Here it is! The chapter we have all been waiting for- drum roll please- Jareth meets Sarah's parents! My apologies if Jareth seems so OOC, I'm trying my best! I am working on the next chapter as we speak so expect chapter 11 soon! And because you all have been so awesome and patient, this chapter is the longest one of the story. So enjoy your extra long chapter!
As Sarah made her way to the throne room, a million thoughts raced through her head. How are my parents going to react to Jareth? He looks so…weird compared to normal people Aboveground. How is my family going to act around him? Will they control themselves and at least pretend to be nice? Oh god, what if they still don't have a filter? This was a horrible idea. Can I just convince Jareth to stay here and let me go? But then Irene would question why I didn't bring him and say that I'm being rude…
Before Sarah knew it she had made her way into the throne room. And without her really even realizing, she had burst into tears halfway there and now stood there, cheeks stained with tears and mascara running. Her heart was pounding, her hand balling up her sweater and clenching her chest. She felt her whole body trembling. She was having a panic attack, the first one in months.
Jareth, whose back was turned to Sarah and looking out the large circular window of the throne room, now spun around as soon as he heard Sarah's hyperventilating. As soon as he saw Sarah, face all puffy from crying, he quickly stepped over to her and wrapped his arms protectively around her.
Normally Sarah would have squirmed out of the grasp of the Goblin King, but as she shuttered and choked on her anxiety, she allowed him to bring her close to him.
"Sarah speak to me, what's wrong?" Jareth asked in a soft voice, stroking her head softly in attempts to calm her down.
Sarah swallowed her sobs and tried to calm her breathing. She took deep breaths, clenching her chest. A few seconds later she felt her body relax a little as she continued to breathe deeply. "I-I don't know, I was just walking over here and…and…" she tried to explain herself as much as she could, but all she could do was cry more. And she felt so horrible for ruining Dimitra's work by crying.
Jareth listened to her intently, stroking her hair and holding her close to him. He let his magic radiate onto her, trying to calm her. He could tell that it was working, feeling her body start to relax against him and her breathing start to calm, but her tears kept flowing. He hurt for her. It physically pained him to see her so upset.
"I'm just…freaking out," Sarah finally said, starting to calm down. She knew Jareth's magic was rubbing off on her, soothing her anxiety filled mind. Being so close to him, the magic easily entered her body and relaxed her. "I've never brought anyone to meet my family. Especially someone like…well, someone like you."
Jareth couldn't help but chuckle. "You need not worry about that, precious. I'll blend in just fine. There is absolutely nothing to worry about."
Sarah wriggled out of his arms, feeling better already. "You don't know my family," she said, trying to wipe away the tears on her face. "They're way too honest and share too much. Not to mention I'm the shame of the entire family."
Jareth reached out and wiped the mascara stains from under her eyes. "I rule over crass, vulgar, and vile goblins. I am not afraid of a family of mortals, and nothing you say about them could intimidate me. I'll be right next to you for support if ever you need it. You say the word, and we will leave."
Sarah smiled weakly at his kind words. Never would she have thought that she would be leaning on the Goblin King for moral support. She felt cared for. And, oddly enough, she felt loved. She knew someone like Jareth could never love someone like her, but it was a nice feeling to feel nonetheless, even if it wasn't real.
Taking a deep breath and sighing in relief, Sarah steeled herself and knew she was now ready. With the Goblin King by her side, she could do anything. "Alright," she held out her hand for Jareth to take. "Let's go."
And with that, Jareth took her hand and tugged her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clenched her eyes shut, waiting for that nauseating feeling of teleporting. In a burst of glitter, the two were gone from the Underground.
With glitter dissipating around them, Sarah opened her eyes once again to find herself in her apartment's living room. She let the familiarity of it all fill her, and for a moment she missed the solitary of her little one bedroom apartment. But when she looked up at the beautiful face of the king that still held on to her, she knew in her heart that this place isn't where she truly belonged. But she also knew that she had to return home one day.
