What Dreams Hold – Chapter One
Sarah sat up in bed with a jolt, hair and night shirt stuck to her with sweat. She looked around to make sure that she was home. This was how it always happened, every night the same thing. She would dream about her trip through the Labyrinth.
It always had this effect on her. It might have been easier if it was the exact same dream over and over, but it was not. Every night was a bit different – she dreamt of a different part of her adventure.
The dreams had begun on her 18th birthday. She was now 21. Last night's dream seemed so much more real to her than any of the others had. She jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She washed her face with cold water and looked into the mirror.
Last night's dream was not the same as the others. In this dream she was not the 15 year old girl that she was the first time even though she looked no different. Same long dark hair, her eyes were the same. Oh God, she thought, even my body was the same.
How could this be? In every other dream things happened as they had when she was there. It was like she was watching a movie re-run of her time in the Labyrinth. So why were her dreams changing now? What is this supposed to mean? She didn't want to go back to sleep - didn't know if she could.
Sarah jumped in the shower trying to wash off the residual effects of the dream. Her mind wandered to Jareth. At first she had blamed him for the dreams. She knew that he was the only one that could have possibly sent them, but he himself, had not graced her dreams in a long time. She didn't know if she liked that or not, because she couldn't imagine the Labyrinth without him. What is a fairy tale without the Prince? Oh. Did I just call him a Prince?
Feeling very confused, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Wrapping the towel around her, she headed downstairs. She got a glass of cold water and looked at the clock. It was five-thirty. Damn, I don't even have college today. She sat the glass down and went back upstairs to get dressed.
She dressed simply - a pair of jeans and a shirt. She sat down at her mirror and ran a brush through her hair. Grabbing her coat, she went downstairs. If I can't sleep I might as well go for a walk. She took her keys and walked out the door, locking it behind her.
Reaching the park, she sat on a bench. Looking around, she remembered how she used to come here all the time as a child. A smile graced her features as she thought about the dress she would put on when she came out here, and how she would stand over that bridge acting out the final scene from the Labyrinth. She had been so young, with her head in the clouds.
That all changed when she came back from the Labyrinth. No, she corrected herself. It was when she met Jareth. He had awakened something in her then. She knew it the day after she came back that her life would be very different from now on. He was in the first dream. She had awoke with such a scare she nearly slapped herself to make sure that it was not starting all over again.
That was three years ago. Now…sometimes she found herself wanting him to be in her dreams. It's been so long since I've seen you... The clock chimed five times. She looked up. "Oh God...have I really been sitting here that long thinking?"
This is the way it always was on days when she had no class. It didn't matter where she was; she would sit and pass the day thinking of the Labyrinth and, here lately, Jareth. She got up and began the walk home.
Looking to the sky she noticed a white owl sitting in a tree not too far from where she had been. This was not the first time she had seen it. "Were you watching me again?" she asked, knowing the owl couldn't speak. She saw it all the time now, almost always in the same spot, as if the owl watched over her.
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He wanted so much to fly out of the tree and show her that he was here. How he longed just to touch her and show her how he felt about her. He wanted her by his side - to take her away from here - to live with, to be with him. She had to be the one to say it. He could not go to her. She had to come to him.
He had wanted her since the first moment he laid eyes upon her. She was his world. Even though he could not have her right now, he would wait until the world turned to ash. As long as he had her in the end, nothing else mattered. This was how his days went - he would sit and watch over the one that he loved.
One day she would call for him. Little did she know it would be soon, but it would not soon enough for him. He needed to take care of some things, but he would be back - back in time to watch her sleep. Oh how he loved to watch sleep. The owl left its perch in the tree and flew on into the sky. I will be back tonight my love.
Back in his home, Jareth walked the floor over and over trying to fight off sleep. Sleep did not come easy to him any more - not since she entered his life. How he longed for one night of dreamless sleep. Perhaps only then would he get his mind into order.
Did he really want to sleep without dreaming of her? Yes, the dreams took their toll on him, but at least in the dreams he could be close to her. Throwing himself onto his bed, he looks out the window. "Why do I let you do this to me Sarah?"
With that, sleep overtook him. He began to dream of her, of gazing into her green eyes. "I've brought you a gift." With that, it started all over for him.
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Sarah returned home with wine and a movie. She had stopped by the movie place in hopes of getting something to take her mind off things for a bit. "Maybe I can have one night without thinking of you."
She went up to her room to change. Looking around, she settled on a white tank top and pajama pants. The pants were too big, but she liked the way they felt. Running her hands through her hair, she walked downstairs. Grabbing a wine glass, the movie, and the wine bottle, she headed to the living room. She popped the tape in and settling on the couch, poured herself a glass of wine.
