Notes at End.
"Hello Precious," Jareth spoke sweetly to her sweatshirt and capri clad back as he closed the door. Sarah had known what she would find even before she'd opened the door; the poor girl fell to her knees. "Come now Sarah. Is this any way to greet me?"
God damn, why did he have to look so good? Better than Sarah remembered and her body was still warm from her dream – his touch had scorched her then. Now her body was betraying her, hate for both that and the goblin kidnapper kept her mind clear thankfully.
"Give him back." Her anger rose, Jareth's eyebrow arched; there was very little fear in her voice.
"Now Sarah, I can't do that. He called me of his own free will." The girl scoffed at the Goblin King.
"Toby would never call you willingly."
Jareth stooped down to the girl who had stolen his heart, it took everything he had not to kiss her slender white neck with his lips, or graze her arms with his gloved hands, "Only for you Sarah." His breath on her ear made her shiver; they were so close, her reaction looked to be the Goblin King's undoing. Jareth was far too taken with the smell of her, like honeysuckle and citrus, and her hair was far too soft against his cheek. He stood and turned towards her beautiful face at the window, the space between them doing him a world of good.
"Liar." Her eyes still held the same passionate spark they had so long ago. The conceptive look she gave him only succeeded in making his blood run hotter with lust than before. What sweet torture I've missed.
"Come, come Sarah. I haven't lied. And in the end what's done is done and Toby will remain with me. The babe wants you with him Sarah, will you not come to his cries?"
Sarah heard Toby's voice very faintly crying her named in a thickly worried tone. "Let me run the Labyrinth again for him," she implored, rising to her feet.
Jareth merely shook his head with a slight grin, "Sorry love, but Toby cried to me; you can't save him now. But you can go to him."
"But you cheated." She wasn't making this easy, but when was Sarah anything but stubborn? And after all, Jareth had to admit, he was playing a rather convincing villain again in front of her.
"The Labyrinth doesn't care this time." Jareth answered quickly; Sarah looked shocked and shuttered.
"Toby wouldn't-" Jareth pulled Sarah closer by the arm and forced her a step towards him.
"Toby said the words Sarah. It doesn't matter what he thought. He said them and meant them. And so I'll ask one last time," as his lips parted not a inch from hers, "are you going to join your lonely brother?"
As the Goblin King's hot breath rattled Sarah's head and confused her senses she knew she'd already lost. Toby was all that mattered, her parents would never forgive her for losing him; No, Toby was all she had left, Toby was the only really good thing in her life; "This is forever, isn't it?"
"Damn straight," his voice had become husky and his grasp tighter. Sarah recognized there was more in his voice than affirmation.
"And this is more than it seems."
"Yes."
Sarah took in one final breath and said goodbye to her world and even when she said it, all she thought of was the little brother that she had fought so hard to save once already, "Goblin King?"
Jareth opened his eyes to see emerald jems piercing him like daggers, "Sarah."
"Take me away."
All Sarah heard before her world went black was the silky voice of the Goblin King saying "Mine".
It only took Sarah a second to realize she was in the Goblin King's throne room at what looked like sunset in the Underground. As was the Labyrinth, the room was stark sandstone. Just like she remembered, the throne room looked 3 sizes too small for adults. Goblins scattered as they realized who had returned. Whispers crying Sarah murmured through the room as the winner of the Labyrinth took her place in the middle of what looked like a fountain long ago dried up.
"Where's Toby?" Sarah growled."I want my brother."
"All in good time," Jareth said as he gracefully took his seat on his throne, the only piece of furniture over sized for an adult; tapping his boot with a crop that magically appeared in his hand, "First we must complete our," he gestured his hand airily, "terms."
"Terms." Sarah spoke flatly.
"Yes, terms: the terms of your return to the Underground. You are, after all, not a child Sarah. Your deal with me, is well...quiet different."
"Jareth give me my brother!" Sarah bellowed, goblins, glued silent to an unexpected show, shook in surprise at Sarah's tone. She was just as bad and the King.
