"Goodnight Sarah."
"Goodnight."
Sarah closed the door of her bedroom and flicked the light switch off. She made her way over to her perfectly made bed and turned on the small lamp she had there. She always pretended to go to bed, but in truth, she's had the most horrible case of insomnia for about three years now. She hadn't told anyone, because then they'd think there was some special pill to cure it, or that she had psychological guilt that kept her up at night, or whatever other nonsense that could be proposed. Smart people always thought there had to be a definite problem and solution, but she knew this was one thing that just couldn't be cured.
Sarah commenced to try her routine of methods that were supposed to induce sleep. She took the phial of lavender oil she managed to keep a special store of without her parents noticing, and let two droplets fall onto her cotton pillow and waited for them to soak in. Then she retrieved her CD player and placed it on the empty slot in her shelf where Lancelot used to live and turned it on, turning the volume notch down so that the soft music couldn't be heard outside of her room. Finally, she tied a piece of thin, black cloth around her head, covering her eyes so that she couldn't see. She lied back on her bed after switching her lamp off again and waited.
She focused on the lyrics of the song that was currently playing, but it was honestly hard to whisper a song, and it made her breath come in unnatural rhythms, which kept her from getting sleepier. She quit mouthing the lyrics then and tried to just let her mind wander about the thoughts she'd had that day. School. Supper. A fair amount of homework. Doing nothing for a while. Waiting for bedtime. Pretending to go to bed. Laying here now, wishing she could sleep. And then…a different scene played into her mind.
It was a familiar room, chandeliers and crystals everywhere she looked, and it was such a familiar tune she heard. Dancers, twirling and laughing, enjoying themselves with no stress or care in the world. There was a sense of lightness in the air, and Sarah felt sure she could just get lost in that feeling of nothingness. She was just drifting into the state between aware sleep and deep slumber when a head turned and BAM. She felt the wind rush out of her lungs and her heart lurch in shock. There he was, that face she had been sure she's forgotten long ago. It was so clear and detailed, as if she had put no effort whatsoever into forgetting it. He held out his hand confidently, and Sarah's eyes opened wide beneath the black cloth.
She ripped the cloth off and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. It was only a dream, she told herself. Dreams mean nothing; they have nothing to do with reality. She remembered then why she usually didn't allow her mind free roaming privileges. Curses. Giving up completely on sleep any time soon, Sarah flicked the lamp back on and frantically went through her drawers at her desk. She pulled out the playbill from Labyrinth and sat down to skim through the pages as she once did as a little girl.
~•~
"Sarah. What's wrong with you?"
Prom night was supposed be the main event in for a senior in high school. It was supposed to be the night a girl took with her into womanhood and remembered forever. She was supposed to remember her date, his name, his looks, his everything, and tell jokes about how much cuter he was than her husband was back then when she was married thirty years later. Sarah felt no warmth tonight though. She felt cold. Her school's theme for prom had been, of course, masquerade. The fake scenery and faux dresses styled to look like the popular fashion for a ballroom annoyed her to an extreme extent. If she had never been to a real ballroom, she wouldn't have noticed the difference, but she had, and the poor likeness of the replicated scene grated on her. She looked absently into Chris's brown eyes.
"What?"
"Don't you want to dance?" Chris asked.
She might as well. She stood stiffly, and allowed Chris to take her arm and lead her to the floor. They flitted through the dance with all the grace a pair of awkward teens turning adult could manage, though Sarah, a learned dancer, did improve the lanky movements Chris couldn't help but make. It was a generic dance, and no body important was watching really, so Sarah didn't put much effort into it. Chris, horrid as he was at dancing, seemed to notice. At the end of the song he pulled her aside.
"Maybe we should skip this and go right to the fun." He said, grinning.
Sarah vaguely caught what he meant, but somehow it didn't register, so she let him lead her to his car. He drove them off to a beautiful field miles away from the small town, and parked facing a tall weeping willow, bright stars peaking through the waving drapes. Sarah looked over at him and smiled as he undid his seat belt.
