FicWad

Chapter 22 - 21 Hours, 36 Minutes

Thoughts of the past and future kept turning over in Sarah’s brain: by this time tomorrow, he would be gone. Gone. She would finally be free of him - but she no longer wanted to be free. She wanted him. At least she thought she did, but everything had just moved so fast… They’d been living under the same roof for months now and he’d just confessed his feelings for her only a couple of days ago. If only there was more time! The thought of never seeing him again was unbearable but she couldn’t just pick up and leave her world at the drop of a hat, either. There was so much at stake for both of them and it seemed that fate was about to tear him away from her just as they had gotten close. It was beyond unfair; it was downright cruel and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She looked up at the clock again. 2:29. She was wide awake and she had to get up at 6:00 tomorrow.

No, today, she corrected herself. On impulse, she got up and quietly made her way to the living room. Jareth’s drama-queeny ‘alteration’ of the air mattress had been squatting in her living room every night like a gypsy wagon. At least he’s been getting his beauty sleep, geez, she lightly shook her head with a half-smile. Carefully she walked up to the carved footboard and lightly lifted back the drape at the edge; it was pitch-black inside. Sensing that his sanctuary had an intruder, Jareth woke up.

“What’s the matter, Sarah?”

She was suddenly embarrassed for needlessly waking him up.

“I…it was nothing, never mind…sorry,” she shook her head, turning to go, when she felt a small ‘come-hither’ tug - a friendly, teasing gesture that went as quickly as it came.

“Oh come, come,” his voice was as velvet as the dark, “there must be some reason or you wouldn’t be here. You know you can’t keep secrets from me, darling, so you might as well just tell.”

“…I couldn’t sleep. I just kept thinking about tomorrow. I mean …tonight.”

He tried making light of it. “Planning an after-party, are we?”

“Jareth, please; this isn’t funny.”

He sighed but his voice sounded affectionately amused. “Come here.” A split-second later he had on loose, silk pants and she climbed into the right side of the covers, closing the drape behind her. He propped himself up on his elbow to face her. “I suppose you want to do this the hard way…”

“What’s the easy way?”

“I render you instantly unconscious.”

“…no.”

“I thought not.”

Sarah snuggled in under the thick comforter, hugging him with his right arm supporting her neck in a loose embrace. He could be so perfect sometimes that it made her want to cry. Or maybe she was just starting to get emotional because she knew she was losing him.

“I just can’t believe that you’re leaving.”

“I was beginning to think it would never happen myself,” he tried to half-joke.

“Jareth…” Her voice was almost breaking. He reached over and stroked her hair with his free hand.

“I know, love,” he said gently, “but crying won’t make things any better. What we have is now and we should enjoy each other while we may. I don’t want to forget anything about you, precious Sarah.” He turned his body so he could face her. It was black as a cave in there but Jareth could still see her, trying desperately to make out his face in the darkness. He would produce light for her in a moment but for now he wanted her remaining senses heightened from her lack of vision. His arms encircled her and he held her possessively close, breathing in the scent of her hair, making a wave of tingles wash down her back. “My Sarah,” he breathed, “how I will miss you.”

She closed her eyes as one treacherous tear escaped. He continued in a methodically sensuous, breathy tone, lazily tracing her face, her lips, the hollow of her throat.

“Do you realize how intoxicating you are to me? I stole into your bed the very first day I was here just to relish your scent. Do you realize how many years it has been since anyone has touched my bare hands, let alone because of attraction? I am a patient man and I am willing to be patient, but with you near me I unravel at the edges; I burn like a candle lit at both ends. You set me ablaze.”

One of his hands caught in her hair as he shifted and began to run hot, open-mouthed kisses down the side of her neck to her collarbone. Sarah clung to him, reeling in the power of his mouth on her body, never wanting the feeling to cease as he slowed down on the way back up to hover over her mouth. She could feel his lips only millimeters away from hers, his warm breath on her face, and it was supreme torture. Suddenly there was faint light in the room as if there were a nightlight. And then she realized there was: a crystal, perched perfectly on top of the center ornament of the headboard, sparkling, giving off just enough light that she could see him. His eyes were dark and it wasn’t because of the insufficient light. The pale-blue figure in front of her leaned in and kissed the edge of her lips askew, parting them involuntarily before gently dipping in for the kill. Sarah’s head tended to reel when he kissed her, but the pleasurable feeling had been noticeably growing stronger from previous encounters. It probably had to do with his power coming back but it was seriously the last thing on her mind as he pressed her body to his tightly, quietly systematically devouring her mouth as if it were his last meal before execution. His insist, steady rhythm was entrancing and Sarah found herself losing the will to resist him, her inhibitions falling away more and more with every stroke of his tongue. Her body finally followed her desire and she ground against him. He suddenly broke away and looked at her dazed face, panting. Little gold sparkles had begun to dance in the room.

“See what I mean?!” he said in his regular voice. Sarah groaned and rolled over, hot and bothered and unable to do anything about it.

“You’re the horrible tease, you know that?”

“I am withholding for you.”

“Yeah, I know, mortals and gods.”

“It isn’t like that…you know that,” he said gently, lying back down behind her, one arm draped around her waist. “I said this was the hard way; we’re not even getting rest, let alone sleep.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Yours, naturally, for coming here and tempting me in my own bed,” he teased.

“Do you want me to leave?”

His grip tightened around her waist.

“Never,” he growled, lightly nipping her ear, giving her chills. “At least not until morning.”

Sarah suddenly remembered. “My alarm-”

“Is turned off. I will make sure you get to work on time. Now, unless your pretense was just a shameless ruse so you could play with fire,” he kissed a sensitive spot behind her ear, hearing her wordless response, “you said that you came here because you could not sleep. Relax, Sarah; morning is a long ways off and you are safe in my arms. There will be time enough to worry tomorrow. Yes, I know - ‘today’. Where I am from, today is when the sun is actually out and the nights are cool and long and peaceful with the large crystal moon shining brilliantly overhead and one lone owl floating effortlessly through the deep velvet sky chasing the stars…usually me.”

Sarah groaned aloud and laughed a little.

“I just ruined the visualization, didn’t I?”

“Only completely.”

“Then perhaps we should try another one.”

“No really, it’s okay, you don’t have to.”

“Ah, you are underestimating my powers of persuasion,” he smiled knowingly.

“The fact that I’m even here should be proof enough of that.”

“True, that.” He couldn’t be quite certain but it almost sounded as if she were apprehensive of something he didn’t know about. “What’s wrong, Sarah?”

“I - just no suggestion, okay?” she finally blurted out, seeming ruffled.

“The truth surfaces. Interesting phobia…very well. No suggestion, I promise. I shall simply state the obvious.”

“The obvious,” she repeated, nonplussed. He deeply chuckled.

“How much you have yet to learn about your own body, dear.”

“Like what?!”

