Chapter 10. Reunion

He gently lifted her out of the shaft and on to firm ground; his hand never left her wrist. Once out of the shaft and on safe ground, the King moved his free hand and the shaft covered over. "You're alright now," he assured the girl who was still trembling. "Hello Sarah," he murmured in a husky voice.

Sarah could see that Katie was trembling and being kept back by Hoggle. The King, still holding her wrist assured her, "Your friend is just frightened, she's alright…Sarah."

Turning her eyes back to the ones that were gazing at her, Sarah opened her mouth to speak. She looked at the man who had haunted her dreams, the man who left all others in the dust. He was dashing and daring and she could feel her body temperature rise just looking at him. Dressed in the same outfit he'd worn when he'd confronted her in the tunnels the leathery jerkin which was fitted to his ever so fit frame, the breeches that left nothing to her wild imagination and the well worn leather boots. His eyes were gazing at her with the same intense heat as they had when he had danced with her in the enchanted ballroom. He was here, he had saved her, he had pulled her to safety and he was no dream. He was so close; the wonderful spicy scent that was his own flooded Sarah's senses. Sarah stared at him; words didn't seem to find their way out. She looked franticly about her, but was unable to say more than; "Thank you."

Raising her wrist, he placed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. "You're welcome, Sarah."

She looked for a moment at the hand once he released it, dazed for a moment. Turning her face up to his she moved closer, placing her arms about his waist, and hugging the person who she'd seen as her foe on her last journey. "OH Jareth, I'm so glad to see you." She blurted out as she buried her face in his chest.

Gently his arms wound about her, "Are you?" he teased softly and tenderly. There was humor in his tone, not anger and the girl hugged him closer. "That's a nice change."

Sarah looked up at him, "You have no idea…."

He crinkled up his nose as he smiled at her. "I have some…." He looked over at Katie and Hoggle. "Sarah, won't you introduce us?"

Nodding, she moved toward Katie. "Katie, this is Jareth, the Goblin King… Jareth this is my friend Katie Langford."

Katie looked from the King back to Sarah, astonishment and surprise registering on her features. "This is the Goblin King?"

"You've heard of me?" He asked good naturedly, seeing the girls perplexed surprise.

Katie looked at Sarah, "This is the Goblin King, the one you called… mature?"

Looking a bit affronted, Jareth crossed his arms. "I beg your pardon, mature?" He looked at Sarah expecting an explanation. "Mature?"

"Well," she gasped defensively. "You're not old, and you're no kid either!"

Cocking his head to one side, he gave her a sly smile; "Depends on your point of view." He teased gently. "There are some among my folk who think I'm just a kid…"

"Right," scoffed Sarah, falling into the bantering that was normal between her and the King.

Jareth lowered his arms, smiled softly at the girl. "Sarah, I've missed you." He placed his hands on her forearms, giving her a gentle shake. "No one in the Kingdom can argue with me like you… you defiant little wench."

"Could we move it along?" Hoggle snapped. "Demon running amuck in the tunnels, remember?"

"Demon?" Sarah asked.

Jareth extended a hand to her, "You should know… it followed you in."

"No," Sarah said in denial. "I was being chased by…" She stopped, thought about her answers and looked at the King. "I was being chased by a demon?"

"Bright girl," he teased pulling her closer and motioning Hoggle and Katie to him. "The safest place for you right now is my castle."

"What's left of it," Sarah lamented.

Jareth laughed as they vanished.

--

In the tunnel, Josh ripped at the rocks where the entry had been. He could still feel the girl's presence. His hands, or claws as they now appeared, dug into the rock and ripped an opening into the oubliette. David followed him into the round empty room. The creature sniffed the air and howled.

--

They appeared in the throne room, Jareth, Hoggle and the two girls. The King called out for the latest information on the demon invader. He had released Sarah's hand and was now moving about the circular room freely. Sarah let out a gleeful shriek to greet Sir Didymus as the little knight bounded toward her, the blue cloak fluttered about her wildly like wings of a giant bird. Sinking to her knees she hugged him closely. Katie watched, numb with surprise, but feeling a sense of joy at this reunion. The tri-cornered hat had fallen off Sarah's head, and now lay on the floor where two goblins began to squabble over it.

Jareth turned, saw the girl greet the knight warmly and held back from interrupting as long as he could. At last he cleared his throat, "Sir Didymus, if you would." He kept his tone to the old knight polite and respectful, knowing it would impress Sarah that he had.

