Next chapter's up! Enjoy, and let me know what you think! :)
"So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!" – Peter Pan
Chapter Ten: Just a Little Bit of Pixie Dust
Jareth entered the kitchen the next morning to see Sarah standing over the stove, dressed in a dark blue dress, her hair pulled back in a braid. She was flipping pancakes and didn't see him walking towards her, for her thoughts seemed to be very far away. Her eyebrows were narrowed as she put some of the pancakes on a plate and then turned her attention back to the stove.
She was beautiful, in every sense of the word, and knowing that she disliked it when he snuck up on her, Jareth decided to announce his presence in a more subtle way.
A bubble floated into Sarah's vision, and she turned her head immediately to look at Jareth.
"Good morning," she smiled slightly.
"Good morning. Touch it," Jareth said, indicating the bubble that remained floating in the air.
"Last time you offered me something that looked like that, I refused, and for good reason," Sarah said, eyeing the bubble suspiciously.
"No," Jareth said, shaking his head. "Last time you saw such a thing, you were absorbed into it and to a mysterious, awkward dance. If you touch it now, you won't regret it."
"Jareth…" Sarah warned, her eyebrow arched.
"Come now, Sarah. Where is your spirit of adventure?" Jareth smirked.
"Oh, very well," Sarah sighed and then put her hand out and let the bubble pop in it.
The bubble disintegrated, and in its place laid a beautiful red rose, dewdrops of the early morning glistening on each petal.
"Thank you, Jareth," Sarah smiled and then placed the rose gently on the counter. "Have you decided what to wear for church services this morning?"
"I'll wear some type of suit again. How formal would you say this evening's events are going to be?" Jareth asked, stepping next to her and picking up a pancake.
"The orphanage administrator mentioned that the children want everyone to be dressed formally as possibly tonight. They've had a lot of fun planning this out for the past several months, and I think they want everyone to look like royalty."
"That shouldn't be too difficult," Jareth smiled and bit into the pancake.
Sarah looked at him shyly, watching the way his eyes shone as he ate, the way his silky wisps of hair brushed against his face.
"Is there ever a time," she found herself asking, "When you don't look perfect?"
"My dear Sarah," Jareth grinned, stepping close to her.
"What?" Sarah asked, stepping back uncomfortably and feeling her back hit the refrigerator.
"Was that a compliment, or a confession?"
"A confession?" Sarah stammered.
"You care for me more than you show, don't you? All I have to do is move only a few inches away from you, like so," Jareth said, moving closer to her, "and you tremble like a flower in the wind."
"Would you just answer my question?" Sarah frowned as her blood began to run hot.
"Yes, there are times when I'm not perfect. When I first wake up, for instance," Jareth said with a shrug, giving her more space. "My hair sticks out in all directions, much like yours does. You've seen me in my worst moments."
"When?" Sarah asked.
"When I offered you your dreams," he said bitterly. "I was threadbare and worn. You had exhausted me to the point of looking many years older than I was. I've never felt as terrible nor looked as awful. You ripped my heart right out of my chest with only a few simple words."
"You offered yourself to a fifteen-year-old, Jareth," Sarah said quietly, tending to the pancakes again. "What did you expect me to do?"
"Just fear me, love me, and do as I say," Jareth smiled.
After breakfast, Sarah drove herself and Jareth to the orphanage. The building where the children were housed was absolutely beautiful. It had all the charm of a large mansion from the early 1900s. Great vines climbed up the stonewalls of the building, giving it an ancient, romantic appearance.
Once inside the orphanage, Sarah and Jareth were led to the chapel. Sarah was all smiles as they stepped into the large room full of over one hundred orphans. Each child that saw Sarah waved and smiled brightly, calling her name excitedly.
Jareth loved to see his Sarah the way she was now. Not a single line of worry marked her beautiful face. Her smile glowed like the sun, her eyes shone like the stars.
Frankie, who was sitting in one of the back rows of the room, waved to Sarah and gestured for her to come sit with him. Sarah did as he asked, weaving in and out of the other children, Jareth directly behind her. She sat down next to Frankie and smiled.
"Hello Frankie!"
"Hello Miss Sarah! Who is your friend?" Frankie asked, looking over at Jareth and smiling shyly.
"This is Mr. Jareth," Sarah said. "He's only here for a little while."
Frankie gazed carefully at Jareth, studying the man's eyes and face carefully.
"I know who he is," Frankie said presently, sitting back and opening up his Bible. "He's the Goblin King from the Labyrinth."
"What?" Sarah asked, shocked.