“Peace, it wasn’t meant as an insult, darling. Humans have all sorts of strange quirks. Trick mechanisms. Your current knowledge of the subject only grazes the surface of what is truly possible.” He sighed deeply against her hair, triggering tingles all the way down her spine as well as other parts, making her gasp. The light extinguished. “Let’s stick to the here and now. Is it warm in here?”

“Yeah, but it isn’t as hot as the rest of the house.”

“Too cool?”

“No.”

“Comfortably warm?”

“Yes.”

“Face me.”

“No,” she teased.

“Sarah,”

“You’re always telling me ‘do this’, ‘do that’” she mimicked his voice. “I’m staying put for a change; you move.”

Jareth sighed and deftly climbed over her without actually getting out of the blankets. He settled back down. “Better?”

“Yes,” she smiled. He reached down and caught both of her hands, cupping them in his.

“Are your hands warm?”

“Yes, very.”

“Too hot?”

“No.”

“Warm,” he drawled, his voice rich velvet again.

“…oh yes.” The reaction was already happening; she was relaxing automatically. It was an interesting little trick - something as simple as warmth in the right places could trigger calm in these creatures.

“Think about it,” he said huskily. There was silence for a few moments as a strange, quiet tranquility settled within Sarah. Beautiful, love, rapt; there weren’t words for the feeling. She hadn’t felt anything like it in her life. “Both the mattress and the comforter are stuffed with down. Is it comfortable?”

“Very soft,” she replied quietly.

“Not too soft?” his voice gentle and lulling.

“…no.”

“Good,” he purred. He let the information sink in on its own. Again silence.

Any more of this…

“You’ve been lying there for quite some time now,” he continued smoothly, “especially since you flatly refused to budge,” he lightly teased her. She smiled absently. “Are any of your muscles still tense?”

“No…” She felt almost as if she were under a spell, feeling the weight of the comforter, the cozy warmth of the bed, his presence near. Every last muscle in her body was completely relaxed, even her neck. Her eyes were closed but she couldn’t remember precisely when it had happened. Jareth’s voice had become a slow, deliberate croon when next he spoke, as if tasting his own words. “What a delicious way to waste a few hours, mm?” he breathed. He was amazed to hear what sounded like a light sob.

“I don’t want to waste any more time!” she passionately choked out.

“Oh Sarah,” he sighed fondly, moving to embrace her again. As he kissed her forehead she dove under his chin and kissed the delicate hollow of his throat, catching him off-guard; he gasped in unexpected pleasure. In another moment there was light again. She looked back up at him with a guilty little smile. His look was one of mischievous playfulness but it was beginning to wear thin. “Third try and we use the charm.”

Sarah looked confused. “Don’t you mean ‘third time’s the charm’?”

“No, I mean this is the third attempt and it’s nearly 3:00 in the morning. I am using the charm as I had wanted to originally.”

“That’s okay, I’ll just go back to bed.” She shifted as if to leave.

“Oh no you don’t,” he smiled, catching her by the wrist, “you wouldn’t get any sleep in there. Besides, if I start something I see it through to completion and you are still very conscious in spite of my best efforts.”

“Maybe you just can’t do it,” she said a bit uneasily.

“Oh, I believe I can and will but-”

“I have to trust you, I know,” she said in exasperation. He chuckled.

“You know how this works.”

“We’ve only been doing it for the better part of a year.”

“Yes, but this has nothing to do with power; it has to do with us. Sarah, love, if it weren’t for extenuating circumstances would you still trust me?”

“Well, of course, but wait - are you saying that if I told you to go do something that sounded dangerous, possibly even suicidal, you’d just up and do it? No questions?”

“In a heartbeat.” His voice was dead serious. Sarah sobered quite suddenly, whatever words she was about to say dying in her throat. Jareth reached up to stroke her cheek. “I know. This has come too far too fast. I have yet to truly prove myself.”

“It’s not that, it’s …I…I just-”

“Shh, it’s alright, love. I understand.”

“But how can you?” she shook her head. “You’re just so perfect and …”

“Me? Perfect?” he sounded amused. “Now there’s a new one. At least it’s not been said of my personality before…”

“Oh you!” She batted him across the chest. He laughed.

“Now there’s the Sarah I know and love!” He suddenly grabbed the same wrist and brought her hand to his mouth. He began slowly kissing the tips of each finger, his eyes locked with hers. If Jareth wasn’t an aphrodisiac, Sarah didn’t know what one was. Her breath and pulse were quickening and her body was thrumming with desire just from that simple act. He ended by tracing the pulse point on her wrist with the very tip of his tongue before plunging back into her mouth. As far as Sarah’s body was concerned, he could ravish her right here and now and save her brain a lot of trouble and heartache tomorrow; she would have to go with him. But his movements didn’t seems as passionate as before, there was much more method to it as he secured her arms by her waist with his free arm. She couldn’t move and it suddenly dawned on her what he was really doing. She broke out of the kiss.

“You don’t have to…”

“Yes I do. This is not only foolproof, Sarah, it is idiot-proof. It must be performed quickly with complete intention, it does not accrue over time as some magics of a similar nature do, reversal is stupidly easy and if anything at all should happen to me the spell would break immediately.”

“…what is it?”

“The Rule of Three. It can be done for any number of reasons. The first stroke is enchantment, the second sleep.”

“And the third?”

“Will never be used, I promise you.”

“What is it?” she pressed apprehensively.

“Death.”

She shuddered. Jareth said nothing but simply embraced her yet again. This time Sarah was passive. She reasoned that if he had been interested at all in that he could’ve done so easily a hundred times over by now.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear, “I could never knowingly hurt you, Sarah. Never.” And I will say it over and over and over again until you believe me, he thought a bit sadly. He reached up with his right hand and stroked her head from the very top to the very base along the back. Sarah suddenly felt everything get very fuzzy, including her thoughts. Her breathing slowed slightly and she felt as if she must be dreaming. Jareth gave her a gorgeous smile and kissed her long and deep. She responded in slow motion, every last thought swept away by wave after wave of pleasure. At last he broke away once he was sure she was good and starry-eyed and purred in her ear, “Dream of me, my love,” as he made the second stroke. She was instantly asleep with just a hint of a lazy smile lingering on her mouth. She was beautiful. Jareth looked down at her - contented and happy at last - with an aching in his chest. How would he ever endure her absence? He held her somnolent form close, taking comfort in her presence, and after a long one-sided argument with the gods fell asleep himself. The crystal perched on the headboard was counting away the hours, keeping silent vigil over the pair below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sarah, awake!”

Sarah vaguely heard the cultured command as her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she suddenly regained full consciousness. And gasped: she was fully dressed and perfectly clean with her briefcase already packed and slung over her shoulder - she was facing the front door! She could feel her hair was pulled back tightly in one of Jareth’s signature plaits. She whirled to face him with a mixture of shocked surprise and delight. He was standing there with her travel mug and a half-smile. She hugged him with a huge grin on her face.

“You’re the best!”