She tried not to think about that now, though. Sarah stepped away from Jareth, snatching up her car keys from a hook by the door. She grabbed her burgundy double breasted coat from the coat closet and motioned toward the door. "We should be heading out now. We're already running behind. I can just hear Irene now— 'you're always late! What did I tell you about over sleeping? It makes you gain weight! It's rude to keep your parents waiting.'" She opened the front door and waited for Jareth to step out so she could lock the door. But instead he just looked at her. Sarah looked back at him in confusion. "What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jareth held out his hand. "I want to drive," he stated plainly.
Sarah just looked at him, and then scoffed. "Yeah right, like you can drive," she said dubiously.
Jareth kept his hand out. "On the contrary, I am a marvelous driver. You forget that I've spent some time Aboveground. Partaking in the daily leisurely drive was my favorite pastime."
Sarah still looked at him doubtfully. She smirked and now held out her hand. "Let me see your license."
Jareth chuckled and retorted, "Let me see your badge, Officer Williams."
Sarah squinted her eyes at the man. Not saying a word, she dropped the keys into his hand, turned, and walked out into the cold. She waited for him to step out and lock the door behind him. They both made their way to Sarah's tattered dark green 1991 Thunderbird. When they got into the car, Sarah's cheeks flared at the state of the interior she left it in. Water bottles scattered the floor, articles of clothing were tossed around the backseat, and there was even a half empty can of Red Bull sitting in one of the cup holders.
Before Sarah could even try to clean up a bit, Jareth started to back out of the parking lot and onto the street. Sarah buckled herself into her seat and said a little prayer to herself. She hoped the Goblin King drove as good as he teleported, without the nauseous feeling she normally got.
As they drove, Sarah fiddled with the radio station until she found one she liked. She sang along to whatever grunge-rock band was blaring out of the speakers, even head-banging to the guitar riffs. Jareth, on the other hand, gritted his teeth to the sound of the raspy vocals and screeching guitars. As the song faded, a more soothing song came on. The lovely sound of a female's voice filled the car and Sarah turned the volume down. She recognized the song as Linger by The Cranberries, one of her favorites. She sang softly along to it as Jareth listened.
Jareth relished in Sarah's soft voice singing along to the melodic song. This was more his cup of tea. When the song ended, Sarah turned the radio off with the push of a button and looked up at Jareth as he kept his eyes steadily on the road in front of them. "Do you know any Aboveground songs?"
Jareth nodded fondly, remembering the music he and his friends would listen to when they would go out to clubs and see the big swing bands. He also remembered the rock and roll of that time. It was nothing like the noise that Sarah sang along to earlier. "Yes, but I don't think you'd know any of it. It was well before your time."
Sarah riffled through the glovebox of her car in front of her, coming up with a few cassette tapes. Finally she found the one she was looking for and held it up. "Do you know who David Bowie is?"
Jareth glanced at the cassette tape for a moment and then back to the road. "Of course."
Sarah grinned and hastily took the tape out of its package and into the car's built in cassette player. As the first song came on, she hummed along and nodded her head to it. She looked up at Jareth and admired his features. His strong jaw line, sharp cheek bones, and fair complexion. She then suddenly had a realization. "You know, you kind of look like David Bowie."
Jareth made a sour face. "That ugly git? I look nothing like him."
Sarah giggled at Jareth's expression. "I always thought he was really handsome," she confessed.
Jareth glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. "Hmm, I suppose I have some of his features." He gave Sarah a flirtatious wink, which put her into a giggling fit.
The car ride was filled with giggles and banter for the rest of the way. Soon enough Sarah had forgotten all about her anxiety, the reason for their drive in the first place completely out of her head. It wasn't until Sarah gave the last instruction for Jareth to turn into her parent's driveway was when she realized what was about to happen.
Sarah frantically turned to Jareth as he put the car into park and turned the car off. She suddenly realized that Jareth was still in his royal Labyrinthian garb. Her eyes grew wide with panic. "Are you really going in there looking like that?" she questioned in a flustered manner.
Jareth smirked at Sarah's panic-laden face. "I assure you, Sarah, everything will be fine," he said in a calming voice, throwing open the car door and letting himself out into the cold winter air.
Sarah gawked at him as he walked around the car in his tight trousers, knee high black leather boots with matching jacket and gloves. Jareth threw open her door now, holding out his hand for her to take. Sarah stared at his leather clad hand with skepticism. There was no way her parents were going to let some loon wearing a blouse and tights into their home. Sarah meekly gave Jareth her hand and allowed him to help her out of her seat.