The Knight excused himself and joined the King for private conversation. Sarah rose to her feet and looked at Katie who was looking about the throne room in awe. "Somebody's been cleaning," Sarah muttered as she too looked about the room. Gone were the wild animals, gone were the piles of bones and remains of uneaten meals. Gone too was the keg of ale from the corner. The room had been cleaned and put to order.

Jareth had finished giving orders, Didymus moved off to the exit with a group of guards. The King, seeing the girl's reaction to the changes moved toward her. "You approve?"

"Yes," she said waving about. "It's much more regal."

"Not as much fun!" companied a chorus of goblin voices.

Placing his hands clasped behind his back, Jareth examined the garment that covered Sarah. "What is that thing you are wearing?" the tone sounded remotely akin to how he'd asked Hoggle about the bracelet she'd traded him for information and aide.

Sarah looked down at the cloak and pulled it tightly about her. "Nothing," she said before she could stop herself.

"Nothing," he repeated and they both heard the unspoken Tra la la. Wickedly the King grinned. "I believe that cloak is mine," he said mischievously. "And I should like its return, thank you." He extended one hand, expecting her to obey.

Sarah pulled the cloak tighter. "I don't think so," she said shaking her head.

"Oh you don't?" He scoffed much as he had when he'd first met her.

"You don't want me to take this off, trust me;" She pouted.

Hoggle took hold of Katie's elbow and pulled her out of the line of fire.

"Why?" inquired the King haughtily; "Are you gross under there? Night of the living dead under there? Or are you naked?" He leaned closer. "That would not bother me at all, I assure you."

"You pervert," Sarah accused gasping as she began to giggle. "No I'm not naked."

"Too bad," Jareth kidded tauntingly. "Come, come," he snapped his fingers. "That thing must be uncomfortable…."

"Less uncomfortable than you seeing what's under it." Sarah grumbled.

He moved behind her, placed his hands on the shoulder of the cloak, "I'm the Goblin King, Sarah…nothing you could do, would be of a surprise to me." He tugged at the cloak, pulling it off her shoulders and away from her. He could see her eyes close tight as he tossed the blue garment over to the squabbling goblins. "Well, well… what have we here?" He taunted. "Why Sarah, I'm touched… you dressed like me." He heard her groan, his hands caught her shoulders again, and swiftly he placed his lips at her ear to whispered. "I approve." He felt her tremble and heard the growl in her throat as her head fell back to his shoulder. "My precious thing," he crooned.

Turning Sarah looked at the King, "I didn't dress like you," she denied softly.

"You did," he said tapping her nose with his index finger.

Hoggle cleared his throat, and interrupted the banter. "Demon…" he reminded them.

Jareth looked down at Sarah's costume, purred in the back of his throat, and then moved away. "I'm afraid I need to ask you some questions, Miss Williams." He addressed her formally. "As it was you the demon followed into the Kingdom, you're only one who can give us information on how this came to pass."

"I don't know," Sarah said shrugging, as she pretended that the King's devouring gaze didn't turn her on. "One moment we're being forced off the road toward the city dump… the next I'm in your junkyard."

One elegant brow rose, the eyes of the King looked skeptical. "That's not possible." He informed her.

"And yet here I am," she quipped saucily.

'Tantalizing wench,' the King thought to himself. "Sarah, don't try me…" he warned gently.

"I haven't even begun to try you," she let her lashes flutter at him, enticing him.

"Little girl," he rumbled in a low tone. "You've no idea of the fire you're playing with…."

"Do you?" she asked coquettishly.

Every eye in the chamber, goblin, human and dwarf was not focused on the King and the mortal girl. There was no mistaking the tension or the game being initiated. Breaths were held as the ruler of the goblin Kingdom gave thought as how best to answer the young woman. "Were we not in danger right now Sarah, I'd love to show you;" He kept control, barely. "Now, tell me everything you recall."

Sarah dropped the coquettish act and focused. "We were at a school dance, and I tossed this lame ass boy out on his sorry ass…"

"You dress like this for a dance?" the King sounded disappointed.

