I am so sorry for taking so long to review. I've been RPing a lot lately and talking to my best friend in the entire world quite a bit... and school has been a nightmare... but here is Chapter 9, and I hope the length of this makes up for its lateness. And that poem, in the last chapter, wasn't mine. It was written by a lady named Alma Luz Villanuaeva, and it's called "I was a Skinny Tomboy Kid". I found it in my Literature textbook. I did redo some of it though. That whole part about her playing the guitar was originally all about fishing, so...
Chapter 9
Leanna wouldn't come out of the tower for two straight weeks. The only ones she would even let in there were JJ and Morgan. Sometimes, she'd let Toby in, but most often, she seemed especially intent on keeping him out. Morgan suspected that it had more to do with his leg than anything.
And Jareth kept getting in the way. You could always count on him finding some way into the room. How, Morgan had no idea, and Jareth wasn't revealing his secrets anytime soon. It was at these times, though, Leanna got truly angry and would shout at Jareth to get the hell out before she shoved a goblin with bog problems up his... Well... Those was Leanna's words, not Morgan's.
JJ and Morgan had taken to keeping guard outside the door at night when she slept... or didn't sleep. She seemed especially nervous at night. Morgan was positive the girl hadn't gotten a wink of sleep in the past two weeks.
It was on one of these such nights that the reason for the princess of the Goblin Kingdom's actions finally came to a head.
Morgan leaned against the door, trying to see JJ through the darkness but failing.
"Has she ever done this before?", Morgan asked.
She heard JJ sigh. "Driven her self to the brink of insanity worrying about her mother?", he asked. She heard him shift slightly. "Yes. She has. Only this time, she isn't trying to contact her mother. She's waiting for her mother to contact her."
Morgan nodded. "Jareth explained the business with the crystal to me.", Morgan said.
JJ snorted. "He still doesn't know that we know that he knows about the crystal." Morgan could here the grin in his voice. "That's much more hilarious than him not knowing at all."
Morgan grinned. "You two love to irritate him, don't you?"
"Are you kidding? We live for it!" JJ let out a laugh.
Morgan smirked. "Shouldn't you also live for your child as well?"
Silence for a few moments. "You know, Leanna suspected you knew.", he said finally.
Morgan swore. "You can't keep much of anything from her, can you?"
"There isn't much she doesn't notice. Especially when you've had to live like her." There was a pause. "Um, I mean, uh..."
"I wasn't supposed to hear that?", Morgan asked.
"Um, no." JJ sighed. "She spent a lot of her childhood learning how to read people by what they didn't say or what they didn't do. And more often than not, she was right."
"So what happened? I mean, was she picked on a lot Aboveground?"
"Yeah. She was. But not a one of them ever touched her."
"Why not?"
"Because her father really does care for her. She has no idea how many times he looked out for her. And he's asked me not to say."
"Why not?"
"Because he's just as stubborn as his daughter. And as proud."
Morgan scoffed. "Do you think they'll ever get over themselves enough to admit that they really care about each other?"
"Oh yes. I most certainly do. They have to in order to save Sarah."
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
JJ waved a hand airily. She only knew because he almost hit her up side the head. "Meaning they'll have to work together as a family to save her."
Morgan shook her head. "I still don't get it."
She heard him shift in the darkness. "Think of it this way: if they don't trust each other enough as father and daughter-"
"-they're never gonna get past Wyndham's front gate.", Morgan finished for him. She shook her head. "Sarah is doomed."
JJ shook his head. "No, she's not."
Morgan's mind started to drift in the following silence, back a long time ago, when she was having a similar conversation with someone else. Gods, that had been so long ago. And now here was her chance to-
"Morgan?", JJ said suddenly.
"Hm?', Morgan replied, jolted from her reminiscing.
"When did you first start to wield a sword?", JJ asked.
Morgan bit her lip. That was so long ago. She thought for a few, then answered, "I was almost ten."
JJ snickered. "Two years before Leanna. She won't be happy to hear that." He yawned. "So how'd that happen?"
Morgan gulped. She had never shared much of her true history with anyone. "I... was orphaned when I was very young. Mercenaries took me in when I was six, and they taught me first. Then I was dropped off here."
JJ sighed. "Morgan, I'm married to a professional liar, and you are not my wife. Even I can tell you aren't telling the whole truth."
Morgan snorted. "Nobody is as good a liar as your wife."