Walking up to the door, Sarah's heart quickened. The urge to run for it hit her like a ton of bricks. She laced her fingers with his and pulled back. Feeling the sudden lurch, Jareth stopped in his tracks and turned to Sarah.
"What is the matter, Sarah?"
"I can't do this," Sarah said breathlessly. "What are we even going to say to them? 'Here's this person I met eight years ago when I wished Toby away. He took him and I had to get Toby back by solving a magical Labyrinth to get to a castle in only thirteen hours. Oh and by the way, he's a king!'" Sarah laughed at how ridiculously crazy it all sounded when she put it into words.
Jareth squeezed Sarah's hand comfortingly. "I'll take care of it. All you have to do is follow along." He waited for her to give him a weak nod before continuing to the front door. Sarah still held on to his gloved hand, squeezing it with all of her strength. Jareth felt his hand slowly being constricted, but let Sarah squeeze to her heart's content if it helped to calm her.
Sarah stepped up to the porch and with a deep breath, she rapped firmly on the door and awaited an answer. Before the door opened, Sarah slid behind Jareth, trying to conceal herself as much as possible. I'm such a weakling…I can't even face my own parents at the door, she thought, clenching her eyes shut. But when she felt the smooth texture of Jareth's leather clad thumb rub against the back of her hand, she felt some courage spring forth. She stepped back into her place next to him, but never let go of his hand.
Suddenly the door flew open, and there stood Irene, face lit with excitement. "Sarah!" Irene exclaimed, throwing her arms around her step-daughter and pulling her into a hug, then sort of tossing her inside so she could get a good look at the man that was standing before her.
Feeling disoriented by the movement, Sarah looked back at Jareth with wide eyes. What was Irene going to think when she saw him looking like that? But to Sarah's shock, the man before her was not the same one she arrived here with. Jaw dropping to the floor, she watched this strange man who vaguely looked like Jareth step into the foyer of her parent's house.
He wore an open double breasted black pea coat, underneath was a crisp white button up shirt with the top two buttons undone, a pair of nicely fitted wool slacks with a black leather belt looping around them, shiny patent leather loafers peeking out of the hem of the pants, and a pair of black leather winter gloves covering his hands as usual. His short blonde hair was tousled messily, but in an orderly messy way. He wore a pair of round tortoise shell glasses which held behind them two mismatched eyes Sarah would know anywhere.
He looks so…normal, Sarah thought as Irene took Jareth's coat and exchanged pleasantries. And…hot, she mentally slapped herself as soon as the thought popped into her head. No Sarah, bad Sarah! You did not come all the way to your parents' house to hook up with glamoured Jareth.
Irene shook Jareth's hand eagerly. "It's so wonderful to meet Sarah's new boyfr-"
Before Irene could finish her sentence, Sarah chimed in before her step-mother could embarrass her. "Irene this is Jar-…Jar..." Sarah stopped herself before saying his real name. 'Jareth' is a bit too strange for Abovegrounders. Maybe I should give him a different name…
But before Sarah could think of anything, Jareth spoke up. "Jared. Jared King. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Williams," he said calmly.
I could've thought of a better name than that, Sarah thought, scoffing inwardly.
"Robert!" Irene called to her husband. "Sarah and her guest have arrived."
At the sound of his wife calling for him, Robert Williams stepped into the foyer, a beaming grin appearing on his face at the sight of his daughter. "Sarah, pumpkin! We missed you so much," he beamed, wrapping his arms around Sarah and pulling her into a great big hug.
"Hi, daddy," Sarah smiled, relishing in the embrace of her father.
"Robert, this is Sarah's boyfriend-" Irene began.
"Not my boyfriend," Sarah interjected.
Jareth stepped forward and held his hand out for a handshake. "Jared King. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Williams."
Releasing his daughter from the bear hug, Robert looked Jareth up and down before firmly shaking his hand. "Jared, eh…the pleasure is all mine," he said skeptically, squaring his shoulders and slightly puffing out his chest.