"Such beautiful stars…" She commented.
"Why look at the stars when you can look at me?" Chris replied, obviously not interested.
Sarah turned her head stiffly then, her smile vanished. How could someone not be interested in the stars? Stars…they were so, wonderful…and…they made her think she should be connecting something with them. The memory flitted away each time she got close, and suddenly her focus was entirely lost as Chris turned her head and sealed his lips to hers.
She kissed him back, but her thoughts wandered. Making out with boys wasn't really the brightest part of her day anymore, as it had been when she was fourteen. She wanted to know why she thought the stars were so interesting. Absently, she noticed Chris touching her, or more like groping her, but she had not the self-appreciation to push him away. She was ignoring him though, her kisses less and less interactive each minute. He seemed to think this meant phase 2: begin. He slowly started the process of removing her shirt and bra. Sarah complied, taking his shirt off of him, which he seemed to find quite encouraging. To Sarah, though, his touches and caresses were hurried and boyish, and his kisses were those playful kinds that young teenagers feel mean love. Sarah sighed, and Chris took it to be one of pleasure.
He managed to get her seat to lower down so that she was laying in it and then he hovered over her. How many girls had he had in this exact same position, she wondered softly. He hands unzipped her pants, abandoning her half shed bra. So rushed and unorganized, Sarah noted, not even focused on her enough to want to see her body. Still, she found it interesting, and she knew prom night was the traditional night for getting over a girl's maidenhood. Chris was kissing her bare stomach now, and it tickled in a slightly more comforting way than the rest of what he'd been doing felt. He pulled her jeans down as he progressed down lower, and then lifted his head to look at her.
His dull, brown eyes were full of hormones and absent of…love. Sarah stared blankly at him as he unzipped his own pants. Love. He didn't love her. In fact, he wouldn't even call her tomorrow, or talk to her after the weekend when everyone came back to school. He just wanted to do this now and be done with her. It wasn't right. It had taken her this long to realize that something was completely wrong with this picture. Chris was just lowering himself towards her when she shook her head and gasped.
"No."
Chris waited. "Don't worry, it doesn't last long."
"And how would you know that?" Sarah retorted.
Chris noticed the less than warm tone, and also that she'd trapped him. He knew because he'd done this tons of times before.
"Look, it doesn't even matter about the hurting. I knew that already."
"Then what gives?"
"I don't want to give myself to you!" Sarah said, her voice rising.
Chris looked stunned. Girl always wanted to give themselves to him.
Sarah hurriedly pushed him away and started pulling all her clothes back into place and zipping things up. Her heart was pounding at the thought of how close she'd come to just wasting herself on someone who could care less if she liked stars. Stars. Then she remembered. I'll lay my love between the stars. She started crying.
Chris moved aside, flabbergasted. He'd struck out, he realized, but he was nice enough to not try anything stupid. He did have some respect for girls.
"Do you want me to drive you home?" He offered quietly.
"No." Sarah hopped out of his car and looked around.
There were two choices: the road or the field. She chose the field. Without a second thought she was strolling through the tall blades of grass, waving gently in the night breeze and glittering a light white color in the full moon's rays. She heard the sound of the car pulling out onto the road and then roaring away. She came to the trunk of the weeping willow and sank down to her knees beneath it. The thin tendrils of the branches swept across her cheeks each time the breeze changed, wiping at her silent teardrops. She suddenly felt as lonely as she ever had in her life.
She'd never had many friends, tons of boyfriends that were the typical love 'em and leave 'em type, and she didn't even feel connected to her family anymore. Did she even belong here? What happened to human girls who didn't belong? She stared up at the stars. She missed him. He certainly hadn't felt anything warm towards her, but he paid attention to her as if she mattered at least a little in his world. Before she could stop herself, she was whispering to the stars.