“Glad you like it,” he said amusedly, pulling back to look her over. “Did I miss anything.”

“Nope,” she shook her head with a smile.

“Good. I wasn’t entirely sure what all you did to prepare in the morning before going to work.” He handed her the mug. “I took the liberty of flavoring your coffee. If you’re going to insist on destroying your nerves with that drug the process should at least be enjoyable.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow and took a sip. Amaretto…dark chocolate…peach. She rolled her eyes with a smirk at the last one. She would’ve never thought to put a fruit with amaretto, though; it was actually quite good. She nodded approval.

“All right. One last little surprise.” He looked as excited as a little kid. “Open the door. Go on,” he urged her impatiently. Not having any idea what to expect, Sarah tentatively did so and she couldn’t believe what met her eyes: it was the very back of a locked bathroom stall! She gaped in disbelief.

“Are you serious?” she whispered. “Where is this?”

“The first-floor research facility at GELA just down the hall from your department’s break room. Can you believe it was the only place in the whole damn complex where the exterior hallway’s security camera was damaged? Now you have ten minutes before your first meeting. When you are ready to come home, the door will be waiting in the same place on the other side. It will be invisible to all other eyes - push it to open it. Try to have a good day, dear.”

She turned and gave him a quick peck on the mouth before confidently striding through the breach in space and time, pulling the door closed behind her. The universe seemed empty and silent without her. Jareth sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. There was much to prepare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah’s presentation to Nikola Motors in the lecture hall had ended with applause - not just polite applause, mind you; people were actually standing up. The president of the company was at the podium, shaking her warmly by the hand. The solutions she hypothesized fit their current mechanical problems together like lost puzzle pieces. The image was finally complete. It was nothing short of genius. Testing would begin immediately and commercial production was expected to follow in as little as three years. Doug and Bob were in the far back, standing and feigning applause so as not to attract attention. Bob spoke quietly without moving his lips.

“I don’t know how she got those blueprints and files but she did.”

“Oh be serious - how could she have even gotten into the field? The hanger is actively guarded 24 hours a day. They watch the field even when we’re not out there. I’ve personally seen the security film of the entire area for the nights prior at least eight times and it’s getting old. I don’t see anybody, the security officers on duty swear up and down nobody was there. And they’ve been through lie detectors! I’m telling you, it’s impossible.”

“I know it’s impossible, but she did it somehow…”

“Oh, so now you actually think that she trained that little barn owl we saw? Did it have a camera strapped to it anywhere? No. Did it steal anything? No. We’d know if it was a machine. And it wasn’t! It was just a barn owl, are you crazy?! Next you’re going to be suspecting the rattlesnakes and the field mice! She sure-as-hell couldn’t afford a satellite.”

“If we expose her-”

“You’ll have the CIA breathing down our necks! I’ve already talked to the head of the department about beefing up security surrounding the grounds. It won’t happen again.”

“It had better not.”

“Oh, give the woman some credit; she made the engine design fit the car on her own. Williams is rumored to be a workaholic and they’ve had this dead-end project on their hands for months now,” Doug smiled ruefully. “Let her have her moment in the sun.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You were brilliant!” Irina pulled her aside later - everyone else left at 4:00.

“I couldn’t have done it without him.” She didn’t have to specify who ‘him’ was. Irina gasped.

“…no!”

“Yes.”

“But-”

Sarah shushed her - talking about it was far too risky. Irina nodded with a small smile, understanding.

“You could not have done your hair without him! I have never seen such complex braiding in my life! I knew from the start he was a fashion king.”

“You mean drama queen,” Sarah jabbed.

“He’s that, too,” Irina laughed. The smile dropped from Sarah’s face with a sigh as she looked at the floor.

“I’m losing him tonight.”

“What?! No!”

“He has enough power; he’s going back home.”

“But you cannot just let this die; you must go with him!”

“And what about my family? What about you? What about this?” she gestured around her. “Irina, I’m needed here, just as much as he’s needed there. I have to stay. …at least for right now,” she finished quietly.

Irina watched her friend with concern as they walked over to Sarah’s desk to get her things. She knew Sarah was trying hard to do the right thing here but this separation would all but kill her whether they had physically bonded or no. No man would ever take his place in her heart if she were to live forever. It was painfully obvious that they loved each other even though it was very new. They just fit together somehow, it was strange and wonderful at the same time. What a queen the Underworld would have someday. For now, Sarah seemed to be making one last pit stop before they left. Only she pulled Irina into the bathroom with her. It was deserted except for them.

“I wanted to show you this.” Sarah walked to the stall at the very end and motioned Irina over. Apprehensive but intrigued, she followed her. Sarah walked around the toilet to the wall and pushed the door all the way open. Irina did a double take and gaped at the sight of Sarah’s living room! “It was a goodbye present just for today.” Sarah sounded like she was about ready to cry. She turned back and Irina hugged her.

“It will all work out. He loves you, he will wait for you, yes?”

Sarah nodded, pulling away.

“Then go to him. Give him my regards and best wishes.”

