AN: Oh my goodness, I am so sorry... I thought a cliffhanger would have been a good chapter ending. I'm so sorry! Well, here's the result:
Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or Superman
Sarah fell with sickening speed and was finally able to scream aloud, and she screamed the only name she could think of.
Her eyes were shut in terror. She felt the wind rushing in her hair and slapping at her face. She opened her mouth once more but literally had the breath knocked out of her when she fell into a pair of strong arms, arms that locked around her tightly. She kept her eyes shut but she wrapped her trembling arms around the body holding her up, clinging to her savior for all she was worth. Her stomach swung in a sickening lurch as if she were on a roller-coaster, feeling herself being lifted…
Lifted? She slowly cracked her eyes open and was met by a pair of bright, blue eyes looking upward. Her mouth fell open. He came… he came to her call…
Superman held her against his chest as he flew up and over the cement ledging of the academy's roof. Sarah had never experienced something like this before. She had never flown over a city roof before; in the arms of the man she had been nearly obsessing for the past few weeks. It was one of the most incredible feelings she had ever experienced.
He landed gracefully on his feet and gently lowered Sarah to hers. Sarah still clung to him but heard a panicked muffle not far off. She followed Superman's gaze and saw the man who tried to kill her race for the exit door. In a flash, he was torn from her grasp and in another instant was standing in front of the door, his arms crossed boldly across his chest, blocking the man's only exit.
The grungy young man panicked and fumbled around in his jacket pocket finally pulling out a gun and pointing it squarely at Superman. As one shot rang out, Sarah threw her hands to her mouth and stifled a scream. But as the smoke from the gun cleared, Sarah saw Superman step forward, a terribly menacing look on his face, swing his fist out, and knock the man out cold.
Sarah gasped and pressed her hands back to her stomach. What had just happened in the last few minutes? Whatever it was, it happened very quickly, and Sarah suddenly felt very faint.
"Ok, Sarah, just breathe, breathe… don't pass out anymore."
"Are you alright?" His voice was deep and edged with worry at seeing her body tremble. He quickly walked over to her and held her up, his hands grasped tightly to her arms.
"Why - why did he push me over?" Sarah stammered, staring at the unconscious heap. "Why didn't he just run?"
"You were screaming. He probably knew I'd show up at any minute," he sighed before he finished, "and if he just ran, you'd still be alive. A dead person can't scream."
Sarah immediately clung back to his arms, looking past his shoulder. This was the second time he had saved her from people who didn't care whether she lived or died. He cared, he cared about her… but then again, Superman cared about everyone.
She looked back up into his eyes, lost for a moment. He was so handsome… "You..." she whispered.
Superman shook his head, confused. "Sorry?"
Sarah blinked before she corrected herself. "Thank you, I mean. Thank you. I think this is second time within a week or so that you've saved my life."
He smiled down at her, his laugh lines clearly visible. "It's my pleasure, Miss Williams."
Sarah stared up at him. "You know my name?"
"Of course, I read your article."
Her forehead crinkled. "You read the paper?"
He laughed this time. "Yes. Well, when I have the time to. It was quite good. I'm just sorry that I never make it to the theater more often."
Sarah smiled back this time. But she peeked over his shoulder again. Even though Superman was here with her, this stranger did try to kill her, actually tried to molest her first. But Superman caught her gaze and looked back over at the slumped figure.
"He'll be out for a while," he reassured her. "At least until the police get here. You should actually let someone downstairs know." He released her, much to Sarah's reluctance. She let her hands slips from his arms clad in blue.
"Thank you, again," she said, laughing quietly. "I promise I'll be more careful next time."
He reached his arm out to her again. "You'll be fine finding someone here, right?"
She nodded, smiling. But her smile immediately faded. "Wait, here's your chance, Sarah. You can ask him yourself. Why did he turn the world back?"
He noticed her frown and he quickly took a step back from her. "Well, goodnight, Miss Williams."
"Wait!" Sarah cried frantically. He looked at her and blinked, waiting for her to finish. "I have to ask you something."
"Of course," he shrugged.