"Jareth comes dangerously close." JJ paused for a moment as he yawned again. "So what's the whole story?"
Morgan pursed her lips, but before she got a chance to answer, there was a crash from the room. They scrambled to their feet and opened the door. Five goblins appeared in the room and had appeared right on top of Leanna, who had crashed in a bookshelf, which had crashed into the table with over a hundred vials of the clear potion. And now the floor was wet, as was a viciously swearing Leanna, who was still lying on the floor, with goblins, lying in a daze on top of her.
"Get off of me, you morons!", she roared, and they scrambled off of her and stood up. JJ helped Leanna up, grinning. "What are you smiling at?"
"You're beautiful when you're angry.", JJ replied, his grin widening.
"Damn shame too.", Leanna muttered grumpily and turned to glare at the goblins. "You bunch of nitwits.", she growled. "Did you ever get what I asked for?"
The goblins scrambled over to the mess and went digging though it. They came up with 5 half-gallon buckets of vanilla ice cream and 7 large bottles of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "You got the goblins to steal for you?", she asked.
JJ picked up one of ice cream, took off the top, conjured a crystal spoon, and dug in.
"Sure.", he said, voice thick due to the ice cream in his mouth. He swallowed. "They're gonna do it anyway. Why not put it to your advantage?"
Leanna nodded. "Yeah, we've been doing it for years.", she added.
An hour later, goblins had shown up with several buckets of Chinese food, Mexican food, countless cheesecakes, and too many bags of chips to even begin counting. There had also been several 2 liter bottles of Coke and Dr. Pepper they had brought, not to mention the breadsticks from Olive Garden that Leanna had been especially crazy for. And what she didn't eat, JJ, Morgan, and Dillon, who had arrived not long after they had started their little feast, helped her polish it off. Needless to say, the latter three hardly got enough to make a difference.
Obviously, that clear potion wasn't nearly good enough to cover ALL the side-effects.
Morgan and Leanna had fallen asleep quite a while ago, and Jareth came in. He looked around at the mess, sighed, and sat down next to JJ and Dillon.
"How is she?", he asked anxiously.
JJ shrugged. "Fine, I suppose.", he answered. "This is probably the only sleep she's gotten in 2 weeks, though."
Jareth groaned and banged his head on the wall. "Why doesn't she trust me JJ?", he asked in exasperation.
"Probably because she doesn't think you trust her.", Dillon answered.
Jareth's eyebrows rose into his bangs so that they could no longer be seen. "Why the hell would she think that?"
JJ shrugged. "She thinks you've never been there before you actually needed her... before you could use her.", he reasoned. "And frankly, I would feel the same way in her position. Really, she chalks it all up to her mother and whether or not she was... What was the word she used... Willing, that's what it was. Whether or not her mother was willing when Ms. Williams was 15. But I can tell she really just wants you to trust and care for her.
"But I do!", Jareth hissed, still not comprehending. "And I never wanted to use her."
JJ shook his head. "You have to prove it."
Realization dawned in Jareth's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger. "If she knows, Sarah will find out about the things I did, and she'll be angry."
Dillon scoffed. "Why would she be angry?", he asked.
"Because she didn't want me in Leanna's life.", Jareth answered as if it were obvious.
JJ found himself getting angry. "Bloody hell, Jareth, what does the hell does the past have to do with it?", he hissed. "Sarah is happy you are in her life now. Hell, she's probably even happier you're in her life." JJ got right in his face. "You wouldn't know Sarah's love from a goblin wearing leotards and a tutu serenading a horse wearing a party hat, make-up, and fluffy bunny slippers." (AN: First things that popped into my head.)
Dillon looked at him in surprise. "What?"
JJ turned to him glaring. " A goblin... wearing a le-o-tard and a tutu serenading a horse wearing a party hat, make-up, and fluffy... bunny... slip-pers."
Dillon cracked up with laughter. "JJ, you have the weirdest imagination ever."
"He gets it from his wife.", Jareth said, then turned his gaze on JJ. "JJ, if you ever insult me like that again, I may just kill you."
JJ shook his head. "No you won't.", he said matter-of-factly.
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why not?"
"You may be cruel Jareth, but you're not that cruel." JJ looked him in the eyes. "You see me as a son, and you would never kill me."
Jareth swore. "You spent far too much time talking to your mother-in-law.", he growled.
JJ grinned. "Yeah, you could be right... Daddy."
