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I really should be getting to bed seeing as I've got a meeting tomorrow morning with my financial aid advisor...but I got an idea for this little ficcie and had to write it...actually I was a bit blocked on it until now as I was rereading the MST....

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I was saved from the promise of torture held within Lestrade's eyes (which was totally uncalled for! I mean, I never did anything REALLY bad to her....) by a sudden popping noise that had everyone turning in that direction. My relief was short-lived however as I too glanced that way. It was Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ginny and Ron Weasley.

"This is not good."

I turned to face Dr. Evil who had just spoken. "What?"

He blinked at me and shook his head. "Oh, I was just trying to figure out a way to kill all of you and then take over the world, but there isn't any way out of here, so I'd have to leave the guy in the tights alive. Only, then he would try to stop me and...well, you get the picture."

I just stared at him blankly and nodded before returning my attention to the others. Ginny was hugging Lestrade and treating her as an old friend, a fact that confused me greatly. (A/N: Since I started this story before the MST.) How on earth would the Harry Potter characters know anyone from the other worlds? I belatedly recalled my "Truth or Dare fic"...but...Ginny certainly wouldn't have known anyone...And why was Jareth looking particularly displeased with the situation? Unless....I felt a grin appearing on my face. Maybe Mister High-and-Mighty wasn't as in control as he wanted everyone to believe.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my castle?" Jareth asked, his voice sharp with annoyance.

Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something but was quickly shushed by Ron who kept giving Jareth nervous looks. Harry shrugged and looked over at Ginny who was still standing next to Lestrade. She didn't have anything to add either. Which of course did not make for a happy goblin king.

I couldn't quite control the snigger that escaped my lips. I mean, really, he looks like a spoiled child denied something when he's upset. That didn't help my situation out, as now everyone was once again quite focused on me. I swallowed and quickly looked down at the floor.

"That's Mary Christmas," Lestrade spat out, pointing in my direction. I heard a couple of intakes of breath and looked back up. Harry and Ginny were giving me horrified glances, and again I was thrown into confusion. How did Ginny know who I was? Besides, Ron and Hermione were simply looking as confused as I felt.

"Gin," Ron began, "How do you know these people? You weren't there when...." He broke off, blushing. Hermione, I noticed, had also turned a lovely shade of red.

Ginny frowned slightly and glanced at Harry, who nodded. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, Harry and I weren't going to tell either of you this, but..."

"What?!" Ron said. "I can't believe you! Harry, you - you..." and here he said a word which I couldn't understand or even begin to spell. "You...."

"Maybe if you let Ginny finish explaining?" I ventured to say, growing just a little bit annoyed. I mean really, I doubt very seriously it had anything to do with what he was thinking.

Ginny flashed me a grateful, if suspicious glance. "As I was saying before..." She paused and glared at Ron. "...at the beginning of this year, Harry and I found ourselves in this strange room with those two people." She pointed at Lestrade and Holmes. "We had to read these stories that were about us and...." she blushed slightly. "Anyway, no harm was done, and since it was as if we'd never left in the first place we decided it would best if we didn't worry you."

Hermione gave a sniff of disapproval. "Well, you should have told someone! I mean there could have been spells that no one could detect until it was too late!"

"How come I don't remember this?" I asked hesitantly.

Holmes and Lestrade both gave me penetrating stares. I shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"Enough!!" Jareth cried, making everyone jump. "I brought you all here, excluding the children, to help Mary with her writer's block. And you do want to help her, because if you don't, you won't be getting out of here. This includes the children."

"But why do you want to help me?" I asked, feeling just a little bit more bold now that Lestrade's death glare had been transferred to Jareth.

"Because you have too few stories about me."

Ah. So that was it. He was jealous of the others and wanted them to help me write more stories about him. Well, I was pretty sure they'd be happy to do that, just to get my mind off their own lives. Although, I had a few ideas for some good Harry Potter stories...even if they never came to fruition...