She held the glass into the air and smiled. "Here's to you Jareth, the one who will not let me sleep." She took a drink and nearly spit it out. She wasn't used to drinking the stuff. "Ugh...it's gross. I don't know how people drink this stuff." But, needing something to relax her and knowing the more she drank the easier it would be, she downed the first glass and poured herself another.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the ringing of the phone. She went over to pick it up and plopped back down on the couch. Answering the insistent ring, she discovered her good friend Tammi on the end of the line. Wishing Sarah a happy birthday, Tammi apologizes that she won't be able to come to town to be with her today.
Sarah tells her that it's ok and let her go with a goodbye, noticing her wine glass empty – again. She filled her glass once more. The wine is already getting to her, making her thoughts fuzzy. Forgetting about the movie she laid down on the couch. Not able to keep her eyes open, sleep overtakes her.
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Jareth's eyes snapped open, looking around to make sure that he is still in his bed. Seeing the time he realized he had not been asleep for long. Yes. He had seen her in his dream. What was it that woke him?
Out of the night he hears a voice. He knows this voice - it is Sarah. "Here's to you Jareth." Wait. Could it be...? Was she thinking about him as he was thinking about her...? Why else would she call his name?
Pushing the thought from his mind he laid back down. "It was just part of the dream," he told himself. "They are becoming so real lately...so real. I could almost touch you my dear." Sleep returned once more. As his eyes closed, one name left his lips: "Sarah."
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Sarah's dream started where last night's left off. She was walking through the tunnel which held the rock faces. Looking around she knew that something was missing. "This seems so weird...someone was with me last time. Who...I can't remember."
The voices of the rock forms snap her out of her thoughts. "Don't go on." "Turn back while you still can." "This is not the way."
Just as she thought it would be the same as it always was, the last rock said, "He has been waiting for you." She stopped dead in her tracks. "What…he is here in my dream? It's only a dream Sarah; you need to wake up now."
Her feet would not move, not knowing if she wanted to run and find him or run away. Looking down for the first time she noticed what she was wearing. Not in her jeans and white shirt, and she was not the little girl that she was when she was first here.
She was her – as she was now – at 21, wearing the shirt and pajama pants. "I can't let him see me like this even if this is a dream." She turned to run and slammed into something or someone, sending her to the ground. She didn't want to know what or who it was she had run into, but it was a lot softer than the stone wall would have been. She shut her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again, she would be at home.
Two hands grabbed her arms, pulling her up. Not wanting to see who it was she turned to run. As soon as she did there was Jareth. She backed away from him and ran into a wall, instantly knowing he put it there to keep her from running away.
Jareth looked her up and down. Sarah had grown up into a woman. He smiled as his eyes looked over her - from the pants that rested on her hips to the white tan top that fit her like a second skin. Sarah had grown up all right and he liked what his eyes showed him. Her hair had gotten longer and it danced around her face. But Sarah was not looking at him - he would have to change that. Walking over to her, he stopped just two feet away and rested his arm on the wall.
"How are you enjoying my Labyrinth, Sarah?"
She looked up at him now. God he looks just as good as I remember. She looked at him, up and down, trying to think of something to say. She hated how having him this close made her feel. She looked up in to his eyes. "It is still the same."
Jareth looked at her. "It is not the same Sarah. If you have not noticed, things are very different now."
Sarah could not even think. She did not know if she wanted to kiss him or start wishing herself home.
Jareth closed the distance between them and pinned her in, putting one arm on each side of her. He was so close now she could feel his hot breath on her face. "My Labyrinth is different Sarah. Just as you are…well…different yourself."
Sarah's mind was all cloudy and she wanted to say something, but she did not know what that was. Jareth's eyes burned deep into hers. Sarah wanted to look away, but he was so close that he was the only thing in her view. So…she tried to look down and there was his soft chest. How do I know that it is soft? I've never touched it, but I would like to… Stop it Sarah, you have to think.
Her eyes traveled lower until she saw the part… Oh God. Sarah's face turned red as she quickly looked back up at Jareth.
"Do you like what you see Sarah?" He had a smile on his face now.
"Yes. I mean...um...well maybe." She was kicking herself now. She had not meant to say anything.
Jareth moved his face so close to hers that she could almost feel his lips. "Because, I like everything, that I see Sarah."
Taking one hand, he pushed it to the small of her back and pulled her to him. Before she could think he was kissing her. His other hand was in her hair, holding her head.
Sarah did not know what to do. She had never been kissed before. God, he knows how to kiss. Just then her head started to spin and she felt as if she were falling. Sarah's body made a thud as it hit the ground. Opening her eyes she realized she had fallen off her bed and hit the floor. "It was a dream."
Getting up from the floor, Sarah sat back down on the bed. Putting a hand on her mouth, she could still feel his kiss. It was just a dream. So how can I still feel his lips on mine?