"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes; a kind of pale jewel opened and closed within your eyes…" She paused. "There's such a fooled heart." She hung her head. She'd lost those words three years ago, but it was surprisingly easy to summon them back to her. She hadn't realized their true meaning as a fifteen-year-old girl.
"I'm so alone…" She said. "…please, can you come?"
She waited, and nothing happened. After a few desperate moments in which she clung to hope, Sarah sighed and let her body ripple down into the grass, wet with dew. She gazed at the blades, wishing she'd never have to go back to that awful bedroom that represented sleepless nights of depression.
"Sarah."
A musically deep voice, one that was impossibly nearby. Sarah blinked slowly. She hated it when her mind played tricks on her. How cruel it could be to her. She tried to make the sound go away, disappear, and leave her alone. She didn't want to be teased into hoping it was there.
"Sarah, look at me, now." His voice demanded.
Even if wasn't real; she didn't want it to start getting angry with her. Sarah stayed down in the grass but turned her head. The tall, lean man stood there, his two different colored eyes gazing at her through the blue darkness. She blinked again, but his form didn't blur out of focus or disappear gradually. That's when she sat up, confused. "How?"
"You asked me to come." He replied, striding closer to kneel beside her.
"You…came…"
"Of course."
"Why?"
A trace a smile ghosted his lips then, and Sarah furrowed her eyebrows, thoughtfully pondering. He came. If she had known he would come with so simple a plea, she might have been tempted to try it a long time before now. She almost told him as much.
"What makes you feel alone?" He quietly asked.
"This." She gestured all around her. "And him. All of them."
"Could you be a little more specific?" He probed.
"That guy. The one who just drove off. He would have…used me." Sarah complied. She let her gaze drop, feeling dirty at just that thought of it.
Jareth slipped his hand beneath her chin and gently but firmly lifted it. "But, you didn't let him. Wise girl."
She tried to smile at the compliment, but she couldn't rid herself of the weight of the world she'd been carrying.
"Come." Jareth said then, standing.
He held out his hand to her, and she hesitantly took it. He pulled her to her feet with ease and caught her on his chest when she fell forward at the extra force he'd put into the movement. She laid her free hand on his chest and pushed herself away slightly, feeling slightly embarrassed. Jareth smiled at her sudden shyness. If he recalled correctly, she'd just been more than half naked for the boy a few moments ago.
"You will come with me?" He asked.
She nodded. Nothing could be worse than staying alone.
~•~
Jareth's room in the castle was elaborate as was everything else in his possession. His bed had to be the hugest bed ever made, and was covered in velvety black with gold trim. Jareth led her further into the room and then released her hand. He turned to face her and gestured around.
"Enjoy."
"Where are you going?" She asked as he started to move past her.
He looked over his shoulder. "Leaving you to your thoughts for a while. I wouldn't want you to do anything irrational at the sudden change of scenery."
He smirked at her and then left her alone.
Only it didn't feel like she was alone. Not like how she'd been before. She knew he was around somewhere. For him to leave her completely unadvised in his room had to mean he wanted to her to find something, though. She looked at her clothes and grimaced. Dirty from the ground, and not at all comfortable anymore. She spied a large wardrobe and went in to look at the clothes. She wanted something easy enough to just fall asleep in. A thin dress perhaps? She ran her fingers along the materials until she found a silky gold one that didn't look too fancy for her taste. It didn't look like it would rub or itch at all either, so she quickly changed outfits and then left the wardrobe.
She felt a hint of tiredness, but not enough to try going to bed, though the large bed was tempting. It looked quite comfortable and inviting. Sarah inhaled and tore her gaze from it to look around the rest of the room. There was a luxurious bath tab, probably the size of her living room behind a glazed glass screen. She'd just gotten dressed, but the idea of warm water soothing her muscles sounded too good to give up just then. She was out the golden dress and submerged in steaming hot water with a great mass of bubbles wrapped around her body in a comforting, airy embrace. She closed her eyes and lost herself to a peaceful rest she hadn't experienced in far too long.
