Chapter Twenty-Nine

Wednesday, the Day Before Thanksgiving

"Karen? I'm home!"

Sarah brought her bags into the foyer and took off her coat. Before she could hang it up, Karen came out of the kitchen and swept her up into a bear hug.

"Oh, Sarah… it's so good to have you home!"

Sarah smiled back at her. It was amazing really… how good her relationship with Karen became once she had stopped pushing her away. In so many ways, Karen was more of a mother to her than Linda Williams ever was, and while it made her sad on some level, she was also happy to have such a loving person as her stepmother.

"It's good to be home. I swear, I'd walk every step of the way if I had to, just to get some of your turkey and dressing."

Sarah's dad came into the foyer, "I thought I heard my Sunshine. Was the trip okay? No issues?"

She hugged her dad tightly, "No, no issues. The trains were crowded, but there weren't any delays. I'm glad it was just a train… I heard that the airports are a madhouse."

Robert snorted, "Yeah… the busiest travel time of the year, Thanksgiving. Let me take those bags up to your room."

As she watched him pick up her bags and start carrying them up, Sarah looked around for Toby.

"Where's Tobes?"

Karen chuckled, "Oh, he's over at Stevie Kincaid's house. He'll be back before dark."

They moved into the kitchen, Karen's teapot singing merrily. She poured Sarah a cup and pushed a plate of cookies over to her. Sarah bit into one, a look of ecstasy on her face as the warm chocolate chips melted on her tongue.

"So… what's this news you said you had for us?" Karen asked.

Sarah blushed slightly, "Well… um… you know how you always said I could bring someone home for Thanksgiving?"

Karen nodded, a grin appearing on her face. "Of course. Who is he?"

"His name is Jareth. He's… someone I met a few years ago. We sort of reconnected last year and…" Sarah couldn't keep the grin off her face. "I thought… I should maybe bring him home to meet you guys."

"Is he the man who we saw walking you home last Thanksgiving?" At Sarah's nod, Karen's grin became a full-blown smile. She perched on one of the barstools around the kitchen counter. "Tell me more!"

Sarah sat in the barstool next to her. "Well, he's a little older than me. About 28. He's… sort of an investment banker… like a day trader. He runs his own investment company. He's… oh he's gorgeous. And so sweet… and…" Sarah sighed, a soft smile on her face.

"Sarah… is he… The One?" Karen asked.

"Yeah. He is." Something in Sarah's face must have alerted Karen that there was more to the story.

"You look… like something's eating at you. What is it?"

Sarah grabbed another cookie and took a bite before drinking more of her tea. "It's just… he's from Ireland. That's where he's based at. And… when we get married, I'll be living in Ireland. It's so far… practically a world away."

Karen's gaze narrowed, "When you get married? Not if; you get married? Sarah… did he ask you already?"

Sarah nodded. She picked up her medallion and showed it to Karen. "Where he's from… in his culture, the custom is not to exchange rings but to give a matching necklace. It's… different from what we're used to, but that's how they do it there. He gave it to me at Sam – uh, Halloween. So, yeah. Giving me this was asking me to marry him. Me wearing it means that I said yes."

"And… you regret saying yes?"

Sarah looked up, horrified. "Oh, no. Not at all. I love him. I do want to marry him. It's just…" Sarah sighed again. "Karen, it's like a whole other world there. Different customs. Different way of life. I'd be leaving everything behind… my country… my family… it's just… a lot to think about. I wouldn't change my answer, not for anything. I guess I'm just trying to wrap my head around it."

Karen patted her hand, "I understand. You're right, it is a lot. But… I assume he's been able to visit you pretty regularly if he's gotten you to fall in love with him. Am I correct?"

"Well, yeah. He comes to New York pretty frequently."

"So… why wouldn't you be able to visit with the same regularity? I mean, we hardly get to see you since you went off to college. It sounds to me like we'd probably see you more than we do now."

Sarah laughed a little, "You know… for some reason I didn't think of that. I mean, it stands to reason that if he can come here so often, so can I."

Karen squeezed her hand gently. "Sarah… I'm going to be honest with you. I know how much you care about us… about Toby. But you need to start thinking about your own life… living for you and not us. If this man loves you and you love him… cherish that. You need to make decisions that will work for you."

She nodded, Karen was right. "You know something funny? He really likes Motown, so I started listening to it. On the way here, I heard a song… Midnight Train to Georgia. You know it?"