Irene grinned, delighted at the men's exchange. "I'll go make some tea and we can all go have a seat in the living room and get acquainted." She rushed off to the kitchen before another word could be said.
The three left in the foyer stood there awkwardly, Robert eyeing Jareth, deliberately trying to intimidate him. But Jareth didn't even realize Robert's strategy to scare him. Jareth just stood there, glancing around the room and thinking about how the castle might be holding up. Sarah looked between her dad and Jareth, sensing the daunting aura Robert was giving off and Jareth just observing his surroundings.
Before Sarah could speak up, Robert did for her. "I think I'll…go help Irene." And with that, Robert quickly followed suit to his wife, leaving Sarah and Jareth to make their way to the living room themselves.
Sarah bit her lower lip anxiously. "So…shall we?" She gestured her arm towards the open room, both of them stepping towards it. "What do you think so far?" She asked, eager to hear his opinion on her parents.
Jareth nonchalantly smiled down at Sarah. "They're fine. Why do you ask?"
Sarah sighed, leading him to sit on the plush dark red couch. "Cause it's just gonna get worse from here." Sarah turned her head at the sound of her parents walking into the room and gave a fake grin. She watched as Irene gently set the silver tray onto the coffee table and disperse the fine China tea cups to each person. Sarah and Jareth thanked Irene, taking up their cups and slowly sipping on the hot liquid.
Robert slowly sat upon the matching loveseat across from the couple, keeping a watchful glare on Jareth. Irene took a seat next to her husband and cheerfully held onto her cup with both hands. "So," she chirped, gleaming like a ray of sunshine at the two. "We want to know everything."
"Yeah," Robert chimed in. "How did you two meet again? Sarah said you two met in a class?" He said quite quizzical.
Sarah looked at Jareth with a frantic look, hoping he would make something up. As soon as Jareth saw her wide eyes, he cleared his throat and set his cup of tea down. "Well, I'm a professor at Sarah's university. I teach British literature, but for a week during the beginning of the school year I was asked to lecture in one of her own literature classes. She came by during one of my office hours and we hit it off. She's quite the intellectual companion." When Jareth looked over at Sarah, she was eyeing him quite fondly. At their eye contact, Sarah blushed and looked down, taking another drink of her tea.
Robert continued to glare at the glamoured Fae. "So, do you make it a habit of dating your students?" He asked quite coolly, taking a sip from his tea cup.
Sarah almost choked on her own tea but hastily swallowed it down. "Dad," she said through gritted teeth. She stole a glance at Jareth, expecting him to be offended, but instead a hearty chuckle sprang forth from him.
"No sir," Jareth replied once his chuckles dissipated. "It was Sarah's mind and sharp tongue that drew me to her. She's truly one of a kind." He gave Sarah a quick wink unseen by her parents.
"She's my daughter, of course I know she's one of a kind," Robert muttered to Irene, earning him a swift jab to the ribs with her elbow. "So," he continued, crossing his legs and leaning forward. "How old are you, exactly?"
"Dad!"
"Robert!"
Jareth let out a light-hearted chuckle once again. "Thirty-eight," he answered easily, leaning back onto the cushions of the couch and crossing his legs casually.
"Younger than you," Irene mumbled into her tea cup, receiving a sharp glare from her husband. Before Robert could defend himself, the doorbell rang.
The doorbell didn't just ring once, it rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, as if someone was pressing it continuously without break. Irene gave Jareth an apologetic look and stifled a chuckle before she stood from the couch. "That must be Toby and his friend. He insisted that if Sarah brought over a friend to stay the night, he should have a friend stay the night too. He rode his bike over to his friend's house to get him a little before you both arrived." The doorbell didn't let up so Irene rushed over to the door and answered it.
"Tobias Anthony Williams, what the hell did I say about ringing this damn doorbell so much?" Irene said through her teeth but could still be heard by the ones in the living room.
"Sorry, mom," Toby said, clearly out of breath from racing his bike down the street.
"Hi, Mrs. Williams," Toby's friend chirped beside him.
"Hello, Gavin," Irene said in a now chipper tone, smiling down at the little boy.
"Is Sarah here?" Toby asked, slinging his jacket off and tossing it to the floor, Irene scowling at the boy but picking up after him anyways.
