"And that's pretty much it. Event wise, nothing out of the ordinary has happened apart from that muncher completely losing it."

"Which they have a tendency to do anyway."

"Exactly. But one odd thing I have noticed, though, is he seems to have some sort of immunity to or resistance against the Compelling Spells guarding the Kingdom. He mentioned once that he had the sensation of being watched, though whether that is because creatures were, in fact, staring or because he could feel the spell building around him and that was his reaction to it, I don't know. Whichever the case was, he did not let on that he knew there was a spell in effect."

"Hm..." Jareth leaned back in his chair and thought for a while, watching his son eat. They were sitting in the dining room alone. Sarah was with their youngest children getting them ready for bed. The two middle sons were off doing their own things somewhere in the Castle, meaning Justin was likely painting and Andreas terrorizing the guards. Katrin had returned Aboveground to go to her Faire, and would likely return during the week. He hadn't particularly wanted her to go yet, but she had been restless as there was nothing for her to do to help with this Wizarding business outside of research.

Jareth noticed Christoph push his plate away and brought himself back to the topic at hand. "Well," he began, "if this resistance is a common trait found in Wizards, it would explain in part why the first was able to get where he did rather than get drawn into the Labyrinth. Although, I would not have expected either of them, let alone both, to have been able to resist it completely. There are not even many Fae who have such ability. I will need to look into this matter more to discover a way to fix this hole in the Kingdom's security."

"You could probably speak to him about it at some point after you meet him for his input."

Jareth gave his son a sharp glance. "After I meet him? Why would I meet the Wizard?"

Damn. "Oh... well... Doesn't he have to... make some sort of report of his... findings?"

"Yes, to the Goblins. After all, while I am their liege, he has no connection to me beyond being their employee."

"Oh. Right. I thought... well, I didn't think of that," he finished lamely.

"Obviously." The raised eyebrow indicated that Jareth knew Christoph had deliberately evaded the original question. But to what end? What is he hiding? However, he did not push the topic. "Tell me about this Wizard, this Mortal who has won the respect and trust of Goblins such as they. Have they chosen correctly or will this entire escapade be a complete waste of time?"

"He's alright. I'm sure he'll do a fine job. I mean, he is a bit odd, truth be told, but he seems to know his stuff."

"Odd? How so?"

"Well, he keeps talking to me as though he expects me to respond at any given time. At first, I thought it was a sign of mental instability or something, that he would talk to a pile of dirt for conversation if he thought it was interested. But then I realised he actually expects me to understand him. I don't know if this is a particular quirk of his alone or if it is a trait of all Wizards. Oh, and he actually uses, get this, a magic wand. How cliché is that? Though I tell you, that thing packs some serious firepower. He also knows that I am there to keep an eye on him, though I don't think he realises I am anything more than an owl. He mentioned he hasn't had a guide in years, and automatically questioned the reasoning behind him getting one. I know the whole point of me being an owl to keep him from suspecting achieved the opposite. It clued him in more than anything else. Then again, as I said before, he really seems to know what he is doing and he does it well. It might be that Bill is better at his job than the Goblins acknowledged."

Jareth nearly bolted out of his chair. He carefully schooled his expression to calm. "Bill?" he asked casually.

"What? Oh, yeah. It's his name. Oh, and something else. You know, I always heard that red heads have amazing tempers. But this guy keeps his cool better than some of the Fae I have met. Do you know, I think he could have easily taken that muncher out. But he disarmed it instead, giving us an escape route. Like he knows he is not here to display his powers and feels no need to prove anything. He's just doing his job."

Christoph continued with his observations on Bill's character, but Jareth had stopped listening. Instead, he was putting two and two together and getting four. He resisted the urge to go to the outcropping right at that moment to 'meet' Bill himself. Just to be sure, that's all, a little voice whispered. I don't need to be sure, he replied. I know I am right. He felt something begin to grow in the pit of his stomach as pieces to a puzzle that had lain before him for days finally slotted into place. Suddenly, he was glad Katrin had returned Aboveground. "Does she know he is here?" he asked abruptly.