"Um," she really didn't know how to ask this really. "The missile, I mean, the earthquake – it was huge, and well, I need – or actually I want to ask how, no why you, um…" her heart fell to her stomach when she heard sirens in the distance. Superman heard it too.
"I'm sorry, Miss Williams, but I've lingered for too long. You can ask me next time we see each other." He turned from her and bent his knees, ready to take flight.
"You turned the Earth back!" Sarah shouted.
He turned back to her, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion, but his eyes held fear. "I'm sorry?" he muttered.
"You turned it back." Sarah repeated. "You turned time back. You didn't have to, but you did. Why?"
He tilted his head at her, now watching her with doubtful eyes. Sarah did not like that look. It was full of distrust. "How do you know that?"
"I don't know," she answered with all honestly. "Please… I just do." Her eyes pleaded with him to stay with her. "Why did you do it?"
Superman turned to the sound of the sirens and back to Sarah, clearly conflicted between staying and flying to another rescue. He held his hand out in a 'stay' gesture. "If I come back in ten minutes will you still be here?"
Sarah nodded her head vigorously. "Yes."
"Ok," he affirmed. "I promise to be back in ten minutes!" With that, he shot his arms up and flew off in the direction of the blaring sirens; his cape billowing behind him.
Sarah watched him fly away, her fingers twisting around themselves nervously. "Ten minutes. Ok, ten minutes. He never breaks his promises. I can wait for wait ten minutes."
She looked down at herself and realized she was still in costume. She turned and raced back to the exit door, flung it open, and dashed down the stairs to the main dressing room. She burst into the room and shed her long, velvet dress. She always kept a pair of comfortable, yet stylish black dance pants in the corner of her dressing room closet. She hurriedly yanked them on and pulled over a slim, black top. She looked at herself in the mirror, combing out her dark tresses. But as she splayed her fingers over her head for a third time, she leaned in closer to her reflection. Her dark circles… they had gone. The tired look in her eyes had disappeared too, and her skin was slowly regaining the glow it once had. She was still very skinny but to Sarah's delight, her dark outfit was cut to adhere to the remaining curves left on her body.
Sarah felt beautiful and close to desirable for the first time in perhaps months, maybe years. She looked down at herself, smoothing out her outfit, letting her hands linger on the remaining curves she vowed mentally to regain.
She smiled and took one last look in the mirror, pleased at what she saw. As she turned for the door, she felt a pair of gloved hands close tightly over her shoulders. Sarah didn't fight him, but let him hold her for a moment. "Again, Jareth," she said angrily. "You come when you are not called."
His arms then slid around her waist, and she gasped, having the breath knocked out of her, as he pulled her violently against the length of his body. "You're right, Sarah," he whispered shrewdly, "you didn't call for me."
The room suddenly became stifling hot, but perhaps it was Sarah's own body, struggling against the close proximity of Jareth's. She ceased her resistance to him after hearing him laugh softly in her ear. She finally languidly rested her hands on his forearm. She knew how to hit a soft spot with him.
"Are you jealous?" she asked slowly.
He pulled her tighter to him and dropped his mouth against her neck. "Don't be stupid!" he hissed angrily. "You could have been killed."
"Why didn't you come before he threw me over? You could have stopped him."
"Again, you put yourself in danger and only want me in your life when you want me. I do admit, I feel quite taken advantage of."
"Have you forgotten we made a deal?"
"Sarah," he murmured, taking a lock of her hair in his hand and running it between his fingers. "Remember, you and I," he drawled lazily, "we never agreed on anything."
"Jareth, were you in my-" she felt a push at the small of her back, and just as quickly as he had come, he was gone.
She stumbled when she felt herself become released from his grasp. She whirled around, but her dressing room was empty, he was gone. Then something dawned on her, he was right, they had never made an agreement. She had only told him what she had planned to do. They never shook hands, or the two of them agreed on a truce, nothing. She didn't like this one bit. It would be the same as it had been for the past few weeks. Call it an uneasy truce, but this time, things were different. She would not be bullied by him anymore. She refused.
