A/N Again, not betad. Another difficult chapter to write, but there were things that needed explaining, and things I needed to bend to my will. It should be eaiser going after this. I have an idea of where I want to go.

Ch.9

Sarah sat in her room and played with her magic. She realized she too could make things appear the way Jareth did. She could only make things appear from where she knew they were last. She materialized a bottle of a very high caffeinated drink from the vending machine at work. It was the best tasting caffeine she had had all weekend, especially considering her hangover from last night, even if all she was able to materialize was diet soda. It affected her less aversely than her younger brother, who got violently ill with stomach cramps when he ingested it. Diet only made her feel mildly nauseous.

Joselle had helped her to bathe, and found her things from the laundress. She was dressed in her street clothes and prepared to leave. What she was not prepared for, were her feelings for Jareth. It had seemed the most natural thing in the world to go to him and lay with him. She admitted that he was a very good kisser, and probably skilled in all things when it came to the bedroom. Who knew how old he was anyway? Experience counts for a lot when it comes to things like that, and Nathan had been crap at kissing.

Suddenly, she felt a tingling on the back of her neck. The next moment she could not believe her eyes. A woman she had not seen for nearly thirty years had just appeared in front of her. Her mother. Linda Williams. Sarah pegged her dress as Renaissance-era, in a shade of forest green. Her hair hung nearly to her feet and was braided intricately in a single thick braid at the back of her neck.

Sarah was too shocked to move. Words would not come out of her mouth. Slowly she squeaked out "Mom?"

"Yes, it's me. Thank God you are safe," she went and gave Sarah a hug.

"Mom, I have so many questions. Where have you been? What is going on? Why didn't you come back?"

"You have so many questions. I know you deserve answers, but I need to explain some things before we go on. I had to leave. There were things going on in this Underground that needed attending to, and then war, and things go worse. The past 15 years have kept me busy Sarah, I hope you don't resent me too much."

Sarah went and sat on her bed. "There is so much to take in. I'm ready to back and be with my friends and sort my life out Aboveground now. Jareth promised he would take me today."

"I would be careful with what Jareth promises you. He is fae and given to being capricious and moody. He is the 'other' side. The country we are at war with. It is why things are going so badly here, however, years ago a pact was made before you were born to me. It has everything to do with you and I know you were not consulted to begin with, but you have a decision to make. I was hoping to make it back to you, so I could council you before you needed to decide, but the time is critical. By midnight of tonight, you must decide to marry Jareth or not; else he becomes a prisoner of my country."

Sarah sat dumbfounded. Marry. . .Jareth? The thought was unfathomable. She needed modern conveniences, she needed Jareth to not be in her life. He'd been flirting with her like mad and now she realized he might have other motives. Was it for love? Or to avoid imprisonment. This was a hell of a time to make a decision. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she liked the guy, but love? Out of the question entirely.

"I don't know. . .mom." It felt odd to say the word mom. She hadn't said it in so long, since she was a child. "I'm not even sure what kind of a guy Jareth is.-toilet seat up, toilet seat down, coffee black, coffee regular? How can I possibly relate to him, let alone love him? We come from two completely different worlds."

"I'm afraid it's a choice you must contemplate. You are from this world, a qualified candidate, and now you are of an age to make your own decisions. Whatever you decide, you must know there will be consequences either way."

"I only have two choices. May I see a copy of the pact? What does it involve? I would like to make an informed decision in the very least. Why tonight?"

"It is the night of the Seventh Eclipse, his powers are weakest. It would be to our advantage. You may of course side with your home country, if you like, and leave Jareth to whatever becomes of him. I would be overjoyed to see you happy, however you must do what is best for you." Sarah thought about this. It just didn't seem right, or fair. How could she possibly decide tonight, when she was supposed to leave. She had several questions.

"I need more time. Could I use magic? A few days would be nice. Would I have to live here? What are the ramifications of marrying Jareth, besides the obvious?"

"If you decide to go Aboveground, I can grant you a few more days and slow time with my magic, but that is all, no matter what your commitments, you must return and decide." Replied her mother sagely.

"Thanks, I can use all the time I can get. I will ask Lord Clifford to find me a copy of the pact. I have a few more questions still. First, I have noticed a 'pull' that I have here to Jareth. Will I be able to feel it Aboveground?"