Christoph stopped mid-sentence and blinked at his father. "What?"

"Does she know he is here?"

"Who?"

"Katrin. Bill."

"No, like I'd tell--" Realization hit as to the people his father was talking about, that he was talking about them in relation to each other, as well as what such a comment implied. He quickly backtracked the conversation and figured out what had happened. I need to learn to think before I speak when speaking with him. Sheesh. "Er, I take it she finally told you about him then?"

Jareth waved one hand impatiently. "Yes, yes. But that is not the point. Are you certain she does not know?"

"Fairly certain. I'm the only one who knows who he is and that she has met him, well, until now. I wasn't about to miss this opportunity to check him out without her knowing, something she would have prevented if she knew."

Relief settled on Jareth like a light snowfall. "Good." He paused. "She isn't to know."

"Ok..." Christoph was bewildered. "But why not? What is the big deal?" His expression grew wary, but amused. "You aren't going to do something to him, are you?"

"Tempting, but no," he grinned.

"Then why not?"

Jareth sighed. "She's Fae. Half-blood, yes. But all of you have shown more traits pointing toward those of a full-blood Fae than any other progeny of a mixed pairing between a Fae and a Human, ever. In fact, those who don't know better assume you are full-blooded. It is as though you have no Human blood in you at all. That being the case, depending on the depth of her attachment--"

"But, Dad, they only met twice."

He cracked a wry, half grin. "She's half Fae, Christoph. And, for all intents and purposes, might as well be full-blooded. If that were the case, it would take only once. As she is..." He shrugged. Jareth could tell from his son's expression that he thought his father was overreacting. Ah, but you do not know what signs to look for. And, looking back, she displays them.

Christoph shook his head. No way. "You worry too much sometimes, Dad," he said as he rose from the table. "I had best get going. Say hello to Mom and the boys for me. I'll probably be back some time tomorrow to check in again." With that, he stepped to the window and, in a flash, he was flying into the distance.

Jareth remained in the empty room for a long time after that, deep in thought.

Christoph returned to the outcropping to find Bill in nearly the same position as before. The differences, really, were that there was a pile of scrolls (scrolls?) next to him and he appeared to be farther along in the tome. By this time, night had long since fallen completely, moon and stars shrouded off and on by a heavy veil of clouds. The green fire had died to mere embers. Bill's wand was peeking out of a pocket, the tip glowing just brightly enough to read by.

"Welcome back. You were off for quite a while. I hope your dinner was more satisfying than mine," Bill said, not looking up from his writing. The quill continued to scratch softly.

Christoph felt a slight twinge of guilt at having eaten a meal fit for a prince while Bill was stuck on rations. Then he realised the Wizard was not in the least bitter or reproachful, only teasing. Hang on, he thought abruptly. Some Mortal I only just met is teasing me? And I am allowing it to get to me? He hopped to a low branch on one of the scraggly bushes and fluffed himself.

Bill glanced up at the noise and his grin widened. "Hm... someone is disgruntled." He bit back a chuckle as Christoph's feathers nearly stood on end in shock.

And again? I think I'll have to keep a closer eye on this one. Especially if he and-- The thought was cut off as a small, fluffy, grey ball came hurtling out of nowhere. What in the name of Oberon is that?! It was not a creature from anywhere in the Kingdom. He prepared to transform should it decide to do something more sinister than zoom around Bill's head. While Christoph was fairly sure Bill could handle himself on his own, there was something in the way his father had been talking that made him more ready to jump into the fray.

"What the... Pig? What are you doing... Will you come down here already?"

Bill's comments drew Christoph's attention. He saw surprise and mild irritation mingle on Bill's face. Did he just call it a pig? If that is what Wizards call pigs... what do they call... well, pigs? He managed to keep from falling off the branch in surprise when Bill shot up and grabbed the ball out of the air.

"Look, just hold still for two seconds so I can take the note off, alright?" Bill said to it. He fiddled with the ball for a moment before walking over to Christoph and placing it next to him. "Oh, Christoph, this is Pigwidgeon, my brother's owl. Pig, Christoph." With that, he turned away, unfolding a piece of paper from a tiny roll into a long page.