Jareth laughed out loud. "You've also been spending too much time with your wife."
Dillon frowned in confusion. "Doesn't that kinda come with the job?", he asked.
JJ nodded solemnly. "Aye, Dill, I suppose it does.", he said in a mock-sad tone. "But it can definitely be a good thing."
Someone was shaking Sarah awake, and she batted at the criminal's hand.
"Ten more minutes, Jareth.", she groaned.
There was a snort. "I hardly think I'm Jareth, Sarah.", came Miach's amused voice.
Sarah cracked open an eye and looked up at him. Light from one of the grates was dimly illuminating his face, and his pale blue eyes were full of good humor.
"You want me to try that bloody crystal again, don't you?", she asked groggily.
"It'd be nice.", he admitted.
Sarah groaned and sat up. Her face was still rather sore from the beating she'd taken yesterday. One eye was swollen shut, her lip was busted and puffy, and one whole side of her face was one big bruise. When she went to rub her eyes, she gasped in pain.
"I told you not to touch it.", Miach scolded. "Stubborn little..."
Sarah sighed. He'd been rather annoying lately, spontaneously waking her up in the middle of the.... was it night now or was it day? She wasn't sure anymore. Anyway, he had been waking her up and kept asking her to try and activate the crystal. Nevertheless, she took out her crystal. She stared at it for a few moments, then gave it a good shake. Nothing happened.
Sarah scoffed. "See?", she asked him in exasperation, holding it up high in the air for Miach to see... and it slipped from her fingers and smashed to the floor. Sarah cried out and scooped the pieces into her hand... only to drop them again, this time in surprise. They had started to glow and vibrate. A noise, that started out as a mere disturbance in the air, gradually grew louder into a low hum. Sarah and Miach both started backing away slowly from the glowing, vibrating, noisy, demented crystal pieces.
Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light as bright as the Sun and, Sarah imagined, nearly as hot. It was so hot, it singed the hair on her arms. Sarah and Miach had to shield their eyes.
When they looked again, the crystal had imploded and taken the form of a very familiar young lady.
"Leanna?", Sarah breathed.
Leanna had been awake the whole time, really, listening to her father and husband talk about her and her mother. It was a little disconcerting to her that her father still didn't believe Sarah loved him. She'd thought he'd gotten over his denial. Obviously, she didn't know everything. Still more disconcerting was the fact that Jareth could prove to Leanna that he truly cared, but he wouldn't, which Leanna thought was utterly stupid. Oh well. Everyone was stupid some-
Leanna sat bolt upright. Three heads automatically turned toward her in alarm. She couldn't move. She tried to speak, but she couldn't.
It's been activated, she thought with a strong sense of relief and anticipation. She didn't know what would happened.
Her head suddenly felt as if it had exploded. She cried out, released from her invisible bonds, and went limp. She heard people calling out to her, felt hands shaking her... but it was so vague, she wasn't sure if any of it was real or not. She coughed up blood, and she felt something stir inside her, but she was too far gone to figure out what it was.
As if a light switch had been thrown, suddenly everything was dark. She felt like she was floating. She wondered vaguely if she were dead.
Then she realized... it wasn't completely dark. There were millions of little stars all around her. Upon closer inspection, she saws that they weren't stars at all. They were actually little crystal pieces that were glowing brightly in a never ending darkness, the very darkness she was floating in.
Leanna knew what this was. This was The Oblivion Field. The place where all magic came from. It had been one of the first things she had learned: Magic had to come from somewhere, and there were only certain people who could draw it from The Oblivion Field. She could feel the magic pulsing in this place... and that magic suddenly shot her forward like a bullet. The crystal pieces swirled around her in a blur of color until suddenly it all disappeared and something completely different took its place...
She was standing in a dungeon cell. Grates in the ceiling above her let in a little light, dim though it was. With her enhanced vision, she could make out the entire cell. There were several piles of straw scattered around. A small set of stairs led up to an iron door... which probably would've harmed the two occupants of the room if they were Fae. They were sitting on the floor in front of her, open mouthed.
"Leanna?", Sarah asked breathlessly.
Leanna felt her insecurities melt away at her mother's voice, and she grinned. "Well, who'd you expect? Harry Potter?", she asked, shaking her head. "Sure, he's great, but far too showy for my taste." Sarah went to speak again, but Leanna shook her head and turned to the scruffy, pale blue-eyed man. "Are you Mochriademiach?", she asked bluntly.
