The Labyrinth of London
A Sherlock/Labyrinth Crossover
The Babe with the Power
Inspired By
"The Thin White Sleuth..."
By
Pika-la-Cynique
Summary: After meeting his newest and most dangerous enemy, Jareth is put the case to recover some photos taken by a Ms. Irene Adler. Unfortunately for Jareth, he has a bit of a history with her and Ms. Adler is more than willing to use that to her advantage.
The Almighty Disclaimer
Oh Moffat and Gatiss,
Henson and Doyle,
To you belongs all the characters
And none so for me!
A/N: This story was inspired by "The Thin White Sleuth..." by Pika-la-Cynique of Girls Next Door fame.
The transcript is by Ariane DeVere aka Callie Sullivan.
Chapter I: Every Thrill Is Gone
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Sarah Williams was not a damsel in distress. Sure, she would occasionally be knocked out, shot at, and generally come to harm after a certain amount of time, but she did not wait to be rescued. Unfortunately, when dealing with a mad bomber who is obsessed with one's magical roommate and is willing to blow up your baby brother to get a meeting with said magical roommate, even the bravest of heroines have to learn patience.
"How did you get my old clothes?" Sarah asked as she held up her poet's shirt.
"My dear, I hit the Labyrinth in ways that have not been done in at least 300 years. Having someone steal your clothes and a few items from your family is child's play," Moriarty said.
"Turn around. I'm not changing in front of you," Sarah said.
"You think far too highly of yourself, princess. You do absolutely nothing for me," Moriarty said, "Besides, it wouldn't be the first time I have seen you with a lack of clothing."
"Bastard," Sarah said.
"I prefer villain, if you don't mind my dear. Don't forget your sisters' silly bandz."
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"I bought you a little getting-to-know-you present. That's what it's all been for, isn't it? All your little puzzles... making me dance. All to distract me from this," Jareth said.
Moriarty said through the ear piece, "Walk slowly. Say exactly what I say."
Sarah opened the door and walked carefully, scared to breathe. She tried hard not to look at Jareth. He was hurt. There was nothing she could do. She could not break. She had to act. She said her lines. She did her part... until she ran into a small problem.
"You forget, Goblin King, you have no pow..." Sarah tried to say the words but her jaw was snapped shut. Oh God. He's going to kill us. He is going to kill us.
Jareth grinned. "Such a pity you know so little about magic. Sarah can say those words to me if, and only if, they apply to herself. She cannot say those words for anyone else."
Moriarty said through the ear piece, "Damn you. Don't say that. Say the following."
Sarah was able to speak again. "I can see how this girl can turn your world, Goblin King. Nothing works right when she's around. I was planning on this game a little after the cabbie game, but then Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth, shows up and ruins everything."
"Who are you?" Jareth asked.
A door creaked open. "I gave you my number. I thought you would call."
Sarah paid some attention to the conversation. She mainly focused on how to take down Moriarty and get Jareth out of the building.
"Did he hurt you? Are you all right?" Jareth asked.
Sarah remained silent, biting her lower lip. She was fairly certain she could not say anything without permission.
"You can talk, princess," Moriarty said, half-whispering in her ear.
Sarah resisted shivering at the closeness between her and Moriarty. "Piece of cake."
"Take it," Jareth said, holding out the flash drive.
"Oh, that? The missile plans," Jim said, taking the flash drive, "Boring. I could have got them anywhere." He tossed the plans into the pool.
Opening. RUN!Sarah ran forward and held onto Moriarty. "Jareth run!" she shouted.
"Oh, good! Very good! Glad to see you've trained her by now, Jareth," Jim said, "'You have no power over me.' What an absolutely rubbish way to lose your throne. I'm glad you got something out of that mess by now."
"Now listen here, Jimmy. When my brother was taken, I tore apart a kingdom and usurped the Goblin King. He didn't harm my brother. What do you think is going to happen to you, Gremlin King?" Sarah said.
Jim merely nodded towards the consulting detective. Sarah saw a red dot moving across Jareth's chest. She immediately let Moriarty go.
Jim brushed off his suit with a look of disgust. "Westwood."
"I noticed. I like the little skulls on your tie. It works for the whole villain mystique," Jareth said.
"By all the powers that be, are you two forgetting I am wearing C-4 not as a fashion statement?" Sarah said.
"She is right," Moriarty said, "It might get a bit messy in here if you don't let me go. Do you know what happens if you don't leave me alone, Jareth? To you?
"Oh, let me guess, I get killed?" Jareth yawned. "How dull."
"Kill you? No, don't be obvious, I mean, I'm going to kill you anyway, someday. I don't want to rush it, though. I'm saving it up for something special. No, no, no, no. If you don't stop prying, I'll burn you. I will burn the heart out of you."
