There wasn't much left of the two pizzas after everyone had their fill. Sarah put away the couple of leftover slices while Kimmie cleaned up. Once all traces of their meal had been removed, the unlikely trio descended on the living room.

"Mom," Kimmie began, "it's still early. Do you think we can at least start watching Pride and Prejudice?"

Sarah looked at her daughter and thought about what she had proposed. "Kimmie, I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe we should come up with something Jareth will enjoy. He is our guest, after all."

"No, no. Please. I am the on intruding on the hospitality of you two lovely ladies. I insist you carry on as you normally would were I not here," Jareth offered gallantly.

Sarah had serious misgivings, but did not want to risk getting into an argument over it. At worst, they would have to come up with something else to occupy their evening in about fifteen minutes, which is how much time Sarah guessed would be required for Jareth to lose interest the period drama. Reluctantly, she popped in the DVD and everyone settled in to watch Pride and Prejudice.

They watched all they way to the end of the third episode, after Mr. Darcy's ill conceived marriage proposal. Sarah marveled that Jareth had been able to sit quietly for so long. She had heard from co-workers that this particular genre generally did not go over well with men, and she had fully expected Jareth's grumbling to make viewing impossible. She was even more surprised at his reaction after sitting quietly for over two hours and the credits began running when she picked up the remote and turned off the DVD player and television.

"That's it?" cried Jareth indignantly. He looked at Sarah, and noting the surprised look on her face, he took on a more conversational tone. "I mean, that's hardly a fitting ending for the story."

Sarah smiled as she stifled a yawn, motioning to the recliner where Kimmie had fallen asleep. "No, Jareth, that's not it. This is only the halfway point of the story, but it's late and we, at least Kimmie and I, would like to go to bed. We can finish watching it tomorrow if you're that eager to find out what happens."

"Oh, I see." He tried to sound as disinterested as possible, but he was finding it difficult because there were so many similarities between his predicament and Mr. Darcy's. A beautiful, fiery tempered woman who willfully misinterprets his actions and cruelly, almost gleefully rejects him. Granted, in both instances the men could have made better use of their language skills, but neither he nor Darcy were dealing with stupid women. She knew what he meant. At least, that's what he had told himself repeatedly for the last twenty years. Then, recalling his conversation with Sarah earlier that day, he realized that may not be the case.

While he sat lost in his thoughts, Sarah had gotten up to nudge Kimmie awake. "Sweetie, you'll sleep more comfortably if you change and go to bed."

"Mmm . . ." Kimmie mumbled blearily. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at Sarah. "Sorry I fell asleep, mom."

"It's okay, sweetie. Just go get ready for bed."

Kimmie got up and went to her room. Sarah looked at Jareth and then looked away uncomfortably. "I'm sorry we couldn't provide you with better entertainment. A typical Saturday evening in the Williams household is probably considerably duller than what you're used to," she paused and looked at him, almost challengingly, "but it suits us fine."

"No need to apologize, Sarah," he replied earnestly. She found his intensity unnerving. "I can't recall the last time I spent a more relaxing, enjoyable evening. I assure you, it is a most welcome change to the chaos I'm usually surrounded with."

By now, Kimmie hand changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She came out one last time to bid Sarah goodnight. "Goodnight mom," she said as she gave Sarah a hug and kiss goodnight. She then turned to Jareth and suddenly felt awkward. She had just met him this morning, under rather extreme circumstances, but he was now as much a part of her life as her mother, so she quickly leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Night, Jareth," she said, and scampered away toward her room. If her impetuosity surprised Jareth, he didn't show it. Instead, he gingerly placed his hand on his cheek as he stared distantly at the space Kimmie had just vacated. Kimmie was a remarkably trusting and resilient girl. Sarah had every right to be proud of her. She had done an amazing job raising her. He sullenly thought back to this morning and felt ashamed that he had actually considered just taking Sarah and abandoning Kimmie. The sound of Sarah's voice startled him back to reality.

"Well, your majesty, shall we retire?" Sarah got up and began motioning for Jareth to follow her into the bedroom. The invitation took him by surprise, as he had been expecting to sleep on the couch. His trademark smirk returned as his lady led him to bed. He sat down on her bed and waited to see what she had planned. Would she take the initiative and make the first move, or would she expect him to seduce her? Perhaps she would want to slip into something more comfortable first. Perhaps she would undress in front of him. He watched expectantly as she walked across the room to the closet and began digging out some blankets, pillows and an extra comforter and threw them on the floor next to her bed. She then crouched down and began spreading them out, while Jareth looked on in mild confusion.

"Sarah, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Preparing a place for you to sleep," she answered dryly.

"On the floor?" he asked incredulously, as the realization struck that he had not, in fact, been invited to share a bed with his beloved. "I refuse! The couch would be much more comfortable."