The man stood, and he suddenly didn't look like a poor, scruffy guy. His eyes lit up with a fierce light and he look regal.
"I am.", he answered in a deep, business-like, but not unkind, voice. "I am the true king of Neroche."
Sarah turned her gaping mouth toward him.
"You're the king?", she asked in surprise. "You said you were a farmer."
The king sighed. "I told you that because I wanted to be your friend.", he explained. "If you had known who I was, would you have treated me the same?"
Sarah opened her mouth, then closed it and looked down.
The king nodded. "Thought so." He turned to Leanna. "I assume you and your father are planning some sort of rescue mission?"
Leanna smiled wryly. "Actually, my father and I aren't speaking, so it's just me.
Sarah got to her feet, wincing a little. "What happened, Leanna?', she asked, approaching her daughter slowly.
Leanna brought up her fingernails to inspect them, hiding her astonishment that they were crystal... that she was entirely made out of crystal.
"Nothing.", she answered Sarah.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "There has to be a reason you two aren't speaking.''
Leanna sighed. ''Mother, now is not the time-"
"No, now is the perfect time!", Sarah interrupted. She crossed her arms, and sometimes Leanna hated that she got her stubbornness from both sides of her family.
"Mother, I can't last long like this. If I spend... 15 minutes, I could die."
Sarah gulped, then nodded. "All right, we'll... talk about it later."
The king crossed his arms. "I know for a fact that Wyndham didn't change the defense system I set up.", he started. ""Four guards outside the door, and they change every eight hours. Ten guards patrolling the wall-"
"Wait. All of these guys are Krug, right?", Leanna interrupted.
"Well, of course, but... why?"
Leanna scratched her crystal head with her crystal fingers. "Krug are men that are simply altered with magic, right?"
"Yeah...?"
Leanna's eyes lit up and she grinned. "So if I turned them back... would they turn against Wyndham?"
The king nodded. "Yeah, probably. But it would take quite a lot of magic to do so."
Leanna grin shrunk into a smirk. "Not as much as you may think." She nodded. "Okay, I gotta go-"
"Wait.", Miach commanded.
"What is it?"
The king actually looked a little nervous, like Jareth did when Leanna scooted by him with something behind her back.
"Miach, what's wrong?", Sarah asked.
The king (Miach, apparently, was what people called him) shuffled his feet. "Is... Is Morgan at Lismor's?"
Leanna's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Miach breathed a sigh of relief. "Then she's alive?" Leanna nodded slowly. "Oh, thank the gods." He put his head in his hands, and Leanna strongly suspected he was crying.
"What is it you want with Morgan?", Leanna asked carefully.
Miach took a deep breath. "She's my wife.", he answered softly.
Leanna was silent for a few moments. "That,", she started finally, ''explains a lot.'' She rubbed her neck. ''So Morgan's real name is Morghain. And she's the queen." Leanna shook her head, grinning. "Mom, the impossible has happened.''
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You're not afraid of rats anymore?", she asked.
Leanna shuddered. "As much a miracle as that would be, no.'' She smirked. "Someone is a better liar than me."
Sarah nodded. "And here we all were, thinking she was the Bruce Lee of lying."
Leanna snorted, then looked back at Miach. "So you know Dillon, too?''
Miach snorted. "Of course I know Dillon. He's my son."
Leanna shook her head. "How... incestuous." When they both looked confused, Leanna said, "Morgan told us he was her brother."
Miach nodded, then looked up at her. "You should go then."
Sarah walked up to her crystallized daughter and hugged her. "You tell your bloody father that I'm going to be fine.", she hissed.
Leanna sighed. "He won't believe me." And suddenly the crystal became dull once more and Sarah released it. The crystal became a million tiny pieces and it fell to the floor. Sarah sincerely hoped that wasn't a sign.
Leanna gasped and sat bolt upright. Her forehead crashed into another, and they both cursed.
"Damn it, Leanna.", Jareth swore, rubbing his head. "Why me?"
Leanna simply grunted and turned to Morgan. "You're coming with me.", she told the other girl, getting to her feet. She realized there was something wet and metallic taste in her mouth. Blood. Leanna spit it out in disgust, and JJ handed her some water to wash the taste and any remaining blood out. She swirled some water around in her mouth before spitting it back into the glass. She handed it back to JJ, who took it back by his fingertips, trying to hide the sick look in his face.
