Stuck under the mistletoe

Sarah sat down at the table in the kitchen. She took paper and a pen.

This had to be the last one!

What could she expect with 30, after 15 years of writing letters to him without receiving an answer? Not much. She couldn't expect much of man, who was as unpredictable as a thunderstorm. Hadn't she learned something of fifteen years of crying, of baring her soul to a man, who wouldn't understand the effort?

That was beyond obsessed, beyond being an unhealthy love, heck, it was even far beyond stalking. Something deep down inside her had hoped he would answer her. But most probably it was under his majesty's standard to write to simple people. Maybe he was highly amused by the foolishness of an ordinary girl.

Sarah could imagine that the Goblin King would relax on his throne, while reading out loud her letters to the goblins. What a disturbing thought! The goblins would know about her most precious feelings. Well, not all of her feelings, but they would know her pathetic excuse for her trip to the Labyrinth and many other things that happened in her life.

Actually it was not a life to talk about. She had a small apartment, she was a librarian and she had never had a real boy-friend, just some dates with good-night-pecks, nothing more. Not much, anyone would call a life. She had never given up her dreams about being a fantasy author, but that carreer was far away like the stars or like a certain Goblin King.

She had sent her manuscripts to several publishers and always got a refusal. She even tried to publish a story on her own, but it was much too expensive. She felt her life got out of her hands.

Over the time she got weaker, her overwhelming feelings for a man, who had never answered any letter of her and the other failures in her life, including running after never fullfilled dreams... dreams, which probably no one could fullfill. She tried to get rid of her feelings and dreams, but in her remained that damned hope that everything would be alright someday.

She was rather depressive, she knew the only thing or person that was in her way, was herself. Everything she tried to change to get her dreams, made her going in circles and ending up in the point, where she got started. She sat in a trap, of her own making, she would probably never find a way out.

And somehow everything began with her feelings for the Goblin King, she loved him from the beginning, but she never told him. At first, it was her responsibility to get her brother back, so she gave up her dreams for that important moment. Another fact for not acting on the dream in that moment was that she was much too young.

Then she wanted to live her life, to be someone, she felt uneasy to live off of somebody else's money. She had to learn in this world that if you got no status, you are worthless.. a nothing.. invisible in this world. Somehow she imagined, how she would live off of Jareth's money and that made her feel worthless. Okay, love didn't work that way, it was just there, no matter who you were or whom you loved. And Sarah was sure that Jareth wouldn't ask her, how much she had. If he really loved her, he didn't care.

But it didn't take Sarah's uneasy feelings away and she didn't want Jareth to think, she was after his wealth and status. What strange, neurotic and crazy paranoia had come from that wonderful dream of becoming a queen? She repressed her feelings in a way, on the other hand, she wrote letters to Jareth to inform him about her life and her feelings.

The only thing she never told him, was the most important part of her feelings. She never told him that she loved him.

Now she would, in her last letter. After baring her soul otherwise, this seemed to matter little anymore. And she didn't mind, whether he read the letter to the whole kingdom or just to himself. Her feelings were killing her, she was dying inside from exhaustion. She was getting more and more tired, though she slept sometimes 10 hours a day, she still was tired.

She finished her letter and gave it to Hoggle. Her friends always visited her on a regular basis through her old mirror, the only thing remaining from her childhood..

Hoggle still delivered the letters from Sarah to Jareth, though he told her that his majesty wouldn't answer her letters. He would only answer her, if she summoned him. Hoggle told her that Jareth's pride keeping him from answering her.

Sarah told Hoggle that she was afraid of meeting the Goblin King, if she didn't know his feelings for her now. He might loved once, but now?

Sarah finished her last letter and gave it to Hoggle. She had told her friend her feelings and fears. Hoggle chuckled at the thought of his majesty reading her letters to anyone. Hoggle assured Sarah that the Goblin King never liked anyone knowing anything he wanted to be private. Anyone snivelling in his private life, uninvited, got punished, severely.

And Hoggle delivered her last letter.

