Chapter One:
Aboveground:
"Bree, come straight home after school today, alright?" The sixteen-year- old waved a hand impatiently at her mother while she trudged down the street, dragging her feet as she went. Sarah shot one last concerned look at her daughter, but then shut the door, and went inside.
She stopped in the middle of the foyer. Someone was watching her. She turned slowly, but saw nothing. Jareth. She frowned, but turned and walked away.
Underground:
Jareth smiled, and destroyed the crystal that he held in his hand.
"Watching her again, love?" a sly voice flittered through the air, and the Queen of the Underground walked to her husband.
"I have to keep an eye on her." He hissed. "She ruined me once- I cannot allow her to gain even the slightest advantage over me."
Anita laughed. "Jareth, she has no one, not even the brother that she taxed herself so much to get back when you took him. All she's got is that foolish girl."
Jareth sighed. "All human girls are foolish, especially at that age."
His wife grabbed his hands and kneeled in front of the throne so that her eyes were level with his. "Send Cameron."
"What?" Jareth's eyes snapped into focus.
Anita kissed him softly, running a hand down the side of his face. "Send Cameron to destroy them."
The Goblin King snorted. "Sure. I'll risk my only heir for some idiot woman and her equally idiotic child."
Anita kissed him again. "Go."
~*~*~*~*~
Cameron laughed harshly. "You want me to go kill off some human broad?"
Jareth's eyes narrowed. "You don't understand-"
"Of course I understand. This woman humiliated you, so you want to send me to kill her. Do your dirty work, as they say."
Jareth opened his mouth, but his son cut him off. "I'm not going to fight your enemies, father."
Jareth backhanded his son and swore, then stormed from the room.
Cameron raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Two could play at this game.
~*~*~*~*~
Bree walked into her room, bandaging the wrist she had cut too deep. Her olive skin was scarred down her right arm, due to memories from a.less than perfect childhood. She whipped around and punched the wall. Damn him. Damn them all.
She stopped. The mirror next to her showed a man in her room. He was tall with dark hair and coal black eyes, dressed all in black. His black hair hung past his shoulders, alive with natural streaks of red.
"What do you want?" she hissed, turning to face him.
The man smiled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me."
She grabbed her thin lamp, and rushed at him, raising it with one arm above her head. He caught her arm, and held her back at an arms length. "Get out of my room." She spat, her gray eyes narrowed in fury.
The fae pushed her back and brought up his right hand. "I've brought you a gift." In his hand appeared a black onyx orb- a trait he inherited from his father.
Bree snorted. 'You're going to have to bring something better than that to impress me."
"I bring myself."
She laughed aloud this time. "I don't need or want anybody."
"Oh, but you do, Brigid."
Shock flittered across her face, but was replaced by her old devil-may-care look. "Who says?"
"I do?"
"And who are you, may I ask?"
He smiled a half smile. "My name is Cameron."
"And who are you, Cameron."
His smile broadened. "You know my father."
She laughed. "I can assure you I don't."
"Yes you do. Jareth, the Goblin King."
Bree stared at Cameron. "You're mad."
He reached over to grab her arm, but she pushed him away. "Mom! Mom!"
He snatched at her again, this time his hand connected with her arm. "She can't hear you. I've made she can't."
Bree's eyes grew wide. "Let me go."
"No." Cameron sneered, and he gripped her arm tighter.
"Let go of me, you jackass." She spat.
But instead of letting go, Cameron pulled her to him, and kissed her, softly- not at all what she expected from him.
The kiss broke, and he ran a hand through her hair. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"No, you won't" He turned back to her, shock on his face.
"I don't ever want to see you again." She hissed.
"Why-"
"You're a liar, you're arrogant, you're a-"
"Alright. Alright." Cameron smiled, surprising Bree once again.
She didn't stop, though. "Your 'family' is one that my mother told me about in fairy tales. The person you claim is your father is just a character in a story."
Cameron held up a hand to silence her. "You lie!" she spat. "And I hate liars!"
She moved to hit him again, but he grabbed on to her once more. "Silence." He hissed, and leaned down and kissed her roughly.
She tried to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her, and he deepened the kiss. "I'll be back tomorrow." He said after he pulled away. Cameron conjured up one last crystal, handed it to her, and disappeared into the night.
Bree opened her closet, threw in the onyx orb, and went to sleep. She had hoped for a deep sleep without interruption, but a dark man haunted her dreams.
