The Labyrinth of London

Peppermint Winter

A Sherlock/Labyrinth Crossover

Inspired By

"The Thin White Sleuth…"

By

Pika-la-Cynique

The Almighty Disclaimer

Oh Moffat and Gatiss,

Henson and Doyle,

To you belongs all the characters

And none so for me!

Summary: Sarah and Jareth finally have a Christmas without having to deal with murder. Between chapters 7 and 8 of "The Empty Crystal".

A/N: This story was inspired by "The Thin White Sleuth..." by Pika-la-Cynique of Girls Next Door fame. The title comes from the song "Peppermint Winter" by Owl City.

&%&%&%

Two detectives, a doctor, a nurse, and a Scotland Yard detective inspector walk into a mall two days before Christmas…

"A killer Santa," John said as he shook off the tinsel on his shoulders, "You had to have a case with a killer Santa! How un-Christmas-like is that?"

"Well, the real Santa Claus is quite vicious," Jareth said. He tilted his head and then tapped his ear as he tried to get fake snow out of his opposite ear.

"You know the real Saint Nick?" Sarah asked. She used her fingers to comb through her hair to get rid of plastic pine needles.

"No, Santa Claus. Two completely different beings," Jareth said, "Lestrade, are you still coming for Christmas Eve?"

"I'm arresting a murderer Jareth, but yes, I'm coming," Lestrade said.

Sherlock looked down from on the group from the Santa's chair he was lounging in. "It's Christmas?"

&%&%&%

Jareth was unamused by Sarah's desire to take a walk in Regent's Park on the morning of Christmas Eve. It was snowing and freezing cold. Sarah, however, seemed unaffected by the weather. Her cheeks were pink from the biting winds, but she was smiling.

"Stop looking so down. It barely snows here. Enjoy it," Sarah said.

"It is far too much snow," Jareth grumbled.

"Really you are just being a grumpy old…" She squeaked as Jareth slipped on ice and fell to the sidewalk.

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

Jareth covered his face with one arm. "This is the story of how I died."

Sarah giggled and pulled Jareth to his feet. She brushed the snow off of him (spending a bit more time on his backside than necessary) before pulling him down for a kiss. Both of their lips were cold, but Jareth felt warmth flood him as Sarah took her time with him.

"Feeling better?" Sarah asked when she pulled away, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"A little," Jareth said. They began walking again in peace until Jareth pushed Sarah into a large pile of snow. "Now I feel much better."

Sarah yanked him down into the snow pile. He shoved snow down the back of her shirt, making Sarah gasp at the shock of cold. She shoved him off of her before running away.

"Try to catch me!" she shouted as she ran further down the path.

Jareth was certainly not going to pass off that challenge. He ran after her, only stopping to pack a snowball into his hands.

Sarah had hidden among the trees. Jareth tried to remain as quiet as possible, but was soon smacked in the arm by a snowball from Sarah. He grinned and chased after her, finally landing a hit between her shoulders. She spun around and laughed as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Finally caught me," Sarah said before Jareth kissed her.

"Hmm… and what a catch it was. Oh, and precious, you're it," Jareth said with a final kiss on her nose before he ran off.

&%&%&%

They continued with their game of snowball tag for the next hour. The game finally stopped when Sarah's lips began to turn blue. The couple ran back to 221B sliding (but never falling) on the patches of ice.

Sarah raced up the stairs as she was chased by Jareth. He caught her in the living room and wrapped his arms around her waist; he pressed kisses against her neck and hair. She laughed heartily as she leaned back into him to allow him better access.

"Not so cranky?" Sarah asked breathlessly.

"Definitely not," Jareth said.

He spun her around. They were both smiling broadly. Jareth felt his heart overflowing with joy as he looked into Sarah's eyes. It was a fragile, perfect moment and he did not want to do anything that would hurt it.

"Can I kiss you, Sarah?" Jareth asked.

"Of course," Sarah said, confused by the question.

He cupped her face and barely pressed his lips against hers. Sarah pressed herself as close to Jareth as she could, letting him know he had control of the kiss. He slowly applied more pressure, not wanting to hasten the moment. Sarah had her left arm around his waist and her right hand was tangled in his hair so that he would give her better access to his mouth.

Jareth broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against Sarah's. "I love you, Sarah, even if you do cheat during snowball fights."

Sarah laughed and put both of her arms around his neck. He lowered his arms to rest on her waist. "I love you too, even if you are grumpy about snow." She closed her eyes and hummed for a moment. "I'll make hot chocolate. You should get cleaned up."

&%&%&%

After they took turns showering, Jareth had dragged the sofa over by the fireplace so they could rest comfortably as they drank their hot chocolate. They spoke softly about Christmas memories, both good and bad. The couple would sneak kisses between sips of their drink, their mouths tasting like chocolate. When they had finished their drinks, Sarah laid on top of Jareth with a blanket pulled over them. Eventually, they both fell asleep to the sound of the other's breathing.

&%&%&%

"Ooo-hoo!" Mrs. Hudson said, "They're going to be here in a few minutes. Come on dearies. Time to wake up."

Sarah opened one eye. "I was so warm too."

The Christmas party was pleasant and uneventful. Sherlock arrived first both because of living in 221C and wanting to arrive in time to practice with Jareth. Lestrade showed up next wearing an elf hat. John wore a Christmas themed sweater while Mary wore a Santa hat (much to John's horror from the previous day). Tom had gone ahead to visit his family while Molly finished up her Christmas Eve shift, so Molly was able to visit for a little bit with gifts for everyone (and it was much less embarrassing than the last time).

It was a night of laughter and good cheer. Jareth kept stealing Sarah's candy canes until she promised to kiss him to get one back. Lestrade showed that he did have a bit of musical knowledge by playing a rendition of "Jingle Bells", only Scotland Yard themed. John and Mary kept "accidentally" getting caught under the mistletoe. Sherlock actually remembered gifts that year.

That night, Jareth and Sarah fell asleep next to the fireplace wrapped in a thick duvet while they waited for Christmas morning. The bells rang in Christmas.

"Merry Christmas, Jareth."

"Happy Christmas, Sarah."

&%&%&%

A/N: I really wanted some Jareth/Sarah snow fluff. I am in the midst of finals as just a heads-up.