Morgan's eyebrows shot up at Leanna's command and she crossed her arms. "Where and why?", she asked.
Leanna grinned. "To Neroche to save your kingdom, Queen Morghain."
Morgan paled visibly and her mouth opened and closed like a fish.
Dillon was the first one to speak. "Then I guess you know I'm not really her brother?", he asked.
Leanna nodded. "You're her son, the prince.", she replied.
Dillon grinned. "You truly do know everything, Your Highness."
Leanna's eyes narrowed dangerously, but she decided now was not the time to commit murder. She looked around. "Where is Uncle Toby?"
Dillon snorted. "Sleeping, probably."
Leanna stood up and headed for the door. "I have to talk to him." Before she could walk out of the door, however, a hand spun her around by her elbow, and she came face-to-face with Jareth. He looked so ancient and tired all of a sudden.
"Are you all right?", he asked quietly.
"Don't worry, Jareth.", was her reply. "I'll get Mom out." She started to turn away again, but Jareth only tightened his grip.
"So." Jareth said carefully. "You think I care more about Sarah than I do about you?"
Leanna stared at him for a few moments, then said, simply and casually, "Yes." She wrenched her arm out of his hold and started out of the door. Once on the staircase, she stumbled when her magic left her, and Jareth steadied her, once again taking a firm hold of her elbow.
"I really don't see your logic in that.", he hissed.
Leanna closed her eyes. "For five years, you didn't give a damn about what happened to me, or JJ.", she said in an even tone.
"That's not true.", Jareth growled. "Half the reason I was depressed was because I was worried about how you were taking it."
Leanna wrenched her arm out of his grip and turned to face him fully. "And you thought avoiding me was the best way to care of it, huh?"
"I thought you just... wanted some space."
"Space?" Leanna let out a wry laugh. "You gave me quite enough space for the first 17 years of my life, thank you very much."
Jareth rubbed his face, the fire gone from his eyes, and Leanna noticed, for the first time, that he really was quite old. "I've always been there for you.", he whispered.
"Prove it.", Leanna spat, but Jareth stayed silent. Leanna scoffed. "I didn't think so." She started down the stairs.
Jareth grumbled for a moment before lunging for her, catching her by the scruff of her neck, and carrying her back into the tower. JJ, Dillon, and Morgan were staring at them.
"You want me to prove it?", Jareth hissed as he put her down and stood in between her and the door. "Fine. I'll prove it." He conjured a crystal and threw it at her. Leanna doubled over as the tower melted away...
FLASH
Leanna was six years old. She was being chased by a group of fourth grade bullies. She turned down an alley thinking to outsmart them since they weren't very smart anyway. The alley was a dead end, though. The first four bullies, but the last one happened to glance her way. He stopped and called to the others, and they came back and started walking towards her., grinning wickedly. Once the first one got close enough, he grabbed her arm.
"Maybe if we hit you hard enough, we'll beat one color into those freaky eyes.", he spat and raised his fist. Leanna kicked at him and tried to bite him, but it did no good. The others had joined in now. She snarled at them, but they just laughed.
Suddenly, they let her go. They were looking above her in fear, then they turned tail and ran. Leanna looked up and gulped. A tall man with wild blond hair was standing over her. He looked incredibly regal and livid as he glared at the retreating boys, but his expression changed drastically when he looked down at her. He looked... concerned. He squatted down beside her and looked her over carefully.
"Are you all right, love?", he asked in a soft, fatherly tone. Leanna nodded mutely. He chuckled softly, which made Leanna a bit angry.
"It's not funny.", she snapped, but it only made him chuckled more. Without another word, he picked her up. Leanna blinked, and they were standing in front of her house. The man set her down, then stood up straight, staring at the house. Leanna thought he looked sad, like her mom when she sang. She tugged on his long cape and he looked down at her.
"Who are you mister?", she asked quietly.
The man sighed. "A dream, little one.", was his odd answer, and he bent down and kissed her head....
FLASH
Leanna was ten years old. She had learned quite a while ago that she could avoid the people who chased her after school by climbing on the roofs and jumping from one to the other.
And it was fun to race the barn owl that always flew with her.
She laughed out loud as the owl flew over her head, nipping playfully at her flying hair. It landed on the other side of a big gap between roofs. Leanna skidded to a stop and backed up about ten feet to get a good start. The owl hooted out a warning, and she thought maybe the owl looked amused now more than anything. Could an owl look amused?
