Candies and Pumpkins (Part Four)
Sarah opened her mouth to say, "You who?" but the woman's next words made her mouth snap shut.
"Change your mind?"
What is this? Hit on Jareth day? Sarah fought the urge to beat her head against the porch in frustration. Was she the only one who noticed the evil Goblin King bit? To her surprise, Jareth looked exasperated. She'd think he'd be preening at the attentions of yet another good looking, young woman.
Sarah looked the woman over. She had thick, dark hair and creamy coffee colored skin. She had an accent, Spanish.
"Woman, you really need to stop meeting me at every turn of my head," Jareth said, quietly. "It simply won't do."
"Jareth, I'm the one that lives here," the woman answered, annoyed. "You're the one who rang my front door…" She glanced at Sarah, interest sparking in her eyes. "Who's this?"
"Sarah," Jareth said.
"Ah." The woman smiled, showing off straight, white teeth bordered by full, ruby lips. This woman was annoying Sarah more than the sexy "nurse." The woman held out her hand and said, "My name's Annette. Pleasure to finally meet you."
"Finally?" Sarah asked, shaking Annette's hand.
"Jareth mentioned you a few times. Granted, he was drunk on mead, but…" Annette's grin widened as Jareth glared daggers at her.
"Jareth? Drunk on mead?" Sarah gaped. There were a few things in Annette's half-finished sentence that was causing her brain to stutter. Jareth drunk—she couldn't picture that. And then, Jareth drunk on mead. Did anyone really drink the stuff anymore? She'd always pictured him as a rum and Coke type of guy. Or a smooth, aged brandy.
"Well, that was a while ago..." Annette said. "Want to come in?"
"No," Jareth said.
"Yes," Sarah said, at the same time.
It wasn't surprising who won. In a few seconds, they were inside Annette's home, which was a quaint two-bedroom that looked completely human. Sarah glanced at the darkly upholstered sofa, the rich wood furniture, and the pretty photographs on the wall. She pointed to one of Flamenco dancers, their arms bent gracefully, not a single hair out of place despite the action shot. "That's gorgeous," she said.
"Ah, thanks. I took it myself. Want something to drink? Coffee? Water?" Annette took off her witch hat and perched it on the back of the sofa.
"No," Jareth said.
"Coffee," Sarah said, at the same time.
Annette grinned. "Make yourself at home." She glanced at Jareth for a moment longer, and some message traveled through them, unspoken. Sarah frowned, her good mood souring again. For a few moments, she had thought…well, that Annette wasn't important to Jareth, but now…why was it so bad if this woman was important to him? Why did she care? She really shouldn't, only people who had feelings for someone else would care.
Oh boy, Sarah thought, sitting on the sofa, careful not to dislodge the witch's hat. Jareth sat diagonally, on the matching love seat. A movement out of the corner of her eye caused Sarah to look towards the hallway, where a black cat had appeared from a semi-closed door. The cat had the greenest eyes she'd ever seen, like glowing peridots. She watched as it slunk across the floor and then, with a mighty leap, landed in Jareth's lap.
The cat purred and Jareth sighed, obligingly petting it behind the ears.
Sarah touched Jorge. She'd tied the stuffed cat to her waist with a scarf. She said, "The cat knows you. Or it's the friendly sort."
Jareth looked up, regarding her with an expressionless face and those mismatched eyes. Sarah petted Jorge, unknowingly mirroring Jareth's own movements. The soft, fake fur was comforting.
When Jareth didn't say anything, Sarah huffed with annoyance. "Okay, Jareth, enough is enough. Who is she?"
Jareth said, "An old friend." He hesitated, and Sarah waited impatiently. He gave the cat another pat and finally added, "He's Annette's familiar."
"Of course he is," Sarah muttered. "What's his name?"
Jareth hesitated again, then said, "Gato."
Sarah snorted. She'd taken enough of high school Spanish to know what the word meant. "Original," she muttered, then she stiffened as she realized what it could mean that Jareth knew Annette well enough to know what her cat was named.
