Jareth wandered aimlessly through his castle, sighing dramatically every now and again to break up the silence. The trouble was that everything had grown so monotonous lately - in fact, if he was totally honest with himself - things hadn't really picked back up since Sarah had beaten his labyrinth and ran away home.
That she had won wasn't what kept him from looking for her these past years so much as how thoroughly she'd rejected him. He refused to even think about her for the first few years, but recently the king had become increasingly wistful, his dreams full of dark hair and defiance.
Loathed was he to say it but he missed Sarah. What he wouldn't give for a good toe-to-toe clash of wits with her right now.
Making the decision on a whim, he produced a crystal and whispered her name.
The orb's contents swirled like mist before clearing to reveal a bright kitchen full of shiny appliances, a windowsill bursting with pots of herbs and... Hoggle?
"What's that hobbling halfwit doing in Sarah's home?" Jareth mused aloud as he tilted his head and craned to see the areas beyond the crystals range.
The gnarled dwarf seemed to be chopping something on a board and placing it into a container he couldn't quite see. "Oh, be damned with this!" Jareth bellowed as he flung the crystal to the floor and vanished into a shimmering mist.
Perched on a tree branch outside Sarah's kitchen window disguised by his owl form, Jareth had an unimpeded view of the activity within. Not only was Hoggle now on his list of traitorous subject's well overdue a good bogging, but it seemed he also needed to add Sir Didymus, his mutt and their hulking orange friend to the list as well.
They were all sat quite cozily around a breakfast table while his pesky gardener continued to chop, what he could now clearly see was, a large basket of fruit into smaller pieces and dropping them into a glass jug on the side.
Baffled, Jareth continued to watch until a light voice made his sharp owl hearing perk up. "Hoggle, have you almost finished?" Sarah asked as she bounced back into the room. There she was, and more beautiful than ever. The years apart while Jareth had raged and pined had been nothing but kind to Sarah. Her form and features belonged to a woman now, a woman with soft curves and tight planes that Jareth knew he would be fantasizing about for years to come. Owl feet shuffled along the branch closer to the prey.
"There y'go Sarah, all done", Hoggle jumped down off of Toby's step stool he'd been using to reach the counter. "Now wha' do we do?"
"Now comes the fun part!" declared Sarah in a saucy tone. Giving the gang a mischievous look she placed the glass jug onto a metal appliance and flicked a button.
BBBBZBBBZBZZZZZZBGGGGRRRRRRBBBBBZZBZBBBZZZZRRRRRRZZZ!!
The blender spun into action, whizzing the fruit into a thick liquid. "ARGHH!!" The group around the table simultaneously jumped and covered their ears or in Ludo's case attempted to hide under the table. No one but Sarah noticed the stricken owl fall awkwardly from the tree with a thud and a sharp cry. White feathers drifted past the window.
She ran outside to find the Goblin King in a crumpled heap, feathers, leaves and twigs sprouting from his wild mane. Sarah slapped a hand over her mouth as she failed to stifle her laughter.
Biting the inside of her mouth, she managed "Jareth, what are you doing here... under my kitchen window?"
Inwardly cursing at the mortification of being found by Sarah of all people, like this, Jareth slipped into his arrogance like a familiar old cloak. Rising gracefully to his full, imposing height and ignoring the natural decor that now adorned him he replied in an imperious tone. "What I may ask in return, Sarah dear, is what are my treacherous subjects doing in your kitchen tampering with something which produces a cacophony that can only be likened to that of Goblin song." He ended it with both hands upon his hips and a haughty expression.
Even disheveled, Jareth still fulfilled every one of her daydreams and midnight fantasies. Sarah admired his long legs, covered as always in a tight thin fabric she loved, his billowy shirt and vest open to the waist revealing his lightly muscled chest, torque amulet and a wilting leaf of bracken.
Seeing through his embarrassed bluster, Sarah took pity and started dusting him down, removing a feather here and a twig there. "We were making smoothies" she replied softly, stepping closer, "Would you like to come inside, I could make you one?" Soft hands worked at a cluster of leaves tangled in Jareth's pale blonde hair, the sensation driving away all of his previous frustrations.
He instinctively felt the need to vex her by refusing but then thoughts of being in Sarah's home began to take form, the potential for more touching... Jareth swept Sarah's busy hand from his hair and fixed her with a tantalizing gaze. "Most gracious, Sarah, I will accept your invitation" with a feral grin he placed a kiss in the back of her hand, never once breaking eye contact.
As Sarah walked back inside her house, Hoggle was busy muttering about spilled juice and Ludo was doing his best to keep his fruit smoothie in the large plastic jug he had been using as a drinking vessel.