"Sure. He isn't in his usual outfit, and his hair is cut short, but it's him all right.
"Frankie, how did you…" Sarah started, but the preacher cut her off.
"All right, everyone. Let's get our services started. Now I know we have a lot of work to accomplish today, so after services, we need everyone to help bring chairs into the auditorium while lunch is being prepared. Then, after lunch, we need to get the stage set up and the rest of the auditorium. Let's pray."
Sarah wasn't able to concentrate very well through the service. Frankie knew about Jareth? How? How did so many children know who he was?
When the service was finished, the children filed neatly out of the room and then made their way to the auditorium. Several of their care givers insisted that Sarah and Jareth stay out of the auditorium and just relax. They were shown to the large cafeteria and were then shown to their chairs.
"Jareth," Sarah asked as they waited for the children to come into the room. "How did Frankie know about you?"
"He's a great dreamer, just as you were, Sarah," Jareth said easily.
"But how did he know about you?"
"You will have to ask him about that. I don't know," Jareth shrugged.
Lunch passed quickly, and following it, Sarah spent as much time as she could with the children. She and Jareth played games with them, their absolute favorite being charades. Sarah hadn't played that game in years, and it was with rosy cheeks that she stood up each time it was her turn and attempted to act out her part.
The children loved it. They laughed and clapped as Sarah performed first "The Little Mermaid," then "Chicken Little," and finally, "Star Wars." Jareth needed help with his parts, for he hadn't heard of them before. He found it amusing that all of his roles had something to do with his relationship with Sarah. His first performance was of "Beauty and the Beast." Next was "The Lion King," and lastly was "Cinderella." How thrilled the children were when they saw the sophisticated man stand up and pretend to lose his glass slipper! They howled with laughter as they watched him hopping around on one foot, pretending to hold up the skirt of a dress!
When the charades were finished, many of the younger children gathered around Sarah, eagerly waiting for a story. In times past, Sarah had read to them, but she had since determined that they much preferred she act out her own version of the story. They wanted to see her performance of "Peter Pan," and so Sarah told them the story, acting out bits and pieces of it as she did so.
Sarah went out of her way to make Jareth uncomfortable, for she enjoyed watching him squirm. She told all about Peter's kiss and the thimble, all about how he had rescued Wendy and how he always won and loved to crow.
Evening came faster than Sarah had expected it to, and she retrieved her gown from the car and then got changed in one of the restrooms. Guests began to arrive, as she got dressed, filling in the great house and being escorted by suit-wearing children into the auditorium.
Sarah stepped out of the bathroom to find Jareth waiting for her, dressed in a black suit. He didn't wear a tie, but beneath his jacket he wore a white button down shirt, the top few buttons undone.
As soon as Jareth saw his beloved Sarah, he bowed low, stunned by her beauty. The dress in and of itself was gorgeous, but Sarah had added several touches that made her, undoubtedly, the most beautiful woman at the orphanage. She had twisted her hair in sections and then had pulled it all back and pinned it in an intricate bun. She wore diamond earrings, and a thin gold chain about her neck with one diamond charm on the end of it. She didn't wear much makeup, only enough to make her eyes even darker and her lips a bit redder.
"You, my darling, are exquisite," Jareth breathed as he offered her his arm.
"Aren't I always?" Sarah asked playfully, putting her arm gracefully through his.
"Of course," he murmured, moving his mouth to the smooth skin of her cheek as they stepped into the auditorium.
"Jareth," Sarah hissed, moving her face away from his. "Stop."
"This way please!" A little boy, dressed in a suit and tie, said as he took Sarah's available hand in his.
Jareth and Sarah were seated towards the front of the auditorium, and once there, Sarah took her time to observe the interior of the room. Shining, aluminum stars hung from the high ceiling, sparkling merrily in the dim lighting of the room. Illustrations of Peter Pan and Neverland hung from the walls. Huge, dark blue curtains covered the stage, hiding the performers until the appropriate time for their play started.
The room was filled with men and women, all dressed in their utmost best. The men wore tuxedoes and the women elegant gowns, eagerly complying with the wishes of the children.
The play began, and for the next two hours, Sarah and the rest of the audience were no longer in the orphanage. They were flying in the air with Peter and the Darling children, were hiding in the woods with the Indians, and were battling vicious pirates aboard a great ship.
Jareth's relief, when he discovered that Peter Pan was only a little boy, could not be explained. So Sarah had been teasing him the whole time, had she? Imagine, he, a great Goblin King, being jealous about a little boy!
When the play was finished, the audience rose and cheered. The children in the play went onto the stage and bowed several times before disappearing behind the dark blue curtains.