Sarah twisted in her seat, looking over the couch at Toby. The eight year old boy was tall for his age, getting his height from Robert. His wild curly blonde hair stuck out every which way; Sarah guessed that he got his curly hair from Irene's side of the family. His wide blue eyes shone brightly under his mop of hair. And once those bright blue eyes locked onto Sarah they grew larger with excitement along with a huge grin that spread across his face.
"Sarah!" Toby exclaimed, running toward his half-sister at full speed.
Sarah stood and braced for the impact. The boy hit her like a ton of bricks, wrapping his short arms around her waist, almost constricting her. "I've missed you, buddy." Sarah knelt down and brought Toby into a big bear hug.
Looking over to the strange man still seated on the couch, Toby furrowed his brow in confusion. For some reason, this man he has never met seemed familiar to him, but he didn't know why. Pushing away from Sarah, Toby kept his eyes on Jareth. "Who's that?" he asked cautiously.
Sarah looked back at Jareth, and then back at Toby, knowing somehow that the young boy knew who her companion was. "Tobes, this is my friend Jared," she said in a light tone, trying to keep Toby calm.
Toby's eyes never left Jareth, his smile dissipating into a thin line. Jareth looked back at the boy, an eyebrow raised, pretending to not know what was going on. But inside he knew what was happening. Toby was touched by Jareth's magic, and because of this Toby carries around a bit of magic still in him, especially because he was in direct contact with Jareth. The magic still in him recognized the magic that radiated from Jareth now, even if it was a faint recognition. Jareth knew sooner or later Toby's mind will start to react to the magic inside him and start to full the pull of the Labyrinth. The nightmares will torment him and his mind will start to darken. All the more reason to stay in Sarah's life, Jareth thought, knowing he could help poor Toby before it was too late for him.
"Oh…" was all Toby said before he turned and ran back to his friend that was waiting for him. "This is my friend Gavin," he said, his tone already lighter and his smile back on his face. His little brunette friend just smiled and waved before they raced upstairs to play.
"He's been really excited to see you," Robert said, happy to have seen his two children reunited.
Sarah couldn't keep a smile off her face. Toby was the one thing that made her truly happy in life. But as Sarah got older and went away to college, their relationship strained. Toby had cried when he heard that Sarah wouldn't be living at home anymore, but as he got older he got used to the fact that his big sister wasn't around anymore. Toby was busy with school and homework, and when that was done he was outside playing with his friends. When Sarah did come home for holidays Toby spent some time with her, but for the most part he kept with his normal schedule of video games and hanging out with his friends. It was hard for Sarah to see him growing up so fast.
Sarah stood from where she was kneeling. "Well…Jared and I are going to…grab his luggage from the car now…" Grabbing Jareth's wrist, she pulled him up from his seat on the couch and led him to the foyer.
"Okay but when you come back in we're showing Jared around the house!" Irene called after them, but soon heard the front door slam shut without a response.
Robert stood next to her, a scowl on his face. "I can't believe it. My daughter is seeing her college professor. Never in my life would I ever think my daughter would become that girl!"
Irene slapped her husband on his chest. "Robert! Jared is a fine man. And he isn't Sarah's professor, he was just a guest lecturer."
"That doesn't change the fact that he is a professor and she is a student! It's completely unprofessional. Please do not tell me you actually condone this, Irene."
Irene shrugged, cleaning up the coffee table and putting all the teacups back onto the tray. "I think he'll be good for Sarah. She seems to be doing better already," she said before stalking off to the kitchen with the tray full of cups. "She just seems happier."
Robert followed his wife into the kitchen, the scowl deepening on his face. "She's just taking her meds! She should be getting happier for what I pay for her to be taking them."
Irene dropped the tray on the kitchen counter, making the cups clatter against each other. She spun around, giving Robert an incredulous look. "Robert Williams, you have never been more unattractive than right now," she spat before leaving him to stand alone in the kitchen.
Outside in the cold, Sarah leaned on her car, rubbing her arms for warmth and cursing herself for rushing out without a jacket. Jareth stood there, wiping his glasses on a handkerchief he drew from his pocket. Sarah furrowed her brows at Jareth. "Why are you wearing those, anyway? You can see perfectly fine."
