Hoggle halted his pen and watched Jareth visibly shudder mid-dictation as if someone had walked over his theoretical grave.

"You alright?" he questioned.

Jareth glared at Hoggle. "I am fine."

"Then why are you quacking like a scared little girl?" The dwarf arched a brow. His king was often expressive, mockery and ridicule he did particularly well, but he rarely looked discomposed.

"Hoggle, it is not your place to question me," archly replied the monarch. "But, if you must know, I was just rudely harassed by some odd form of magic. It was very unpleasant."

"What would someone want to do that for," huffed Hoggle.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. I cannot deal with distractions right now," the king rubbed his temples.

"No, ya can't. I am serious, I can't keep making excuses for where you are. All those stupid castle goblins suspect you've abandoned us or been killed. There's a rumor going round that I've poisoned you and am running things on my own," Hoggle rolled his eyes.

"That is a truly moronic conclusion to draw," Jareth chuckled to himself then grew serious once more. "I realize that time is short Hoggle. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it were not important."

"Yeah, yeah." The dwarf, who was once quite afraid of Jareth, had learned that the king was a performer. He was what he had to be for whatever audience he stood before. The king was a deceiver, an illusionist. When Jareth had first found him, after Sarah returned to her own world, Hoggle had been terrified, certain that Jareth was intent on murdering him. The king's behavior toward him then was the same at it had been before Sarah, but slowly the king dropped his guard when others were not looking. He learned of Hoggle's skill in the gardens and put all of the shrubbery under his command. Jareth even taught the dwarf to play chess, which they did every Thursday. Hoggle now respected rather than feared him, however, he was no closer to knowing the real Jareth than anyone else.

"I will tell her soon, Hoggle. I am just waiting for the right moment."

"Miss you left this in the shop," the woman called Molly said as she caught up with Sarah on the sidewalk outside. Sarah turned around to see the woman carrying her bag, she had forgotten it on the floor when she left. The Magician and his words had shaken her. She wasn't sure why the things he spoke resonated so deeply.

"Oh, thank you. I'm usually not so careless," she took the bag from the lady's outstretched hand.

"It's no trouble. I am sorry if he worried you," she replied with a generous smile.

"I am not worried, I just feel that what he said was true...though I don't know how that could be," Sarah hugged the bag tightly.

"Magic is a tricky thing, like the wind or the weather. There is no stopping it, we just have to deal with what it brings us," the woman pulled a woolly shawl closer about her shoulders and retraced the steps she had taken from the shop.

But, Sarah didn't believe in magic.

She was distracted. Jay had waited for years for this moment, this official courtship ritual that was a date, and there she sat utterly distracted, playing with an old necklace.

"Sarah is something wrong? You seem quiet," Jay asked patiently, masking his annoyance.

"What," she looked up startled from her thoughts. "I am sorry, Jay." She was angry with herself. This date was a wish come true, she had looked forward to it all day and now all she could think about was her odd encounter. Sarah removed her sweater and focused on the man across from her.

Jay caught a slight shimmering around Sarah as she moved to face him better, leaving the necklace to lay against her smooth skin. He had thought he saw something like it earlier, but dismissed the idea. However, he was sure this time that there was a dusting of magic clinging to her. He inhaled sharply and did not allow himself to become angry, that would not help.

"What did you do today?" Jay tilted his head and smiled politely. He flinched inwardly when she appeared uncomfortable.

"Well, I worked at Miller's this morning, then I did a little shopping…" she trailed off, not looking him in the eyes. He knew she was hiding something.

"And, after that?" He reached out and brushed his fingers across her hand.

"You will think that I'm silly," she bite her lip and made eye-contact with him again.

"Try me."

"Uhhh, I walked into a fortuneteller's shop by mistake in the alley where I was shopping. I was drawn in by the display in the window. Before I knew it, I was sitting in front of this guy with a funny name, he even wore a pointed hat! He made me give him some "magic words" and then the room grew dark and the crystal-ball lit up, and he told me all these weird things about being reunited with a trickster from my past, but none of it made any sense. I suppose it shouldn't have because it's not real, but I just felt so violated by it, not the Magician, but I don't know, the experience. Somehow, it seemed true," her cheeks grew red and she returned to fidgeting with the necklace.

"I see," Jay schooled his face to look amused.

"Oh, you do think I am silly!" she squealed.

"No, no, no. Of course not. I can't begin to tell you how often I have been in much the same situation," he chuckled at her. Jay's lightness drew Sarah out of her troubled thoughts. Soon they were laughing and talking as they should have been. Their plates came to the table and eventually vanished as they carried on.

"I should get you home," Jay said eventually. "It is nearly 13 o'clock."

Sarah heard the number and swallowed hard, "What did you say?"

"It's nearly 1 o'clock, I should be getting you home," he smiled.

"Oh, you're right."

They arrived at her door and she stood awkwardly, while he appeared completely composed. "Umm, would you like to come in?"

"Yes," he stated simply.

"Tea?"

"Please," he replied pealing gloves from his fingers. Without being told, Jay made himself useful and reignited the fire. He took a sit on the sofa and watched it flicker pensively. Sarah dimmed the lights and walked silently to stand in front him, holding out a cup which he took without a word. She sat sideways, crossing her legs, and facing him rather than the fire. She watched the light dance across his handsome face, her stomach clinching. She took a sip of the dandelion tea to calm it, hoping he didn't hear her heart racing, or her china cup hitting the saucer from her nervous shaking.

Jay seemed placid and impenetrable on the surface, but beneath he was concerned. The magic attached to Sarah had to belong to the Magician, and of course it would be a real magician that she ran into, damn. Her reading was so much truer that she realized. Sarah had no memory of the Labyrinth, it had been a dream to her the very next morning, as it was to all who entered it.

With a sigh Jay sat his mug upon the bare floor and shifted to face the lovely, glowing, mortal woman who smiled shyly over her steaming cup. He realized that it was the shortest day of the year, December 21st, the winter solstice. He stood and took Sarah's cup from her hands. She followed his movements in silent curiosity. When he returned from setting the china aside, he drew her up in his arms.

Sarah rested her chin upon his shoulder and allowed him to dance with her in place for a moment. He let her out in a graceful twirl and pulled her back in again, humming sorrowfully into her ear. She was caught up and lost in the moment. Feeling safe and timid all at once, but she was so alive in his arms. People drained her, she really could not abide the company of others for long without getting fatigued, but with Jay things were different. She never wanted him to walk out of the apartment again.

Sarah pulled away slightly and brought her hands together behind his neck pressing against him. This time he kissed her first. She was nearly shocked by the intensity of his attention. He moved from her lips to her neck and pushed her sweater off to reveal bare shoulders. The sleeveless black dress she wore crinkled between them.

Pushing his jacket off, Sarah laughed as they swayed clumsily falling back onto the sofa together. She threw her stocking-clad legs across his and framed his face with her hands while he pushed the cascade of her hair out of his way. As he kissed a hot trail across her collarbone and shoulder Sarah mumbled incoherently. "I don't even know your last name, but I think I love you. That's crazy."

Jay stopped what his was doing, and looked longingly into her soft, warm, face. "You don't even remember my full given name, love."

"Tell, me. Please tell me everything," Sarah asked as she kissed the base of his throat, undoing a few buttons while she was there. He didn't want to tell her so he kissed her back instead. Feeding her magic memories with each kiss he let her know him on her own.

As if resurfacing from a dream she gazed up at him with foggy eyes that quickly sharpened, "Jareth."