmosphere which cover your earth. Each layer is separate yet connected. We are another layer, perhaps - but in a different dimension."

"I think I get it - you're there, but you are separate." At Seline's nod, Sarah smiled. "I understood it."

"Of course you did, you're brilliant. Your father's family even has a touch of Fae in it, but we don't tell him that. He's not as - receptive to magic as you are. Sad really, but some people just cannot see the magic around them." Seline stopped to smell one of the many flowers along their path and sighed. "Magic is more than spells and charms - it's love and dreams, passion and pity. Magic can be anything you wish it to be. There are many worlds that harness such powers, some call it science, some call it luck. But it's everywhere if you only know where to look."

"You're kind to say I'm smart. But Jareth let me win, I mean I didn't even have to win - Toby was never in any danger. I'm a fraud."

"Ah, that is the problem. You turned down my son because you don't feel like you deserve this world. Sarah - you are a part of this place as surely as I am - or Jareth, or even Marissa. You belong because you love this place and that is the greatest magic of all - love. This world will always welcome you as long as you believe in it and love it as you do now."

"Then I'll be able to visit," Sarah realized. "But Jareth," she said worried.

"Jareth is king of Goblins and protector of our world. But he is also merely a man who loves a young girl. Give him a chance, Sarah."

Sarah bit her lip and decided, that maybe - she would do just that.