Mistletoe Mischief
Author's Disclaimer: No, I do not own Labyrinth, Phantom of the Opera, Repo!, or anything else that resembles anything. All rights go to their respective owners. I cannot take all the credit for this story, either. This is inspired by the beautiful and fluffy image created by Pika-la-Cynique, Another Fluffed Attempt (JS Christmas), with a nod to AsheRhyder's Roommates (this year's Christmas special), which inspired GND. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~-SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ-~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll be home for Christmas. You can count on me!"
No amount of snow was going to prevent Sarah Williams from going home. Sarah was driving as fast as her little car would go, singing along to the radio to keep herself awake.
Through police cars untold and red lights unnumbered, Sarah had driven her way home, beyond the snowy city, to take back the free time that college had stolen from her. Free time that would be used well, to spend time with family and get some much needed sleep.
"Oh, sleep, how I have missed you!"
The bed was calling her name, and she intended to heed its sweet call. If only her college was closer. Better yet would be if she wasn't one of the lucky few who had an exam two days before Christmas, the last time exams were allowed to be taken. She resisted the urge to stomp her foot on the accelerator and cry out "It's not fair!" to no one in particular. Nothing would be accomplished that way. Instead, she focused on more pleasant thoughts, such as the Christmas party held in her apartment the day before. Now that had been nice.
Christine and she had hosted the party this year, and they decided to give it a theme, an Ugly Sweater Christmas party. She had always wanted to do one, and Christine was willing, even if none of her sweaters were ugly. All the usuals had come, dressed in their best (or worst if you will) sweaters.
Christine found a Christmas sweater with oddly-shaped crystals that represented snow. Somehow she had still looked amazing in it. Raoul was there for once, ready to take Christine with him to spend Christmas with his family. He found an elegant yet ugly, candy cane-themed sweater. Erik had looked like a Christmas tree, and he stayed away from the couple as he spent time with Mag.
Sarah's favorite sweater had been Jareth's, lovingly created by the goblins for the special occasion. Even though the goblins tried very hard, the reindeer still looked a little odd in places, but that was what had made it cute. Jareth's sweater inspired Erik to try to place antlers on unsuspecting victims, which worked quite well. Sarah now had photographic evidence of many of their friends in silly reindeer antlers.
Blocking out Jareth from her thoughts after that was a little difficult, but she didn't care. She wouldn't have to see or deal with him for the next two weeks, for which she was grateful. The glittery fluffball had his time, and now she would have two peaceful weeks without the exasperating Goblin King.
When she finally arrived home, Sarah was relieved. After that 9:00 exam, she was tired from that and the driving. Now, she could just relax and sleep on the sofa until her family came home. She wished that she could be with her family at that moment, but seeing as she did not want to have to kiss Jareth again, or something just as bad, she settled for watching TV or sleeping.
Toby was currently starring in a Christmas pageant, which had started a few hours ago. Her dad and step-mother had been the coordinators of the pageant, so they had to be there. As a result, she was home alone until they came back. The only welcoming committee that she had from her family was Merlin, who looked happy to have her home at last. His wagging tail and hugs made up for the rest of the family's absence.
Coming home to an empty house was nothing new, so she dropped off her stuff and looked for the goblins. Sure enough, they were there. They had been sad that she was leaving for Christmas, but they promised to welcome her home since her family could not. Sarah found the goblins in the living room, admiring the tree that her family had put up without her. It looked nice all lit up, and the goblins were fascinated by it.
Once the goblins saw her, they came up to her, talking excitedly about the ornaments on the tree. Then, she noticed the two goblins that were at her mirror before had become five. The other three had mistletoe in their hands, carrying it. She was afraid to ask why the goblins had mistletoe, so she told them to get comfortable and watch TV with her. Within twenty minutes of watching, the two original goblins had disappeared, leaving only the three goblins that held the mistletoe. They smiled expectantly at her, and continued to inch closer to her.
When Sarah had had enough of the ever-closer goblins, she asked them why they had mistletoe. They replied that it was a very important job to have. Sarah was worried.
"Jareth?" Sarah felt the tell-tale gust of glitter hit her face.
"Yes, Precious? Is something wrong?"
"Perhaps. Why do your goblins have mistletoe?"
"They probably heard me talking about the mistletoe. After the party, I told them stories about Christmas. They liked the mistletoe part. They must have gotten the idea themselves."
"I highly doubt that. Considering that you were the one telling the story, I bet it had a lot to do with what mistletoe could do."
