Mornings of Gold

By Tari

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, faves and follows! A few of you felt that I had left the story open for at last another chapter, and a few thought that the original ending was just a wee bit too sad. So, I give you Chapter Two of what is now a three-shot. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still not mine!


Chapter Two

Sarah awoke with a start, her breathing coming in short gasps even as she reached over towards the other side of her bed.

Empty.

Tears pricked her eyes as her head came into contact with her pillow once more, her fingers tracing the cool sheets as she sought the warmth of the man that had slept beside her in her dream.

For ten years, Sarah had been unable to forget her journey through the Labyrinth, and had been unable to forget the creatures, or their sovereign, that had resided there. Following the eve of her victory, Sarah had been unable to contact any of her friends, and she feared that the Goblin King had forbidden them from visiting her.

So, Sarah had tried to move on with her life. She had tried to become the best sister that she could for Toby; she had tried to build bridges with her stepmother and she had tried dating boys from school. However, after fumbled kisses and a few clumsy gropes, Sarah had come to realise that none of the boys would ever live up to her expectations. None of them would ever live up to the Goblin King.

That had been when the dreams had started. Every night, the Goblin King would visit Sarah in her sleep. As she cast away her childhood fantasies, so Jareth had cast aside his villainous cloak. He was charming, gentle and tender with her and many a night had been spent in breathless desire. Every morning, Sarah would waken up alone, her bed empty, with the ghost of his name on her lips and the bitter taste of regret in her mouth.

She had been too young to understand, too young to accept a lifetime by his side. She did not regret saving her infant brother, for Toby had grown into a mischievous, loveable rogue who bore a striking resemblance to the Goblin King.

Still… Sarah had to give up Jareth, the one man who had ruined her for all other men.

A tear escaped unbidden from her eyes, even as Sarah screwed her eyes shut to control the onslaught of tears she knew would follow. She hated waking up alone, her flesh still tingling from their encounters together that existed only in her dreams. She ached for him; longed to feel the touch of his lips against her eager mouth and the touch of his hands on her quivering body.

She hated waking up to what could never be. She gave herself over to her tears, her body trembling as it struggled to cope with the emotions running through Sarah's heart. After all this time, after the disappearance of her friends and their handsome ruler, Sarah no longer believed in withholding wishes. She had not encountered anyone from the Labyrinth in ten years; they had moved on and left her behind. Her wishes could hold no power now. "I wish," she murmured, her eyes drifting closed, exhausted from shedding her bitter tears, "I wish that the Goblin King would take me away right now."


The sun rose over the horizon, its first rays mapping the smooth lines of Jareth's face and casting its warmth over the sovereign's cheeks. One more night of wakefulness, one more night of greeting the dawn. Since Sarah's victory over him, the King of the Goblins could not bear to sleep alone. He had taken no lovers since Sarah's departure, for he could not bear to have another girl in his bed that was not Sarah. He could not bear wakening up to a woman that he did not love.

A sharp tug to Jareth's consciousness pulled him from his thoughts as he felt the call pulsing through his mind. He wondered idly who in the mortal world still knew the Right Words. Since young Tobias had been wished away, there had been no other child wished away into his keeping. Mortals no longer believed in the Goblin King believing him to be a fantasy, a story told to small children to make them behave.

The called tugged at his mind more persistently and Jareth scowled, swinging his booted feet over the window ledge until they met the plush rug that adorned his private chambers. It was only then, as his eyes swept the familiarity of his bedchambers, that Jareth knew he was no longer alone. There was a woman in his bed.

His scowl deepened as he crossed the room in long, even strides, his anger coursing through his veins like wildfire. Although he had taken no lover, there were many women who still offered themselves freely to the Goblin King. He wondered which of his admirers had taken their intents too far.

As he approached his bed, Jareth sucked in a deep breath as he recognised the sleeping girl.

Sarah.

"Labyrinth," Jareth growled, "Why do you torment me with such illusions?" Images flickered through his mind: Sarah waking up alone, Sarah reaching for him, the tears cascading down her cheeks as she realised that she had once again dreamed of his presence. His fingers clenched at his side as Sarah said her Right Words, his heart thundering painfully in his chest.

He cocked his head slightly as his eyes drank in her sleeping form. She was no longer a child. The defiant, headstrong teenager that he remembered had grown into a beautiful woman. Her ebony hair fanned out over his pillow and her porcelain skin was a stark contrast to the deep, midnight-blue sheets that adorned his bed. The tracks of her tears were still evident on her face and Jareth sank to his knees beside the girl, using the pad of his thumb to remove the tears that clung defiantly to her long, dark eyelashes.

Sarah sighed in her sleep, turning her face into the strong hand that was now caressing her cheek. His name was whispered into his palm and the ghost of her breath against his skin was almost his undoing.

Jareth straightened, his eyes closing momentarily as his breeches and poet's shirt were replaced by a simple pair of black linen sleeping trousers. His long legs carried him to the other side of the bed before slipping in between the sheets. Even as he reached for Sarah, a contented sigh escaped his lips as the sleeping girl sought his warmth in her sleep, her body moulding effortlessly against his. He buried his face into the sanctuary of her hair, inhaling her scent as he wound his arms around the sleeping girl.

He could not remember the last time that he had felt so… Content. His hands wandered over Sarah's body, memorising every curve as she sighed in her sleep, burying her face into the Goblin King's neck.

Jareth murmured his thanks to his Labyrinth as the feel of Sarah in his arms drew him into the realms of sleep.


A/N: One more chapter to go! Please review!