Peaches
potr
Dedicated to JDPhoenix, who nurtured my love of Labyrinth until it was as great as hers.
Contrary to what one might think, she didn't have an aversion to peaches. She bought them often, and ate them before they went bad. She bought peach-scented candles and drank peach-flavored tea if she so chose. She liked the taste and the smell, liked the memories they brought her.
The first time she ate a peach while talking to Hoggle, he was shocked. He told her that he'd assumed her experiences in the Labyrinth would scar her—she would never even be able to think about peaches without shuddering in horror. She returned that if she were really that bothered by what had happened, she would have cut off ties with her friends. The exchange happened when she was twenty-three years old. She showed no signs of wishing to stop communicating with Hoggle, Didymus, or Ludo.
When Toby was old enough to really understand her, she began telling him tales about the Labyrinth. She told him to choose the door on the left if he came across the Knights and Knaves and that if he did chose to go through the door on the right, he should tell the hands he wanted to go up. She also said that he should accept the worm's invitation to meet the missus.
She showed him all the toys that reminded her of her stay, telling him the names of the people she'd met and how they'd helped her or hindered her, and telling him what they got up to now. Once, Toby asked what became of the Goblin King. Sarah told him honestly that she didn't know, because she didn't ask after him. She assumed he was living as usual, terrorizing the goblins with that affection she had seen once in his eyes, taking children away from the places they weren't wanted.
It never occurred to her that the Goblin King had taken an interest in her beyond the day she'd defeated his Labyrinth.
One day, she sat down with a peach and bit into it. The flesh was firm, but with give, and a smile curved her mouth as she pulled back and savored the bite, wiping at the juice that had run down her chin. There was a tang to the peach that had been given to her, something that all the others before and after it lacked. The peach was still as sweet and delicious as it was without that little hint of magic, but the memory of it was what drew her back each time.
"You may've been careless in your placement of clocks, Jareth," she whispered to herself. "But you sure knew how to make a peach."
A familiar voice greeted her ears and she jumped. "I'm glad you think so, precious."
"Wha—?" She turned in her seat at the kitchen table to find that Jareth was leaning against the counter behind her, smirking and looking just as Jareth as ever. After a moment she calmed and gave him a wary look. It wasn't quite accusing or suspicious, just wary, as though she knew that he was probably up to tricks. "I should have known—saying your name summons you. Although why you haven't shown up before now is a mystery."
He chose to leave the question in her voice unanswered and instead continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I'll admit—I didn't believe it when Hoggle's report came in last month. I would have thought you'd sworn off peaches for good."
"Hoggle reports to you?" she said, raising her eyebrows. His shrug caused her to roll her eyes, which caused his smirk to broaden, which caused her to scowl a bit. "No, I don't have a fear of peaches. As a matter of fact, they're my favorite fruit."
It was Jareth's turn to raise his brows, but he said nothing as the girl took another bite of the peach, this time smaller, and managed only to dribble a little bit of juice down her chin. She swept it away with a napkin this time, rather than her hand, and he finally spoke when she looked back up at him with almost an expectant expression.
"So, why did you summon me today?" he asked, crossing his arms and giving her his most imperious look. Sarah stared at him for a good, long while before she finally shrugged and reached for the bowl in the middle of the table. She tossed a peach to him, which he caught easily, and gestured at the chair next to her.
"Have a seat, eat a peach," she said. "We haven't talked for, what? Eight years now, isn't it?"
For what was probably the first time in her life, she saw Jareth smile without a hint of sadness, pity, smugness, or egotism.
He sat next to her.
And they talked.
a/n: So, this is really mostly pointless. I don't see a reason to expand it, since there was no plot or reason. I'm not done with Labyrinth—I've barely dipped my toes into that pool and I can't wait to immerse myself. Tell me what you think?
Love,
Beth.