“I will,” Sarah nodded as she turned away from Irina with a sad smile and walked through the open portal, closing up the tile wall behind her. Irina couldn’t resist giving it a shove: it was only wall again. Sarah was gone.

~~~~~*~

Jareth had heard their exchange from the other room but didn’t make any mention of it as he came out from the dining area. He was dressed in black from tip to toe. The sleeves were unusually tight and his shirt was laced all the way up to the collar. It had to be the most utilitarian outfit he made. He was unusually pale as well, but not pallid, his skin a true ivory. His eye markings were as pronounced as they ever got. Even his hair had extra shimmer. He looked every inch the Goblin King tonight, tall and stately with an unearthly foreboding. Except he was still gloveless and smiling at her.

“Welcome home, love.”

Sarah dropped her things just inside the door and rushed into his outstretched arms, kissing him with surprisingly heated urgency. He immediately returned her brazen assault on his mouth with searing open-mouthed kisses that bordered on violence in intensity, relentlessly stroking her mouth with his hot, velvet tongue. Sarah groaned against him in response and her right leg wrapped around his waist as they continued, his hands supporting her back, running through her hair like water. She almost sobbed the sensation was so wonderful. She was melting, all conscious thought had fled the onslaught of sensations her body was facing. She was completely ready to throw all caution to the wind when he suddenly broke the kiss, meeting her dazed eyes. Her body railed against the cruel withdrawl of his mouth. He leaned in again and whispered against her mouth, teasing her lips to try to follow him.

“You will hunger for my kisses, love. No mortal man will ever be able to satisfy you now.” He slowly closed his eyes and captured her mouth again in a soft, sensuous kiss that shook her to the core it was so achingly sweet, she could’ve died from it. He suddenly, deliberately hit a pressure point on her tongue that made it mind bending; she was literally seeing stars and would’ve fallen over right then and there had he not been holding her she was so dizzy. All she could do was respond. At last he slowly broke it, the haze only clearing when she suddenly realized that he was willing her leg to unwind from him and snake back down to the floor.

“Sorry, my love,” he said with a sad smile, “were you fae I would oblige you this instant. But as things are...”

Sarah sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as he hugged her. She memorized his feel, his dimensions, his scent. She suddenly realized that he had changed it - he had made it deliberately intoxicating, almost addictively spicy so she couldn’t seem to get enough of him. But it wasn’t cologne: it was him! It was the first time that she realized that his body had absolutely no smell whatsoever; he was simply imposing different scents on himself, an odd reminder that he wasn’t human.

It must be hard, she thought suddenly; he was trying so hard to accommodate her physically when some of the things she considered natural were nothing of the kind for him. Better make the most of it, he’s doing his darndest. She leaned into the nape of his neck and inhaled deeply, almost immediately getting lost in the aphrodisiac power. Jareth smiled at her discernment and reaction thereof. He wanted her to enjoy him while she could, before he had to leave her behind. These last precious hours had to be savored. Secretly he wanted to leave behind an impression, a memory, a standard that no mortal man could possibly pass when it came to pleasure and satisfaction. He knew that Sarah loved him as surely as he loved her but what would happen after they had been separated for some time? Humans were notoriously gregarious creatures and were known to sometimes prefer bad company over no company at all, loneliness being such an agony for the species. He wanted to ensure that Sarah remained his, that no other man would ever be able to hold a candle to him. It was he who pulled away.

“I have made us a light supper. We must eat and then there is much left to finish.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much to Sarah’s surprise, Jareth’s definition of ‘much to finish’ was quite mundane. He was tying up all the loose ends of his existence on earth. All the plastic silverware was put in the apartment building’s recycling bin. They returned the books he had checked out from the Arcadia library - he made a point of visiting the courtyard. They drove to the mesa one last time and made a circuit of the defunct shooting range at the top; there wasn’t enough time to go hiking, besides the fact that it was dusk and all the rattlesnakes were out. As they drove back to her apartment he informed her that he had sent along his personal affects ahead of him earlier that morning - the suit of human clothes, books, cds, and the three masks he had purchased for himself. He had forced himself to sleep almost all afternoon; he was taking no chances this time.

As they reentered her apartment building, Sarah noted with a pang of loss with what grace he took the stairs; nothing human could ever move so fluidly, so effortlessly. When they reached her door, he noticed her blink back a tear as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. He lightly grasped her wrist, stopping her. She looked up into his eyes. He cupped her cheek and brought her mouth to his. His kisses were slow and gentle at first but grew long and deep as she continued to respond to his ministrations. Within minutes they were shamelessly making out like teenagers, heedless of the gold sparkles that were gradually filling the upper hallway. He had her backed against the door and their hands freely roamed each other’s bodies, not seeming to be able to get enough of each other. Sarah tore her mouth away from his and began frantically devouring the curve of his jaw to his ear, first tasting the lobe then nibbling the round. Jareth gave a light appreciative groan and nearly fell into her as his knees went weak. As she continued to work her way down to his collarbone he closed his eyes in pleasure.

“Come with me. Now,” he panted. She stopped, half in a daze.

“What?”

“Come with me! Leave this life of unappreciated drudgery, this world of empty promises and broken dreams, this dying planet! I love you,” he said simply, caressing her cheek and under her chin. “I don’t want to see you get hurt by this place anymore! Come with me - tonight.” He leaned in and heatedly murmured against her ear. “Come away. Be my queen. Oh, Sarah, all you have to do is want it. I wish…I wish…oh, I wish” he finally groaned. Sarah was so taken in by what his mouth was doing to her that she almost began to mouth the ‘I wish’ herself. His free hand began to slowly trail down her front to the sensitive spot below her navel and began to stroke it with light pressure and she knit her brow in pleasure. “What do you wish, my darling?” he hoarsly whispered.

“I…I w-” And then the shock of what was really going on finally registered in her brain and she jumped with a gasp, fully alert. She stared at the disappointment written on his face almost with disbelief. “That was a dirty trick.” She was a little disgusted with him but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Okay, he just tried to seduce me into going with him. Easy there, Don Juan.

“You can’t blame a man for trying, can you?” he said quietly, eying the floor. She sighed and gave him a quick peck on the mouth before finally unlocking the door and going inside. He immediately began picking the duct tape off the inside doorknob, his gloves back on for the task. It had not escaped Sarah’s notice that he was doing everything manually. She began to tackle the work he did on the kitchen sink. The air mattress was sitting innocuously by itself once more.

“I know it’s silly but I was almost hoping you were going to leave that thing.”

He smiled. “It just wouldn’t do, dear. Spells like that always break down over time; it would be far too dangerous to leave sitting around.”

He walked over and knelt down, stripping the bed and folding the sheets nicely. With Sarah’s help they deflated it and folded it back up into the box. She put it away in the closet while he draped the throw over the recliner. Everything was exactly the way it had been when he had arrived. It looked like he had never been there at all. He looked over at Sarah, still in her work attire. He had grown accustomed, perhaps even begrudgingly a bit fond, of seeing her dressed this way. It spoke of her station in life almost as much as his amulet proclaimed him a king. But he knew it wouldn’t go over.