The guests found that as they had been watching the play, caretakers had been placing great portions of food on long tables located at the sides of the auditorium. The audience was asked to please step to the sides of the room just long enough for tables and chairs to be arranged.
After several minutes of table and chair shuffling, the guests were shown to their new seats at different tables. A prayer was said and then everyone began to get his or her dinner. Several children went onto the stage with their instruments and began to play, accompanying the guests as they got their food and then began to eat.
Sarah was kept occupied, throughout the meal, with various children arriving at different intervals and talking cheerfully with her. They all wanted to hear another story, and she promised them that after the meal, if it was possible, she would tell them another one.
Jareth ate quickly and waited for Sarah to finish. He gazed about the immense room, noting that several couples were beginning to dance to the music. The children were playing lovely waltz music on their violins, piano, and clarinets.
Frankie arrived at Sarah's table just as she was finishing her dessert.
"Miss Sarah," he asked with a bow. "Might I have a dance?"
"Why certainly!" Sarah laughed and then stood up.
She took Frankie's hand and the two stepped onto the dance floor.
"Tell me, Frankie," Sarah said as she and Frankie began to sway from side to side, for that was the only way he knew how to dance. "How did you know who Mr. Jareth was?"
"Your book," Frankie said simply.
"What book?"
"The Labyrinth. You let me read it a long time ago. Mr. Jareth looks exactly like the Goblin King in the story did."
"So many children seem to know who he is," Sarah said, looking over to see Jareth sitting casually in his chair, speaking with several young women who just happened to flock around him when Sarah left the table.
"I know who you are too," Frankie said quietly. "I always have known."
"Of course you know who I am," Sarah smiled. "I've been coming here for a long time now."
"No," Frankie said, shaking his head. "You're the girl that the Goblin King fell in love with."
"Frankie!"
"You are," he said firmly. "The way he looks at you tells me so. The description of the girl in the story sounded a lot like you. I knew the story didn't just end when you refused to take the crystal from the Goblin King. I knew he would come back for you."
"I don't understand! How do you know all this?" Sarah exclaimed.
"Miss Sarah," Frankie said gently. "I wished he would come back."
"What?" Sarah gasped, pulling away from him.
"I saw how tired you were, how you forgot to imagine, how you were terrified of owls. You needed him, and so I wished he would come."
"I…I don't know what to say!" Sarah gasped. "Frankie, you didn't wish for him to take me away, did you?"
"No!" Frankie said quickly. "I never wished that. I just wanted him to return and show you how to dream again, how to have fun. That's all."
Sarah's head suddenly started to spin, and her vision began to blur.
"Not again. I will not faint again," she whispered to herself.
"Excuse me. Might I have this dance?" A voice, smooth and English, asked from behind her. "Or would you mind, Frankie?"
"I wouldn't mind, Mr. Jareth," Frankie said and then disappeared amongst all the other children.
Sarah could feel her legs buckling, could see the room swirling around her, but before she was engulfed in darkness, two strong arms found their way around her waist and pulled her close to something solid, something she could hold onto.
"I imagine that information came as quite a shock to you," Jareth told her as he began to dance across the floor with her.
"I thought you came because I wished it!" Sarah said dizzily.
"I did," Jareth nodded. "Frankie wished for me to come before you did, but your desire to dream again reaffirmed that I should indeed come."
"I don't know what to think! A child wished for you to come back into my life! A child!" Sarah whispered, looking up into his face.
"There's nothing like the mind of a child," Jareth smiled and put his cool hand to her forehead. "Breathe, Sarah. It's all right."
"I need some fresh air," Sarah said hoarsely. "There's a balcony just off the far side of this room. Please bring me there."
Jareth nodded and then danced with her to the balcony. He opened the door for her and then watched as she stepped out into the crisp night air and sat down on one of the railings. She closed her eyes and took in deep gulps of the fresh air, trying to calm her nerves.
Several children saw her step onto the balcony, and they followed her, wanting to hear her story. They asked her to tell it to them, but she was unable to speak, so great was her shock.
"I don't think she can tell us a story right now," Frankie said with concern, looking up at Jareth. "Will she be okay?"
"I think so," Jareth nodded.
"Will you tell us a story?" one of the children asked.
"I suppose I can do that," Jareth smiled and then sat down on the floor. To his surprise and pleasure, two of the children, boys no older than four years old, sat down on his lap and looked up at him expectantly.
"Once there was a beautiful girl whose stepmother always got in the way," Jareth began, and Sarah let out a sigh.