"No, this was to make a point… he rail-roaded me into being elected Homecoming Queen… A position I neither sought nor wanted." Her lips thinned as she spoke of the incident. "Josh Morgan thought he could humiliate me, I don't know how he planned on doing it at the dance, but I know what he was planning to do once he had me trapped in the city dump." The King motioned for her to continue. Taking a deep breath, and veiling her eyes with her lashes, Sarah said in a gush. "He planned to rape both Katie and I." She heard the crunch and opened her eyes to see the hand at the King's side flexing and the knuckles crack once more. "I was not about to allow that to happen…"

"I should hope not," the King agreed.

"I noticed the shadows moving the way they do when Goblins are about…" she paused, looked at the King and smiled. "Did you know the Goblins make a habit of visiting me?"

Casting an eye toward the guilty parties, the King sighed. "I've just recently learned this fact."

"Well I saw them and figured I might as well use their help…they were giving us the distraction we needed to escape," Sarah narrowed her eyes, squinting and thinking. "I told Katie to head toward the gully… and then…" she gasped. "I said 'I wish I could find a way out of here, right now.'" She looked at the King, who nodded. "The next thing I know piles of trash are moving, and Katie and I were headed through a breach in the junkyard wall into the fiery forest."

"Well that explains it," Jareth said moving closer and pulling Sarah into a comforting hug. "Because this Demon, this Josh was in your vicinity when you opened the portal, he was more or less sucked into our realm."

"I can't open portals, I don't have that kind of power!" she protested softly.

Tipping her face up with the lightest of pressure, Jareth smiled down into the green eyes that were fighting the truth. "Care to place a wager on that one, my love?"

"No," she moaned. "Oh Jareth, I'm sooooo sorry… I never meant to let a demon have free run of the Labyrinth…"

A tender light filled the eyes of the Goblin King. "Hush," he whispered. "You came here to escape because your mind told you that you and your companion would be safe here. That's all that matters, Sarah."

Her gaze left his eyes, focused on his lips. "I don't feel so safe right this moment, thank you."

"From me?" he teased. "Oh beloved, you'll never be safe from me…" Katie giggled into her hand and turned her back to compose herself. Jareth pulled back. "For now we'd best address the confrontation with the demon." His face was serious. "After that, we'll discuss playing with fires." He moved toward the throne, "I've sent Didymus and a complement of guards to round up the interlopers and bring them in." He took his seat in the throne.

"Will they be alright up against a demon with mortal followers?" Katie asked the king as she moved toward the throne. "I don't think the other boys were demons, just followers."

The Goblin King graced Katie with a gentle smile. "OH the Goblins will be fine, my dear. This is after all their natural environment… I can't say that for the demon." He looked over at Sarah. "Fortunately this Josh is only a hybrid, a full demon could not be here, not with the wards."

"Wards?" Katie asked, interested by the King's use of words.

"This is Fairyland," Jareth said softly. "We are nestled in the warmth of the Fairy Mists; it keeps us separated from the world of man and the Demon realms as well."

"So the Goblins are Fairies?" Katie asked gently coming to stand beside the throne.

"No," Jareth snickered. "However, the Goblin Kingdom and all the Underground Kingdoms a part of the Fairylands and we are ruled by the High King over the lesser kings."

Sarah watched Jareth interacting with Katie for a moment. He must have felt her gaze, for he looked her way and raised one elegant brow. Sarah felt her face flush, her cheeks warm and the breath catch in her throat. After a moment's discomfort she turned, trying to compose herself and her thoughts. Slowly she began to walk about the throne room, looking at it from a new perspective. This time she was not racing a clock, nor was she battling the Goblins and their King. All the subtle changes piqued her interest, she wondered if the stair room was still there. Edging her way over to the arched entry and steps, she moved up the stairs and took the turn that would lead her to the room where she'd faced her last challenge here.

Jareth, had seen her move toward the stairs, had watched her steal away in quiet. After answering as many of Katie's questions as he could, he excused himself. He moved to the hall and stairwell, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips as he mounted the stairs. He could hear the girl's breathing, he could smell her sweet scent, and he could feel her needs. Pausing he waited until he was sure she was in the room of stairs. He magically placed himself on the platform below her. Awaiting her next move, he stood poised.

Sarah looked at the panorama view; the vast stone hall was as it had been before she'd taken the leap of faith. Staircases, balconies, windows and doorways at different heights and angles; confusing and confounding. There was little hint as to what was up, what was down. No one but a wizard would ever discern what was near, what was far, what was inside or outside this space. Without moving the room seemed to be in flux, what was up becoming down, floors turning to ceiling and walls turning into precipices in constant flow; it was dizzying, and she felt dazed just as she had the first time. She worried about toppling over.