Karen nodded, "Yes. Gladys Knight and the Pips, I believe."

"Yeah. There's a line in the song that keeps playing in my mind. 'I'd rather live in his world than live without him, in mine.' That sums it up exactly."

"Maybe Fate is trying to tell you something there," Karen said, smiling. "The hardest part isn't going to be coming to terms with what marrying him will mean. Not at all."

"What is?"

Karen laughed, "Getting your father on board."

Thanksgiving Day…

At 2 p.m. sharp, the doorbell rang. Sarah raced to the entryway to answer it. There he stood, her Goblin King, as promised. As he removed his coat in the foyer, Karen and Robert came to be introduced. Karen practically melted into a puddle of goo at Jareth's feet, while Robert was friendly, but with an undercurrent of wariness that only a father would be able to project.

Jareth himself looked utterly gorgeous. With black tailored slacks and a finely woven wool sweater, he was absolutely scrumptious. For giggles, Sarah invoked the Sight to see what Karen and her father could see. Jareth's glamor was the same, his hair still a little wild in that messy way that was so chic among Aboveground males. Again, Sarah shook her head inwardly. Jareth was the hottest thing in shoe leather, as a human or a Goblin, and no mistake.

As they moved further into the house, Toby came bounding down the stairs. Sarah was about to introduce Jareth when Toby took one look and broke out into a huge smile.

"Hey! It's the Goblin King!"

Sarah and Jareth exchanged equally owlish looks. Karen was admonishing Toby when Sarah shook herself and spoke up.

"Don't scold him too much, Karen. You know I love to tell him my stories. I used Jareth as the template for my Goblin King character. It's no wonder that Toby recognized him."

Toby looked at Sarah almost incredulously. Sarah frowned back at him and winked. Immediately understanding what she was conveying, Toby smiled. "Well, Sis… you did a good job describing him." He turned to Jareth, "So… Jareth… you wanna come to the park with me and Merlin? I've gotta walk him."

Sarah started to murmur an excuse, but Jareth smoothly accepted the invitation. As they bundled up again, she had a feeling that there was a reason Jareth wanted to take Toby aside. She was right. As they walked toward the park, Jareth immediately broached the subject.

"I see there is no fooling you, Tobias."

"Well, no… I mean, Sarah talked about you a lot. So did the Uggies."

Sarah looked at him, puzzled. "The Uggies? That's what you call them?"

Toby shrugged, "Well… I had a hard time saying the right name, so I just started calling them Uggies."

Jareth looked over at her, "You knew the Ughlánas visited him?"

She nodded. "Yeah… at first it scared me. I thought you'd sent them." She could tell that Jareth remembered her paranoia the first year following her Run. "But after talking to them, I realized they pretty much go where they want to go. And while they did eventually confess that you had sent them, they also told me that it was to keep him safe, not to… take him back Underground."

Toby interjected, "Yeah, I asked them if they could, but they said it was against the rules."

Jareth nodded, "That is correct. When your sister won, she'd made it so you could never be taken against your will, ever."

Toby thought about this. "But… if I wanted to go… maybe I could?"

Jareth nodded reluctantly, "Yes… but Tobias, would you really want to leave behind your parents? Forever?"

Toby's expression clouded over, "No… I'd miss them too much."

Sarah put her hand on Toby's shoulder, "Toby… you can't tell anyone about this. You know Mom and Dad wouldn't understand…"

"I know. And I'll keep it a secret, I promise."

They had just finished a turn around the park path, laughing at Merlin and Toby's antics. Now, they were making their way out of the playground. Sarah had watched in disbelief as Jareth nimbly climbed up the central monkey bars to sit at the top with the boy. To Toby's delight, the Goblin King was also more than happy to push the merry go round to dizzying velocity before leaping on it himself. The looks of faint disappointment on both their faces when she finally called them away were priceless. Oh yes, Jareth and her brother were definitely fast friends, at this point.

Toby had firmly planted himself on Jareth's left. Sarah laughed inwardly to see the obvious hero worship shining from her brother's eyes whenever he looked at the Goblin King. As the three watched Merlin romping around the park, Toby turned and gazed at Jareth solemnly, "Are you going to marry my sister?"

Sarah choked. "What the heck, Toby?"

With a smile and a glance over at her, Jareth replied "Do you think she would?"

"Well, I could tell she really liked you when she'd tell me the Labyrinth story. The thing is, you've got to do it right," Toby said with a shrug. He showed no concern for Sarah's mounting embarrassment.