"I have been reliably informed that I don't have one," Jareth said.
Jim walked back towards Sarah. "But we both know that's not quite true. 'Till the world falls down' is quite a promise, Jareth. I can certainly put that to the test for you..." Sarah felt something catch in her throat when Moriarty said words from Jareth's song. "Well, I'd better be off. So nice to have had a proper chat after all these years."
Jareth held up his crystal towards Moriarty. "What if I was to end you? Right now?"
"Then you could cherish the look of surprise on my face," Jim made a mock look of surprise. "Cause, I'd be surprised. Jareth. Really, I would. And just a teensy bit disappointed. And of course, you wouldn't be able to cherish it for very long. Ciao, Goblin King." Jim made his way to an exit.
"Catch you, later," Jareth said slowly.
"No, you won't," Jim said in a sing-song voice. He snapped his fingers and then let the door slam behind him as he left.
The former Goblin King and the Champion of the Labyrinth did not move, even when they saw the snipers' lasers were gone. Jareth suddenly ran and slid to a stop in front of Sarah.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Jareth unzipped the bomb jacket and pulled it off Sarah.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Sarah said, staggering when Jareth ripped the jacket off and slid it across the tile floor. "Are you hurt?"
Jareth embraced Sarah and let out a sigh of relief. "You're asking me if I'm all right? After you were kidnapped by a mad bomber?"
"He won't kill me... yet. He wants to play with you. Watch you dance and writhe," Sarah said, "He won't kill me unless you can watch and it's slow." Sarah clung to Jareth and breathed in deeply his scent. Stupid goblin. He is such an idiot. He should have just run. "I'm really glad no one saw that."
"Wh...why precious?" Jareth asked.
"You ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. People might talk," Sarah said, letting off a desperate laugh.
"People do little else, precious," Jareth said. He took a moment and breathed in the scent of her hair. "Let's go home. I am worried that he will change his... damn."
Sarah saw the red lasers appear again, only there were several dozen trained on them now. They both turned and the two stood back to back with Jareth facing where Moriarty had left. Sarah let her hand brush against Jareth's.
"Sorry dearies, I'm so changeable," Moriarty said, strolling back into the room, "It is a weakness with me, but to be fair to myself it is my only weakness. You can't be allowed to continue. You just can't. I would try to convince you. But everything I have to say has already crossed your mind."
"Probably my answer has crossed yours," Jareth said, holding up the crystal.
"Not enough magic to kill me and all my snipers there, Jareth," the Gremlin King said, grinning.
"But there is certainly enough to set off that bomb," Jareth said.
Jim continued grinning. "I double dare you, Jareth, to kill the girl who you twice gave up your kingdom for."
Jareth grasped Sarah's hand. He said quietly, "I'm sorry Sarah."
"There is nothing to be sorry for," Sarah said just as quietly.
Jareth squeezed Sarah's hand and she squeezed back.
Music began playing. Sarah almost became hysterical when she realized it was "Stayin' Alive".
"Do you mind if I get that?" Moriarty asked.
"Go ahead. You have the rest of your life," Jareth said. Thank God Jareth is not losing it like I am.
Sarah moved slightly to watch Moriarty. He answered his phone with annoyance. "Hello. Yes, of course it is. What do you want?" Moriarty mouthed "sorry" to Jareth and Sarah guessed that Jareth said something back
Moriarty was quiet for a moment and then shouted, "Say it again! Say that again and know that if you are lying to me, I will find you and I will sssskin you!"
Moriarty was quiet for a moment and then put his phone away from his ear. He seemed downcast like a child spilling his ice cream cone. "Sorry. Wrong day to die."
"Such a pity," Jareth said.
Moriarty gave a small, chilling smile. "You'll be hearing from me, Goblin King." Moriarty continued his phone call. "So if you have what you say you have, I'll make you rich. If you don't, I'll make you into shoes." With a few steps and a snap of his fingers, Moriarty and his snipers were gone.
"Sarah," Jareth said.
"Run?" Sarah asked.
"Run," Jareth confirmed.
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Sarah and Jareth were bent over double, gasping for air about two blocks from the pool.
"What happened?" Sarah asked.
"Someone...changed his mind. The question is...who," Jareth said.
"Jareth... he took things from...my home. He took things from my sisters that...could only be taken when they were asleep," Sarah said.
"He's... not very nice... is he?" Jareth said.
"I need... to call..."
"Home first."
"But..."
"Home. I will... pass out... soon."
"Tube."
"Cab."
"Damn it. Tube."
"Coward."
"Bastard."
"Right bastard."
"Damn."