"Such as this?" Jareth leaned into Sarah and kissed her.
"Yes, exactly that. Alright, you got your kiss. Go away, and take your goblins with you."
"What are you doing right now?"
"Watching A Miracle on 34th Street. Why?"
"Do you desire company?"
"Not really."
"Well, I'd like to stay with you if you don't mind."
"I do mind. Please leave."
"But Sarah, it's Christmas. Where is your holiday spirit? Can't I spend a little time with you? What happened to good will toward all men?"
"You aren't a man, so you don't count."
"True, but it is in the spirit of Christmas. I promise I will behave well."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"Because you have always mistrusted me."
"With good reason! It's not my fault that your goblins have stolen my undergarments in the past."
"Not my idea."
"You can leave any time now, Jareth."
"But you are alone, two days before Christmas. That just isn't right."
"My family will soon be home."
Sarah's cell phone went off then. After looking at it, she shrugged and brought her blankets closer to her.
"Who was that, Sarah?"
"That was Toby telling me that there is a cast party tonight, so everyone won't be back until late."
"See? You need me."
"Hardly."
"Fine. If that does not appease you, would it help if I wore my reindeer sweater that you liked so much?"
Sarah blinked as she saw the ugly sweater appear. Tempting, but no. "Sorry, Jareth, that won't cut it."
"But you did pause, so there is a way to convince you."
"Why is this necessary?"
"Because I want to spend time with you, Sarah. Isn't this the holiday where you are supposed to spend it with the people you care about most?"
"Yes, that is why I am with my family."
"The goblins are your extended family, which therefore includes me. Besides, I care about you."
"Jareth, none of your pleading faces are going to change my mind."
"I know one that will. What if I was in my owl form for the remainder of the day?"
Sarah paused. That was a dangerous idea, considering how much she liked the cute, furry version of him.
"I promise I will stay in your arms throughout, and when your family gets home, I will disappear before they enter your home. You have my word."
Jareth attempted to give puppy dog eyes to Sarah, which only made Sarah giggle. She may regret this decision later, but he was getting annoying. If he did stay as an owl, she would not have to talk to him. What the hey, it is Christmas after all.
"Fine, you can stay. But, you cannot leave this room for any reason, and you have to be gone the moment their car enters the driveway. If I so much as feel you trying to get closer than I allow, I am throwing your furry butt outside into the snow. Got it?"
"Perfectly."
With a poof, Sarah soon found herself holding an owl, and such a cutey he was, too. With those eyes, she had problems saying no.
"Come on, you. I need hot cocoa so that I can finish this movie. Otherwise I will fall asleep within minutes."
After she had hot cocoa and homemade sugar cookies, she snuggled into her blankets, leaving space for Jareth. Merlin didn't want to miss out, so he jumped on top of Sarah's feet. The goblins settled in on the sofa, holding the mistletoe with anticipation.
The first half of the movie Sarah enjoyed. She nibbled on cookies, occasionally letting the goblins have a bit. Jareth took a few crumbs from her hands, which she still wasn't sure how she felt about that. He also tried to drink the hot cocoa, but Sarah wasn't allowing his owl germs into her drink.
Once the trial began, she started to feel tired, bringing the covers closer to her. At first, she couldn't get warm, but once Jareth moved a little closer, she felt all the warmth she needed. Soon after, Sarah's soft snores could be heard. As she slept, she dreamed that the owl next to her had ventured onto her shoulder, giving her a small peck before going back to his spot. But, it was all a dream, right?
Meanwhile, Jareth enjoyed his time with Sarah. He was tired, too, but he wanted to stay awake and savor every moment with her as long as possible. He felt bad for the goblins, especially when it became clear that she was not going to wake up any time soon. He would just have to find another way.
Later that night, Jareth saw the headlights of the family's car appear. Turning back into human form, he leaned into Sarah's sleeping form, kissing her cheek briefly.
Whispering, he said, "Sleep well, Precious. Enjoy your time with your family, especially this special holiday time. Thank you for letting me be a part of it."
Dismissing the goblins, he took the mistletoe and left it in her hands. "Until we meet again, Precious. I look forward to using this again very soon."
~~~~~~~~~~~~-SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ-~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: Yay for fluff! At Christmas, one can always use more stories about Sarah and Jareth spending it together. Pika mentioned that the image was not necessarily in GND-verse, but I placed it in there since it is Pika after all. It's a little late for Christmas, but it was such a distractingly cute image begging me to write about it. I hope you enjoyed it!