"You can't sleep on the couch," she replied tersely. "Kimmie will think we had a fight. We're supposed to be in love, remember?"

"Then shouldn't I sleep on the bed with you?" he asked hopefully. "What would she think if she walked in and saw this?" he asked, motioning the makeshift sleeping area Sarah had created.

"After what happened this morning, she won't be walking in on us again," Sarah explained. "And besides, we'll have it all picked up and put away first thing in the morning, and she'll never know."

"Sarah, I am not sleeping on the floor!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," she retorted. "You're free to leave if the alternative is that unacceptable."

"Why can't I sleep on the bed with you?" he asked. There was no romantic or sexual suggestion, as he had realized it had never been her intention to make such an offer. It was simply an honest request, made for the sake of comfort.

"With me? On my bed? No way."

"Sarah, I am a king. Are you seriously relegating my royal person to sleep on the floor?"

"Jareth, this is not up for discussion. If you're that averse to sleeping on the floor, you can leave."

Jareth could see he was losing, but he was not ready to admit defeat. He tried a different tack. "Sarah, what if I promise to behave," he began with as earnest and sincere a tone and expression as he could manage. "I promise I won't touch you," he continued. "Unless, of course, you ask me to," he purred suggestively, unable to stop himself. He silently cursed his inability to refrain from innuendo.

"No."

"But Sarah -"

"NO!"

Jareth sighed. He honestly did not know why he had insisted on arguing with her. She was as stubborn as he was, and had never backed down when challenged, as he well knew from experience.

By now, Sarah had finished spreading out the blankets. She stood to examine her work, and then walked in the direction of the bathroom. "I'm going to change for bed. I'll be a few minutes, so you can conjure yourself some pajamas. I don't know how you're accustomed to sleeping when you're home, but you will not be sleeping in the nude again tonight, understand?" Her tone continued to be stern, making it clear that dissent of any kind would not be tolerated. Somewhat sulkily, he changed into his favorite silk pajamas and attempted to make himself comfortable on the floor while he waited for Sarah. She finally emerged some twenty minutes later wearing a simple tee shirt and some sweatpants. Jareth frowned as he attempted to figure out why it had taken her so long to put on such simple sleeping attire, but thought it best not to say anything.

Gingerly stepping over him, Sarah climbed into her bed and took one last look at the still brooding goblin king before turning off the light. "Good night, Jareth," she murmured as she flicked the switch and snuggled in.

Jareth lay in the dark for a few minutes reviewing the day's events. Things had not gone the way he had planned, but given how awry everything had gone, his current predicament really could be much worse. He had been a fool to think he could just enter Sarah's life and sweep her off her feet. She was far too stubborn to allow anyone to have their way with her that easily, and much too practical to let herself be swayed by a few grand gestures. And wasn't it these complexities about her that had made him love her in the first place? Had the Sarah he remembered so well been even slightly changed to make his intrusion into her life a little easier, he knew that sooner or later, he would lose interest in the new altered Sarah. No, he thought, it was best that events were playing out as they were. He hoped he had made a good enough impression that she would reconsider her previously held misconceptions of him. Besides, there was still so much about her that he did not know. As this thought strayed though his mind, curiosity got the better of him, and he spoke, breaking the silence.

"Sarah," he whispered. "Are you asleep yet?"

There was a long pause, and Jareth thought she must have fallen asleep, but she finally responded. "No, I'm not asleep." Jareth could swear that he could hear her smile as she spoke. "I was just thinking about the unlikelihood of me being the one person in all creation you most wanted to annoy," she continued playfully.

He smiled, grateful for her teasing tone. But there was something he had to know. "Sarah," he continued hesitantly. "Can I as you a personal question?"

"Go ahead," she replied promptly.

"I was just wondering about Kimmie's father. . . ." Although he had spent a great deal of time watching her, his duties as king frequently kept him occupied for months at a time. On one such occasion, he had last seen her anxiously preparing for final exams, but when he next looked in on her, she had been banished from her home and was expecting. He never knew who the cad was who left her in such a state, nor had he ever heard Sarah mention him. There was so much Jareth wanted to know, but he was afraid Sarah might perceive his curiosity as possessiveness, so he left the question open ended for Sarah to provide as much or as little information as she wanted. He heard her inhale deeply as she collected her thoughts, and for a moment he was afraid she would refuse to answer. But then she began her narrative.

"It happened the night of my 21st birthday. I don't know if that means anything to you, but here, turning 21 is a big deal. I was away at college, and my friends and I decided to go out. There was a bar near the dorms where all the college kids went, and since I was finally old enough to drink, I guess indulged a little too much. Kind of like last night."

It was stated as a simple fact, but Jareth felt as if she had pierced him with a dagger.