"You will see my son-"
"Your son?! You have no right to call him any such thing!"
Jareth's voice rose to match Sarah's -- obviously, she had not thought as fondly of him as he had of her these last 5 years, despite dream-like confession bathed in honeysuckle -- with his own anger, "He is my chosen heir to the Labyrinth and therefore I will call him son and he will call me Father. On this matter you have no say."
"No say," she scoffed, "what else do I have no say in Jareth, or is my brother's well being the only thing?"
Jareth's deadly smile returned – which masked the tremor that over took Jareth at the sound of his name of her lips – the one Sarah remembered from her final moments in the crystal ball room and he walked down till he stood a step above her, "Well love, when you wished yourself away with me, you as good as gave yourself to me."
"Excuse me," her voice was no more than a whisper, she looked as though anger would consume her very person and she would explode into flames. This was really just too much. You still have your fire Sarah. We just can't make this easy, can we?
"Silly Sarah, if you want to see Toby, all you have to do is say what you've already done. Simply say you're mine."
"And if I don't?" Jareth began to circle her, smile still politely on his face. Sarah wanted her villain, and with her being engulfing his magic yet again, he could do nothing more than be the villain for her. She would have to change how she looked at him before he could become the man he wanted to be in front of her. He wanted desperately to take her in his arms and let passion change everything between them. So much had changed; so much fought to stay the same. For now, playing her villain was more than enough.
"I believe you once had friends here. How sad if when my son could finally meet them they end up dead." The words were out before he realized they'd been spoken. His heart sank when he realized that it had taken 5 years for her to return to the Labyrinth, but it was not to him.
Sarah blanched. With everything, she had forgotten about Hoggle and Ludo and Sir. Didymus. "You wouldn't."
"Don't tempt me."
Property. Thing… … TOBY. "Goblin King," Sarah swallowed very hard and tried to savor her final moments as something free, yet the thought was blind, "I am yours."
The walls of the labyrinth shook as Jareth stopped in front of her. "Good girl," he choked out. The King looked away behind her, "Hogwart!"
"Hoggle!" Sarah nearly broke into tears on the spot. When she turned, she saw Hoggle's surprised and hurt face looking back at her. This was not how she wanted to see her greatest friend again. It took all her might to stay upright and tearless. Hoggle looked like he was about the kick the Goblin King, or at least shake his fist very hard at him for a while.
"You may take Lady Sarah to the tower, that will be her new room."
Sarah turned back to the Goblin King, "What about Toby?"
"Your influence on my son will be restricted." Sarah seethed, he could see calling Toby 'son' was going to be a sore point, the thought made him grin. He'd returned to his villain role in full form: his pride glittered, his heart bled.
"And so you send me to the tower. You promised I would see my brother if I did what you asked."
"Toby will be waiting to see you in your room." Sarah breathed easier knowing her brother was waiting.
"The tower, how medieval," she said: crossing her arms and shaking her head.
"Only a fairytale for my princess." Jareth's gloved hand went to take hers; Sarah pulled it out of his before he could kiss it.
"I'm not your--"
"Mine," Jareth corrected, cutting her off darkly and pointing a black leather finger at her nose.
Sarah's eyes fell to the floor, "yours."
"Hog head, take Sarah to her room." As Sarah took Hoggle's hand and walked out of the throne room, the grim satisfaction that came over Jareth was blissful. He could say her name as much as he wanted, forever, without feeling a gaping loss come over him. Sarah was here -- and a better muse and match for him that ever, as was his heir; she was his, and soon everything
would be as he once dreamed his pride cried, but in his heart he desperately prayed it would be easier than he knew it would be to make his kidnapped love fall in love with him.
Yay! Thank you everyone taking a look at the story! And especially to those who are watching it! But a truly dear place in my heart goes to my early reviewers. Just little notes like that pump me up.
Normally, updates will happen on Thursdays or Fridays. But because of how I'm writing the story, additional updates are very possible through out the week.