“Sarah, when I transport, I asked Morgan to look in on me to make sure everything goes as it should. In short, she is going to be seeing you as well. I’m afraid she’s always been concerned with being popular among our social elite and, in consequence, she keeps to the old order.”

“You’re warning me she’s going to see me as inferior.”

“I’m afraid so. I’m hoping that we can change her mind over time but for now we need to at least take a stab at a good first impression. Would you humor an old man just once more and wear the dress? I want her to see you at your very best.” He didn’t have to mention which one; Sarah knew there was only one as far as he was concerned.

“Say your right words,” she teased. Jareth sighed in faux exasperation and quirked a smile.

“Pretty please?”

“Be right back.” She ducked into her room and closed the door. Minutes later she reemerged in the ivory gown. Jareth prowled around her, straightening this, tightening the laces a bit, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. They sat in silence on the couch as he undid her hair. Sarah was torn inside; she was sad to be losing him but nervous and excited, too. This was it, the climax of what they had been working toward all these months. In less than fifteen minutes, one way or another, it would all be over. Okay, she was very nervous, petrified that something bad would happen to him and she would be helpless to stop it. He stroked her unbound hair and found her pulse pounding in her neck.

She’s scared enough as it is but we still need to go through the emergency drill, he thought sympathetically. He got up and shoved the coffee table into the hallway, making a decent amount of space in the living room. “One last thing,” he announced quietly. And with that his armor appeared before her very eyes: the savage-looking ridged breastplate, the shoulder guard, the high-necked ragged black cloak that just screamed magic. His hands were gloved in black once more. He looked exactly as he had that first night he had appeared when she was fifteen. That fateful night that had changed their lives forever. Except there was tenderness in his eyes as he approached her and gave her his hand to rise. He gently embraced her, careful not to shove her too hard against the breastplate. She hugged him hard anyway, not caring that it dug in uncomfortably.

Please don’t say goodbye, she thought as one tear finally escaped down her cheek.

“It isn’t forever, love,” he whispered. He pulled away enough that he could face her and kissed her between her eyebrows, right on her third eye. Incredible love swept through her; she almost sobbed at the intensity of it. For a moment it was as if his heart was within her and then the sensation was gone and she immediately mourned the loss. His eyes were serious as he placed one hand over his heart. “Know that this is yours, now and forever.” He just managed to get the sentence out before she shot forward and kissed him full on the mouth. He returned her passionate endeavor for a moment but presently had to break away. “I’m sorry, love, but we don’t have much time,” he said, glancing at the clock in the kitchen. 11:56. “Come, there is one last thing I must show you.” She followed him over to the front door. “Now, when we do this I shall stand in the middle of your living room but you need to stay put right here. If you get any closer we run the risk of you being pulled through with me. Not that I would mind the company, but somehow I don’t think you’d ever quite forgive me,” he teased with a lazy half-smile. “But, in all seriousness, for your own safety you need to stay back.”

“Do you want me to leave while you do this? I mean I could-”

“No. I want you right here to see. This is the result of your handiwork, dear, and even if I wasn’t hopelessly in love I would be very proud of you. This has been quite the journey for both of us and one that I dearly hope to continue. But there is a word of warning here. I know the risk of this happening is very small but you need to know: there is the chance that the magic could become chaotic if it is too strong for me to control. I haven’t done this in over twenty earth years and it is the first time I will have tried it with the staff augmenting my power. The misfire is unmistakable - it looks like uncontrolled strands of electricity. If this happens you must leave this room immediately, do you understand? You couldn’t help me - you could be killed for gods’ sake! If it starts coming through the door you must exit the building. This is why I asked Morgan to look in - so she can intervene if anything untoward should happen.”

Sarah was aghast. “I thought you said you were ready!”

“This is as ready as it gets, dear,” he laughed nervously.

“But what about my neighbors?!”

“It can’t be helped; there wouldn’t be enough time. You-”

He stopped in mid-sentence as if listening to something Sarah couldn’t hear. His eyes were full of excited intent as a smile slowly spread across his face.

“She’s here.”

Sarah felt a cold chill run down her back and shivered. It was one thing for it to be someone she knew, but it was beyond creepy knowing it was a strange woman who viewed her much as she herself would view a chimpanzee.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispered reassuringly, turning to point. “She’s viewing us from right there, just above your T.V.” He inclined his head in greeting with a slight smirk. “Curtsey, dear,” he managed to say without moving his lips.

Oh! Feeling like a total dunce, Sarah lightly clasped the sides of her skirt with her fingertips and pliéd low to the floor, bowing her head. She’s royalty for crying out loud; this is standard protocol, Sarah reflected, suddenly surprised at how casual Jareth had always been.

“You may rise,” he said flatly. “As much as she likes to pretend, she isn’t the queen,” he stated emphatically in the scry’s direction with a teasing smile. He turned back to Sarah and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips. He met her eyes. “It’s time,” he whispered. There was emotion in his eyes for a moment but it was quickly schooled into that enigmatic, haughty expression that he wore like his gloves as he gave her fingertips a light squeeze before releasing her and walking to the center of the room. He reached out to where the cane was hidden in the wall and within moments it was in his hands. He lifted it up, pointed to the sky, gripped tightly with his right hand. He closed his eyes and began the incantation. There were no words that Sarah could recognize but she knew it was the poem from his sense of stanza. As she watched, the sigils on the staff began to burn with a fierce, white light. Jareth was beginning to glow as if he had some inner source of light himself. It got brighter and brighter until Sarah had to shield her eyes, he was bright as a star, his voice was echoing-


And then it stopped. There was no sound except her own pounding heart and shallow breathing. No light but from the lamps. Her hands were shaking as she took them away from her eyes. There were sparkles all over the floor. Jareth was gone. He had done it. He was finally home at long last, safe and sound. Sarah fell to her knees in exhaustion and wept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took a few moments but Jareth finally rematerialized in his study where his sister Morgan was waiting for him. Her flowing green gown contrasted sharply with her long, bright red hair and deep-set ice-blue eyes. She had been elegantly stationed on a thin piece of furniture which resembled a chaise lounge but she rose upon his arrival.

“Well,” she stated smoothly, “thank the gods you arrived in one piece.”

“Morgan!” Jareth practically ran across the small room and gave her a big bear hug, taking her completely by surprise.

“It’s good to see you, too, brother,” she said coolly with a smirk, returning it slightly, feeling him freeze: he had forgotten! It was considered unseemly for an adult sidhe to have such open bursts of emotion. He immediately pulled away as she straightened the front of her dress. Her small smile lingered and there was a distinctively mischievous sparkle in her eyes but she made no comment. “Of course I’m dying to know how the king of mischief and mayhem managed to pull this one off,” she acidly teased him. “In all seriousness though, Jareth, it is a feat for the history books. You should be very proud of yourself.”

“I don’t deserve all the glory,” he said quietly. “I had help.”

“Ah, yes, who was that mortal girl you had recognize me just now? I trust she was useful to you somehow. You don’t neck with just anyone, and, besides, since when do you say ‘please’?”

Jareth took a stunned step back. “How much did you-”