Jareth came in about an hour later and frowned at the absence of a human in his room. He saw Sarah's discarded clothes on the floor, and raised an eyebrow. He checked the wardrobe and she wasn't there, and a glance at the bed said she wasn't sleeping either. He looked at the glass partition to his bathroom, and noted the steam that had made the glass foggy and wet. He crept to the door and quietly slid it open to peer inside. His tub was overflowing with bubbles that cascaded onto the tile floor. He was pretty sure Sarah was buried beneath the blasted foam as he came closer to the tub. He waved his hand over the bubbles and they slowly receded back into the tub until he found her dark brown hair and her face. She was sleeping, but lightly from the way her eyes flicked beneath her lids. He was tempted to swish away the remaining bubbles, but instead he tapped her shoulder lightly.
She jumped awake, looked up at him, and then realized her appearance. Sarah hadn't meant to fall asleep at all, but she'd been more relaxed than expected by the warm water. Jareth summoned a towel to his hand and offered it to her. He turned as she stood and wrapped it around her soaked body.
"I wouldn't have expected you to be gentlemen like." Sarah commented.
"You don't like it then?" Jareth swiftly turned back around just as she finished tucking the towel into place.
She scowled at him. "I thought it was impressive." She explained.
"How refreshing." He murmured, looking at her bare legs and then the hollow at the base of her neck. She definitely didn't look like a fifteen year old anymore. She'd grown into her body quite well, and she barely realized how beautiful she was. Somehow, that added to her prettiness. Girls who new how beautiful they were and flaunted it got so old.
Sarah stepped down from the tub onto the floor and started to leave the bathroom. She stopped though, and looked back at him.
"Why…did you bring me here?" She asked, as she had when he'd appeared.
He seemed taken off-guard. "Did you never consider how lonely it is here as well?"
She blinked, thinking about that idea.
"I could use the company." He further elaborated.
Sarah smiled then, at the idea of him preferring her company, and then left. She headed to the bed, not at all considering that it was Jareth's bed and that he might be planning on sleeping in it that night. She pulled back the sheets on one side and slid into the coolness of the untouched covers. She snuggled up to the silky pillow and let go of her grip on the towel. Her eyes closed as she started to drift.
Jareth followed her and watched as she quite simply made herself at home. At home. In his bed. Not an unpleasant thought. He walked over to her side with a practiced silence in his mien, not alerting her. His finger reached out and tucked a stray curl back behind her ear. God, he'd missed her. He had never come close to forgetting her. He'd watched her in her life; saw how she gradually became more listless and wondered to himself, what had happened to her? He had longed to make things easier for her. But, he had no power. How world-shaking it had been when she'd refused that teenager and then of all things, called for him. It had given him hope, and stirred feelings shoved aside. Her eyes fluttered open and she peered up at him.
Jareth started to retract his hand, but hers reached up from the covers and softly gripped his. She pulled it to her cheek, where it had been only a moment before, and laid it flat. She let go of it then and reached her hand up to his cheek to rest it there. For few moments they remained like that, each trying to make sense of their feelings. Then, Sarah sat up and her face was much closer to Jareth's than she'd imagined it would be. He smiled and made his move. He kissed her softly, as he'd always dreamed of doing, and she quite willingly kissed him back. Sarah's mind didn't wander during this kiss, as it had with Chris. She felt she couldn't think about anything else except the feel of Jareth's lips moist and supple against her own.
Jareth deepened the kiss, parting her lips gently and letting his tongue slide into her, tasting her cheeks, and touching her own tongue. He was a much better kisser than any of the boys who'd tried to charm her, Sarah realized. How she could have submitted herself to them she didn't know. She felt Jareth's arms wrapping around her bare shoulders and tenderly tracing patterns along her skin. She let her own hand stray from his cheek to tangle into his wild hair. Jareth opened his eyes and gazed at her. He then used his hands to slowly push her back, so that he could scoot into the bed as well. Instinctively, Sarah leaned back until her back found the pillow and then she was down.