"So, what are the chances that the mighty Labyrinth Winner would live only a few blocks from me?" Annette said, walking into the living room with two cups of coffee. She handed one to Sarah and took a sip from the other cup.
"I don't know," Sarah said, coldly, glancing at Jareth.
"Complete coincidence," Jareth answered. He pushed Gato off his lap and added, "I'm lucky like that."
"How are you nowadays?" Annette asked Jareth, taking another sip of her coffee. She had very kind eyes, deep and soulfully brown.
Sarah fidgeted.
"Excellent," Jareth answered. "Yourself?"
Annette smiled. "I like this place better than New York. I'm glad I moved. The air is clearer here."
This was becoming all kinds of awkward. Sarah would have excused herself if that hadn't just increased the awkwardness—and she didn't want to. She was watching Jareth and Annette closely, noticing their body language was relaxed with each other, like good friends. Or old lovers, her paranoid part of her mind whispered. She really needed to stop thinking about stuff like that.
Jareth nodded, accepting the information without comment. Annette turned to Sarah. "You must be dying with curiosity."
At first, Sarah thought to play dumb, but Annette's candidness, coupled with her honest and open-faced expression, forced her to answer just as honestly—well, as honestly as she could manage.
"Just a bit," she said, with a smile.
"Jareth and I go to the same Samhain celebration," Annette said. "We celebrate it every year—well, except the last few you haven't been showing up." This last was said toward Jareth. "Gotten busy?"
"The duties of a king never end," Jareth answered, stiffly.
"Samhain," Sarah murmured. She frowned, glancing at Jareth. "You said you didn't celebrate Halloween!"
"I don't," Jareth huffed, indignantly. He crossed his ankles and leaned back in the chair. "Samhain is a harvest festival, parts of which have influenced Halloween. But I've never done the celebrations as you do it," he wiggled his fingers, indicating all the celebrations he spoke of, "with the carving of squash, the costuming, the candies and movies."
Annette's eyebrows rose. "Candies and movies?" She snickered. "Are you saying you've gotten the great Goblin King to watch scary movies and munch on Halloween candy?"
Sarah grinned, glancing at Jareth, who looked affronted. He reminded her of a cat, all huffy indignation. She said, "Jareth is very interested in the strange dealings of us simple mortals. Right Goblin King?"
Jareth snorted, looking away.
Sarah sipped at her quickly cooling coffee. "So, you are Jareth go to parties together?"
"One, actually. Every year, there's a celebration of Samhain—not because of the harvest festival, that was merely something created by the Gaels long ago. No, Samhain is one of the few times a year when the veil between the worlds is thinner; it's easier to move between this place, the Goblin Kingdom, and every other magical place."
"Are there many?" Sarah asked, intrigued. "Magical places?"
"Quite a few," Annette said.
Sarah blinked and refocused on the girl. "Why do you go? You seem normal to me."
Jareth frowned. "I could take affront to that, precious." He didn't notice the way Annette's gaze flicked over to him when he said the pet-name, but Sarah did.
"You know what I mean, Jareth," Sarah answered. She smiled at Annette. "You're a witch, right, Annette? Jareth said Gato was your familiar."
"You remember Gato? You said you weren't a pet person, Jareth."
Jareth shrugged. "My mind is a steel trap. It remembers all kinds of information. And I'm not a pet person. Being the Goblin King will do that to you. Too many damn chickens—and goblins—running about, don't want to throw a dog or cat into the mix."
Annette nodded, glancing at Sarah. "I am a witch, one of the few real ones. I can do more than just nature spells or dark spells, more than fly on a broom if I so wished. As a result, I get a standing invitation to places where mortals don't usually go. I suppose you could too, if you pressed for it. You're the Champion, the Girl who Beat the Goblin King."
Jareth snorted, but they both ignored him. Their conversation was between each other now, engrossed in whatever undercurrents washed between them. Woman-to-woman.
Sarah's eyes widened. "Really?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. Don't you know the gift you've been given for winning?" Annette leaned forward, touching the back of Sarah's hand. "You don't know, do you?" She finally glanced at Jareth, surprise written across her expression. She directed the next question at him: "You've never told her?"