She edged along the platform so her back was to the wall, taking it step by step. She had not planned on going too deeply into the room. Her only desire had been to see if it was once more as it was. Yet the moment she'd entered she seemed driven, by some unseen force, to repeat the journey she'd taken here. She looked toward the end of the platform and the staircase just ahead of her. She took a long deep breath and released it slowly, trying to slow her racing pulse and her growing anticipation. Making her way to the edge of the platform, she peered over; his face peered up at hers.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," he said smoothly before breathing out longingly; "How you turned my world you precious thing."

Sarah pulled back quickly; she had known in her soul that he would be on the opposite side of the platform, just as he had been that day so long ago. And just as it had been then, she now found it hard to breath. She pushed her back against the wall terrified of losing herself to this room.

Jareth appeared on the platform across from her, standing sideways on what should have been a wall but was a floor. "You stave and near exhaust me," he accused just as he had the first time. Sarah looked at him, eyes open in defensiveness, and her lips trembled. One moment he was there, the next he was behind her. "Everything I've done I've done for you!" He claimed as he passed though her to stand on the edge of the platform, giving her a sideways glance. "I move the stars for no one," he declared before disappearing over the edge.

Sarah gasped, remembering too late not to look at the room, not to move. Now all the perspectives seemed to meld and she had no idea if she was right side up or upside down. She moved over the platform, through an arch and down a length of stairs to another level of balcony, knowing he was going to come flipping up over the edge.

When he appeared, he was calm as he said. "Your eyes can be so cruel…" He moved toward her. "Just as I can be so cruel." Sarah looked at his hands at his side, expecting him to form the crystal just as he had before. His hands remained empty, but slowly as he backed her against the wall they moved to imprison her. "But I do believe in you," he crooned tenderly.

Sarah's face turned upward, her lips trembled. "Do you?"

Jareth paused, leaned closer until his lips were poised at her ear. "I always did." He closed his eyes. "I can hear your heart beating and its music to my ears." His breath tickled her ear and she shivered. "Sarah, Sarah…"

Taking a chance, she turned her face to the sound of her name. His lips gently sought hers. Her arms went about him, just as she'd placed her arms about him when he'd pulled her from the shaft of helping hands. A moment later his arms wound over her, protectively, possessively and gently. Sarah felt her lips warm under his, and knew this was what she'd been saving herself for. This was the reason no young man of her acquaintance could measure up. This was why she'd refused the unwanted attentions of suitors.

Jareth lifted his face from hers, smiled and whispered. "Welcome home, my darling." Once more he lowered his lips to hers.

--

Hoggle had been checking on the progress that Sir Didymus was making in herding the demon and his followers toward the castle. He noticed Katie sitting along on the steps of the dais, and he began to look about for Sarah and the missing King. "Where did they go?" he grumbled under his breath.

Katie watched as the little man got angrier at the missing couple. "Hoggle?" she called to him. He moved toward her. "I think they are having a quite little reunion…. I think they have unfinished business."

Hoggle looked at the arched way that Sarah had left by the last time she was here. "He took her up there?"

"No," Katie said quietly. "She went first and he followed later."

The little gardener looked up the stair way, recalling her parting words. "If you needs us…" he murmured before turning to Katie. "You knows about them?"

"Not as much as I'd like to know," Katie confessed. "But just from watching the two of them, I'd say… it's complicated."

"Whoooo ha!" scoffed the little man nearly dance. "You have no idea…"

--

Jareth keep himself in close check, romancing the girl was one thing, over powering her and devouring her would be another. He ended the long sweet kiss, but didn't release her from his embrace. "I knew you'd return to the scene of the crime…" he teased.

"Crime?" the defiant chin rose, "I'm not the one who goes around stealing babies."

Instead of the angry response she'd expected, Jareth snorted, "No, you just wish them away…"

"I didn't mean it and you know it!" she struggled now in his firm embrace.

"What's said is said," he teased. In the struggle she managed to turn, putting her back to his chest. Now he had one hand at her waist and one sliding up toward her breast. It came to rest on the soft fleshy mound puffing up out of the bodice. "My how my little adversary has grown," he growled into her ear. "No longer too young…" he teased.

"Too young," she stopped struggling. "Too young for what, pray tell?"

"To keep," he breathed in her ear; his voice had dropped several octaves. "To keep," his hand moved over her possessively. "And keep you I shall…"