Time went by and summer turned to winter. Sarah felt weaker every day, even doing her favourite things was straining. Her friends from the Underground watched her dying inside in a slow pace with much concern. They knew of her feelings, before she even dared to confess them. It was quite obvious that she loved the Goblin King! And he loved her.

Both were too stubborn or too afraid to admit it face to face. The friends knew that they had to do something about it.

Soon it would be christmas time again and they would go to the christmas party they held with Sarah. Since she was living alone, they even celebrated christmas evening together.

Hoggle knew of a market in the Underground, where they sold magic items. The friends knew, there would be something that could be helpful to them. So, they got on their way to the market, it took them three weeks to get there and find the right item...

Nevertheless they got back right in time for the christmas party with Sarah. As they arrived Aboveground, they got fiercely hugged by Sarah.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again. I thought, you would never come back to me. What took you so long?"

"We bought you a present and it took so long to find the right thing," Hoggle said simply.

Sarah eyed them a bit strangely. "Well, that must be some present, if it took you so long. Anyway, let's eat first. Then, we could open the presents," Sarah suggested.

She gave up her christmas traditions, for the sake of her friends, so they could take their presents home with them, right away.

After finishing their meals Sarah gave them their presents, Hoggle got a book about gardening, Sir Didymus got also a book, but one with tales of a knight and a bone for Ambrosius, Ludo got a big Tedddy, because he needed something he could hug while sleeping.

"Um, Sarah. Could you bring me a glass of water? I'm so thirsty." Hoggle asked.

"Sure." Sarah went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and as she came back, her friends were gone. Sarah was shocked, why would they leave so soon? Perhaps they hid in the living room. She wanted to look for them.

She stood in the door frame of her living room and realized, she couldn't move. Well, she could move up and down, but not from the spot. A notice suddenly popped up in front of her, so she could grab it.

Dear Sarah,

we know, how much you love the Goblin King and how much he loves you. We can't stand see you both suffering any longer. We found this enchanted mistletoe (look above), which keeps a person stuck until he or she is kissed by her or his real love. This is our present to you!

All you have to do, Sarah, is to call him. We wish you both the best of luck!

Yours,

Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus.

Sarah looked up and saw the mistletoe. Then, she got furious. How dare they!

In a temper tantrum she hurled the glass away and it crashed down somewhere, she didn't even bother to look where. She was desperate and so furious, how could they know that Jareth loved her? Did he tell them? He surely never told her face to face, without talking in circles. Surely he had sung that wonderful song to her in that ballroom-dream, but it was a dream, he never mentioned love to her otherwise in any way. Would he come to her?

She had to think about it. She tried to sit down on the floor, which actually worked. She sat there for a long time and started to cry. When she come to the conclusion, she couldn't sit there forever. Maybe she could ask Jareth to help her, even if he didn't love her anymore. She look at her watch, 23. 45 it read, she sat for over 2 hours!

She prepared herself to control her feelings. She stood up and straightened herself.

"Jareth, please, help me!" She called.

In a dust of glitter, he appeared right in front of her.

"Hello, Sarah. You called?"

He looked at her strangely at her red rimmed eyes. "You look like a wreck. What do you want?"

"Well, I... um.. got stuck... under a... a... an enchanted mistletoe... andonlyakisscanhelpmegetout," Sarah muttered under her breath, which was barely audible.

But Jareth understood her, because he was standing so close to her.

"Why don't you ask one of your friends for help? I'm a busy man and not some knight in a shining armour!" He snapped.

"And I'm not a damsel in distress, thank you very much! And I cannot ask my friends, because it was their idea to give me that mistletoe as present." Sarah defended her decision to call him, which she started to regret, seeing Jareth's reaction.

"Nice friends you have, leaving you waiting under an enchanted mistletoe, for some idiot to kiss you. At least, they could've looked for a crowded place, there you could ask someone – anyone! I am certainly no person to kiss just any girl to get her rid of an enchament!" Jareth crossed his arms. He looked annoyed at Sarah.