"Why should I?" Jareth said, angrily. "She wouldn't be interested."
"She would!" Sarah said, jerking away from Annette's touch. "I mean—I would! What is it?"
"Mortality makes people blind," Annette whispered, "until they're touched by something beyond their simple lives. You've been…touched by the fantastical, and if you wanted, you could walk between the veils easily. One of the perks to winning against a fantastical creature," Annette glanced at Jareth, who was sitting forward, gripping the armrests of the chair and shooting a daggered glare at the witch. "But not the only perk."
"Annette," Jareth growled.
"He'll answer wishes for you," Annette whispered, "if you'd only ask."
"Annette!" Jareth barked.
"Well, you will! And she deserves to know!" Annette said. "Honestly, Jareth, what are you playing at here? Showing up? Going trick-or-treating? What do you want?"
"We're not good enough friends for you to assume anything of me," Jareth hissed. "In fact, I don't think we're good enough friends—period."
Annette's expression closed off, her eyes darkening. "I'm sorry you feel that way. If we're not friends, then I can tell her the truth without worrying I'll upset you, hm?"
Jareth snarled angrily, looking away. For a moment, the house was quiet. Gato slid past Sarah's ankles, brushing his bushy, black tail against her ankle and causing her to jump. Otherwise, no one moved; the only sound was Jareth's harsh breathing.
Suddenly, Jareth surged to his feet. He glared at Annette, then glanced at Sarah, his expression softening slightly. Sarah's heart pounded at the flittering emotions parading across the Goblin King's mismatched eyes. He murmured, "Tell her what you want," and then with a poof of glittery smoke, he was gone.
Gato made a yowling noise, hissing at the empty spot and skittering away, disappearing down the hallway.
Annette sighed. "I hate it when he does that, don't you? All that glitter. Horrible to get out of the carpet."
Sarah stood, but Annette grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry about Jareth. He'll sulk somewhere for a while."
"I don't understand…"
"How long has Jareth been visiting you?"
"I—I—He only manages to visit once a year, on Halloween…"
"When the veil is thin," Annette said, softly. "No wonder he hasn't been going to the Samhain celebrations, he's been visiting you instead."
There was no jealousy in her voice, which caused Sarah to turn back to the witch. If it had been her, there would have been jealousy. Why wasn't Annette jealous? Sarah frowned. Why did she care?
Because I want the Goblin King to visit me; I like his company.
Okay, she couldn't deny that anymore. She did like his company, she was sad she only saw him once a year. Oh boy, what did that mean?
Something must have shown in her face, because Annette said, "Oh dear, has my intentions come across wrongly?" She chuckled and leaned forward, letting go of Sarah's hand so she could recline on the armrest, propping her chin on the back of her hand.
"Sarah, do you know how old I am?"
Sarah opened her mouth, intending to guess the young woman's age. Twenty-eight? Thirty? Thirty-five, tops. But, she stopped when she looked into the woman's eyes and saw—endless depths, darkness, like twin brown abysses. They were like Jareth's eyes, the few times he'd turned and looked at her with the fullness of his otherworldliness. Deep. Infinite.
Forever, Sarah thought, shivering. Her guesses died on her tongue. Annette wasn't mortal, or if she was, she'd seen more than anything Sarah could imagine. Maybe she wasn't mortal anymore.
"No, I couldn't even begin to guess," Sarah murmured.
"I think it's felicitous that you came here today, with the Goblin King, before I left for my own Samhain celebrations…"
"Is it?"
"Yes. He didn't tell you, which isn't fair. You don't know the power you have."
"You mentioned wishes."
"I did."
"I don't understand." Sarah sunk into the chair Jareth had been sitting in. She rubbed her forehead, sighing. When had this Halloween become so complicated? She just wanted to trick-or-treat! Just a bit of aimless fun! "I told him he had no power over me. How could I be able to ask him for wishes?"
"He has no power over you," Annette said, "unless you give him power."
"Why would I do that?"