Jareth brushed a hand through her curly hair as he hovered over her. She still had the towel enwrapped around her body. He started for it, but Sarah smiled and caught his hand. Jareth eyed her. She let go of his hand and moved hers to his collar, the back of his neck. She rubbed her hand around his neck until she came to the buttons of his shirt and then slowly undid the first few. Jareth picked up on her motive, and helped with the rest. He tossed the shirt lazily to the floor and Sarah's eyes feasted upon his beautiful sculpted chest. He had the lean muscled body shape that only a few could pull off, and he was definitely one of them. Her hands glided across his abdomen and ribcage. His skin was smooth and all the same texture of creamy softness. He let her continue her exploration, enjoying the sensation of her hands touching him immensely, and returned to her towel.
This time she didn't object and he swiftly removed it, throwing it down to the floor as his shirt had been tossed. He drank in her body, every inch of it, and then he rubbed his hands along her stomach and up to her breasts, and then kissed her neck. She sighed and he moved his lips back to hers, not being able to get enough of her kisses, and lowered his body close to hers, enjoying her warmth enwrapping his own slightly cold torso. He felt her hands move to his back and slowly work their down to the rim of his pants. Before he could do it himself, her hands moved to his zipper and slid it down. He pulled his face up and looked at her playfully.
"How bold of you." He remarked.
"I couldn't resist…" She replied.
He smirked understandable and then she finished pulling his pants down, and he reached his long arms down to pull them off of his legs, only to realize his boots were still on. He had to leave Sarah's arms to remove them, and then he kicked them onto the floor along with his pants. He returned to her arms and was welcomed warmly. Sarah kissed him passionately, feeling her blood warm quickly as he kissed with much more energy and heat than before. She felt him slowly leaning closer and closer to her, and just as she felt something touch her strangely, she flexed her neck and caused him to miss her mouth.
"What's wrong?" He asked, letting his hands continue to hold her around the waist and her under her back.
She looked back at him and blinked softly. "I'm scared." She finally said.
He crinkled his eyes as he thought back to her earlier incident that night. She'd refused that boy at almost this precise moment then. Then it occurred to him.
"You're untouched? A pure bloom?"
She nodded, understanding his words as clearly as if he had said 'virgin'.
He sighed and looked down. "You can't give that to me." He stated.
"Why not?" She asked, her voice growing anxious.
He looked at her face again, his hand stroking her cheekbone. "I don't deserve that."
She furrowed her brows and got that expression she'd had during her trial in the Labyrinth, the one of pure stubbornness that she hadn't worn quite the same way ever again until just now. "I want to give it to you, Jareth."
"Why?" He asked then, his eyes soft.
"For the same reason you came for me…" She replied.
And then Jareth realized she had felt alone all those years not because something had happened to her, but because she'd missed him. Of all people and things, she'd missed him. He smiled down at her and kissed her once more before he slowly submerged himself within her. She looked pained and uncomfortable at first, but he felt her relax around him eventually, and continued to soothe her by kissed and caressing. If she was giving this to him, he was going to be sure it wasn't wasted by unneeded pain. She deserved better than that. He eased her into the rhythm that the bodies followed in the process, progressing carefully as her expression became more and more pleased. It didn't take her long to reach her height, as would be expected, and he watched as it rolled slowly over her face and into her body until it passed, leaving her looking exquisitely golden in her first afterglow.
She peered at him and smiled. He kissed her once and then the night continued on. The two loved each other the rest of the night until finally Sarah could take no more and then Jareth rolled off of her and curled up beside her in the bed. Even if it hadn't been rough, lustful lovemaking, it was the first lovemaking he'd done in which he had felt such feelings of trust and devotion directed at him. He knew he loved her then, knew for sure without a doubt. She would never be lonely again, he promised her silently. And neither would he.