Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine.
A/N: Labyrinth inspired me to start writing, as I'm sure it did for many paranormal authors of our generation. Though our Goblin King might be gone, I couldn't let him go without saying goodbye.
Beyond Words
Silence wrapped around her in a comforting embrace. The calm of the night was marred only by the frantic beat of her own heart, thundering in her ears.
Sarah twisted before the full length mirror, running a hand down the navy dress that clung to curves which had long ago lost any hint of childhood. Was her lipstick a touch too pink? Her dress just a tad long? Tonight she needed to look perfect in a way she never had before.
Drawing a deep breath, she rolled back her shoulders and left her bedroom. Her apartment awaited her, dark and still. This place had been her sanctuary, her respite from life in the real world. Out there sounds were harsh, lights glaring. But in here with her walls lined in books and her old toys tucked into dark corners she could close her eyes and pretend she was somewhere else.
Somewhere she'd wanted to go for far too many years.
Her cell phone lay on the kitchen corner, queued up to a message she'd already listened to a dozen times. Out of habit she tapped the replay button and waited for her father's voice to fill the air.
"Sarah, I'm sorry, honey, but it doesn't look like we'll make your birthday this year. Toby has a volleyball tournament. You understand. We'll try for Christmas. Happy birthday."
Silence descended once more. Try for Christmas. Her lips curved at the thought. It was been five years since the family had managed that. But if he were here she'd thank her father. This message was the last piece of the puzzle. Her last ties. Her family would be fine without her. They'd miss her, mourn her even, but her disappearance wouldn't shatter their world.
Still, a white note sat beside the phone, explaining she was fine. That she'd gone off with an old friend.
Turning around in the center of her room she hoped the words she'd penned were true.
It'd been nearly fifteen years since she'd left the labyrinth. Who knew what had happened in that time. What had changed.
Who knew if he'd even still come when she called.
A last look around her apartment was bittersweet. She'd been happy here. But no matter what work she found or what men she'd dated, there had always been something missing. Some hole deep within her that had been slowly bleeding for years.
And now, on the night of her thirtieth birthday, she was ready to heal it.
Stepping onto the balcony, she inhaled the cool night air.
The lights of the city stretched out before her but she raised her eyes to the sky. Stars twinkled overhead in constellations she might never see again.
A small price to pay.
Her hands curled around the railing, the cold of the metal centering her. Nerves would do her no good. Either he'd come or he wouldn't. All she could control was her heart and finally, after years of uncertainty, she'd made up her mind.
"I wish..."
The words caught in her throat. Once said, she couldn't escape them. Undo them.
Sarah swallowed hard. "I wish the goblins would come and take me away." Her breath made a gentle cloud in the cool air. "Right now."
Her hands tightened on the rail. It was done. Her part was over. All that remained now was to wait and see if her goblin king wanted the woman she'd grown into.
Silence stretched. Only the odd sound of a car racing passed floated up to her ears. She looked up at the stars and ignored the cold that was starting to seep into her bones.
She didn't move when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Didn't flinch as a shiver of awareness raced down her spine.
He made no noise yet she wasn't surprised when warm hands cupped her shoulders.
The breath left her in a soundless exhale.
Those hands slid down her arms before drifting lower to rest on her waist. Unable to stop herself she leaned back against his chest, taking comfort in the solid weight of him against her body.
She focused on the stars before her as his lips moved against her hair. The warmth of his breath teased her ear.
"Sarah."
Her eyes closed. One word. Yet his voice was exactly the same as she remembered. The same cadence and pitch as she'd heard a thousand times in her dreams.
She'd called and he'd come.
Through the nights, years, of planning she'd always thought making her wish would be the hard part. But now with him here she knew it would be turning and facing him that would take all her courage. She had to look at the man she'd bested, the man she'd left, and see in his face whether there was anything left for them apart from a foolish young girl's fantasy.
Summoning her courage, she dropped the rail and turned in his arms.
"Jareth," she breathed.
The years had not changed him the way they had her. He remained frozen in time, the same fearsome goblin king she'd fought against too many years ago.
What could she say to him now? Words caught in her throat. She needed to apologize for the time they'd lost. Years they could have been together had she been ready sooner. How could she explain she hadn't been prepared to leave this world behind? She'd still hoped for a normal life without the magic her soul had craved. She'd been so unsure about which path to travel. So worried that each passing year would put her further and further from his mind.
How did she make him understand the years hadn't been a waste because they'd made her realize exactly how much she needed him?
She opened her mouth but couldn't summon a sound.
And then he smiled.
A small quirk of his lips, the tenderest smile she'd ever received. And she knew.
She didn't need words. He didn't want her explanations and apologies. He already understood because he saw her in a way no one else ever had. Not her absentminded family, not her bumbling boyfriends. He saw her in a way only the missing piece of her soul could.
His words weren't necessary either. Looking into his mismatched gaze, she knew he'd learned patience in his long life. It wouldn't matter if she'd called now or in fifty years, he'd always come. He'd wait as long as she needed him to.
But she was through running from him.
Wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, she rose to her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his.
It was the kiss they'd never had. One she'd imagined over and over in her head. But as she'd learned young, when it came to Jareth reality was always far more rewarding than any fantasy.
Her lips slanted over his as she pressed closer to him. She couldn't help her smile when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tightly against his iron body. Their gentle kiss changed as he took charge. His kiss consumed her, controlled her, until all she could do was cling to him, desperate for one more taste. The years they'd been apart fell away. All that mattered was this moment. This perfect touch that healed the wound inside her as if it had never existed.
He drew back with one last brush of his lips over hers. Sarah couldn't help her silly smile as he kissed her forehead in silent benediction.
She closed her eyes, marveling at the contentment surging through her veins. He was her missing piece. And she his. It was a truth that had always been right in front of her even when she'd been a foolish teen fighting her way through his labyrinth. Back in the days when she hadn't been able to decide if he was her villain or her hero.
She knew the answer now.
He brushed his nose against hers, his hands sliding down her spine.
"Ready?" he whispered to her.
Sarah wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nestling against his neck.
"It's only forever," she replied.
She felt his smile against her hair as he cradled her close.
A rustle cut through the silent air as he flicked his cape around them both.
They disappeared in a shimmer of sparkle.
The glimmering drops brushed the balcony floor before being caught in the wind. Without a sound, the twinkling dust spiraled out into the quiet, still night.
The End