Christoph looked at the ball sitting next to him. It's an owl!! It was hooting merrily and had to have been one of the tiniest birds he had ever seen, especially for an owl. It was also giving him a strange look, as though it knew he wasn't all that he seemed. But who cares about that? How did it get Underground in the first place if it is from Aboveground? And more importantly, how did it know where to find Bill?

"Oh, Merlin." The tone of Bill's voice made both owls snap their heads around. They watched as he sank to the ground, leaning against a boulder with his eyes closed and head in one hand. The other, clutching the letter, hung limply at his side. Concerned, Christoph flew over to land on the ground next to the letter and began to read:

Christoph leaned back, away from the letter. He did not quite understand what all the letter was about. Those people are obviously his family... but who is this You-Know-Who person? Bill mentioned him earlier as well, didn't he? Does he not have a name? Confused, and worried about how Bill was dealing with the news about this Percy fellow, Christoph turned to look at the Wizard. He was mildly surprised to find Bill watching him with an amused expression.

"So the owls of the Immortal Ones can read, eh?" he asked. "I wonder what other tricks they teach you."

Tricks? You have no idea... As Christoph went back to his perch on the bush, he watched Bill out of the corner of one eye. The Wizard had picked up a piece of parchment and a quill, hastily writing something. He assumed it was a reply to the letter, for when Bill was done he attached it to Pig's leg and sent the tiny owl on his way.

As Pig disappeared into the night sky, Christoph continued watching Bill. He was quietly repacking his bag. When he was finished, he flicked his wand at the sleeping mat he took out earlier and the whole thing unfolded to reveal a thick mattress, more fluffy pillows, and sleeping bag. Christoph couldn't help it; he squawked in surprise.

"Just because I'm way out here 'roughing it' doesn't mean I have to be uncomfortable," Bill told the owl as he lay down on top of the sleeping bag. He kicked off his boots the folded his hands under his head. The moon had begun to peek through the clouds, casting its silvery light down upon them. A few stars would blink through now and again as well, though they looked nothing like the constellations he was used to. Once again, he was fairly awestruck at the things he was seeing. "I can scarcely believe this is real," he said in a low voice. "I mean, I know it is because I am here, but I've grown up being told this place doesn't exist.

"And this thing with Percy... I can't believe that either." He paused. "No, that isn't entirely true. He's always been extremely ambitious, and that can impede his sense of judgement. But to discredit the possibility of You-Know-Who when--" Bill stopped and rolled to one side, propping himself on one elbow. He peered at Christoph. "Hang on. Do you know who?" He received a blank stare from the owl. " I suppose the more appropriate question is do you even care? It probably won't affect you directly, as an owl."

You'll go in owl form, he said. The Wizard won't see you as anything but an owl, he said. You won't raise questions but still be able to get information, he said. Yeah, right. This conversation would be ten times easier to have if I could actually respond, Christoph thought. And I don't think I'm really fooling him as much as was hoped, either.

Bill rolled onto his back once more. "Well, I guess there's no reason not to. If, by some chance, you are actually on the wrong side, you probably already know I am not. If you are on the right side, great. And if you haven't heard, you might as well since my being here is because of it." Bill launched into a quick retelling of Voldemort's rise to power and his defeat by Harry Potter. He then summarized the events of the past four years leading to the return of Voldemort. As he listened, Christoph wondered how aware his father was of this situation. He also noticed that Bill only said the name once.

"So now he is back. Some Wizards believe it, others don't. I'm sure most of them just don't want to believe because it was such a horrific time back then. No one wants him to be back, except for his supporters, and denial is a comfortable state. But how can Percy be so, well, stupid? Poor Mum."

Christoph tried to imagine what would happen if he or one of his siblings were to alienate the family like that. I'm not even going to go there, he decided. Minor wars have broken out for lesser reasons than that. But I don't get why they don't use his name. Unless there is some magic connected with it, but that sounds more like Fae magic than what I have seen Bill use. Not that I am all that much of an expert on this Wizarding stuff.

