A/N I own nothing from the source material, songs, or oc's from MyraValhallah's story. Just doing this for fun.

Chapter 10

Christine sat calmly speaking with a woman in a copper colored silk dress. They sat sipping tea and awaiting the arrival of their third member. "Rin, dear. Do you recall when Sarah first came here?"

"Why yes, I do. She tried very hard to best me." Rin smiled over the rim of her tea cup. The garden buzzed about them. There were no bees, Rin was not very clear on the reason, but the little pixies and faeries did their best to pollinate each and every rose, daisy, and lavender that grew in the queen's corner. Like the chamber set aside for his father this corner patch of the garden was reserved as a place of rest for his mother when the trouble of visiting took too much of a toll. Jareth tried not to think too long why his parents needed places where they could get away from him and each other but, rather, chalked it up to the old parlor rooms and Gentleman's clubs of their era.

The tea was bitter and Christine made a little face when she came to the bottom of her cup. "Do you think she will be long?"

Rin tapped her fingers on the table in a little rhythm. Soon the sound of swishing skirts and thudding shoes could be heard coming up the stone paved path. Rose Tyler stood and assessed the high tea going on. "I thought you were French!" She looked at the posh ladies and she couldn't wrap her head around this. "And isn't your husband French? Why are you having high tea? Why does your son have a British accent? Why do I have two hearts?" She crumpled into the chair closest to her and was promptly given a cup of tea and offered the plate of macaroons. She picked up the pink one and then thought better on it. "This won't make me stay in this fairy realm forever will it?"

Rin giggled and Christine added a pinch of sugar to her tea. "You ask a lot of questions my dear. Yes I am French. The French began the whole tea thing twenty-two years before the British. We just do not brag about. As for Jareth I think he picked it up thinking it would make him sound sophisticated. I don't know how you have two hearts but I do know why. I suspect deep down inside you do as well. Lastly, no," She took a sip of her tea and let her eyes dance at the young woman, "the macaroon won't do that."

"Good...I think." Rose took a bite of the macaroon and a sip of her tea.

Rin smiled at Christine and winked at her, "The tea however..."

Christine winked back, "Oh well of course the tea, but, forever's not long at all."

The two women burst into fits of giggles when Rose spit her tea in a shower of liquid and crumbs.

Sarah ran into the room and stopped short. There was something almost frightening in the room. As though there was something not quite there but very much so. Something was different. The Doctor was different. "Doctor?"

He sat up in his chair. "Hmm? Oh yes, what is it Sarah?" He straightened a bit but his face still held that dog tired quality Sarah hadn't seen there before.

Sarah sat across from him. "You...you looked...never mind. There's a trick painting in a hall just down the way. It was staring at me."

The Doctor jumped out of his chair and straightened his coat. "Well then Sarah Williams. Let's see."

Sarah was walking around the gardens. She bent to test the scent of a particularly exotic blossom. They had made it to the painting and the Doctor had analyzed it with a swish and a scan of his sonic. He told her it might be safer for her to stay there. He then came running back out and told her to search the gardens for something called a narkel. She knew to listen to the Doctor. Anyone who traveled with him knew to listen when he told. But she had no idea what a narkel was and, honestly, felt a bit dim just walking around a garden when the Doctor might be having a wonderful adventure.

She walked into a small arched path paved with stone. Bunches of grass stuck up through the bits between. She didn't like being here again. In fact she hadn't liked being anywhere until three days ago. Now she was needed again. She hated to admit it, she really hated to, but when her stepmother had stopped calling her to watch Toby Sarah's heart had sunk six thousand leagues. She may have complained at times but that was just because she hadn't wanted them to know how little it cost her to be around them. If they thought she enjoyed it they might have taken her for granted. She tripped then not having seen the stone a bit upturned while she had been thinking.

"I didn't take you for a klutz, dear." A woman in a cobalt dress put out her hand and helped Sarah to her feet.

"I'm usually more aware of my surroundings." Sarah dusted off her pants and thanked the strange woman.

"Oh, it's no trouble, dear. Would you care to join me and my friends for tea?" the lady smiled kindly and Sarah couldn't help but smile back.