And without another thought, she whirled around again and flung her dressing room door open. Stepping out, she ran into Richard Michol crossing the hall.
"Hey, Sarah," Richard beamed. "Great monologue you performed, you-"
"Richard," Sarah cut in, "there's a man on the roof. He's unconscious but I think he's a druggie. You'd better tell someone."
"What?"
"Just do it," Sarah ran past him. "I'm going up there now. But I would call the cops first. And don't follow me! A few of us are already up there."
"Sarah!" Richard called after her.
"Call the cops!" Sarah called back as she raced up the stairs.
Sarah hoped Richard did as he was told before she swung the roof door open again. The grungy young man was still in a slump and looked like he would stay that way for a while. Blood was dripping out of his nose and out the corners of his mouth. It was a pretty nasty punch he received.
"Serves you right."
Superman had not shown back up yet. But she still a few minutes left to spare. Dusk was slowly turning to night. Even in the city, she could still smell fall in the air and that October wind would be turning to November very soon. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking into the sky. The few stars she could see were blinking down at her as the quarter moon slowly crept into the dark expanse of sky.
Sarah truly did love the night. She loved the dark; all quiet and peaceful. At night, everyone seemed to let their inhibitions to the wind. For Sarah, she knew first-hand that inhibitions needed to be kept in check from now on, there were always consequences. But still, even on a beautiful autumn night like this… she couldn't help but smile. Everything in her life seemed to be going a little better.
She felt she were finally gaining an upper hand with Jareth. He could come whenever he liked, she could tolerate his presence for a while, she didn't trust him at all to be sure, but did she actually like having him around? She shrugged inwardly. He would never get anything out of her. She certainly could not have him crawling into her bed at night though. Even if it were a dream, it just would not do. He was still her enemy. The righteous and the cruel, the light and the dark. Although sometimes, Sarah enjoyed the dark of the night too much…
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a figure clad in red and blue fly towards her building. He came back, he kept his promise!
Sarah stepped back so to give him ample landing room. He straightened as he hovered over her and lowered to the ground with heroic grace. He was simply amazing…
"I'm sorry, Miss Williams, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for very long."
"No, not at all," Sarah assured.
But as soon as she said this, they both heard voices and footfalls walking up the stairs to the roof. Richard had been quick to tell everyone else. Sarah doubted he had called the police. Her heart dropped at the prospect of Superman leaving again. He just came back!
"We can't talk here," he said.
Sarah whipped her head around to face him. "Where then?"
"You're not afraid of heights are you?" he asked, smiling.
Oh god. What was he implying?
"Um, no…" Sarah tried to sound confident.
"It's alright, I'm a very good flyer." Superman held his hand out and took a step towards her.
She hesitated for a moment. Was he serious? Her fly with him? It wasn't just the flying part that partially worried her, it was flying with him, with the most incredible and compassionate man in the world.
The footsteps were coming closer and the voices became increasingly louder.
"It's either now or never," he urged.
Sarah heard the door creak open and as it did, she ran into his arms without a second thought. He quickly wrapped one arm around her waist, tightly securing her to his body. She gasped and quietly trembled as she wrapped both of hers around his muscular body.
"Hang on," he said, shooting one arm into the air.
Sarah gave a small scream as she felt herself being lifted for the second time that night. Her mind struggled to adjust to a sudden wave of nausea as she felt herself becoming airborne. She closed her eyes as she felt his body lean into hers and straighten out next to her own. "It's alright," he murmured in her ear, "I've got you."
Sarah slowly cracked her eyes open and focused on the moving images of the buildings below her, tiny cars sped through lit streets, the whole of Metropolis moved and lived as she flew with Superman high above them. Her mouth fell open as she gazed down at the scene below her. She was surprised to feel no fear, no panic rising within her from this height - flying. It was just so beautiful from up here. She clung to his arm as she felt the cool night air caress her skin and billow soft waves in her silky hair.
Sarah looked over at his smiling face. It seemed as if he never tired of the sights from high above. He looked over at her and his smile became even wider.