Jareth told the story of the Labyrinth from his perspective, awing the children with his details about the Goblin City, Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ambroscious. Sarah listened to him quietly, having never heard his version of the story. Her heart nearly broke when, at the end of the story, Jareth explained how the beautiful girl had left the Goblin King, tearing his heart asunder. He told how the Goblin King vowed that he would see the girl again, and the next time, she would fall in love with him and perhaps, just maybe, his broken heart would mend.
Just as Jareth finished the story, the younger children were called inside to get ready for bed. Frankie alone remained outside, and he put his hand on Sarah's shoulder, the worried expression still on his young face.
"I'm sorry I never told you, Miss Sarah. I shouldn't have wished what I did, but I wanted you to be happy again. Would you please forgive me?"
"Of course," Sarah smiled, drawing him into a hug. "You did what you thought you had to do."
"So what special power did he give you?"
"The power to make my dreams become true," Sarah said, gazing up at the clear, starry sky, a twinkle coming into her eyes. "Would you care to meet the real Peter Pan, Frankie? I can almost see him up there with Tinkerbell."
"The real Peter Pan? You could actually make him come right here, right now?" Frankie gasped excitedly.
"I think I can, if you want," Sarah nodded.
"Oh yes!" Frankie exclaimed. "I've always wanted to see Peter Pan!"
"Why Peter Pan, of all people?" Jareth asked, still a bit sore about him thinking the boy who would never grow up was his rival for Sarah.
"Because he's cool!" Frankie exclaimed.
"Oh, all right. Go ahead Sarah. You have my permission," Jareth said with a wave of his hand.
"I didn't think I needed it," Sarah grinned, catching the note of jealousy in his voice. "Let me see if I can imagine Peter Pan, Frankie."
Sarah gazed up at the stars and let her thoughts roam free. She looked at the moon, radiating beautifully on the trees and casting an eerie glow over the house. She didn't look at Jareth, who was leaning against the balcony railing, his arms folded across his chest.
"Peter Pan," Sarah said slowly, "doesn't arrive just like any normal person. He has to have some special introduction of some sort…some unique entrance, like a shooting star. That's it!" she exclaimed excitedly, looking back up at the stars and seeing them twinkle merrily at her. "That's how he was first introduced in the story! The stars called him! Look at the stars, Frankie!" Sarah said, putting her hand on Frankie's shoulder. "They're moving!"
"You're right!" Frankie gasped, watching with Sarah as the stars began to dance.
One of the smallest of the stars suddenly shot across the sky, and a tiny ray of light fell off of it and plummeted towards the small balcony.
"What's that?" Frankie panicked, grabbing Sarah's hand as the light came closer and closer with every passing second.
"That," Sarah said, face shining with pleasure. "Is Tinkerbell."
The light suddenly dove through the air, coming to fall directly in front of Frankie's face. He jumped back, but watched with curiosity, as the light stopped flittering just long enough for him to see a tiny fairy, dressed in a skeleton leaf and glowing like the sun, hovering in front of him.
"It is her! She's beautiful!" Frankie said in awe.
"But she's extremely vain, too," a voice, chipper and youthful declared from the tree branch behind Jareth.
Jareth, for the first time in his very long life, was startled and turned around quickly.
"It's him! It's him!" Frankie shouted, clapping his hands together. "Miss Sarah! It's Peter Pan!"
Peter Pan, for indeed it was he, lifted gracefully off the tree and came to land on the railing in front of Sarah. He bowed politely, his hat in hand, and then stood up straight, gazing into her eyes with his piercing orbs of green. He smiled, a cocky smile, and showed all of his baby teeth.
"Wow! I've always wanted to meet you, Peter Pan!" Frankie said, letting go of Sarah's hand and stepping towards the enchanting fellow from Neverland. "You're even better in real life than I imagined!"
"Who are you?" Peter asked curtly, running a hand through his wild, curly hair.
"Frankie! I was one of your lost boys in the play!"
"I see. Would you care for a kiss?" Peter Pan asked Sarah, doing a merry little dance.
"No, she wouldn't," Jareth said shortly, wrapping an arm around Sarah and pulling her against him.
"It's just an acorn button, Jareth," Sarah whispered and then held her hand out to Peter. "I would like a kiss, please."
"Very well," Peter said happily, and he pulled an acorn button off his vest of leaves. "You, Frankie, would you care for one too?"
"Oh, yes please!" Frankie cheered delightedly. "Tell me, Peter, what do you spend your time doing now that Captain Hook is dead?"
"Whatever I like," Peter said, sitting down on the balcony railing. "Fighting pirates, chasing Indians, and talking with the mermaids."