&%&%&%
If it were not for the possibility that time was running out, Sarah would have not entered the cab. She clung to Jareth's arm and refused to let go until Mrs. Hudson opened the door to 221 Baker Street. "Sherlock called. He said that you should call him when you got back. He said it was important and about Sarah's family."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson," Jareth said. He walked over to the rotary phone and dialed a number. Sarah reassured Mrs. Hudson that the landlady could go back to sleep. "Sherlock? Oh. All right. Here, Sarah."
Sarah took the phone. "Hello?"
"Jareth is an idiot," Sherlock said, "Here is your father."
"Sarah?" Mr. Williams said.
"Daddy, you're okay? I mean, you are not under duress or anything?" Sarah asked.
"Sarah, everything is peachy-keen," Mr. Williams said, "Your friends are a bit odd."
"Yeah. Sherlock and John are like that," Sarah said, almost collapsing from relief. Jareth rested his head against Sarah's shoulder.
"Are you all right?" Mr. Williams said.
"I will be, just not right now," Sarah said.
"Do I need me to kick someone's butt for you, princess?"
"No, Daddy. Just stay with the family and let Sherlock and John do their thing."
"All right. Here's your friend again," Mr. Williams said.
"Sarah, we will leave when the issues with our mutual friends down at the Lab are solved," Sherlock said.
"Thank you, Sherlock. Tell John thanks too," Sarah said.
"Were you..."
"Kidnapped? Yes."
"Is the bomber dead?"
"No."
"Jareth is going to make sure that statement is false soon."
"I know."
"Get some sleep."
"Unlikely."
Sarah hung up the phone. She turned around and hugged Jareth. "They're okay. Did you send the two of them over?"
"No," Jareth said, slumping against Sarah.
"Whoah. Whoah. Jareth? Jareth, I'm here. You need to get upstairs. Can you do that?"
Jareth nodded and the two of them struggled up the stairs. He collapsed onto the sofa and Sarah sat next to him on the floor, resting her hand on his heart. She told him what happened and what was told to her by Moriarty. Jareth sat up after Sarah was done and sighed.
"I did not think he was this stupid, Sarah," Jareth said.
"I know," Sarah said.
Jareth began untying his shoes and tossing them across the room.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked.
"Getting comfortable," Jareth said. He took off his socks and then leaned back on the sofa. "Moriarty is going to leave us be for a little bit. It will be several hours before we will receive news from the Labyrinth. I am going to plan my next move and I will be comfortable while I do it. You should go to sleep."
Sarah shook her head. "Not happening. Moriarty said... that he has seen me and... I know Mycroft isn't having my room watched but..."
Jareth pulled Sarah up on the couch with him. "I am here. Moriarty is not coming tonight. I promise. I cannot lie to you, Sarah."
Sarah nodded. She nestled herself against Jareth's chest and closed her eyes tight. "Jareth... Moriarty said that you lost your kingdom twice because of me."
"He did," Jareth said.
"How? I know that... I rejected you and that somehow took away power from you. I do not know how it could have happened a second time."
Jareth was quiet for a while. He stroked Sarah's hair as he spoke. "I was given a deal when I was removed from my throne. If I could avoid touching Labyrinth magic for thirteen years after you said the Words, I could have my kingdom again. It was... painful at times. There are reasons for some of the actions that I did. Some... illegal activities. Magic is a drug but sometimes you can get your hit from somewhere else."
"All right. When did you break the deal?"
"Two months ago."
"That's when the cabbie... you said I was hurt by the Labyrinth's magic."
"Yes."
"You were not allowed to touch Labyrinth magic."
"Yes."
Sarah sat up and glared at Jareth. "Why?"
Jareth did not look at her. "There was no other way to save you."
"Jareth..." Sarah said quietly.
"The Courts would have broken their promise anyway," Jareth said.
"Are you certain of that?" Sarah asked.
"No."
Sarah rested her head against Jareth's heart. "I am sorry. This is my fault."
Jareth kissed the top of her head. "There is nothing to be sorry for. Sarah, even if I just spent these two months together as friends, it was worth it."
Sarah closed her eyes again. She found herself being lulled to sleep by Jareth's heartbeat and the feel of him stroking her hair.
"Are you up for singing? I like it when you sing. You haven't sung for days," Sarah said, yawning.
"Always for you, Sarah."
&%&%&%
A/N: Snuggling! Angst! Sarah not being as resistant to the shippers! YAY!
I have been looking forward to writing this one once I realized how to set up a certain character relationship. It terrifies me at the same time (particularly not making Irene Adler a completely unenjoyable character), but I am looking forward to writing this (particularly after the torture of writing "The Goblin Games").
Also, if you notice a grammatical/spelling error, do tell me. I will not be upset. I do not have a Beta Reader and I know I miss things.