Sarah became defiant: "Oh, I've found my idiot! And for your information: I can only be released with the kiss of my real love, that's why I called upon you. You're my real love!"

"Now that's rich. You wrote all those silly letters to me for over 15 years, and you didn't even feel the need to call upon me. And now that you're stuck under a mistletoe, you call me and all of the sudden I'm your true love. I may be ruling some stupid creatures, but I'm not stupid. Good-bye, Sarah!" Jareth barked and was about to vanish, when he realised, he couldn't use his magic to transport.

"What the heck? ...No! NO!.. I am not willing to kiss you to get away from here...!" Jareth bellowed, then he realised, what he had said without intending to do so and shut his mouth.

Sarah's eyes sparkled and she smiled shyly at him. "Does it mean, I'm your true love, too?"

"No, this means I'm only stuck with you, because I'm your true love and I can't leave without kissing you! And kissing you is the furthest thing on my mind in the moment!" Jareth snapped.

"Oh," Sarah sounded disappointed. It seemed, he didn't love her anymore. At least, she could get one kiss of him, one kiss she had yearned for, one kiss that would have to linger on forever, when she was alone again. This kiss would probably be not more than a peck.

She was afraid of kissing him, she had never really kissed, those good night-pecks with her friends couldn't be called kissing! -Scratch that- It would be a peck as well and she could do that! All she had to do, was convincing his majesty.

"Well, look. I know, you don't love me, but I really meant, what I said in that letter, you're my true love. I had all those stupid ideas about us and I wanted to be someone, that way you wouldn't have to fear that I only wanted you for your title or your money. I feared to call you, because I had no idea, how you felt. I tried to coax you with those letters to say something. I know, I was wrong.
Love doesn't work that way, I cannot force you to something, but I couldn't stop loving you either. Now my friends tried to do something for me, but it didn't work out. The best thing is, you and I kiss and you go home and forget about me and that crap that happened," Sarah suggested and stared to the floor.

She didn't see the look in Jareth's eyes.

He always knew that he had been right. Sarah had fought for her dreams and even for his, too. She had been dreaming for him, too. She had taken him with her into her dreams, those exciting realms, he didn't even dream of. In his world, those dreams were more worth than gold! And though Sarah was getting weaker, she had always given him hope and a strength, he never had, with those letters. And hearing those words from herself convinced him of the honesty of her feelings.

But Jareth had never learned to show that kind of feeling. Sure, he could hug people and he had kissed enough women. But he didn't know, how really be with someone, let himself be hugged, to be cuddled, to be caressed or to be loved as he was with all of his problems, spleens and mistakes and not as a king.

He couldn't let himself be loved wholly, he couldn't be that open to himself or anyone else. And though Sarah could break through these walls (actually she already did, but Jareth was too scared to admit it), he was too afraid to let her in, afraid that she would hurt him. That's why he acted as the allmighty king.

"I think, a small peck will do," Sarah said and looked into Jareth's seemingly cold eyes.

"That's alright with me," Jareth grumbled. He leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly to hers in a very short and childlike fashion.

No arms around anyone's body! No melting against each other! No soft lips, no tongue, no touching and tasting each other, no dreamlands! Nothing.

"That should be sufficient!" He said in a strange voice, when he pulled back. He tried to disappear once again. Once again, nothing happened.

"What the heck? Why did it not work? I did bloody kiss you and I want to get out of this place, right now!" Jareth thundered.

Sarah thought about it, then it dawned on her, this was a little children's peck and not the kiss of a true love. Somehow she had to coax Jareth to give her another kiss, a real one.

"Maybe we should try again," Sarah offered.

"Absolutely NOT, I can't remember you saying something about a lot kisses, only about one kiss! This was one kiss and it didn't work, you're not my true love and I'm not yours, that's end of it!" Jareth snapped.

"Somehow I couldn't get rid of the feeling that you're acting like a child."

"I can do what I please! I am a king!"

"Okay, let's try once more, only more try, if it doesn't work I won't bother you anymore," Sarah asked in a pleading voice. "One more time, what harm could do it?"

