Awwwwwwww! *melts into a puddle* Tia, you are not convincing me that Jareth isn't a softy 
lol
I know! He's being so sweet to Agnes!
Chapter Six - What's Said is Said
"Anges, my dear!" Jareth called, returning from the consignment store. "Where are you?"
"In here," she called, "just resting for a moment."
The Goblin King swept into the room. It amused Agnes that he always moved as if he were wearing an invisible cape, she could almost feel the swish of it behind him. He knelt before her and took her hand.
"A present," he announced, waving his gloved hand over hers. She looked down at her hand and then stood up in surprise.
"Jareth! It's beautiful!"
"Just a token of my esteem, my dear Agnes. A trifle to celebrate the birth of my heir."
Agnes looked down at him, his dancing eyes, the almost feral smile on his face. "It's not been confirmed yet," she warned him.
He stood up and hugged her. "It will be. I have every confidence in you."
His enthusiasm was contagious and Agnes giggled as he swept her up into an impromptu waltz.
He was still humming the tune later as he painted. He was cranking out art at an alarming rate.
"Good mood, Jareth?" Tia asked.
"Things are progressing well. I'm going to have everything completed before the deadline."
"Yes,
Agnes is well on her way to ambrosia."
"Too bad she can't do her own dynasty." Jareth mused. "She'd be excellent at it."
"She's excellent in this one." Tia told him.
"In fact, I don't understand what you and the elf were going on about. Granted, the first days were a little disconcerting, but now, it's a piece of cake."
"JARETH!" Tia yelled. He paled and dropped his paintbrush. "I can't believe you said that."
"Neither can I," he said, eyes wide. "You don't have to, I mean, really..."
"Said is said." Tia told him. "I hope your memory is good. I can't give you the next piece of information you need, and neither can Agnes."
Jareth began to mutter elegant curses in Goblin as he pulled out his cell phone.
***
Early the next morning, Agnes came into the studio, showing off her maternity clothes.
"It's official," she told him, beaming. "But I can't remember what I'm supposed to eat for a boy. Tia tells me you have to decide, you've incurred some kind of penalty."
"One of my own design, I'm afraid," he said, pulling out his phone. "I'll just have to double check, my dear. You run down to the spa and get yourself a manicure and massage, and I'll call you as soon as I know."
As soon as she was gone Jareth began dialing frantically. It picked up on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Jamie! Where's Erik? Did he find the elf?"
Commodore James Norrington lazily stirred his tea and looked out the apartment window. "Nice to hear from you too, Jareth," he said. "What was that garbled message on the machine last night about? Something about a piece of apple cake?"
"I need information!" Jareth sputtered at him. "Stop smiling, Jamie, I can hear you grinning at me."
"Legolas is in hiding since Sweeney's having one of his days, poor chap. Erik is on a retreat with his group, he left early this morning. Can't you get him on the cell?"
"I don't think he's in range. Is there a note or anything?" Jareth sounded desperate.
"Hold on," Jamie told him, rummaging though the papers on the counter. "I've got a take-away curry number, says they won't deliver here anymore, part of a schematic, something that looks like a paper towel with writing on it..." he held up the crumpled towel. "If Erik wrote this he was in a hurry and spilled his coffee on it as well."
"What does it say?"
Jamie squinted. "Tell...GK, I guess that's you," he laughed, "um, it looks like Wet...Marlin? Some kind of fish? It's signed with a squiggle that could be OG."
"Opera Ghost? Okay, Jamie, that's what I need!"
"Always good talking to you, Jareth," Jamie smiled as he hung up the phone. He tried very hard not to hear the laughter coming from the hall.
Jareth dialed again. "Agnes? Where are you?"
"Just picking up the mail," she said, using the bluetooth. "Do you know?"
"Start eating the mellons, my dear."
Agnes dutifully ate mellons constantly. She didn't like them much, but it was part of her bargain. She worked in the garden, improved her cooking and listened to fishing tabcasts. When she took a break to relax, at Tia's insistence, she asked Jareth about Erik.
"He's a composer?"
"Yes, and a brilliant one at that."
"He's also your best friend?"
Jareth thought for a moment. "I would have to call it a draw between him and Jamie. Erik is moody and temperamental at times, I think it's a mark of the great artist. Jamie has apparently decided to spend his life saving others." He looked at Agnes. "Perhaps you will be able to know both of them."
Agnes laughed. "I would like that, but I'm not sure I want to be one of those sims who lives to be 118."
"Age is only a number," Jareth told her. "I, for example, am older than you would ever credit, but I'm still as handsome and youthful as I ever was."
The next day they were discussing going out for lunch when the contractions started.
"Agnes! AGNES!" Jareth yelled. "What's happening?"
"The baby is coming," Agnes told him. "How did you think it was going to get here?"
"Usually the goblins bring one, and I go to see if the wisher wants it back or not. This looks terribly painful."
"Hospital, Jareth," Tia broke in. "Drive Agnes to the hospital."
"Driving Agnes to the hospital in the tacky motive mobile." Jareth chanted. "Driving Agnes...
"Actually," Tia broke in, "Agnes is driving herself to the hospital while you have hysterics in the motive mobile. And what do you mean, tacky?"
"It needs a paint job. Something tactful, like a van mural or flames." Jareth said.
"One of those chain mail bikini women with the huskies? Not happening, GK, your taste in vans is so 1986".
"If you two don't knock it off, I'm kicking you out and having this baby right here!" Agnes shouted. There was instant silence.
***
Agnes left the hospital first, carrying their beautiful baby daughter. "Tia?" she asked. "This doesn't break my side of the bargain, does it?"
"Not at all, love," Tia told her. "He decided the fruit. You provided the heir."
"She's adorable, isn't she? I swear she winked at me as soon as they put her in my arms."
Jareth stormed out of the hospital, having had to sign papers, pay for the birth, fill out forms and fight off the advances of two doctors, the head nurse, and three orderlies.
"She's a gorgeous baby, Jareth. Don't worry, Erik will be next, that's all."
"You don't understand," he spat, kicking at the curb while he flagged down a taxi. "That's no baby. They've sent me Gytha Ogg!"
