The Labyrinth of London
Dinner?
A Sherlock/Labyrinth Crossover
Inspired By
"The Thin White Sleuth…"
By
Pika-la-Cynique
The Almighty Disclaimer
Oh Moffat and Gatiss,
Henson and Doyle,
To you belongs all the characters
And none so for me!
Summary: Jareth is at a loss at what to do with Moriarty's latest message. Sarah decides to give Jareth a different type of challenge. Established J/S. One-shot.
A/N: This story was inspired by "The Thin White Sleuth..." by Pika-la-Cynique of Girls Next Door fame.
&%&%&%
"Do you ever have days you just want to stab people?" Sarah asked Jareth as they took the tube back to Baker Street. Sarah thought that taxi rates were unnecessary for going to and from work and Jareth was willing to spend a little longer on the Underground if it meant more time with Sarah.
"That is not a daily occurrence?" Jareth teased.
"Some days are worse than others," Sarah said, "It is just a patient. He is refusing to take his meds unless we sneak them. He has a permanent condition. He needs to get used to the medicine. He just doesn't listen to reason."
Sarah saw Jareth suddenly sit up straighter when he saw a short, dark haired man step into the subway car but Jareth relaxed when he saw the man's face. "Hm. Right. I understand entirely."
"Jareth, I really doubt super villains go on the Underground," Sarah said.
Jareth motioned to himself.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Sarah said, "I know you're worried about…"
"I am not," Jareth said.
"Then I can go to work by myself tomorrow, right?" Sarah said.
"It's too dangerous," Jareth said.
"See? You are worried."
"I am cautious."
Sarah tightened her grip on Jareth's hand. "You are not a cautious person."
"I am for your safety," Jareth said.
Sarah kissed Jareth's cheek. "I know and it is one of the reasons I love you. You are an intensely protective person, Jareth."
Jareth turned his head so he could be forehead to forehead with Sarah. "I promised to you that you would be safe."
"And you have kept your promise well. I just want to see your more playful side again. Jimmy is eating that part of you," Sarah said.
Jareth sighed but said nothing.
"Do you want to go on date? You know, out?" Sarah asked.
"We go out for cases," Jareth said.
"Not like that. It's where two people who like each other go out and have fun."
Jareth pulled back and looked at Sarah with confusion. "That's what I was suggesting."
"Jareth, I meant something without dead bodies," Sarah said.
"A kidnapping case? A robbery?" Jareth asked.
Sarah was about to explain more when she saw the glint of mischief in Jareth's eyes. She sighed but smiled a little.
"I was just trying to suggest something to put your mind off Moriarty for a little bit," Sarah said.
"I know precious," Jareth said, "I could not resist teasing you. You are so much fun to tease. You do not truly get upset with me when you realize the joke."
"So, date?" Sarah asked.
"Hmmm… maybe," Jareth said, "That would require research."
"We can just go to Angelo's," Sarah said.
"No. You have intrigued me with this idea. I will have to put some effort into this. Except for the first time I took you to Angelo's…"
"That was not a date," Sarah said.
"After all this time?" Jareth asked.
"Oh, I will tell people that to my grave," Sarah said.
"I was just thinking…"
"You think a lot of things," Sarah said.
"True. Very true. No. I was just pondering how quickly you would have fallen for me if we had never met until you came to live in London. If I was not the Goblin King and just the consulting detective."
"How quick do you think?"
"I was trying to decide at what point during the first date you would be madly in love with me," Jareth said.
"Very sure of yourself, aren't you?"
"Oh, of course."
Sarah said, "I have never been beyond curious about any of my suitors on the first date."
"Well, none of them have been me, have they?" Jareth grinned.
Sarah grinned back. "That's my Jareth."
Jareth pulled Sarah to her feet as the car stopped at the Baker Street station. As they left the station, Jareth said, "I could have made you madly in love with me by the end of the first date."
"I don't fall that easily," Sarah said, "It took you how long to woo me?"
"Yes, but you had me cast as the villain and by the time we had moved past that, another villain appeared to distract you from how much you wanted me."
Sarah snickered. "I forget about this side of you sometimes, Jareth."
"Do you doubt my skills?" Jareth said.
"Oh, I don't doubt you could have seduced me. You probably could have done that in the tunnels if Hoggle wasn't there and you hadn't stolen Toby."
"Given. I was given Toby," Jareth said. He grinned. "I am glad you admitted I was quite seductive."