She felt completely and utterly safe in his arms. His whole being exuded such a pleasing warmth; it enveloped her and drew her in. She clung tighter to him as her body leaned closer to his; she was safe and protected with him. He made a sharp turn in the air and flew down over a tall building. As she saw the roof of the building come closer, she wished she could only stay flying with him, to feel the exhilarating thrill of the wind in her hair high above the Earth… in his arms.
But Superman gently landed on his feet and made sure Sarah was also safely secure on her own.
"Thanks," she breathed.
He sighed and began to pace in front of her, his red cape flowing behind him. "Alright, so tell me how you know I turned the world back."
Uh oh. She couldn't tell him that. She hoped her answer was sufficient enough. "Well, I kind of just put two and two together." He stopped pacing to look at her. "I mean, alright, you were able to save California from devastating earthquakes, but then a day later all of these reports came flooding in..."
"Like nothing had happened," Superman confirmed.
"Yes," she pointed out.
As she watched his conflicted face, her heart went out to him, he never told a lie to anyone, why should she tell him one? Well, it would be the half-truth anyway. He would think she was completely nuts if she told him about the Labyrinth. No, no that wouldn't do.
"Ok, truth be told, I passed out and the strange thing is, I remembered some things before I actually fainted. Whereas, if someone was able to turn back time then no one would remember anything. And that seems to be the case with everyone else?"
Superman crossed his arms over his chest as he continued pacing. "Say I did turn time back, did you faint at the exact time I did it?"
"Yes, I think so," she confirmed.
"How do you know? Why you?" It was more of a general question than directed clearly at Sarah.
"I really don't know. But like I said, I put the two and two together, and it seemed to make sense. The only thing that doesn't is why you did it in the first place."
Superman tilted his head back, eyes half shut, and sighed deeply again. This really seemed to be upsetting him. He wouldn't stop pacing. Perhaps she shouldn't have brought that up so soon.
"As far as we're both concerned, I'm the only one who knows," Sarah pressed, taking tentative steps towards him.
He stopped pacing and dropped his arms, facing her he held her in his piercing gaze. But there was a sorrow and fear perhaps barely hidden within his eyes. He dropped his gaze and opened his mouth to speak but no sound came until Sarah took another careful step towards him.
"I…" it upset Sarah deeply to hear Superman's voice break. "I can't tell you why I did it…" he looked away from her. "It was forbidden, but I still did it." Finally his voice lowered to only a whisper. "I didn't think anyone would ever find out."
She couldn't believe it. The most powerful man in the world was breaking down right in front of her. He was perhaps telling her something he had never told anyone. He had his secrets too, she could tell from the pained look on his face. It's a terrible feeling to go through life when there is no one to go to or one to trust. She didn't know if he even had any friends to go to. At the very least she had always had that. She wouldn't press it anymore. There was really only one thing that Sarah could do, hopefully it would be enough.
"And no one ever will," Sarah assured. She stepped right up to him and looked up into his handsome face. Reaching out, she put a gentle hand on his arm. "I promise. I'll never tell a soul. I'm sorry for bringing that up; you don't have to tell me anything."
His eyes softened a little but he didn't say anything. He trusted her enough to at least tell her that much, and for that, she was thankful, and seemingly made her feel incredibly special.
Sarah smiled softly at him when he still didn't say anything. Sighing, she lightly dropped her hand and walked over to the ledge of the building. She felt no fear when she was with him. Even at his most vulnerable moment, when it should have been unnerving to see Superman this way, she still felt protected with him; like nothing would even think of harming her. All thoughts of a Goblin King out to possess her were gone and pushed to the back of her mind.
With this thought in mind, she carefully sat on the ledge, swung her legs over, and hugged her knees to her chest. The breeze played with her hair and the flare from the hem of her pants swung around her feet. She could almost feel Superman's gaze on her, and that was the only thing that sent shivers down her spine. He made her feel safe, yes. But he was also incredibly handsome and extremely kind, a very hard temptation to resist. And here she was, alone with him…
He walked over to her side as Sarah looked over the city.
"It's so peaceful from up here," she observed. "Everything seems so far away."