“Enough,” she said flatly.

“But how could you have possibly…I would have known!”

“And that is the wonderful part: it’s a brand-new trick involving a mirror! It takes away the feeling of being watched! The alchemist of the High Court just invented it. I’ll have to show you when you have some time,” she smiled. She certainly had just made the situation about five times more complicated. He had planned on introducing her to the truth slowly and now he had to do it all in one foul swoop. He swallowed.

“Do you remember the girl who bested the Labyrinth?”

“The one personally responsible for your disappearance? Of course! I don’t think I’ve ever heard a human name uttered so many times in Court! Sarah Williams, wasn’t it? What of her?”

“That was her.”

It was Morgan’s turn to look shocked. “No!…oh, well done!” she briefly applauded him with a growing smile. “I suppose she’s wasting away as we speak.”

Eons in Court had taught Jareth how to hold his tongue when necessary but it was proving extraordinarily hard. He had to remind himself that as far as his sister was concerned, the topic was not overtly malicious.

“I did not physically bond her to me, nor did I drain her.”

Morgan suddenly looked confused. “But…then…how did you…”

“I earned her trust, respect, and affection over a several months’ time.”

“Several months?!”

“I lived at her residence.”

She just shook her head, dumbfounded. “Oh, Jareth…you should’ve thought of your kingdom first. I will hold my tongue for the sake of the family but…how could you? Did you not think of what chaos your absence caused? You should’ve come home immediately!”

Jareth was a bit miffed at getting such a tongue-lashing from his little sister!

“What would you have had me do? Kill her?! She had done no wrong!”

“If that was what was necessary, then yes! I mean I know you’ve always been a bit squeamish when it comes to killing, Jareth, but she’s only human!” she laughed flippantly. Jareth Ravensong’s ire was legendary in spite of how hard it was to truly raise it. Morgan had only heard gossip through her channels from unlucky servants but she had never seen the full brunt of his fury. As she saw him standing before her, hair flying, trying to keep his power from lashing out at her as his eyes blazed, she had an uneasy feeling that she was about to find out firsthand. Hoping she wouldn’t need it, she started forming a small shield spell behind her, backing up as he began to slowly advance on her. His voice was quiet but deadly.

“Only human? ONLY HUMAN?!!” he suddenly screamed. “Morgan, how can you still be so ignorant?! How can you still not understand?! True, their live are short but they make use of them! Have you done anything even remotely noteworthy in the last few centuries?! I dare say you haven’t! Our time is so precious,” he dripped in an ugly, poisonous saccharine, “why waste it in doing anything useful! True, they don’t have magic - so they use their brains! My love - yes, you heard right, my love - stayed behind so she could continue to better her world! She’s smart, she’s an inventor for gods’ sake! And she has more heart than you or I will ever begin to understand! She is to be my wife! Still don’t believe me? BEHOLD!”

And with that he thrust all of his aboveground memories into her mind’s eye. Morgan gasped as it all came flooding through: an impossibly tall city made of steel, the NREL plant, the cars, the music, the books, and a human woman nearing middle age named Sarah, smiling, laughing, screaming at him, crying, dancing in a room swarming in colored light, taking care of him when he was deathly weak, them teasing each other, it went on and on and on. It was so disorienting that it allowed for no linear thought, it kept changing every half-second. Him as half an owl. Inside the mesa. A device called an elevator. Them crystal dancing. It was too much, she couldn’t take much more and it suddenly stopped. Jareth was panting from exertion but he no longer looked angry, just desperate. Desperate for her to believe him and believe him to be correct. Desperate for her acceptance of his situation and his choice. She sighed.

“You know that even if you win me you still have to convince the rest of the world. If you follow through with this you will have to fight for every step forward.”

“I know,” he said tersely, running a hand through his hair, pacing away.

“And you’ve told her this?”

“I warned her that she wouldn’t be accepted as an equal.”

“Jareth, she won’t be accepted at all. Our mother-”

“Will just have to learn to live with it!” he snapped.

“Has enough clout to blackball you from showing your face in the High City ever again.”

That made him stop. He looked over his shoulder at her.

“…do you honestly think she would?”

“She might.”

Silence.

“Well, what do you think at any rate?” he said tiredly, turned to face her again, leaning against his desk.

“I don’t know what to think, Jareth. It’s a very bizarre situation and I have only just learned about it. Perhaps if I had more information…I want you to be happy but you have a very long history of being rash and impulsive and I think if you aren’t completely sure of yourself here the results are going to be disastrous for the both of you. I suppose what truly gives me pause is this love business. She knows you can’t love her, doesn’t she?”

“But I do.”

“…you mean you are attracted to her, you are concerned about her well-being-”

“I love her.”

A shiver went through Morgan. Had living in the human world actually changed him? She started again guardedly. “Surely you can’t mean that. You know as well as I do that it’s quite impossible. Do you feel all right?” She unceremoniously grabbed his wrist and began checking his vitals. Jareth simply laughed, shaking his head. “Odd. You feel well.”

“I told you.”

“But…”

“How do you know it’s impossible?”

“We were taught it as mere babes-in-arms, brother! Our own parents are incapable. It is common knowledge.”

“Yes, but have you ever tried?” His smile was growing.

“Of course not!”

“Then you don’t know. True it is not the fierce, selfless flame of the human heart but it is quite strong in a blooming, encompassing sort of way. Would you like to feel it?”

Nervous but intrigued, Morgan swallowed and nodded. He would not consciously do something that he thought would truly harm her. He brought up his left hand and placed it over her heart. Almost immediately the torrent of emotion overtook her, taking her in waves, the sorrow and the joy, increasing sheer joy as she had never felt in her entire existence, intense feelings of caring, as if the whole world revolved around someone else, as if she couldn’t live without them. She pulled away and turned before he could see her crying. It was overwhelming. And humans felt even stronger than this? She would die of such an intensity! She was suddenly unaccustomedly aware of how hard and cold she was inside. At least she was comfortably in control of herself again.

“I don’t know that I like it; it’s awfully unruly. Right up your alley, I suppose though,” she said, turning back around. “At any rate, perhaps it’s best that you’ve already found yourself a mate. There was engagement talk when the Court found out about your continued existence and physical vitality. Suddenly you’re wanted back in the pot, so-to-speak.”

“And, pray tell, which of my first cousins does the Court wish for me to seize upon?”

“There was some talk of Ariadne.”

“Ariadne? That harpy?! She’d eat her own kind if she thought she could get away with it!”

“Really, I think that was the idea, Jareth. You aren’t terribly popular in certain circles, you know. At least you have an excuse not to have to now. Presentation is going to be tricky on this one - everything shall ride on how well you can sway them. Stick to hard facts like her impact on your recovery and her human fertility and normal, biological things like that. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything to tell them she’s devoted to you but leave this whole mess of sidhe emotions out of it. You think I’m a tough crowd…perhaps it will be easier to sway them now than it would’ve been once. Three babies were live-born in your absence. They all have blue hands. The boy has blue feet.”

Jareth just shook his head, quietly fuming. She knew this was a personal sore point, something that would concern him. Morgan nodded assent.

“They can’t ignore this indefinitely. Present yourself as a voluntary pioneer - they might actually listen to you.”

Jareth walked around his desk and sat down, resting his head in his hands.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I’m already beginning to miss Earth.”

Morgan smiled. “A simpler life amongst simpler life forms?”