Aboveground:
"Bree, come straight home after school today, alright?" The sixteen-year- old waved a hand impatiently at her mother while she trudged down the street, dragging her feet as she went. Sarah shot one last concerned look at her daughter, but then shut the door, and went inside.
She stopped in the middle of the foyer. Someone was watching her. She turned slowly, but saw nothing. Jareth. She frowned, but turned and walked away.
Underground:
Jareth smiled, and destroyed the crystal that he held in his hand.
"Watching her again, love?" a sly voice flittered through the air, and the Queen of the Underground walked to her husband.
"I have to keep an eye on her." He hissed. "She ruined me once- I cannot allow her to gain even the slightest advantage over me."
Anita laughed. "Jareth, she has no one, not even the brother that she taxed herself so much to get back when you took him. All she's got is that foolish girl."
Jareth sighed. "All human girls are foolish, especially at that age."
His wife grabbed his hands and kneeled in front of the throne so that her eyes were level with his. "Send Cameron."
"What?" Jareth's eyes snapped into focus.
Anita kissed him softly, running a hand down the side of his face. "Send Cameron to destroy them."
The Goblin King snorted. "Sure. I'll risk my only heir for some idiot woman and her equally idiotic child."
Anita kissed him again. "Go."
~*~*~*~*~
Cameron laughed harshly. "You want me to go kill off some human broad?"
Jareth's eyes narrowed. "You don't understand-"
"Of course I understand. This woman humiliated you, so you want to send me to kill her. Do your dirty work, as they say."
Jareth opened his mouth, but his son cut him off. "I'm not going to fight your enemies, father."
Jareth backhanded his son and swore, then stormed from the room.
Cameron raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Two could play at this game.
~*~*~*~*~
Bree walked into her room, bandaging the wrist she had cut too deep. Her olive skin was scarred down her right arm, due to memories from a.less than perfect childhood. She whipped around and punched the wall. Damn him. Damn them all.
She stopped. The mirror next to her showed a man in her room. He was tall with dark hair and coal black eyes, dressed all in black. His black hair hung past his shoulders, alive with natural streaks of red.
"What do you want?" she hissed, turning to face him.
The man smiled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me."
She grabbed her thin lamp, and rushed at him, raising it with one arm above her head. He caught her arm, and held her back at an arms length. "Get out of my room." She spat, her gray eyes narrowed in fury.
The fae pushed her back and brought up his right hand. "I've brought you a gift." In his hand appeared a black onyx orb- a trait he inherited from his father.
Bree snorted. 'You're going to have to bring something better than that to impress me."
"I bring myself."
She laughed aloud this time. "I don't need or want anybody."
"Oh, but you do, Brigid."
Shock flittered across her face, but was replaced by her old devil-may-care look. "Who says?"
"I do?"
"And who are you, may I ask?"
He smiled a half smile. "My name is Cameron."
"And who are you, Cameron."
His smile broadened. "You know my father."
She laughed. "I can assure you I don't."
"Yes you do. Jareth, the Goblin King."
Bree stared at Cameron. "You're mad."
He reached over to grab her arm, but she pushed him away. "Mom! Mom!"
He snatched at her again, this time his hand connected with her arm. "She can't hear you. I've made she can't."
Bree's eyes grew wide. "Let me go."
"No." Cameron sneered, and he gripped her arm tighter.
"Let go of me, you jackass." She spat.
But instead of letting go, Cameron pulled her to him, and kissed her, softly- not at all what she expected from him.
The kiss broke, and he ran a hand through her hair. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"No, you won't" He turned back to her, shock on his face.
"I don't ever want to see you again." She hissed.
"Why-"
"You're a liar, you're arrogant, you're a-"
"Alright. Alright." Cameron smiled, surprising Bree once again.
She didn't stop, though. "Your 'family' is one that my mother told me about in fairy tales. The person you claim is your father is just a character in a story."
Cameron held up a hand to silence her. "You lie!" she spat. "And I hate liars!"
She moved to hit him again, but he grabbed on to her once more. "Silence." He hissed, and leaned down and kissed her roughly.
She tried to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her, and he deepened the kiss. "I'll be back tomorrow." He said after he pulled away. Cameron conjured up one last crystal, handed it to her, and disappeared into the night.
Bree opened her closet, threw in the onyx orb, and went to sleep. She had hoped for a deep sleep without interruption, but a dark man haunted her dreams.