When Jareth had managed to coax Sarah back into dancing, he noticed how tense and rigid she had become. It worried him that she wouldn't look him in the eye. Although he enjoyed feeling the warmth of her cheek on his shoulder, he could tell that she was in a deeply pensive mood. Before Jareth even consciously realized what he was doing, he began humming the song he had first sung to her in the ballroom mere days ago. He was so relieved when he felt her start to relax in his arms, but he still wanted to see her eyes. Sarah's eyes could be so telling and he needed to see whether there was warmth or ice in them for him. In hopes of attracting her attention, Jareth began singing the words of their song.
"But I'll be there for you…as the world falls down…I'll paint you mornings of gold. I'll spin you Valentine evenings, though we're strangers 'til now, we're choosing the path between the stars. I'll lay my love between the stars…"
Jareth paused in his singing, anxiously awaiting a reaction from her. She still wasn't looking at him, but he heard a timid voice ask, "What does it mean?"
"What dearest?" When she didn't say anything further, Jareth lost the restraint he had been trying to maintain, and reached out with his gloved hand to gently tilt her chin up to look at him.
He saw the confusion in her eyes as she clarified her question and asked again in a stronger voice, "What does your song mean?"
Jareth was at a loss of words for a moment, but managed to ask, "Don't the lyrics explain my feelings?"
"They're a bit…abstract," Sarah finished, trying to find the right word to describe his beautiful yet poetically vague lyrics. "What do you expect of me here over the next year?" She asked again, hoping that by phrasing her question a little differently, he might give her a complete answer.
"Expectations?" Jareth voiced aloud, his brow knitted together in thought. "I don't have any," he concluded.
"But you must," Sarah sighed. "When telling me about the terms of our contract, you said if I wanted to go home at the end of the year…"
Sarah was very observant, Jareth had to give her that. Did he have expectations? No, but I do have an end goal… He thought. He wanted Sarah to choose to stay with him after their year was up. But should I tell her that? "I want us to get to know each other as we are doing now and I want you to see me as more than just a villain. I really only did what you asked. I gave you adventure and excitement; allowed you to be the hero of your own story. I fashioned myself after how you wanted to see me, but now I would like for you to see me in a different light." He finished a little breathless.
"And at the end of our year?" She pushed further.
"I want you to choose to stay with me," He stated bluntly, finally deciding to stop playing games.
Sarah took a sharp intake of breath. "That's a rather big request," she replied shakily. She felt a little light headed at his words. She was actually glad that they were still dancing as with Jareth's arms around her, she felt more supported.
"We still have lots of time before you have to decide," Jareth said in a comforting tone while stroking her back soothingly with his right hand.
"But to give up my family? I don't think I could ever do that." Sarah looked down at the ground, afraid to meet his eyes. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wanted to be honest.
"Whoever said you would have to do that?" He smiled down at her.
Sarah's eyes flashed up to his quickly. "You mean I could see them?" She asked. "If I chose to stay with you that is," she added, not wanting to sound too eager, but also seeking clarification.
"Of course! I can transport you Aboveground just as I transported you Underground." He stated confidently in an almost haughty tone.
Sarah nearly rolled her eyes at his cockiness, but then thought better of it. "So I'd have to rely on you then to travel between the realms." She gave him a serious stare, cocking one eyebrow.
Jareth cleared his throat awkwardly before confirming, "Yes…" He knew that she would take issue with this point; his Sarah was so fiercely independent.
She heaved a sigh. "Can we stop dancing and actually have a serious talk about this?"
"Of course," Jareth replied in a business-like manner. They both stilled their movements; then Jareth snapped his fingers and a beautiful wrought iron bench painted a sparkling gold appeared beside them in the ballroom. Jareth led Sarah to it, still holding on to her hand as they sat down. She let him, too caught up in her own thoughts to care much about her personal bubble at the moment.
"Can I trust you?" Sarah asked, turning towards him, searching for the truth in his eyes.
"I promise I will…I mean would take you Aboveground whenever you wanted if you should so decide to stay with me," Jareth stated earnestly, squeezing her hand.
Sarah smiled sadly at him. "But it's not just that. Can I trust you to be kind and open? Will you talk to me and respect me?" Jareth could see the worry evident in her eyes. He reached out a comforting hand to stroke her cheek gently. Sarah kept her eyes looking down at her lap, but she leaned into his hand slightly.
"Yes, you can," he began softly, "but I understand that I need to earn your trust. Thankfully I have almost a whole year still to do just that before you must decide."
Feeling a bit braver, Sarah looked up at him through her lashes. She was surprised at the genuine warmth she saw in Jareth's soft features. She opened her mouth slightly in her awe. Jareth smiled.
"You are wearing the exact same expression of shock you had a few days ago when I first sang that I would be there for you." He chuckled.
"Well you do surprise me with your actions sometimes," She admitted, raising her eyes fully to his.
"Ah, I see," he exclaimed cheery, "I think I would have continued to surprise you in that moment…if you hadn't run away that is," he added teasingly.
Sarah put her hands on her hips in mock offense. "Well I just knew that I had forgotten something important," she ribbed back, although her curiosity was now peaked. "But let's just say…hypothetically, what would have happened if I hadn't run away from you in that moment?" She tilted her head sideways slightly, questioning.
Bluntness had been working for him so far, so Jareth just blurted out, "I wanted to kiss you."
Sarah's look of shock returned as she processed this information and before her brain could stop her, she asked, "And do you still want to kiss me?"
"More than ever," he stated darkly. And in the next second, he pressed his lips to hers hopefully, unable to wait any longer. He was gentle at first, afraid that she would push him away or not kiss back, but after the startled effect wore off, Sarah began to move her lips against his. Both were reveling in the softness of the other's lips. Jareth ran his hands down her arms and back while Sarah kept her hands on his shoulders and neck. Jareth just wanted to feel all of her at once, while Sarah wanted to keep a firm hold on him to ensure to herself that this was real.