“Oh, there are problems aplenty and pettiness there, too, but nearly all of it centers around material things. Nothing like this,” he gestured roughly to his surroundings.

“Yes, speaking of problems, I suppose I should warn you that there was no proxy ruler appointed at your disappearance. The goblins and other creatures who live here have been largely left to their own devices.”

“What?! Why was there on one appointed?”

“Oh, believe me, they tried, but for some odd reason the Court doesn’t allow siblings to occupy the same throne and no one else was willing to set foot in this place, let alone try to rule here! It really is a sty, Jareth. You’re going to have to do something if you plan on bringing a human here; they’re much more susceptible to disease than we are. Oh, and there is one more thing,” she smiled wryly, opening one of the side drawers of the desk and taking out a bedraggled piece of parchment, placing it before him facedown. “The little buggers managed to set fire to part of the city and your neighbors were obliged to help put it out; the smoke could be seen twenty landstrides away. When the fire crews entered the city they found a few of these nailed to walls and pasted to posts. They looked rather weatherworn like they’d been there for quite some time. This one was the best for wear. Apparently you were missed.”

And at this she turned it over gingerly and Jareth sighed and smirked, bemused: scrawled on the parchment was a very crude stick-figure drawing with spiky yellow hair, angry-looking eyes with pronounced eyebrows and a wide open mouth as if the figure were screaming at someone - it was painfully obvious that the caricature was supposed to be of him. The artist had managed the boots passably by smudging the ink a bit but had clearly tried and failed at hands numerous times from the level of ink saturation and had simply used it’s own hands like stamps in the end. They had two fingers and a thumb apiece and were only two inches long. Emblazoned above the childishly rendered portrait were the words:

HAV
YOO
SEEEN

There was no further contact information or any clue as to who had done it. Letting him examine it, Morgan continued.

“I hesitate to think what they used for paint. I took the precaution of disinfecting it. I just thought you should see that.”

“I think I know who did this. How many did you say there were?”

“They found at least twenty.”

“It was definitely Dåshe. You’d think he was the portrait painter for the High Court with the way he takes his time with these. A job like this would’ve kept him preoccupied for weeks. I wonder where he found the colors, though,” he said, thoughtfully tracing the bright purple eyebrows with a finger. “Usually he just steals ink bottles while I’m not looking.”

Morgan was aghast. “And you just put up with this kind of behavior like there’s nothing wrong?”

Jareth looked at her levelly. “If this is all the trouble they cause me in a day, I am a happy man. They’re born for trouble; it’s almost like it’s in their genetic makeup. It’s best to keep them busy doing something or they start tearing things apart and harassing each other. I even get them singing on occasion; nearly all can carry a tune. Dåshe is the one out of the whole motley crew that I don’t have to worry about: he entertains himself.”

“Well, I’m glad you can handle them. I transported quite a number of them to the Throne Room and immediately had to retreat here because I was joyfully mobbed! I don’t know how they feel about you, but they definitely need you. They need their leader.”

Jareth resignedly nodded, standing back up with the drawing in his hand. “Best to get it over with,” he sighed.

“Good, because I’ve had about all the fun I can stand with them! Good luck! Wait - you have told your lady-friend about your…situation?”

“She knows. She made quite a number of friends on her first trip here and still seems open to the idea.”

“And you’re sure she’s sane?”

“Morgan…”

“I’m just saying-”

“I know. I have my work cut out for me. Things will be significantly better by the time she gets here, I assure you.”

“I certainly hope so for your sake!” she laughed. “I wouldn’t be anywhere other than this room for longer than five minutes! Do keep in touch, Jareth.”

And with that she faded in a wisp of smoke. He simply stood there for a moment in silence. Personal solitude had always been a quiet burden and a daily hazard of the job but it seemed more profound now and he had strange vague pain in his chest which he absently registered as heartache. This was going to be a lot harder now, now that he knew what he was truly missing. Coldly steeling his resolve and his facial expression, he transported himself to the Throne Room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General pandemonium and a few fistfights had broken out in Morgan’s absence. He spotted Røem Bååbå, his prime minister, trying in vain to break up one of the fights, only to get pummeled and pushed out of the way. Jareth hadn’t even been noticed. He had half a mind to simply retreat to his chambers and stay there until tomorrow morning but it was hardly a move befitting a king.

And this is a kingdom? his mind countered but he acted before the logical part of his brain could sway him any further.

“AHEM!”

All the action in the room stopped instantly and all eyes immediately darted to him, wide with surprise and maybe a bit of the old terror. The distinct sound of somebody hitting the floor in a dead faint echoed clearly within the room. He stalked among them like a predator choosing suitable prey. At least they still feared him; that was something. He stopped in front of Røem Bååbå and knelt enough to be at his eye level. The little guy was shaking. With the horns on his helmet he just topped out at three-and-a-half feet tall.

“I-I tried ta control ‘em, yor M-Majesty but them jus don’t lissen…” No doubt he figured he was in for a bogging. To his complete surprise, Jareth simply clasped him on the shoulder with an enigmatic expression that was neither a frown nor a smile. Sort of both at the both at the same time.

“I know,” he said dryly, got up and walked back to the throne without another word. There were open gapes all around and none could be bigger than Røem’s. Something awful must’ve happened to take the fight out of the king! Jareth addressed the entire company, taking his seat as if it were the most casual, natural thing in the world. “I will never be absent like this again. I have made it certain.” He turned to his left and saw a little wizened one who would remember and said a nearly-forgotten goblinese verb: to clean up. The creature gasped.

“Guinevere!” it squeaked.

Jareth smiled a dangerous smile. “CLEAN!” he shouted at them. “Your queen is coming! Scrub! Scour! Make look nice! Move!” he clapped his hands at them.

“But mess iz nicey!” one pointed out.

“Nice by my standards, you fool! The whole castle! The whole city! We’re going to build two new smelters and get to work in the Valley.”

“But I likes messy,” another sadly protested.

“Oh, all right, you can have messes in your houses but they need to stay there! Start with the city first. Now go!”

As a unit they ran for the door and began stampeding out of the castle. Some of them were taking the opportunity to shout the word ‘clean’ at one another - any reason at all to boss each other around was a good reason, he thought tiredly. A scurrying, lizard like movement caught his eye - Dåshe was trying to get out by literally climbing nimbly over the others in his way.

“Dåshe!”

He perked up at hearing his name shouted by his monarch, somersaulted backwards and landed with a little salute, eying him. Jareth smirked in spite of himself.

“Come here.”

The little creature scurried right up to the foot of the throne and stared at him from under his little brown cap. He might’ve been eight inches tall. He was definitely the runt of somebody’s litter. The reasons he preferred to sit quietly in the corner and doodle were obvious enough and Jareth was content to leave him be no matter what was going on; he did the least harm of all of them. Jareth held up the drawing.

“Did you make these?”

He nodded.

“You did a good job; I could tell it was me at once. What did you use for the colors?”

The little goblin looked like a child who had been caught being naughty as he reached into his tiny coat pocket and pulled out part of a squished fairy. It was still leaking a veritable rainbow of colors.

“Nasty biters hav pretty insides,” he said, holding it up further to show him. Jareth was genuinely surprised at the little fellow’s inventiveness. No one had ever thought to do that before! If he had been caught doing this in the High City he would have been punished but flower fairies were forbidden in the Labyrinth and the surrounding land for the precise reason that Dåshe had just brought up. Those who came here came at their own peril. Jareth decided that leniency was best - he was still technically within the law.

