Disclaimer: "Born to Run" property of The Boss. Jareth belongs to Jim Henson.
I winced as another high note was horribly butchered. Why, oh, WHY had I let Grace talk me into coming to her favorite karaoke bar? Blond hair and a predatory smirk came to mind. Oh, that's right. She thought to worm the details out of me over drinks and bad singing. Bloody best friends, knowing one's weaknesses and exploiting them; namely, that I will talk about anything and everything to avoid listening to bluebirds and note crackers mangle a good song. Speaking of bloody best friends...
"I think you did it to yourself," She said in my ear. My head whipped around and we nearly smashed noses.
"Did WHAT to myself?"
"The binding. I've been studying you all night and I don't see anything foreign in your aura. Nor do you have any traces of outside magic lingering. I think, somewhere deep down, you WANT that dreamboat who danced with you and now you're subconsciously guarding yourself. And because it was such a powerful, magical dream, your psyche is making you feel it." I groaned and dropped my head in my hands. Grace knows what she's talking about. She's got the Sight. I've caught her talking to goblins and fairies at the coffee shop, making her unruly house ghost behave when guests are there, and communing with trees. She's also been spookily accurate when it comes to peoples' health and well-being. She knew Mrs. Catarin was developing breast cancer three days before the doctors found the lump. In fact, it had been Grace's urging that spurred Mrs. Catarin to go in for the mammogram. I lifted my head as the song ended.
"Are you saying I cast a spell on myself? Me, who doesn't believe in that nonsense," I asked over the cheering, half-drunk crowd. Another name was called.
"No. What I'm saying is you've fallen in love with a dream and are afraid of losing that dream, so you're protecting yourself. The manifestation of bands or armor around your chest is simply a self-projection." I was about to protest when a VERY familiar voice came over the speakers. My head whipped back to the stage.
"This song is for a lovely lady I'm trying to reach. Sarah, if you're here, please hear me." My jaw hit the table as one of the best rock songs ever began pouring out of the speakers. It was that guy from the coffee shop! He started singing and my eyes bugged out. Good heavens, he had a voice to rival Bruce himself. Grace grabbed my shoulder and shook me. I tore my eyes from him, but my ears were full of the message.
"That's him! That's him, isn't it?" Grace babbled, shaking me with each sentence. I grabbed her wrist and made her let go.
"Yes, it's him. The guy who bought me coffee a few days ago."
"No! Well, yes, but it's also your dreamboat, isn't it?" Grace was waving her hands around, nearly smacking my eye. "I can SEE it, Sarah! You just lit UP!" I blinked at her, then risked a glance at the stage. I tested the bonding feeling. It was gone. I looked at the next table, where three guys were pumping their fists to the beat. The bonds tightened around my chest. Looking back at the stage, the feeling vanished. Oh lordy. The solo before the final verse came and Dreamboat's eyes scanned the crowd. How he found me, tucked away in a corner table, I don't know. But he did, our eyes locked and it was like I was back in that gazebo. His smirk turned into a full-fledged smile. Taking a deep breath, he belted out the last verse, holding his hand out to me. I was on my feet and moving to the stage before my brain caught up. Even when I realized what I was doing, I couldn't stop myself. I was being drawn to him, pure and simple. Drawn to a guy, and I didn't even know his name! He knew mine, but I hadn't heard his introduction! I ran out of time as the song ended and I stopped a few feet from the stage. He put the microphone back in the stand, hopped down and swooped me up into his arms. The crowd went nuts.
"Who are you?" I whispered, my feet dangling a good three inches off the floor. Heavens, he's tall. He laughed in my ear, his face pressed into my hair.
"Jareth."