"Uh huh. Don't get too happy. Seduction is not the same as falling in love and you know it," Sarah said, "The ballroom and the Escher Room are prime examples of those two being messed up."
"You were in charge of the ballroom while I tried to fulfill your expectations, precious. You had to say the Words at the end or we could not be together, much as I loathed it at the time," Jareth said.
"True," Sarah said, "So, what if you could make me fall in love with you in one date? What do you win?"
"You, precious, will wear that lovely green dress around 221b for a week," Jareth said.
"I am always amazed at what you consider sexy. There is nothing showing from that dress," Sarah said.
"But I also have not seen your lovely legs bare since September," Jareth said. He leaned towards Sarah and breathed cool air behind her ear. "I quite like your legs."
Sarah felt shivers run up and down her spine as he spoke.
"And what if I am not madly in love by the end of the date, Jareth?"
"I am sure you will think of something," Jareth said.
"Top four buttons undone and no gloves for a week around 221b unless you are carrying out experiments," Sarah said far too quickly.
Jareth chuckled. "Is that what you enjoy of me, precious?"
"Maybe," Sarah said, her voice a little too high.
"I will accept the bet if you agree to my terms. I will have to be able to retrieve your number from you before the date in some way," Jareth said.
"All right."
"You will act like you normally do for your other… dates," Jareth said the last word with a bit of malice.
"Hey, you can't complain about my old dates if I can't complain about your far more numerous partners," Sarah said.
Jareth sighed. "Agreed. Well, Sarah?"
"Fine, I agree. Do I get to pepper spray you if you get too frisky?" Sarah asked with a smirk.
&%&%&%
Jareth still escorted Sarah to work, but he would stay out of sight for several days. He wanted to surprise her when he asked her out. And Jareth is back to his stalking ways.
On the fifth day of this, Sarah almost forgot about her bet with Jareth. When the doors closed behind Sarah when she got on the Tube at Baker Street, she was able to find a seat fairly quickly.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but may I have the seat next to you," Jareth said.
Sarah looked up and it took her a second to remember their previous discussion on the Underground. "Go ahead," Sarah said.
"American?" Jareth asked as he sat next to Sarah.
"Yes," Sarah said.
"Enjoying the overpriced sights of London?" Jareth said.
"Living and working mostly," Sarah said.
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Most of the time. You? Do you enjoy your work?"
"Yes. Quite rewarding," Jareth said.
"Intrinsically or extrinsically?"
"Oh, both. You?"
"Intrinsically, but I have enough extrinsic rewards to live comfortably," Sarah said.
"Being a nurse makes you happy then?"
"How do you know I'm a nurse?"
"The same way I know you grew up in New York in a middle class neighborhood but in your teen years moved to New Hampshire but that one of your parents lived in the Chicago area. You have three younger siblings who you don't see frequently but you do care about. You are a regular user of the Underground. You just recently visited the Golden Hinde. You are interested in me and are willing to listen to more. Am I wrong?"
Sarah resisted smiling. "You are very correct sir, but how do you know all of that?"
"The accent is just a matter of listening. You have a Cubs pin on your backpack and I inferred that since you did not live there for any length of time that one of your parents was a fan. Your phone has a picture of your three siblings celebrating the American holiday of Thanksgiving which happened in November. It is now the beginning of April. You bought a holder for your Oyster card but it is not touristy. Just something basic but long lasting. You are using a ticket from the Golden Hinde as a bookmark which is dated from this month, though I did not see the exact date. Your feet are pointing towards me which means you are interested in the conversation. You mirrored the way I crossed my arms which means that you want to emulate the person you are speaking with. Generally, these are signs of interest."
"How did you know I was a nurse? I'm not wearing scrubs," Sarah said.
Jareth held up Sarah's I.D. tag. "You dropped it when you sat down, Nurse Williams."
"I am mildly impressed."
"Only mildly?"
"You just looked at the things I had and made guesses."
"I don't just look. People see but they do not observe. I observe."
"So you cold read people? Like fortune tellers?"
"Like fortune tellers, but for less dubious purposes."
"And what is it you do, since you know my profession?"
"I am a consulting detective. The only one in the world."
Sarah pretended to have a moment of recognition. "Oh. You're Jareth King. You're the detective who has that fedora."
Jareth frowned. "It was not my hat. I don't know why that picture keeps showing up."