“Alright, put the rest away before you lose any. Just remember you can’t do that anywhere but here.”

Dåshe quickly stuffed the remains back in his pocket, relieved that it hadn’t been taken away.

“Now let’s see those hands. Are they still black?”

Dåshe held them up: the palms were totally coated from ink. Jareth put one finger to his lips and formed a tiny crystal with his other hand - it dissolved into a little bottle of solvent and he handed it to him.

“Wash it off,” he whispered to the little creature with a conspiratory smile, patting him on the head. Dåshe looked up at him with concern and even a bit of disappointment. It was then that Jareth realized they had missed raising his ire. What bizarre creatures, he thought as he forced himself to scowl. “Or I’ll tip you in the bog! Hurry up!”

Dåshe squealed with delight and took off like a flash down the now-empty hallway, calling, “Wait for Dåshe!” in a high, almost childlike tone.

Jareth laughed watching him go but presently he sighed and walked over to one of the small, medieval-style windows in the chamber.

“You know, it’s awfully stupid to try to hide from me when I can sense you in the room, Hoggle.”

Hoggle had been magicked in with the rest of the creatures who had been in the east quarter of the city; the dwarf had been cowering behind Jareth’s throne and had intended to stay there until His Majesty had left the room. No such luck. Jareth turned around just in time to see him get up and shakily walk to the center of the room, eyes downcast to the floor right in front of him. Jareth had gotten his name right. He was in big trouble.

“Y-yer Majesty.”

“Ah yes, you remember who your liege lord is now; how convenient,” he said amiably, stalking over to him, beginning to circle like a shark. “I had half-expected you to do something like run away. So glad that you didn’t. It makes punishing you that much easier since I don’t have to hunt you down. Now then, I don’t think your accomplices are guilty of much - a yeti beast is a yeti beast and Sir Didymus is all but senile. You, however, have absolutely no excuse whatsoever for your actions. You have committed open treason against your king.” He stopped right in front of him. “You know what the penalty for high treason is…” he said in a quiet, dangerous voice. Poor Hoggle had been getting more and more nervous by the second and was even shaking in his boots but at this he fell to his knees and started openly pleading.

“No! No! Anything but that! Anything! I’ll go away! I’ll-”

“Stop sniveling!” Jareth snarled, knowing that this scare was all the punishment the dwarf was ever going to get, thanks to Sarah. She’d kill him if he did anything more. Or worse, she wouldn’t even come. He was well within his rights to do something extreme but he couldn’t. His hands were tied. “However,” Jareth continued in a caustically ginger tone, “since I cannot have my wife’s houseguests reeking like the Bog you are now in my eternal debt. You will be doing community service on garnished wages for the rest of your life, just enough to feed, clothe and house you, is that perfectly clear?”

Hoggle openly gaped. “Y-ya mean ye aren’t gonna-”

“Would you prefer to be drowned in the Bog?” was the crisp reply. The dwarf quickly shook his head no, still wide-eyed. “Good. I’m putting you personally in charge of supervising the city cleanup operation.”

Hoggle visibly sagged. “…the whole city?” he choked.

“I can always add the Garbage Heap onto your load if you don’t feel that you have enough to do.”

“No, I’s fine!” he quickly countered.

“That’s settled then. You r work starts immediately. If I hear so much as one complaint escape your lips you’ll be dredging the Bog!”

Hoggle simply stood there in dumb shock. There was no way in the Underground this could possibly be happening but it was.

“What part of ‘immediately’ failed to penetrate your think skull? Move! There isn’t much time!”

Hoggle jumped a little and started shuffling for the door. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten off so easy but there was this odd sinking feeling. A morbid curiosity. He had to know, even if it got him punished. He turned around in the doorway and screwed up all his nerve. Jareth had gone back to look out the window. He almost had this weird, uncharacteristically wistful sort of look.

“Yer Majesty?”

“Yes? What is it?” he snapped a bit testily, clearly not pleased at the interruption of his reverie.

“You said we were gonna have us a queen. Who is she?”

Jareth slowly turned enough to look over his shoulder at the dwarf with a growing smile and Hoggle felt himself go cold inside.

“Sarah Williams. Of course.” The smile dropped. “It was very nearly my cousin Ariadne,” he stated flatly. He watched the dwarf do a full-body shiver at the thought and sighed with a hint of a rueful smirk. “For once we agree,” he noted dryly, turning to look back out the window.

“Ya…didn’t hurt her?” Hoggle asked cautiously, immediately suspecting foul play or at least blackmail. Surely Sarah wouldn’t willingly marry somebody like Jareth! Especially after what he put her through. Jareth turned and began pacing slowly toward him with his hand to his heart.

“Only with the heartache of temporary separation,” he announced theatrically, “which I mean to amend as soon as she has her earthly affairs in order. This place must be ready for her arrival.”

The dwarf was surprised to say the least as Jareth walked back to the throne and sat down.

“She’s comin’…ta stay?”

“Have you not been listening to one word I’ve been saying?! Yes! She’s going to be here as my wife! I couldn’t very well stay there! I had to come back. Do you honestly think I wanted to return to this dump after living on Earth? The High Court was going to dismantle the Labyrinth and kill everything inside. My presence alone is preventing your extermination!”

Hoggle all but prostrated himself on the floor and started bowing.

“You’re welcome. Now get a move on. Wait - you’ve dallied long enough that you’ve earned yourself another job. Go out to the garbage fields and find me one of these,” and Jareth tossed him a crystal. The dwarf caught it and inside was a three-dimensional picture of some kind of a boxish object with a shiny glass front and a bunch of buttons and knobs and a tailish-looking cord with a blunt pronged end. “It may not look exactly like this but they all sort of resemble one another. It matters not if the front glass is broken as long as all the wiring on the inside is hooked up and intact. Watch your hide - these things are loaded with iron.”

Had Jareth just told him to be careful? Surely he was dreaming now. Hoggle discreetly pinched himself - nope, he was wide awake. And then he remembered how strange he himself had felt meeting Sarah, the way she was nice to him - it had made him want to be nicer himself and not just to her. Was it actually possible that she had gotten under Jareth’s skin and changed his fickle, flippant heart? Jareth was turned away again, looking supremely lost. Hoggle hadn’t liked that feeling at first, either; it made him feel weak and vulnerable but he finally realized that it actually made him stronger. It was working in him now and he barely noticed that he was walking toward the throne until he was there.

“What now?” the king sighed, not even looking at him. Hoggle patted his monarch on the knee. Jareth turned, surprised.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll see,” he said quietly and turned around and limped out of the room.

After a split second of wonder Jareth winced his eyes closed, resting his face in one hand. His authority was officially a joke. If word of this ever got out to the rest of his subjects all hell would break loose on him. He resolved to be much more careful in the future. And yet…he couldn’t shake what Hoggle had just done. It hadn’t been done in mockery. It almost warmed him, just exactly as if he knew just how awkward he felt right now, trying to reign in these new emotions. And then it hit him. Jareth sat back in his throne with the sudden realization: in his own way, Hoggle had loved her, too. Jareth’s emotions were getting stranger by the minute.

Oh, Sarah, what do I do?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoggle had a little smile on his creased, old face as he carefully made his way down the stairs and out of the castle into the main square. Things were going to be different around here. Jareth might be back in all his glory and might but Sarah had him safely wrapped around her little finger!