Jareth sat down on a bench to be at eye level with the child, "Indeed. Tell me, Toby… how does one 'do it right'"?

Now rather excited, Toby sat on the bench next to the Goblin King to impart his wisdom, "Well, first you have to get a pretty ring. Most girls like diamonds, but Sarah…" He looked over at her, eyeing her critically. "Sarah isn't like most girls, so it should probably be something more special than a diamond. She doesn't care about money or fancy stuff, she wants… something special. Something that means… something."

Sarah could feel her cheeks heating up. She'd expected this sort of thing from Karen or her father, not her nearly eight-year-old brother. She prayed for a hole to open under her feet and swallow her up.

Jareth nodded, "Hmmm. I think maybe a 'Dragon's Tear' might do the trick."

Toby's eyes brightened, "Yeah, something from Underground, not a cheesy diamond for sure. Then, when you have the ring, you get down on one knee." Toby got off the bench and demonstrated a fair imitation of a proposing man. "Like this. Then you say a bunch of icky sweet stuff, like how much you love her. Then you ask her if she'll marry you. When she says yes, you put the ring on her." He held up the ring finger on his left hand, "This finger. Then you kiss her." Toby gave a shudder of mild disgust.

Jareth's smirk had grown even more mischievous as he looked at her. "Thank you, Toby. I will take that under advisement."

"Uh, yeah… I think we'd better get back," Sarah stammered. As they collected Merlin and continued the walk back to the Williams residence, Jareth and Toby chattering amiably together, Sarah was torn between wanting to hug her brother and wanting to smack him upside the head.

I mean, technically we're already engaged, she thought.

Deep down, though, she had to admit that while the giving of the courting token was amazing and overwhelming in its own way… like many girls, she'd grown up imagining how her future husband would propose to her. She'd thought about her wedding, her dress, the guests and even the church she wanted it to take place in. The realization now dawned that she wasn't going to get that, any of it. Othánas didn't have wedding ceremonies. They made their vows (or their wishes, she still wasn't quite clear on that) privately. And while she'd marry Jareth in a potato sack while standing in a mud pit, she couldn't help but be a little saddened that there wasn't going to be a formal ceremony of any kind.

Sarah didn't have much time to ponder that before they'd returned to the house, and she was whisked off to the kitchen with the rest of the women to start setting the table. She didn't see Jareth's contemplative gaze following her.

Sarah was seated next to Jareth, naturally, while Toby was relegated to the 'kids table', something he protested loudly about. Karen was relentless, and he took himself over to sit with his cousins with a frown of annoyance.

Jareth handled himself well, she had to admit. His manners were exquisite, and he managed to convey a refinement that curiously wasn't arrogant. He just seemed naturally graceful and polite. Once they'd finished saying Grace (something Sarah wasn't sure would go over well with him, but he'd closed his eyes and bowed his head like the rest of them) he proceeded to charm the socks off every female member of the extended Williams family while the men looked on him with an air of respect. He answered their questions in a forthright manner (at least as far as they could tell) and from his responses, she could see more and more of her family members giving her looks of almost disbelief. That bookworm Sarah… who avoided most social interactions and refused dating like it was a plague, should be able to catch the attention of such a sophisticated man was completely puzzling to them.

For his part, he let his words and his attitude speak for themselves. He made it clear to her family that he thought her something extraordinary… that he cherished her and that it was he who felt fortunate in having found her. Karen's eyes were completely awestruck. Robert's… not so much, but he too seemed to appreciate that Sarah had found someone who so obviously loved and respected her.

As she sat beside him, watching him chat pleasantly with members of her family, she noticed something… odd. There was a faint glow around him, about three or four inches wide. It was a light yellowish green. She looked around the table but no one else seemed to have noticed it. The more she surreptitiously watched him, the clearer the glow became. It wasn't very bright and was easy to miss. She was trying to puzzle it out when it hit her.

She was seeing his aura.

According to Lily, bondmates could see their partner's emotional state by reading their aura. Sarah felt a sense of wonder, that now she was beginning to see Jareth's. And the more she looked at it, the greater her understanding became. That yellowish green… it was nervousness. From the outside, he looked serene and completely at ease. Inside… he was nervous. She would never know why, but the thought of him… the mythical, powerful King of the Goblins, ruler of a mighty Underground nation and battle-hardened warrior, should be nervous at a gathering of her family… it touched her heart. That he should care so much for her that he wanted to make a good impression on her family… to the point that he would feel nervous about it, well, the warmth she felt was almost overwhelming.

