Chapter Twenty One

A squeal came from outside, followed seconds later by a shriek. Jareth winced, tugging on his high winter boots and tucking the ends of his scarf into his jacket. Only eight in the morning and Robert was outside tossing Toby into the nearest snowbank.

The little boy laughed in amazement with that shrill, ear splitting giggle he had, chanting "moremoremoremore." Jareth stood in the doorway, watching the horrible cold stuff fly up in cotton-white clouds. He cringed and pulled his toque down low on his brow. He took a deep breath and prepared for the plunge of walking in the frigid outdoors on the way to school.

"Jareth!"

He looked up, eyes alighting on Sarah even as it was Hoggle who called his name. She was already on the sidewalk (what could be seen of it) and already a few paces past the driveway. She stood impatiently while Hoggle beckoning him to hurry up. Jareth carefully monitored his frown, closed the door behind him and raced to catch up.

GOBLINKINGxGNIKNILBOG

"It's October 31st tomorrow."

"Yeah, and so?"

"All Hallows Eve? The night when the dead walk the earth? Ring any bells in that hollow cavern you call a head?" Hoggle reached up at that moment and knocked on Jareth's head.

Jareth growled out a warning which ended in a question of his own. "I repeat: so what?"

Hoggle stared at him, incomprehension flickering across his face. Jareth turned and ignored him, going back to watch the cafeteria. A group of girls, the ones who normally hang off Sarah, had their heads bowed in quiet but furious conversation, sat at the table two down from his own. He watched them for a bit, waiting to see if their intense chitchat would yield any results. It didn't. Jareth picked at his fries, not eating anything. The congealing mess of gravy wasn't appetizing today of all days.

He was well aware that All Hallows Eve was this day, how could he not be. It was a guarantee that all sorts of creatures from the Underground would eventually find their way to this sleepy little town. Being the crown prince of the Goblins meant that he was a generic magnet for supernatural activity. The whole issue with the trickster and other guardians was proof enough of that! Jareth was just thankful that Mr. Long refused to rent the hall to the school for a Halloween dance. The student committee which looked after those types of events was disappointed, but it was all for the better in Jareth's opinion. At least now he didn't have to worry about those blasted guardians. And speaking of which….

He watched as Sarah came in followed closely by Jeannie, an eighth grader who adopted Sarah from the looks of things. At least this time he wouldn't have to worry about her avoiding him like she had planned to during his birthday.

She made it to her table and spoke some cheerful greeting to her friends catching Jareth's eye in the process. She looked away again, sitting at the table so her back was to him.

Jareth sighed and rolled his eyes. He couldn't truly blame her for ignoring him. Not even a little bit but it was getting annoying. He has been living with her for two (two!) months and she still hasn't made up her mind whether to love him or hate him. Jareth was finding the whole emotional roller coaster exhausting... and he wasn't even the one riding it, just standing on the sidelines, watching! So what if last night's dream ended with them in a very embarrassingly awkward situation. It wasn't like he orchestrated it to end that way... much. The ever infamous nightmare of standing in front of class acting out some presentation or other and finding oneself in no clothes and only undergarments? Yes, remember that one? Well Jareth only set the circumstances up and not the end results.

He trusted Sarah's imagination implicitly and he wasn't disappointed.

That was only the most recent example of the turmoil caused by their newly shared sub-consciousness'.

Needless to say, when they awoke this morning, Sarah refused to even acknowledge his cheerful good morning. However, Jareth was still optimistic as his sharp eyes caught that slight telltale sign of pinked cheeks. He smirked and picked up another soggy fry.

A sharp elbow caught him in the ribs.

"Don't you be bugging her!" Hoggle hissed in his ear. Jareth just rolled his eyes.

"I'm thinking of asking her to the Halloween Ball. Think she'll say yes?" He leered at the dwarf.

Hoggle blinked and scowled. "You're not actually thinking of going to that dance are you? You're insane!"

"Why yes, I was." Jareth turned away from the menace and stared at Sarah's form once more.

"You're glamour won't work! The magic stops working on Halloween!" Hoggle's voice was becoming frantic and some of the other students turned to look at him. Jareth sighed, stood and gripped Hoggle tightly on the arm.

"Come on," he growled. "We'll take this conversation away from the humans."

Jareth pulled and Hoggle followed, light snickers followed them out of the cafeteria and into the courtyard but Jareth didn't care in the least. Hoggle was being just a tad too mothery for his tastes and he was going to lay down the law in a way it should have been ever since the little creep started to boss him around!

Jareth dropped Hoggle's arm and spun around on the dwarf. "Listen here, Hogsfeet, I-."

"No, you listen here. You may be the prince and heir to the Goblin Kingdom but your father left me in charge while we are here. You are being punished and have no right to pull rank on me." Hoggle fairly glowed with power, proving his statement about responsibility true. "Tomorrow is Halloween, All Hallows Eve. It is the one day of the year in which the veils between this word and the Underground are thin enough to see through. That means that the glamour will not function properly. You will not attend class or the dance tomorrow night. That fiasco with the guardians was dangerous enough. You don't need to show everyone that magical creatures exist."