Jareth thought it over. No, there would be no harm in it. Even this brief contact was nice and promising. A voice in him already sreamed for more. He could control himself one last time to show her that it didn't hurt him as deeply as it did. It hurt so much that she didn't mean any of the things she said, otherwise the spell would have worked. Though briefly it struck his mind that she was still his true love, and the question was left, why didn't it work?

He brushed the thought aside, steeled himself for another kiss with Sarah. He leaned forward and kissed her with firm lips again. As her lips met his, he felt a little spark in him, he closed his eyes. He felt Sarah's hands snaking into his hair. He froze to the spot.

Sarah's lips were going soft and her tongue darted out and it traced his firm lips. His lips started to quiver and were going soft. His arms seemed to have their own mind, they encircled her waist and pulling her closer to him. He even gave her entrance to his mouth. With that their tongues started a playful fight. The kiss grew more passionate and intense with every minute. They couldn't get enough of each other. Both didn't realise their moving into the living room until Jareth's legs hit the couch and he sat down on it. Even that did not seperate them, Jareth had pulled Sarah on his lap and continued kissing enthusiastically.

Only the need for oxygen let them seperate for some time.
"We're free," Sarah stated simply.
"I know."
"And now?"

"First of all, I must apologize to you for saying that you're not my true love, because you are. I was just too scared that I might get hurt, but now I can't help myself . I need to tell you I love you, Sarah. And I need to love you in every minute, I can't exist without you. I've loved you for a long time," Jareth said, wiping away the tears on Sarah's smiling face.

"And I love you. I've never loved anyone else," Sarah confessed. "Finally we got over that little obstacle. We're here, together and I'm so happy about it. Besides, I'm not through with you tonight, I want you completely." Sarah looked at Jareth suggestively.

"Well, we could be moving to somewhere more cosy," Jareth suggested, grinning widely at Sarah's look.

"My bed or yours? I must warn you, my bed is rather small," Sarah told him.

"Unless you want us to go to a hotel, we go to my castle," Jareth stated firmly.

"Wow, I always wanted see your bedroom," Sarah grinned. Jareth wanted to kiss her once more, but Sarah stopped him. "Before we go, let me give you a present."

Sarah jumped up and left the room and came back a moment later. She gave him a present, wrapped in christmas-paper. "I hoped to give you that to christmas. Open it!"

As Jareth opened the present, a heart-shaped box was lying in his hand. Actually not the type of present he liked, but for Sarah's sake he opened it and found a paper with the words I'll give you my heart and a candle and three gems in it. Jareth looked confused at Sarah.

"Well, I meant it that way, the heart stands for my heart, the amethyst stands for my zodiac sign representing my spirit, the rose quartz stands for love, and the moon stone stands for the woman in me, the candle stands for the fire you light in me. It represents me," Sarah explained with fresh tears and she smiled, because she also saw Jareth's tears.

"No one has ever given me such a present, it means very much to me. You give me yourself with all those wonderful feelings and all I can give you is a man, who has no idea how to love and be loved. But I will do my best, if you want me," Jareth couldn't stop the tears.

"Of course, I want you, all of you, the way you are. If you don't believe me, then I'll prove it to you," Sarah said confidently, kissing Jareth and pressing him into the couch.

Needless to say that they didn't make it to another room that night and that they proved each other how much they wanted the other.

Also needless to say that they lived together as happy as they could get.

"...But I'm right here and I'm so brave
I dare to love you. I dare! .."

End

Disclaimer and AN: I don't own Labyrinth, it belongs to the Hensons, etc. and I certainly don't own the lovely (and actually sad) song I'm right here, it belongs to the great Priscilla Hernández and I hope, she won't kill me for using that lines, besides, you don't get more lines from me, buy yourself the CD Ancient Shadows and you get the whole song and other wonderful songs by an unique artist, who inspired me with this CD to write again (Well, I only rewrote this a bit, but I'm not finished with writing other stuff). This CD shows me that the lines Don't dream your life, but live your dreams holds true.