"You looked good in it," Sarah said.
Jareth looked away for a moment, trying not to act pleased. He acts like a peacock half the time.
"Since you have my name and I only have half of yours, would you tell me?"
"Oh, you can't deduce it?" Sarah asked.
"I cannot pluck a name from a person unless I have something like a name tag. I use logic in my work but names are not always logical," Jareth said.
Sarah tilted her head. "Why do you want my name?"
"I would like to know you better," Jareth said.
"Sarah. What would you like to know?"
"What your plans are for Thursday night?"
She laughed. "Forward, aren't you?"
"I find it helps move things along. Would you rather I come to you stuttering and nervous making it seem as if I wanted nothing from you?" He leaned forward, breaking into her personal space. He said in a low tone, "Or would you rather have the naked truth?" He sat back and grinned.
Sarah wrapped a stray lock of her hair around her index finger. Trying to throw me off balance? Two can play that game. His eyes drifted to Sarah's hand.
"Hm… I suppose it depends on what you really want. You are just asking what my plans are. You could be a spy who has been sent to track my movements or a serial killer," Sarah said.
"A date is what I am asking for."
"January 8th. David Bowie's birthday. I watched The Prestige."
"Not like that. It's where two people who like each other go out and have fun."
"That's what I was suggesting." Sarah smirked.
"Are you free for dinner and entertainment this Thursday?" Jareth asked.
Sarah pulled out her phone and flipped through her calendar. "Hmm… I'm working until five."
"I will meet you at seven. Where should I pick you up?"
"I haven't said yes."
"But you checked your phone. If you did not want a date, you would have just said no or made up an excuse for being busy that night."
"Seven thirty and I will meet you where you decide to go."
"I will need your phone number to send you the details," Jareth said.
They "exchanged" numbers. "
This is my stop," Sarah said.
"Have a pleasant day at work, Sarah. I hope to see you on Thursday."
When Sarah was out of the station, she felt Jareth place his arm around her shoulders and she slipped her arm around his waist. I missed this.
"I am afraid Jareth that I've been hit by, been struck by, a smooth criminal," Sarah said.
"I am sure he was quite handsome as well," Jareth said.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"You will have to wait for that text."
"Not even a little hint?"
"None."
&%&%&%
"Walkable shoes?" Sarah shouted from the living room to the kitchen.
"You are supposed to text back," Jareth shouted back.
"You are taking me on a case," Sarah said.
"I would have specified gloves and a magnifying glass if that were true," Jareth said.
&%&%&%
Jareth was waiting at Angelo's. He did not like waiting. Sarah has to be purposefully doing this. 221 is only five minutes away.
Sarah rushed into the restaurant. "Sorry. I had problems getting a cab."
"That's all right. It happens," Jareth said.
Jareth stood up and grinned. Sarah had gotten a new dress without him noticing. This one was red with small white polka dots. The black belt showed off her small waist. Sarah had taken time to put her hair in a neat bun with a curled lock on either side of her face.
Sarah was someone who liked to wear beautiful things, though she rarely had time to be dressed up. When she did dress up, Sarah did it for herself and that's why he liked it when she put an extra effort in her appearance. It meant that it was a better day for her and Sarah was not worrying about the entire world.
He helped Sarah out of her coat. The dress was sleeveless and Jareth fought back the urge to kiss her neck.
"You look lovely," Jareth said.
"Thank you. You are looking snazzy yourself," Sarah said.
Jareth hardly considered this his best outfit, He did prefer leather and tights but that might not be the best message on a "first" date in the modern human world.
Angelo quickly took their order. Jareth spoke first, "If this was a first date, Angelo would have told you his story."
"And I would think you were a show-off, which you are," Sarah said.
"Well, one should get to know the worst in the other as quickly as possible so that you can decide whether or not you can live with those flaws."
"What about putting on a good front?" Sarah asked.
"You put a positive spin on it. For example, I may be a show-off, but it is only because I am that good."
Sarah laughed honestly. "Very true."
&%&%&%
After dinner, Jareth took Sarah to the Royal Observatory. They took the Underground; the lengthy ride gave them more time to talk and flirt. Mostly flirting.
"A private tour?" Sarah asked.
"Yes," Jareth said, "It is a steep hike, thus the text about the shoes."