Jareth's mouth was drawn so tightly that the corners of his upper and lower lips were white with tension. His glare should have been fearsome enough but Hoggle remained unfazed, like always. "Hoggle." Jareth spoke slowly and clearly. "Tomorrow is Halloween."

"Ah! So the young master finally understands, does he?" Hoggle scowled and Jareth could almost swear that he could see the ugly mug under the thin layer of a boy's face.

The prince cracked a smile. It was not a joyful or kind smile. "Have you forgotten the custom of Halloween in the Above? Yes? Well then, let me explain it to you. You see Hoggle, there are people who enjoy dressing up in costumes." The manner in which Jareth spoke suggested that Hoggle wasn't intelligent enough to even pull the weeds out of the gardens he attends in the Labyrinth.

The annoyed cast which crept over his eyes suggested that he caught the implication of Jareth's tone. Jareth smirked wider than before.

"And how, oh mighty one, am I supposed to explain why I shrank to accommodate my true form?"

"I suppose that just means you and only you have to miss school tomorrow. I don't need to."

The bell rang and Jareth turned away to gather his pack lonely sitting beside the vacated table. He could hear Hoggle audibly fuming and Jareth nearly skipped to class, elated at being able to shove the dwarf's words back down his throat.

If one were to guess, it would be said that Jareth's very noticeable and foul mood came from watching Sarah's emotional ping pong game. He was beginning to think that she would never make up her mind by December.

GOBLINKINGxGNIKNILBOG

The following morning dawned bright and early but those living in the Williams' home dawned even earlier. He could hear movement coming from the room next to his as well as downstairs in the kitchen from where he lounged on the bed. It was All Hallows Eve and the glamour that was placed on him since the time he was forced above ground melted away the moment the clock struck twelve. The sensation was utterly satisfying. It had felt like coming in from a chilly day to a nice warm house and removing the heat-sticky gloves one finger at a time, stretching and flexing joints which were encased for too long. You never even knew they were uncomfortable until those gloves were removed.

Jareth woke as the glamour rolled off his skin, marvelling in the freedom it presented. His skin breathed freely for the first time in what felt like years, leaving him in a mindless wonder! When his mind sharpened and he was able to form coherent thoughts, he got up and studied his appearance in the mirror. He grinned an extremely cocky grin and twitched his eyebrows. The glamour didn't change his appearance out right. It masked his otherworldly-ness, leaving him not much different from any other boy of sixteen. The difference, while not physical, was astounding to say the least. There was something in the way his brows arched and the ageless depths of his eyes which made him seem like the mystical creature that he was. If he showed up looking like this, wearing normal clothes and even taming his hair in the usual manner, the other students and teachers would be convinced that he was in costume. He had no plan of getting by that easily, however.

A light shimmer fell over his reflection and he scowled as his handsome features were replaced with a face he could go the rest of his life without seeing.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Hoggle glared, only slightly more daunting than his fiercest expression as a human. "Behave." The one word was spoken as if it was the only word in the English language that held any meaning whatsoever.

Jareth smirked. "And who's to stop me if I don't?"

He waved a hand and the image vanished with a satisfying pop. Well, well, well. It seemed as if a return of his power came along with the fading veil.

Jareth then proceeded to get to work.

It was around two in the morning when Jareth finally decided on how to dress for school. He had gone through even article of clothing that he had, as well as a few promising pieces he found in Sarah's closet (though he would be dead before he ever admitted to wearing her clothes). It had taken only twenty minutes to assemble the useful items and nearly two hours to order them accordingly. That steel grey cardigan he found tucked away in the closet would never be the same shape again.

It was six in the morning when Jareth was finally ready. He was dressed, his hair was styled and he had stolen some of Sarah's more dramatic eye shadows and eye liner (again, he would deny their use to the grave). When life seeped into the rooms beyond his own, he got up and sauntered downstairs.

On the way, he was attacked by a monster.

"Ahh!" Jareth screamed when a furry little creature, oddly reminiscent of Ludo, came pelting at him from the direction of the kitchen.

"Rrrar!" the monster screamed.

Jareth picked it up and the hood flipped down, revealing a grinning Toby. "Rrrar!" he said again before collapsing in Jareth's arms with a giggle.

"Max! Get back in here and finish your breakfast!" Karen yelled from the kitchen.

Toby froze, looking panicked before wiggling out of Jareth's arms and running to the kitchen.

Jareth grinned and followed. "Good morning!" he said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Jar-." Karen turned and froze when her eyes fell on the exchange student. "Oh. Oh my." She said.

Jareth twirled. "Do you like it?"

"Uh- yes, yes of course." Karen blushed and stammered and Jareth rolled his eyes. Not quite the reaction he was hoping for but it would do.