"What's it like to fly?" Frankie asked, entirely bewitched by the person before him.
"You've never flown?" Peter asked. "I'll show you what it's like. Tink, give him some fairy dust, would you?"
The sound of tiny bells became audible, and Frankie watched, eyes wide and mouth open as the dainty fairy flew about him, pieces of gold glitter covering his head and shoulders. Tinkerbell then moved over to Sarah, who laughed as the fairy dust was sprinkled on her, and then over to Jareth, who promptly scowled and tried to swat the nuisance away.
"Now, you just think happy thoughts, and they lift you into the air," Peter said, shooting up towards the stars as easily as a cat jumps onto a piece of furniture.
Frankie didn't say what he was thinking, but very few of the young boy's thoughts were unhappy, and so without any trouble at all, he lifted off the ground and joined Peter in the air, hovering above the orphanage.
"I don't know that this was such a good idea," Sarah said uncomfortably, watching Frankie play tag with Peter Pan, both of the boys shooting through the air like rockets.
"You've always wanted to fly. Now's your chance," Jareth said calmly.
"But I don't know! What if someone comes out and sees this?" Sarah frowned.
"Sarah," Jareth said, taking one of her hands in his. "Now is the time to put aside reality and do what you always wanted to do. Close your eyes and think of happy things, like the child said."
"All right," Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm thinking of flying horses, Toby, Karen and Dad."
She opened her eyes and saw immediately that she was hovering above the orphanage. She gasped and grabbed hold of Jareth, her eyes wide with terror.
"Jareth!" she exclaimed. "I'm afraid of heights!"
"I won't let you fall," Jareth said, squeezing her hands gently in his.
"Miss Sarah! Look at me!" Frankie exclaimed, spinning past her.
"Oh! Oh! Be careful Frankie! If you get hurt, I'll never forgive myself!" Sarah gasped, reaching one hand out as though trying to grab him and pull him to safety.
"Don't worry about the boy," Jareth said. "Dance with me."
"Not here! I'll fall! Oh, why did I ever want to be able to fly?" Sarah asked, grabbing hold of Jareth's shoulders and clinging tightly to him.
"Shh…" Jareth smiled. "It's not so bad. Move your legs. Come on, move those feet."
He started to dance, and Sarah had no choice but to dance with him. She clung tightly to his jacket, terrorized of falling. Before she knew it, she had forgotten about how high off the ground she was and had focused all her attention on the handsome man that held her so safely to him. His eyes were sparkling with the starlight, and his hair looked white in the moonlight.
A gentle breeze was blowing, making Jareth's hair move slightly. A few strands stubbornly came to rest over his brown eye, and Sarah reached up timidly and pushed it away. She moved her hand slowly, uncertainly, and then brought it away from Jareth's hair, finding, with some surprise, that she didn't want to stop feeling his face beneath her hand. She moved her fingers gently down his cheek and then, as if in a spell, ran the tips of her fingers across his lips. She gasped with surprise and quickly removed her hand when she felt him gently kiss her fingertips.
"I'm…I'm sorry," she stammered. "I don't know what's come over me."
"Sarah," Jareth began gently, but Sarah shook her head.
"No. Please, let me down. Peter!" she called to the boy. "How do I get down?"
"It's easy!" Frankie exclaimed. "Just think of something unhappy."
Sarah floated easily to the balcony and then called up to Frankie.
"Frankie, come on back down! It's time to go in, I think!"
"Okay," Frankie sighed and then dropped and came to a stand beside Sarah. "Thank you for showing me how to fly, Peter," he said, smiling at Peter Pan as he landed gracefully on the balcony railing.
"You're welcome," Peter said with a bow and then shot like a rocket back up into the sky, Tink shining at his feet.
A shooting star was seen, flashing across the sky, and then all was returned to how it was before.
"That…" Frankie said breathlessly, "Was amazing. You have an awesome gift, Miss Sarah!"
"Perhaps," Sarah said, stepping past Jareth and opening the doors to the inside. "Time to go in, Frankie."
Sarah was silent as she drove herself and Jareth back to her house half an hour later. What had happened up in the sky? Had she really had the gall to touch the Goblin King when he was awake? What was the matter with her? Three words taunted her as she drove, mocking her every contradicting thought. "You love him! You love him! You love him!"
Sarah couldn't bring herself to say goodnight to Jareth when they stepped out of the car and walked up the stairs to her house. She walked inside and then waved to Jareth as she closed the house door.
Why, every time she was near the man, did she have to go and do something completely embarrassing?