Last part. Jareth's lines at the end are from 'Love' by Jones Very. It 
appeared on my poem-a-day calendar on the eighth, and it just fit.


The King's Labyrinth
Snow Angels 4/4



"Well, if it isn't Ann's mystery man." Rosslin laughed. She was tall, with 
long ash blond hair. "I'm glad to meet you at last. I'll tell you, I didn't 
think you were a real person. Ann has such an imagination, after all."

"I seem to have gained quite a reputation."

"You could say that. There were some great theories as to who you were. 
Jeff- well, let me go get him. I can't pass up a chance to rub it in his 
face." Rosslin dashed off into the sea of guests. Amalthya stood there 
laughing.

"Ros and Jeff have this fierce rivalry going. They pretend to hate each 
other but we're all taking bets on how long it'll take them to get together."

A moment later Rosslin appeared with a tall, dark haired man it tow. "Jeff, 
I want you to meet Jareth." Rosslin gave him a smug smile.

"Pleased to meet you." Jeff replied.

"Likewise."

Rosslin broke out in giggles. "I told you you were full of it Jeff."

"So I was wrong this time. I still say it was a good theory."

"Oh come off it!" The two wandered away, still embroiled in their 
conversation.

"You have such charming friends, my dear." Jareth chuckled.

"At least I *have* friends." She pouted in a way that reminded him 
painfully of Sarah. Damn. He was going to have to try harder to separate 
memories of  mother and daughter. If only they weren't so alike. The 
similarity spoke volumes for genetics, he supposed. After all, she'd only 
known her mother for a tiny fragment of her life.  He just hoped she hadn't 
inherited the disposition for insanity along with everything else. The 
thought left a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. Better not to think 
of such things, he decided. Why worry over things that might never happen? 
After all, she had endured the years of her mother's madness. She had faced 
the death of both her parents in the span of a year. 'And she tried to kill 
herself,' a little voice in the back of his mind whispered. 'Mustn't forget 
about that.'  He commanded the voice silent with all his will. Concentrate 
on enjoying the party.

"It's hot in here." Amalthya commented, not noticing that he had been lost 
in though.

"It is rather warm. We could go outside for a bit."

She nodded. "Let's." The worked their way back to the main entrance and 
walked out on the concrete pad in front of the door.  The gallery was 
blessed in that it had a small amount of yard around it. In the winter, 
Xander let the neighboring children come over to play in the snow. Several 
lop-sided snowmen grinned at them with charcoal smiles, and their crooked 
twig arms swayed slightly in the breeze.  A little boy and girl were 
laughing and making snow angels. Amalthya spun around, head thrown back, 
arms out, snow swirling around her. Jareth smiled at the vision. She was 
laughing like a little girl, staring up at the stars.

"I asked of Time to tell me where was Love; He pointed to her foot-steps on 
the snow,Where first the angel lighted from above, And bid me note the way 
and onward go." He threw his own head back, took a deep breath of the crisp 
air, and smiled. His 'Love' continued to dance and spin beneath the winter 
sky.

Fin