Annette frowned, then her eyebrows slowly rose as she realized something—something that made her tip her head back and laugh. Sarah stiffened, but Annette waved a hand, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She said, laughing still, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sarah, but if you really need me to answer why you'd want the Goblin King to have power over you, you're very naïve. There's more than just the bad sort of power, you know?" She paused, her smile fading slightly into something that looked akin to sympathy. Sarah didn't like the expression. "What did the Goblin King say to you?"
"What?" Sarah frowned, thinking. But the memory rose unbidden to her mind, the words echoing through her head.
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave…"
"Jareth wanted my obedience," Sarah murmured. "Back then. But, that doesn't make sense, he's been really friendly to me lately, not like a villain at all."
"Obedience?" Annette whispered. She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "You should hear the things he says when he's drunk on mead. What else did he say?"
"I—" Sarah shook her head, but again the memory was there, close to the surface. She could never forget those few hours when she'd been in the Labyrinth; regardless of the fact she wasn't fifteen anymore, she felt that night had shaped her unlike anything else. Despite her words, the Goblin King did have power over her. Of course he did. The power of influence; the power of her past and memories.
"I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside-down. And I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me."
Her expectations of him? Like how she wanted a friend now, not a villain?
Sarah shook her head. "He's selfish, self-centered—"
"Yes, because he's had no reason to be anything else." Annette shrugged. "But he can be a good friend. Despite what he says, we are friends, we are friendly. I see him once a year and he can be friendly. I wonder, if given half the chance, could he be…more than friendly?" Annette looked at Sarah knowingly. "Someone gives him the power to be and he could…maybe make a few wishes come true."
"Wishes, you said he could make my wishes come true…"
"Sarah," Annette said, gently, leaning forward, "I think Jareth would do anything to make your wishes come true."
Sarah blanched, shaking her head. "No…no, he took my brother. He sent the Cleaners after me. He—he—"
"Maybe you two should talk. Sometime, when you're ready, of course." Annette leaned forward, picking up Gato and petting the cat gently. He watched Sarah with peridot eyes. "You should come to the Samhain celebrations sometime."
Sarah felt like her mind was full of buzzing bees, her thoughts tumbled over each other in confusion. She shook her head again. She said, "What did Jareth tell you when he was drunk?"
"Hmm, well, lots of things, actually." Annette said, leaning back thoughtfully. "He babbled a lot about chickens. He doesn't seem to like them very much. Oh! There was something about 'kissing the dwarf, can't believe she'd do that.' Something about it being 'bloody unbelievable.' Oh! And he kept singing some song…"
"Do you remember the song?" Sarah asked when Annette's voice faded away.
"Mmm, not a lot. The lyrics were nice, I remember that. 'You starve and near exhaust me, everything I've done, I've done for you.'" Annette smiled. "'You Precious thing.'"
Sarah's heart lurched. She asked, hesitantly, "When was this? When did he say all these things?"
"Oh, it must be a few years ago now. He hasn't been back for a while." Annette tapped her chin, thoughtfully. Gato purred softly in her lap and with her free hand, Annette idly stroked the cat. "Four? Five?"
It was my twenty-first Halloween that the Goblin King came. Four years ago.
"I have to go," Sarah said, suddenly, knowing it was horribly rude. She added, "Thank you for the coffee."
"Anytime. I'm just a block away, if you ever need anything."
Sarah smiled, although she wasn't paying much attention to the words. She needed to leave, she needed to find Jareth and talk to him before Halloween was over. She left Annette, who watched with interest. She had a smile on her face like the cat who had caught the canary. The real cat in her lap flicked its tail and Annette gently petted him.
Sarah left the house, standing outside under the dark sky. The night had grown later, perhaps by an hour, and the trick-or-treaters had reduced. Sarah retied the stuffed cat around her waist, to make sure she didn't lose it. She half-jogged and half-walked back home, ignoring the trick-or-treaters and the pleasantness of the evening. She only had Jareth on her mind, and her own confused heart.