Sarah's tone turned melancholy as she continued. "I was having a really good time. For once in my life I didn't feel like an outcast. I was saying all the right things. In short, I felt like the life of the party. And while I was dancing, this guy came up to me. I remember talking to him, and we really seemed to connect. We talked, and I remember sitting down in a corner booth with him so we could have a little privacy while we got to know each other a little better, and through it all, the drinks just kept coming. And sometime after that, everything went blank. The next memory I have is waking up in his apartment, in his bed. With him. I had a headache, but the full hangover hadn't kicked in yet. He was still unconscious from the previous night's binge. So I did what any sensible girl does when she wakes up with a strange man and instantly regrets her actions. I left. I left, and I never saw him again. Heck, I don't think I ever even got his name."

Jareth felt the dagger twist as he recalled how he had deliberately avoided giving anyone his name the night before.

"The following day, when I finally recovered from the hangover, I promised myself that I would never, ever let that happen again."

And now the dagger twisted the other way.

"Two months later, I discovered I was pregnant." Jareth listened intently as Sarah described how she had been cast off by her father and step-mother when they learned of her condition. Without their financial and moral support, Sarah had been forced to drop out of college and make her own way in the world at a time when her family should have rallied around her to help her get through it all. It had obviously been a difficult time for her, and she was not comfortable talking about it, and Jareth appreciated the effort it took for her to speak with such candor.

After Kimmie's birth, all of Sarah's energies went into being the best mother she could be. She worked outside of the home because she had to, but all of her non-work hours were dedicated to Kimmie. What her friends had said about her was true; she never dated, she never got together with friends, she never did anything that took her away from Kimmie. And for what? So she could repeat the same mistake the first night she went out to a bar since the night Kimmie was conceived! She laughed bitterly as she concluded her narrative. "You know, I've had sex a total of six times in my life, and I can't even remember the last two because I was too drunk."

There was no longer a dagger twisting in Jareth's side. She had now run him completely through with a sword. How had this spun so wildly out of control? Although his objective had been of a serious nature, he had intended to carry it out as a game, trading barbs with Sarah. And if he had a little fun at her expense, well, didn't she deserve it? It was only in hindsight that he was able to see how dreadfully he had treated this woman he purported to love.

"Sarah," Jareth began sadly. "I have to tell you something."

"Don't bother apologizing, it's my stupid fault." Her voice still held a hint of bitterness. "I guess by now I should know that I can't handle going out for drinks. If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else, probably some pathetic loser like last time. At least you saved me from that."

"No, it isn't that. I mean, I am sorry. More sorry than you know. But - Sarah, nothing happened last night. I brought you home and I put you to bed. And that's it. And it would not have happened with someone else if I hadn't been there. You did not have enough to drink to cause that level of intoxication. It was the goblin wine I gave you which put you in that state." He knew there was a very real possibility that Sarah would physically throw him out of her apartment at this admission, but he couldn't go on lying to her. The kind of relationship he wanted with her had to be built on trust. All previous attempts had failed miserably, and this was the only avenue left open to him.

He lay in silence, waiting for Sarah's response. As the silence dragged on, he became hopeful. If Sarah had intended to again banish him from her life again, she would have done so immediately. Her voice finally broke the stillness.

"So last night, you and I, we didn't. . ." Sarah didn't know what to think. She knew she ought to be angry, but she was having trouble working up a heated response. In fact, she was having trouble feeling anything other than relief.

"No, Sarah. It isn't that I didn't want to, I just want you to want it as well."

"And what about this morning? Why? Why did you put me through that?" Sarah's tone was bordering on hysterical, but she still sounded more sad than angry.

Jareth swallowed down the lump he felt forming in his throat. Being truthful was taking a lot out of him, and there was still no guarantee that it would work. "Regrettably, my behavior this morning was the result of an ill conceived desire to amuse myself at your expense, and for that I do sincerely apologize."

There was silence again, and Jareth felt oppressed by it. He could not sleep until he knew where they stood. "Sarah, are you terribly angry?"

"Go to sleep Jareth we'll talk in the morning." And with that, Jareth heard Sarah roll onto her side, turning her back to him, so she could fall asleep. Jareth relaxed somewhat. She might be angry, but she hadn't insisted he leave. And she was still talking to him. Sort of.

Sarah lay there thinking about what Jareth had just told her. He had not taken advantage of her, even though he wanted to and had been given an opportunity to do so. But he had also admitted to toying with her with no regard to how it made her feel. As much as the idea angered her, she could not deny that had he been honest with her when she had woken up that morning, she would have immediately and unceremoniously evicted him from her apartment. And then today would not have happened. And the day had been okay, hadn't it? Yes, he was selfish, egotistical, rude, domineering, and spoiled, but today she had seen a side of him she never knew existed. And most surprising of all, she was even willing to concede that perhaps, just maybe, he was telling the truth. Maybe he did care for her in his own twisted way.