Authors's Note: I do not own Jareth, sadness. I do mostly own Morrigan, if you don't know who she is please go read Masquerade by ShinyVampiricArmor. It only has two chapters but we are working on it. As for my other story, Peaches...I have major writer's block, please don't kill me.
She sat in the gardens, crying in the rain. She wasn't surprised when he walked up behind her.
"Fight with the family?" The question was soft and melted into the rain easily.
"It happens every year on Christmas Eve...I don't know why. I act like a brat and they respond and I end up upset." The girl looked down, examining the rings that appeared with each drop of rain and tears.
He hesitated, not used to comforting and unsure as to what she would do if he tried to. Finally, at a loss of anything else to do, he took off his leather jacket and dropped it around her shoulders. She moved to pull it off, and he quickly held it in place.
"It's cold and you're in a t-shirt and jeans. Just take the coat." He watched the back of her head, silently wishing she would turn around. Her hand dropped from trying to remove the jacket.
"I'll get the lining all wet." She said softly, more to the rain than to him.
"I know. It's alright. So, why come to the gardens? Everything is dead right now." He was honestly curious but he also wanted to distract her.
"That's kind of the point." She looked up at him, tears falling silently down her face.
Throwing all things kingly to the wind, he sat down beside her and hugged her. She buried her face in his shirt crying in earnest now, not bothering to be quiet anymore. He pulled her closer, not entirely sure what to do. Most girls cried because of him, comfort was a new thing to him. After much debate, he simply laid his head down on her own soaked head.
"How long have you been out here?" The question was softly asked. The only reason he asked was because she was soaked to the bone and starting to shiver violently in the forty degree air.
"A while."
He sighed and pulled her closer. She made no indication of wanting to leave, or objecting his arms around her. However, he knew she needed to go home at some point and if she went home sopping wet another argument would happen and the whole process would repeat. Taking a deep breath he teleported them to his castle.
She looked up at the change in lighting, though the temperature actually dropped to the low teens.
"Why are we Underground?"
"Because, you needed to dry off so you can go home." He pulled her to her feet and smiled sadly at her. He would never tell her so, but she looked half drowned as she stood there. Her clothes, and his jacket, were plastered to her, there was an ever increasing pool of water at her feet, and her tightly braided hair was dripping a steady stream. She was also shivering violently.
"So you bring me somewhere ev..v..ven cold..d..der than where we were?" She would have glared if she had been in the mood, as it was she merely slumped her shoulders and looked down at the puddle that was already freezing.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and transported them again, this time to the library. He waved a hand at the fireplace, making the fire blaze cheerily.
"Better?" He reached out and gently broke off the icicle that was forming at the end of her braid. He smiled sadly at her, knowing that she didn't enjoy the fights. Not the real ones anyway. She would bicker and jab and argue you black and blue. But an honest to goodness, screaming and attitude fight she never enjoyed.
She sat down on the rug in front of the fire, hugging her arms around herself. He sat down beside her, making a blanket appear around her shoulders. She giggled slightly, remembering a similar scene in Beauty and the Beast. She fell silent as she stared into the flames. The glow warmed her, the fire danced in her eyes.
He watched her take heart from the warmth and the flame. She was his little pyro, and it amused him to no end that one little mortal girl, some fire, and some flammable materials could leave lasting impressions on others without her even doing much.
She looked up at him suddenly. She was nearly dry and slid his jacket off as she shook her hair.
"I should go home. They'll start to worry."
He reached out and pulled her close, smelling the gardens, the fire, her dried tears, and underneath it all the smell of winter. He never wanted to let her go. But as quickly as he pulled her close he let her go. They were standing on her porch. He smiled faintly at her.
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Merry Christmas Jareth." She said softly before going inside in a far better mood than when she'd left.
He stood outside, hidden by the glow of the Christmas tree. He watched her laugh and taunt her father and sister before smiling slightly.
"Merry Christmas Morrigan."