"Everything you have wanted I have done." Jareth was a selfish bastard, but he was also a good friend. Annette suggested…oh god, was Annette suggesting Jareth had feelings for her? How had this happened?
She arrived back at record-breaking time, but the apartment was empty. Looking around with frustration, she went from living room to bedroom to bathroom—just in case—but there was no one; the place was empty of both goblins and the Goblin King.
Sarah collapsed onto the sofa with a deep sigh. The stuffed cat poked into her side and with a grunt of frustration, she undid the sash and threw the cat away from her. A moment later, she felt guilty for it. Jorge hadn't done anything; he didn't deserve such rough treatment.
But she didn't go to pick him up. Instead, she leaned back against the sofa and stared at the ceiling before rubbing the heels of her hands over her eyes, giving a shuddering sigh. She said, softly, to herself, "I wish this were easier, but it's always a damn Labyrinth with you Jareth. I need to talk to you."
"Is that a part of the wish, precious?"
Sarah gasped, jerking upright as if someone had stuck a pin in a side. Her heart hammered in her chest, first by the surprise at seeing Jareth seated in her armchair, and then by the fact Jareth was in her armchair.
He was wearing a dark coat, embroidered with bright threads, and tight black pants with his signature riding boots. A leather crop waved about, gripped in his right hand. His hair sported black streaks in the blonde. He was in full Dark Goblin King regalia, and he was definitely sulking. Sarah was surprised by the way her heart thumped at that knowledge. Shouldn't she be annoyed by a Goblin King sulk? Instead, she fought the urge to grin.
She wondered what exactly he was sulking about: the fact Annette had told him things he didn't want her to know? The fact that she'd let him leave?
"Maybe," Sarah said. "How long is there left of Halloween?"
Jareth glanced over at the stove where the dial lit brightly and said, "Three hours."
"And then you have to go back," Sarah said, softly, "because the veil thins again."
Jareth was silent, looking out the balcony instead of at her. After a few moments, Sarah began to wonder if he would speak at all, or if he was waiting for her to say something else. She opened her mouth, not quite sure what would come out, but before she could say anything, Jareth shifted and sighed.
"Yes," he said, simply.
"I don't understand, you can come and go as you please, right? I mean, you're the Goblin King, you appeared in my brother's room—"
"Because of a wish," Jareth said, bitterly, sweeping the riding crop across until it slapped against his leather boot. "My comings and goings are usually dictated by the wishes of others. A wish for someone to be taken away, and I appear. But, there are three days of the year where I can easily travel between my kingdom and this place. Unless…"
"Unless?" Sarah asked, leaning forward unconsciously.
Jareth met her gaze for the first time since appearing back in her home. He had a small smirk on his face, but it seemed sad, unlike the usual confident, know-it-all leer. She liked that one better, actually.
"Unless someone wishes me the freedom of movement. Your words were quite final the last time you made a wish of me, or more a statement, really. How did it go again? 'You have no power over me.' And so, I didn't—I don't."
Sarah flushed. The words, for the first time, seemed unnecessarily cruel.
She took off her witch hat and placed it aside, then said softly, "Jareth, if I ask you a question…can you answer it honestly?"
Jareth said nothing, but he waited, swishing the crop back and forth. Sarah sighed and pointed at it. "Will you put that away?"
"For you, precious," Jareth said, softly, and with a flick of his wrist, the crop disappeared with a bit of glitter, "anything."
Sarah shifted, trying to get her courage up to ask the question. She had always been brave and straightforward—or so she liked to think—but with Jareth staring at her, she found her bravery depleting quickly and her breath coming fast. In the end, her courage fled and she didn't ask the question she truly wanted. Instead, she finally looked away and stammered, "W—Why do you visit me every year?"
"Why?" Jareth looked thoughtful. "It's amusing. Don't you find it amusing, precious?"
"Amusing?" Sarah sputtered, but when she looked back at Jareth, he was grinning and she huffed with annoyance. "Why can't you ever just give me a straight answer?"
"Is that a wish, Sarah?" Jareth joked.