The tour included the Prime Meridian and its museum. Jareth seemed highly interested in the exploration equipment and the creation of longitude. Sarah only had redeveloped an interest in astronomy since Jareth had rekindled his own interest in the subject. She did enjoy the little side stories Jareth told her about the great scientists and explorers. Sarah suspected that if Jareth was not acting the part of a human the stories would be firsthand accounts.
Sarah adored seeing through a high powered telescope. Even with the light pollution, she saw more stars than ever before. Jareth told her the myths and legends and broke out of the "first date" act to remind her of the Bright Star.
They went through the park to reach the Underground. "I don't think we are supposed to be out here after dark," Sarah said.
"I know, but I need to tell you something with no ears to hear us," Jareth said.
"You don't have a kid that is bent on ruling the galaxy with you as father and son, do you?" Sarah asked.
"No. Nothing that dramatic," Jareth said, "We promised to be honest about ourselves and I intend to keep that promise. However, this is not fully my secret. Two others know; one will be in mortal danger if the word was spread."
"Jareth, what's wrong?"
Jareth stopped walking and faced Sarah. He held her hands in his. "Irene Adler is alive. She is currently hiding out in places I don't even know. Sherlock helped me."
"What."
"I have only loved you, Sarah. I did not… do not think that Adler deserves to die. I could do something about it and I did. It was not from any personal feelings to her. Those have been dead for centuries. I did it for my own very, very, very, very small conscience."
"Why did you keep the phone?" Sarah bit her lip.
"You never know what will come in handy and… sentiment. Two centuries old sentiment. Long dead sentiment. The ashes have been scattered in the sun sentiment."
Sarah squeezed Jareth's hands. "I'm glad that she isn't dead. It would have hurt you."
"She doesn't matter."
"There is nothing wrong with having people you used to care for. You try to learn from those situations." Sarah pulled Jareth down for a kiss. "I love you."
"I love you as well."
"I don't doubt your faithfulness in me. I believe in your Jareth."
Jareth rested his head against Sarah's.
"Let's go home," Sarah said.
"The date is not over," Jareth said.
"What else do you have in mind?"
&%&%&%
"You are sentimental," Sarah said as Jareth escorted her into a ballroom dance club.
"Very much so, I fear. Can you live with that?" Jareth asked.
"I think I could."
&%&%&%
Jareth escorted Sarah to the door of 221 and he stopped before the steps while Sarah went up them. "Well, Sarah, I have enjoyed getting to know you."
"I enjoyed our date too."
"May I call on you again?" Jareth asked.
Sarah smiled slightly. "You may." She leaned down and kissed Jareth's cheek. "Good night, Mr. King."
Jareth smiled. "Good night, Ms. Williams."
Sarah closed the door behind her and squeed. She loved the date as well as how adorable and honest Jareth had been with her.
Jareth opened the door and pulled Sarah against him. "Well, precious, are you in love?"
"With you? Always. With Mr. King? I am just highly interested."
"What."
Sarah turned around and tangled her fingers in Jareth's hair. "I don't fall in love easily, Jareth. Some people fall in love after speaking to someone for a few minutes. I take longer. I don't know Mr. King that well. I know how he presented himself but not what he was really like.
"You? I have seen your heart and have learned to love you. You are mine and I am yours. I could never love anyone as I love you."
Jareth sighed and rested his head against Sarah's. "I suppose I am the same. I am over three hundred years old and you are the only one I have ever loved."
"Strangers to love and all that?"
Jareth gave Sarah a long chaste kiss and he dipped her slightly.
Sarah broke off the kiss. "I am about to say something really ridiculous so please don't laugh."
"I will do my best."
Sarah made sure she had eye contact with Jareth. "I think that we're… destined. I think that… no matter where or when, we will always find each other and we will always be each other's. It may take time and there may be pain but… the two of us will always be."
Jareth smiled. "That's not silly at all."
&%&%&%
The next day, Lestrade came to them with a case and found Sarah wearing a green sun dress (though there was still snow on the ground) and Jareth wearing his shirt almost entirely unbuttoned.
"Did I interrupt something?" Lestrade said.
"No. Just living, Lestrade," Sarah said.
&%&%&%
A/N: I needed fluff. I needed fluff bad after writing some of the scenes in "Up or Down?".
I have not been to the planetarium by the Prime Meridian but I have been to the Prime Meridian museum. Any errors about the planetarium are entirely my own. I based it off Chicago's planetarium where they do have research done there on light pollution.