At the entrance of their king, all three stumbled to grovel at the same. Jareth stood in the centre of the room, making it somehow seem much smaller and stared at each creature in turn. Sir Didymus near collapsed on the kitchen floor as he proffered a deep bow, squealing "My Liege!", Hoggle and Ludo ducked their heads, eyes fixed low. Hoggle muttered "Yer Majesty" halfheartedly while Ambrosius took off through the kitchen door to hide, returning a moment later to poke his head around the door frame. Satisfied with the display, Jareth smiled.
Sarah stood one side, back resting on the kitchen counter as she puzzled through the possible reasons for Jareth's sudden reappearence. Glancing over she couldn't fail to notice the excellent view the Goblin King offered from behind. Until he turned and caught her openly staring at him. Grabbing an empty blender jug Sarah asked over brightly "So, what can I get you?"
Jareth glanced over the sticky counters and considered the fruit smush Hoggle was pouring into a mug. An idea came to mind.
With a wolfish grin he asked "Got any peaches?"
A flush ran down Sarah's spine as a blush rose to her cheeks. She realised she'd been nodding silently. Jareth's lips tugged into a half smile as he raised an expectant eyebrow.
"Peaches.. yes" Sarah fumbled over the counter gathering the pink fruits together. Jareth began to list other items, "We're also going to need lime, sugar, ice and..." Jareth flicked a wrist producing a bottle of dark, amber rum.
Placing it on the side he begins to slowly remove his gloves, methodically pinching each finger before sliding the leather off to reveal long, pale beautiful hands.
Sarah mentally shook herself back into action, grabbing the ingredients. "What exactly are we making here?"
With a wink and a flourish, Jareth expertly added a squeeze here and a pinch there. The peaches become chopped peaches with a snap of his elegant fingers. "Why, Peach Daiquiris, of course" he laughed heartily.
Jareth splashed a liberal slosh of rum over the peachy contents of the jug and flicked the switch without warning.
BBBBZBBBZBZZZZZZBGGGGRRRRRRBBBBBZZBZBBBZZZZRRRRRRZZZ!!
Hoggle, Ludo and Didymus rush to cover their ears again. "AAGHH!" they cried. Hoggle shouted something about Jareth being a lousy rat over the loud din.
Ludo shook his shaggy head when the sound finally ended, "Sound baaad!"
When Ambrosius whined from the corner, Sir Didymus made to leave, offering another floor scraping bow to both Jareth and Sarah, "I thank you for your hospitality, my Lady but I fear I must escort my brother, Ludo, back home. While the smoothies were indeed as delightful as you promised, the sound producing them was most disagreeable! Ambrosius, here boy!"
The hairy dog bounded over dutifully as Didymus whistled.
Sarah knelt down to hug the small fox, one hand wafting his yellow feather plume from her face, "Sorry to hear that guys, how about I give you the rest of the smoothie mix to go?"
As Sarah poured smoothies into travel cups for her faithful friends, Hoggle wandered over, giving a smirking Jareth the stink eye as he did. "I'll be off too Sarah, but only if ya sure ya going t'be alright... with him" Hoggle thrust a wrinkled thumb in Jareth's general direction.
"Oh, I'm sure Jareth means me no harm." Sarah smiled reassuringly at Hoggle as she delivered each of her friends with a smoothie and a quick hug.
"Besides, He has no power over me!" She added smugly while giving Jareth a cheeky sideways glance.
Jareth glared. His mismatched eyes promising a sweet revenge.
One by one, Sarah's once-while companions left her home via her bedroom mirror.
As she finished waving, Sarah shifted her attention back to the Goblin King in her kitchen. He was lounging indolently against the counters, one ankle crossed over the other. The angle made it impossible to focus on anything other than the staggering bulge in his trousers.
Alone now, the atmosphere became heavier.
Much like their first meeting, Jareth extended a hand out to her, a crystal balanced on his fingertips, with a twist it became a crystal cocktail glass, with another twist it become two.
"So, Precious, enjoying our little reunion?" Jareth asked with a beguiling smile as he poured the peach liquid into her glass.
"I must say it's a little unexpected" Sarah replied, taking the cocktail he offered. "But not unwelcome?" He asked. Another snap of his fingers and the surface of the drink becomes iridescent. "Does everything have to be glitter encrusted with you?" She asked with a laugh as she sipped the heady pink beverage. Credit where it's due, the Goblin King knew how to make a good cocktail!
Jareth gazed at her over the rim of the cocktail glass, his expression spoke of dark desires and unfulfilled destinies.
Biting her lip and tasting peaches, Sarah acted on a whim of her own and asked,
"Want another one?"