Bill had fallen silent for a while, so Christoph thought he might have fallen asleep. He was just about to doze off as well when Bill's voice came through the dark.

"You know, I think when I get back from this mission, I am going to put in a request for a desk job back at Gringotts. I never thought I would actually do that willingly while I was still able to be out in the field. But I would be more helpful to the... er, family if I was in England. And it would be better at a time like this not to travel at all since--Oh, no... No travel means I won't be finishing my holiday in the States."

So? Christoph thought sleepily. What does that have to do with it? From the sound of it, this is pretty important stuff.

"See, I got called back home from there to go on this quest. And I had just met this girl... Her name is Katrin and she's... wow."

His ears perked up, and Christoph was suddenly alert. Oh, this should be good.

"She's just great," Bill continued, not realising the new subject was far more interesting to his owl companion than any other discussed so far. "Smart, funny, talented, beautiful. And when she smiles..."

What? What happens when she smiles?

"She's kind of crazy..."

What? What does that have to do with her smiling? And what do you mean she's crazy?

"... I mean, she spends all summer dressing up as a sixteenth Century minstrel..."

Oh, yeah. That's a good point; she is a bit weird when it comes to those sorts of things.

"But I've never met anyone so... alive before. It's like she's completely charged with energy or something."

It's this thing called 'Magic'. Perhaps you've heard of it? Christoph smirked. All part of being a Fae, really. So, back to what happens when she smiles...

"We only met twice, and all we did was talk..."

I should hope that is all you did!

"... for a few hours. But I feel as though we have known each other for ages. And I almost told her so many times."

Huh? Told her what? Argh, this is frustrating.

"Somehow, I got the feeling that she wouldn't mind at all either, you know?

No, I don't know! Christoph twitched in mild irritation. This has to be the most difficult conversation I have ever had. Even compared to when Kati has decided to tell me something but won't flat out say it.

"I mean, I've heard stories about the way some Muggles, that's non-Magical folk, reacted when they found out their partners are Wizards or Witches. Usually it is fine, but some Muggles are really bothered by it."

Christoph's branch began shaking mildly as he laughed an owl laugh. I doubt that Katrin will be bothered by the fact that you do magic, my friend. But how will you react to her being magic?

"Oh, who am I kidding? I don't know how this could possibly work."

What? And why not? Do you think my sister would be that judgemental?

"What kind of relationship can be built through two meetings and that email stuff?" He paused again. "And yet, I know that if we meet again..."

As Bill trailed off, thinking, Jareth's words from earlier came back to Christoph. "She's Fae... it would take only once." I wonder if the same is true for Mortals. Or just Wizards... He mulled over it for a bit, thinking about the implications. But if that is the case... why is he being so... so... insecure about it?

A deep sigh from Bill drew his attention once again. "No, I don't think there is any way I could stop myself from pursuing something with Katrin, far away as she is. It might just have to wait until this whole thing with You-Know-Who is resolved." He paused. "The dilemma, Christoph, is that this whole thing with You-Know-Who only makes me want to see her now even more. Once I get actively involved in opposing him, the likelihood of my becoming a target increases. How do I explain that one? 'I'd like to see you again, but if I don't contact you, don't take it personally. It probably means I'm either dead or have been injured beyond belief.' Yeah, that one will go over really well." He sighed again, and then laughed a short, bitter laugh. "Well, now that I've talked your ear off on this horribly depressing topic, I think I'll go to sleep now to prevent further wallowing in misery and self-pity."

This time, Bill's silence lasted and Christoph could hear his breathing slow. As an owl that was not really an owl, his need for sleep was different than may have been expected. He though about heading back to his bed in the Castle, but figured that might not be the best idea. As he settled himself for the long night, slowly drifting off, his thoughts remained on the things Bill had told him, and how they would affect his sister when she heard about them as well. His last waking thought was, once again, an echo of his father's words: "She's Fae... all of you have shown more traits pointing toward those of a full-blood Fae... That being the case, depending on the depth of her attachment--". Mingled with that thought was a wish that he had allowed his father to finish the statement.