"Who are you supposed to be Toby?"

"Max! Raarr!" Toby stood up in his highchair and curled his tiny fingers into claws, baring his teeth in a frightening way.

Jareth looked questioningly at Karen who laughed. "Just a character from a book. I thought it would look cute."

Jareth shrugged and sat down at the table, snatching a piece of toast from the pile in the middle of the table. On the odd day in which Karen made breakfast for the whole family, Jareth took full advantage of it.

Sarah entered, dressed in her everyday clothes. She paused for a fraction of a second upon seeing Jareth before rolling her eyes and sitting across from him, grabbing toast and the jar of jam.

"Is that my cardigan?" she asked blandly. Jareth plucked guiltily at the now hole ridden grey sweater. "You own me another one. It was one of my favourites." She looked up, taking a bite of toast. Her eyes narrowed and she swallowed. "And more make-up it looks like."

Jareth wisely didn't comment.

"Sarah, what are you wearing today? Please tell me you are going to dress up." Karen looked like she truly wanted to plead with Sarah about dressing up but Sarah just shrugged.

"I decided I am the Lady of the Goblins pretending to be an ordinary girl so I have to blend in," she deadpanned

"How original," Jareth drawled from his seat.

Sarah smirked at him and took a cheeky bite from her toast.

The look sent a zap of warmth straight to Jareth's belly. She's not mad at me anymore! He silently gloated. It was quite possibly due to the fact that he hadn't slept since midnight, leaving her dreams all to herself. Jareth might have to reconsider acting the tormentor of her dreams and allow them to carry on naturally… that is, to prevent Sarah's rapidly vicious mood swings.

Jareth gulped.

Sarah finished breakfast quickly and stood up. She stretched. "I might as well get ready now." She sighed, as if getting ready was the worst chore in the world.

Karen smiled. "So glad to see that you are going to dress up."

"Don't be so sure." Sarah quipped before flouncing out of the kitchen.

"What's got into her?" Jareth asked but Karen could only shrug.

GOBLINKINGxGNIKNILBOG

Jareth entered the school by himself for the first time in a number of weeks. Hoggle had played the dutiful dwarf and played hooky for the day since his change in height really would raise more questions than anyone wanted to answer. Sarah had managed to sneak out of the house before Jareth even knew she was gone, preventing him from seeing her costume.

Jareth stuffed his thick down jacket into the locker and adjusted his steel grey sweater. Due to the wearing off of the glamour, Jareth's sharper features, wild hair and overall ethereal appearance only enhanced his costume. Unfortunately, his costume wasn't as original as he had thought it would be.

"Awesome dregs, dude!" A teen shouted from across the hall. Stephen from Jareth's math class was dressed in light blue bell bottoms, bright yellow button up shirt with a flower sticking out the top button hole and a vest with tassels. Jareth breathed a sigh of relief. No one should ever say 'dregs' and 'dude.' The unfortunate transitions humans make with their languages.

Stephen pulled his bag high on his shoulder and stood next to Jareth. "Steampunkin' eh?"

Jareth frowned, unfamiliar with the turn of phrase. "Excuse me?" he asked in his haughty English language. Stephen laughed.

"You know, Steam punks? Decked out in chains and metal, listens to hard music, usually made by banging two garbage can lids together?" Stephen leaned in. "Into that, what you call bondage with handcuffs, blindfolds and whips."

Jareth paled considerably. "What?" he asked in horror.

Stephen just laughed. "I'm joking! Geeze, take a pill, dude." With that, the other teen left Jarteth standing alone in horror.

Jareth was just about ready to head to first class after he calmed himself down. Truly, he was aiming for the glam rock look, not the steam puke or whatever it was called! So he made do with what Sarah had in her room and what he could find in the bathroom. It's not his fault if these children are ignorant of their American history!

A couple more students stopped him to comment on his 'awesome' rendition of a steampunk, but he managed to stumble nicely into his classroom right on time. Fortunately it was the only class he shared with Sarah. Unfortunatly, she was sitting in direct line of his sight, allowing him to see what foolery she was up to.

Oh how she lived to tease him.

There she was, sitting at her desk, seat tilted back and feet propped up on the table. What was striking was the fact that said feet were encased in leather. Her legs, perfectly sculpted and posed, were covered in grey tights. Her torso clad in a leather jerkin, arms displaying the wide sleeves of a poet shirt.

She was wearing his clothes! The very ones which he wore only weeks ago for the birthday!

Jareth's eyes bulged as he drank in the image of Sarah Williams dressed, not as a princess or a fine lady but a Goblin King, ready to confront any and all who stand against her.

He couldn't have been more horrified

… or more proud!

A/N: Yes, I am alive and so is this story. I plan to finish everything, but it might take a while. Sorry for the delay.

Thank you to everyone still interested in this story. All of your alerts, favourites, and reviews mean so much to me and help with my severely lacking motivation!