Jareth slid his glasses back on and shrugged. "They're clear lenses. I just thought they looked bloody good on me." He gave a smirk to Sarah as her cheeks grew pink and warm.
Sarah rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the apparent blush on her face. "I didn't drag you out here to hear your conceited remarks."
Jareth's face grew serious suddenly. "I know."
Scowling at the ground, Sarah's mind raced. "Toby recognized you even though you're glamoured."
Jareth nodded, shoving his gloved hands into his pant pockets. "He's a sharp boy. The magic still within him recognizes my magic."
Sarah's eyes shot up to meet his, confusion written all over her face. "He still has magic in him too?"
Jareth nodded. "Because he was in my presence for a much longer time than you were while he was wished away, not to mention he was physically touched by my magic, his senses are more acute to it. He seemed skeptical at first, but the longer I stay here the sooner he will realize who I am."
"But he was just a baby when he met you, there's no way he remembers you," Sarah said in disbelief.
"Magic knows magic, no matter the age," was all Jareth said, leaving Sarah puzzled still.
Then Sarah realized something. "So if Toby still has magic in him, will it start to go bad like mine did?" she said in a low voice, terrified for her younger brother.
Jareth slowly nodded, a frown gracing his handsome face. "I'm afraid so. He will soon feel the pull of the Labyrinth just as you did. And with his young age, I'm afraid it will impact him far worse than you."
The color in Sarah's face drained. Sarah was okay with being the family disappointment, she was even okay with being called crazy, but she didn't want that for Toby. Sarah went through so much, more than anyone should go through, more than what an eight year old should go through. Sarah looked up at Jareth with desperation in her eyes. "W-What can we do? How can we stop it from happening? He can't just disappear from home to stay at the castle. It was easy for me because no one wanted me, but I'm pretty sure my parents are gonna realize he's gone. And I don't want that for them."
Clenching his jaw, Jareth thought for a moment, leaving Sarah in silence to think the worse. "I would have to somehow find a way to be around him. Not every day, but every once in a while. Like a check-up," he finally said.
Sarah swallowed hard, knowing that the only resolution was to keep Jareth in her life. But how? Jareth didn't owe her anything. He could just kick her out of the castle and walk out of her life whenever he wanted to. He could leave her and Toby to spiral into the depths of their minds to rot with the bad magic inside them. No, Sarah resolved, straightening up. I won't let that happen. I won't let that happen to Toby. Sarah clenched her fists, steeling herself. "Then we'll just have to find a way to keep you around."
A smirk broke across Jareth's face, but he didn't say a thing. Only if I get to keep you around, my precious. We both need each other for different reasons, but I'll keep waiting until we want each other for the same.
Sarah sighed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, we should get back inside before Irene starts to assume we're doing something other than getting your luggage. So do some magic and make a suitcase appear."
Jareth raised an eyebrow at Sarah's demanding tone. "As you wish, your majesty," he teased. Beckoning a crystal to his hand, he blew on it and let it drift to his side, where it popped, revealing a large Burberry suitcase.
Sarah raised her eyebrows, but somehow she wasn't surprised by his choice of luggage. "Alright, Mr. Fancy, let's head back in. I'm freezing my ass off out here."
"Would you like me to warm it?" Jareth asked, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Sarah turned back to him, cheeks igniting once again. "Sh-Shut up!" she exclaimed, playfully hitting his bicep. "Stuff like that will give Irene the wrong impression. She already thinks we're dating."
That doesn't sound too bad to me, love, Jareth thought to himself, smirking.
Walking back to the door, Sarah couldn't stop her mind from thinking. Would that be the worst thing in the world? She shook her head, trying to clear the thought. Damn…I really do have it bad.
Stepping back inside the warm house, Sarah rubbed her arms to stop herself from shivering. "Damn, I hope it doesn't start snowing while we're here. I do not want to be trapped here for longer than I have to be."
"Here, let me help," Jareth insisted, replacing her hands with his. Instead of rubbing his hands along the length of her arms vigorously like she had been doing, he held onto her biceps tightly, using his magic to radiate heat into her. She felt her trembling start to slow down and then cease altogether. The warmth flowed throughout her body and thawed her almost instantly.