Sarah raised her brows, taking the challenge. Her bravery flared when challenged. Jareth always knew how to push her. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Fine then, I wish you'd tell me a straight answer to my question."
"Why do I visit every year? Do you really not know?" Jareth suddenly stood. He was highlighted by the balcony's sliding glass door, the moonlight came in to cause his blonde hair to glow like a crown. Jareth moved closer, his stride graceful. He leaned forward, resting one hand on the sofa's arm. She could smell that scent of cinnamon and wilderness, and her mouth watered. Her heartbeat picked up, until it seemed so loud that she feared Jareth could hear it. Maybe he could, since his lips curled in a satisfied smirk; the one she knew so well.
"No, I don't," Sarah murmured, and then quickly added, "So many years have passed since…and, you know, you only visit once a year—"
"Sarah…" Jareth sighed and sat next to her on the sofa. Sarah turned, facing him. They sat close enough that her knees brushed his. "Sarah, what do you wish from me?"
"I wish…" Sarah leaned forward. His mismatched eyes really were beautiful, one the color of the sky during day, the other the sky during night. His eyes showed the dichotomy of his nature; both playful and villainous, and yet, she thought at that moment she could enjoy his personality no matter what it brought.
So far, it had brought nothing but adventure. Even when just eating candy apples or watching scary movies, she knew it would be a great adventure if Jareth was there.
"I wish for you to visit much more often," Sarah murmured, shifting so that she knelt on the sofa. She moved forward, scooting closer.
Jareth smiled, his eyes twinkling. He waited, letting Sarah come closer, and whispered when her lips were merely inches from his, "How often, precious?"
She felt the brush of his breath against her lips and shivered. She whispered, "Much…much more often."
She kissed him then. A gentle brush of lips against lips, soft and inviting. He tasted like she had hoped: sweet, wild, cinnamon spice. She wanted to taste again, so she dipped close and gently nipped at his bottom lip.
Jareth shuddered as Sarah leaned back and he looked at her with a softness she'd never seen before—or at least, not so openly displayed on his face. He touched her cheek and said, huskily, "Sarah…"
Sarah smiled and turned to kiss Jareth's palm. "Slowly," she said. "We've got a while now, right?"
"Right," Jareth said, smirking.
Sarah grabbed a DVD off the coffee table and curled up against Jareth's side, resting her head on his shoulder. She showed it to Jareth. "Dawn of the Dead? I've seen the first, but never got to the second. Zombies are scary."
Jareth wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "Sarah?"
"Mmm?" Sarah felt warm all over. She wondered why she'd never taken this chance before.
"Tomorrow is Samhain…"
Sarah frowned. "Let's just watch the DVD for now, Jareth and leave decision making for later." If she thought about this too much right now, she might start remembering things like the fact that she was considering dating the Goblin King. He had a kingdom to go back to. Plus there was his whole profession of stealing children.
Sarah sighed, some of the warmth slipping away. She forced herself to focus back on the present.
Jareth shifted, nodding slowly, his gaze fixed on her. Maybe he realized some of her thoughts, because he pulled her close again. Sarah leaned her cheek on his chest, hearing the rumble of his voice as he spoke, "There's one problem, though."
"What's that?" Sarah asked, frowning.
"I'm not moving, and I'm not letting you move, so how're we going to put the disc in?"
Sarah laughed. "That is a problem! Where's a goblin when you need one?"
"Jeebo!"
Author's Notes: Yes, I kind of left this hanging. Yes, I do plan a sequel sometime (hmm, Halloween IS coming up...) and yes, this isn't the best thing I've ever written. In fact, I'm pretty nervous about it for lots of reasons. One, this is completely unedited, something I usually don't do, but it's been lying on my hard drive half finished for so long, I just needed to get it OUT. Also, with life being swallowed whole by work (60-some hours a week does NOT make CQ a happy camper), I've had very little time to write and I'm trying desperately to get back in the groove. So consider this my effort at re-grooving. I hope it doesn't disappoint too much. :) Let me know what you think, I am quite anxious for feedback. And like I said, yes there's a sequel in the works, a one-shot that's going to be full of JS fluff.