He picked up on that, looking down at her a little quizzically. She said nothing, just looked back at him with shining eyes, letting her love come through her gaze. As she watched, the yellow-green of his aura became suffused with a reddish-purple, warm glow. The nervousness was still there, but it was now dominated by something else.

Love.

After dinner, the men made themselves scarce as the ladies started cleaning up. Jareth found himself hustled into the 'family room' with the rest of the males, where a large television dominated the space, and a sports game was playing. 'Football', they called it… although it looked more like Rugby to him. It was quite fascinating.

It was here that the interrogation had begun in earnest. Robert Williams lived up to every ounce of his reputation as a good litigator. Jareth found himself answering his questions very carefully, sensing that even the slightest inconsistency would be detected immediately. He was utterly relieved when Sarah emerged from the kitchen to join him, perching on the arm of the chair he was seated in and draping her arm around his shoulders. She laughingly terminated her father's questions, teasing him that there was no need for a 'cross examination'. Robert chuckled and left off, but Jareth knew from the man's eyes that he was by no means satisfied and that there would be a future interview.

In all, however, he rather enjoyed this time with Sarah's family. Toby of course was firmly planted on the other side of him, and to the boy's credit, he never gave away the slightest hint of Jareth's true nature to the rest of the family. It was with true regret that 7 p.m. rolled around and Jareth's 'driver' knocked on the door. After a round of well wishes and expressions of hope that he would join them for the next holiday, Jareth was able to exit the home, Sarah at his side. Randel, glamored into a chauffer's outfit, winked at both of them and transported back to the castle, leaving them to make their farewells in private.

"I wish I didn't have to leave, Precious…"

"I know. I wish you didn't either. But… I understand. It's your job. It wouldn't be any different if you were a doctor or a cop… you would get called away and I'd have to learn to live with it." She shrugged, "From what you've told me, these negotiations could lead to some pretty important trade agreements. You can't miss them."

"I'll find a way to make it up to you, I promise."

She smiled up at him, then gave him a soft, loving kiss… one of the few she had ever initiated herself. "Oh Jareth… you already have. Over and over." Then her expression grew mischievous, "But I wouldn't say no to further efforts…"

She settled herself back on the couch in the family room, a silly smile still on her face. She looked over to see her father watching her, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"Your young man seems very nice," he said. "Although, I'm curious… was he ever in the military?"

Sarah looked at him warily, "Why do you ask?"

Her father shrugged, "In my practice, I've met a lot of people. Some served in the military. Some of those were special forces guys. Your Jareth reminds me of one of those. He's polite, charming, and well spoken, yet I get the impression that he could kill someone with nothing more than a teacup in his hands. There's something in his eyes that tells me he's no stranger to war."

He didn't even need a teacup, Sarah thought, thinking back to the changeling that attacked her. He actually beheaded someone with his bare hands.

"Yes, he was a soldier in the Army," she said. The Goblin Army, she thought. "He could only tell me a little bit about it. Not much, just generalities."

Her father nodded. "SAS, then. No way was he just an ordinary British Tommy. And he's retired? Or discharged?"

"Yes, of course." Sarah was puzzled. She didn't know where he was going with this.

He sighed, then said, "It's just interesting. He has an "estate" in Ireland, travels all over, clearly has money… those clothes weren't off the rack from Kohl's."

Sarah laughed, "He's not a drug dealer, if that's what you're suggesting."

"No… I'm suggesting that he's either a mercenary or he's part of British MI6. Either one would fit."

She laughed, "Oh, Dad… I swear, he's not a mercenary. He'd be happy if he never had to fight again, believe me. He hates war. He certainly wouldn't go off fighting for money. And he's definitely not James Bond." She had a sudden mental picture of Jareth, hair short and slicked back, wearing a perfectly tailored suit, holding a martini and saying "Danaaru. Jareth Danaaru" while flipping baccarat cards on the table.

The picture was so silly that she couldn't help laughing. She couldn't wait to tell him about this. She'd thought her dad would have issues with the age difference or that he lived so far away. Nope. He was concerned that she might be dating a soldier of fortune. Or 007.

No, Dad. He's actually a King that lives on another world… in another universe. And did I happen to mention that he isn't human?

She could only imagine what he'd say to that.