Sarah looked up at Jareth. He had this look of concentration on his glamoured face as the warmth continued to pulse through her body. She cleared her throat and spoke up. "I'm fine now, thank you," she said in a low voice, gazing into his icy orbs. The concentration in his face dissipated, now staring back at Sarah with a different intensity.
"How do you feel now?" he asked in a soft, rugged voice.
Sarah swallowed hard, feeling her stomach suddenly flutter with a million butterflies. Taking a shaky breath, she opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of Irene entering the foyer.
"So," Irene sang. "Let's show you around!" She clasped her hands excitedly.
Jareth reeled his arms in as Sarah took a step away from him. "Yeah come on let's go…" Sarah stuttered, bowing her head and leading the way up the stairs.
"This is Sarah's room," Irene said, pointing to the door on the right that was slightly open.
Sarah quickly leaned over and slammed the door shut. She had left her room the same way she had it when she was in high school. When she moved out, she only took the essentials with her— clothes, her favorite books, and Lancelot, whom was returned to her from Toby as a reminder of him. She had hoped that her parents would gut out her old room and make it into another guest room, but they refused to. It reminded them of the old Sarah. The Sarah before the nightmares took over her.
Robert followed behind them, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Which you should never enter under any circumstances," he interjected, making Sarah gawk and audibly scoff, her cheeks aflame. Jareth gave Sarah a crooked smile as she gave a flustered sigh and giving him an irritated look.
They moved on to the next door, Irene stopping and flourished with her arm like she was Vanna White. "And this is your room," she opened the door and walked in, revealing the plainly decorated guest room. The walls were an off white, the queen sized bed covered in a floral duvet, and a whicker rocking chair sat in the corner of the room with a cheerful looking teddy bear sitting atop of it.
"Charming," Jareth replied, walking around the room and setting his luggage down on the bed. "Thank you for the accommodations, Mrs. Williams," he said very suavely, giving her a captivating crooked smile.
Irene's face lit up like a Christmas tree as she felt herself getting flustered. "I, well, I just-" Irene giggled nervously as her face grew hot. She hadn't felt this giddy since she was a girl. "Oh dear," she murmured to herself and turned away, ducking out of the room, feeling quite embarrassed to feel this way towards Sarah's new "boyfriend".
Robert glared at Jareth as he leaned against the doorway. "Make yourself comfortable," he spat at him before following his wife to question just why she was so flushed.
Sarah stepped into the room, hands clasped behind her back. She met Jareth's eyes and looked down embarrassed. "Sorry my dad's so…dad-like," she mumbled, looking down at her boots. "I've just never brought someone home before. They're both a little shocked, I guess."
Jareth was a little confused. Irene and Robert seemed like perfectly normal parents. Protective yet polite. "They seem normal."
Sarah scoffed, plopping down onto the edge of the bed. "They're only nice because you're here. Trust me, if you hadn't come they'd be all over my ass. I'm sure they'll show they're true colors soon. They can't hold in their disappointment of me for as long as we're staying."
Jareth sat on the bed next to her, taking his glasses off and looking into her mossy green eyes. "No matter what they say, I'll stay by your side. I'll always protect you."
Looking into his mismatched eyes, Sarah felt safe. His words soothed her anxiety and she believed them. She felt a spark of bravery ignite within her. In his presence, she felt like she could conquer the world. If this is what love feels like, she thought, unconsciously leaning closer to the man next to her. Then maybe loving him isn't so bad. When Sarah realized just how close she had gotten, it was too late to pull back. With a stomach full of knots and a hint of bravery in her heart, she gave his cheek a peck and quickly reeled back.
Jareth felt a spark when Sarah gave his cheek a peck, like a jolt that went through his entire body. This time he knew what it meant. The Labyrinth yearned for her, and so did he. He placed his gloved hand on her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes, making Sarah blush and shrink away under his gaze.
Before Jareth could say anything else that would make Sarah want to crawl into his lap and shove her tongue down his throat, she stood quickly, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater. "Well I guess I better let you do…whatever it is you do—I gotta go!" Sarah slipped out of the room as fast as she could, her cheeks blazing like fire, leaving Jareth to smile at her coquettish mannerisms.