Sarah's mother looked shocked. "You do? Sarah, this is evidence of strong magic. The strongest in all the kingdoms. This means you have a link formed from a bond of love."

"Love? I don't think so."

"Sarah, your incident from years ago, did that not influence you?"

"Yeah it did. I hated his guts for what he pulled."

"And yet you were taken on the greatest adventure of your life. How many men can you say have done that for you since?"

"Well, none, I guess. . .but that doesn't mean I've been carrying a torch."

"Oh no? Well how do you explain the bond. It also means Jareth loves you in return."

"So much that he made me suffer?"

"How many boys in high school pulled your hair just to get your attention?"

Sarah sat stunned, digesting this new piece of information. It changed things, but didn't. She felt so torn, but not inclined to live out a lifetime, however long with Jareth, still. It wasn't fair, it made no sense, and all she wanted to do was go home, to her bed and her cat and sleep and never wake up. 'Jareth=bad' no longer computed for her, and she felt like her mind would fly apart; yet here she sat. And it was all thanks to Jareth. If he had not come to get her when she had her accident, she would not be here at all. He could do good things, he had a heart. Moreover he had not taken advantage of her last night. She teetered on the edge of decision. Marrying Jareth would mean so many things. The modern world. She wanted to stay in the modern world.

"Mom, could I stay in the modern world?"

"You would only be able to remain for a limited time, I'm afraid, and not on a daily basis."

"I can live with that, I think. About how long?"

"A few hours at most, unless you wanted to become a Morph as Jareth has done."

"Time enough to see a movie." Sarah mused. "What is a Morph?"

"You may take on an animal form, but would be unable to communicate with humans of the aboveworld. This form is different. The longer you are a Morph through the years, the more time you can spend in the modern world. As well you know, Jareth has a form of an owl which he uses frequently."

Sarah tossed this out as an option. It's not something she would ever consider. If she wanted to be above, she wanted to be human, and interacting with her friends and family and she wanted to experience things- computers, movies, cars. She could not do this as a Morph. Sarah could most likely be swayed. But the God's honest truth was that marrying Jareth terrified her. This notion left her petrified with fear. She would be in a world, alone, forever, just her and Jareth, no friends, no family. . .

"Mom, would you come and visit me?"

"As often as you like." The woman she knew as Linda Williams smiled a bright smile. So, not alone. Her mother waited patiently for Sarah to reason out what she wanted and what she needed. This was not a decision to be made lightly. If she could take the choice away, she would. Clearly her daughter loved the Goblin King in spite of herself, yet did not want to leave the world she already knew. This would put Sarah in a very awkward position. She did not want Sarah to be aggrieved about her decision either. As a mother, she would do anything possible to give Sarah the life that she wanted, but it had to be Sarah's decision, it was Sarah's life.

Her place here was to advise her daughter as best she could and supply her with any answers to her questions or missing information. She had left Sarah above for too long, and it was a selfish notion, but she was scared to lose her only daughter through skirmishes or as a pawn for the other side. She had lost her mother and brother and that was enough. It had to stop. She had needed to control her own losses. The result left Sarah challenged to make a decision for better or worse which directly involved a man who had caused her great pain in the past. She ached for her daughter, but the pact was made. If Sarah chose to marry Jareth, the war would cease. Jareth had probably been counting on this for a quarter of a century at the very least. The fact that Sarah has her awareness, and is drawn toward Jareth for whatever reason, can only be explained that the spell she had cast all those years ago was working. She doubted it, but held on to the hope anyway. This war her father had started was ridiculous, and now no one knew the reason for it anymore. That fact that the spell was working left her ever more hopeful that the war would end soon.

Sarah bid Joselle find Lord Clifford. Joselle curtsied and left the room.

"Sarah, it is time now, I must make my leave of you. I wish you luck and I will be waiting, whatever your choice."

Sarah embraced her mother and watched her fade from view.

Lord Clifford entered her chambers nearly immediately after her mother left, bringing the document with him. Sarah looked at the document and assumed it would be heavy with 'legalize' but this turned out to be the least of her problems. Like the books on her shelf, she couldn't even read the language. She would need to stay here and have Lord Clifford help her read it. He would, she knew, but this left her with a mere 12 hours to make a choice that would last a lifetime.