She looked up at him and from the look on his face; she could tell he was surprised that she didn't appear to be frightened or upset after what had happened only moments ago.
If he only knew how she felt, how anybody felt to be around someone as extraordinary as him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked warily. "We are pretty high."
"If I fall I won't go very far," she replied, smiling.
He smiled back and soon his smile broadened to a grin, then grew into a soundless laugh, with his beautiful laugh lines emerging on his tender face.
Sarah quickly fell into conversation with Superman, lasting long into the night. She found that he had a wonderful sense of humor and immediately began to trade stories of their worlds and of other worlds unknown to Sarah. She clung to his every word of his birth on the planet Krypton, and her heart went out to him when he told her of his home planet's demise, with him as the only survivor. She had read it all before, but hearing it from him was a thousand times more fascinating. She listened with rapt attention as he described in every wonderful detail his journey through space, learning all there was to know of every subject imaginable with the spirit of his dead father by his side. He called it his '12-year tutelage'. Sarah thought it was utterly remarkable how he was still able to converse with his dead parents from time to time through the use of crystals infused with the 'energy' of Krypton. She felt like a child again listening to his stories. It was learning of other worlds again, other people unlike her, it was all so so magical to her.
When it came time to tell of her childhood, she felt embarrassed to tell of her boring childhood years growing up in Upper New York. It simply paled in comparison to his amazing stories. When he had years of learning through time and space with his father, she only went to high school.
But he stayed by her side and listened to every dull thing she had to say. Well, she had to omit one certain thing, but she thought it very nice and very flattering for him to stay with her as she told at least of her life story.
Here she was alone with Superman, and sharing the most intimate of memories between the two. It could not have gotten any better than this. Her heart pounded the whole time she was with him, seeping absolute joy into every inch of her.
Soon, the both of them had noticed the moon had disappeared from the sky. It was very late. But Sarah was struggling to suppress her yawns and she only too grateful not to hear anymore sirens during this beautiful night.
Superman stepped up to her and scooped her into his arms. Sarah was now bold and comfortable enough to nestle firmly against his chest as he silently soared high into the air. She closed her eyes and sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and settling her head on his shoulder. She felt the crisp night breeze on her face but she felt so warm in his arms, she could have fallen asleep. But she stayed awake, savoring this moment.
Superman only smiled down at her near-sleeping form cradled in his arms.
After finding her apartment building, he floated up to her window and pushed it open. She had assured him her roommate kept it unlocked for some reason or another. He gently set her feet down on her window bench and helped her step down on her wooden floor.
When she was safely within her apartment, still holding her hand, he quietly asked, "Sarah?"
Sarah turned back to him, her weary face still alight. "Yes?" she responded, smiling.
"I can call you Sarah?" he asked apprehensively, as if it were too personal.
"Of course. I would you rather you not call me Miss Williams."
After a few moments of looking at each other and smiling, he finally managed, "You look beautiful tonight."
Thank god it was dark; Sarah blushed furiously, and laughed timidly, like a foolish school girl.
"Well," he began floating away, "goodnight." He waved before he took off into the night sky.
Sarah looked out of her window and craned her neck to the sky. As the breeze stole one last caress, she knew Richard had been right. She was in love.
With Superman.
AAN: Ok, so I have a pretty good idea of what's coming next: the next few chapters will follow Superman 2, and out of frustration, Jareth will snap, and it won't be pretty. The reason I'm saying this is because I will not be updating for 2-3 months. I will be in Spain for the summer studying flamenco and possibly bellydance in Morocco. I really appreciate everyone's feedback, it means a lot to me and I'm really happy everyone who has reviewed really embraced this little 'what if' crossover of mine.
Thank you thank you thank you so much to notwritten, Aowyn, Labyrinth Mistress, The Amazing Aliano, The Faery Dreamer, Midnight Lady, lilnovelist, EnigmaSphinx, Anij, of course ever the faithful reviewer - a big thank you. And very big hugs to TarahW, LadyAlira, and LadyShard. Anyone I missed, I'm sorry. But I appreciate each one of you... k, I think my time's up.
Shalom y Amor para siempre