"I've done it a million times.", she assured the bird. "I'll be fine." She shook her head and took off at lightning fast speed, faster than the fastest boy at her school. As she neared the edge of the roof, she jumped, and she watched the ground, twenty feet below her, fly by.... and then suddenly come rushing towards her. Her chin banged against the edge of the roof, right in front of the owl, who screeched in alarm. She cried out and scrambled for a hold, but found none. She knew she couldn't stop herself.
But someone else did.
She looked up. A man with a perfect face and wild blond hair was leaning over the side of the roof, holding her hand. She was getting the strangest feeling of deja vu, like she'd met him before.
And he had her eyes, which was kind of freaky.
He hauled her up onto the roof with unnatural strength. She hastily stood up, and the man followed, though a little slower.
Instead of asking who the hell he was, Leanna asked, "Do I..... know you?"
He smiled sadly. "I wish you did.", he replied, then kissed her head softly......
FLASH
Leanna stood on the side of the stage, her guitar slung across her back. She took a deep breath, ignoring the person currently on the stage doing a very bad impression of Elvis, singing "Heartbreak Hotel". She peeked out at the crowd. The entire school was there for the talent show, and then some. Why had she let Uncle Toby talk her into this? Why? Oh well. Too late to back out now. Besides, Leanna Williams never backed down from a challenge. She was just as stubborn as her mother.
Who still wasn't there.
Leanna bit her lip. Half the reason Leanna had agreed to do this in the first place was because Sarah had said she would be there. She hadn't been at the last three, of course, but Sarah had promised it would be different this time. Leanna felt tears sting her eyes, but she wiped them away angrily. It was just another stupid competition, right?
Leanna caught her Uncle Toby's eye, and he gave her a thumbs up. She smiled a little. He had gone out of his way to get a front row seat just so he could cheer her on. She nodded toward the door, then at the empty seat beside him. Toby frowned and shrugged.
Someone brushed by her. It was the Elvis guy. Leanna gulped. It was her turn. She took several deep breath. She fiddled with the zipper on the leather jacket she was wearing, then pulled the hood of the gray jacket underneath over her head. She slipped on her sunglasses and walked out onto the stage. The cord trailing after her was pretty much ignored by everyone. Her pick was currently held in between her teeth. She took it and poised it for playing a rock version of a familiar song.....
Leanna walked out of the back room almost and hour after everyone had left. Just like the last four times, she won the contest. And just like the last four times, her mother hadn't been there to see it. Leanna walked up the short flight of stairs to the stage... but stopped on the last one.
A tall man with wild blond hair was standing behind the microphone, looking around at the empty gym. He was dresses in a poet's shirt with a black vest over it, and his pants would've made any girl in her class faint at the site of them. She let out a snort, and the guy looked around at her.
"What's funny?", he asked.
"Dude, you look so gay, it just isn't funny.", Leanna replied shrewdly, smirking slightly and walking onto the stage.
The man looked down at himself. "Well, I think I look absolutely perfect.", he stated, a smirk of his own twitching at his lips. He looked around the gym once again. "You played very well tonight. And the song you sang was very nice as well. He ran a gloved hand through his hair. "Curious..... where did you learn it?" He sounded sad now, and Leanna got the feeling that she knew him, or should at least.
"Um, I learned it from my mother.", Leanna answered.
He turned to face her fully. "Truly?", he asked in a desperate-sounding voice.
Leanna narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. Why?", she said suspiciously.
He chuckled. "Do not worry, little one. You and your mother mean the worlds to me. I would never hurt either of you."
Leanna's eyes only narrowed further, and she crossed her arms. "Just who the hell are you?"
He thought for a moment, then smiled. "I am someone who is very proud of the way you turned out."
Leanna let her arms fall to her sides. "You still didn't answer my question."
The man let out a laugh. "Ah, you're just as precious as your mother." He stared at her for a moment before walked forward, covering the distance between them in three long strides. "I'll see you in a couple of years, love.", was the last thing he said before he hugged her....
FLASH
Leanna fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Memory after memory flooded into her mind from the crystal that had been storing them for so long. Happy memories, sad memories, tense and angry memories, all involving her and her father, and sometimes even Uncle Toby. Jareth had made her forget.
But why?
As the last of the memories poured into her, she shook her head and looked up at Jareth.
"Why?", she asked softly.
Jareth rubbed his face and answered, "Your mother's wrath can be terrible."
Leanna snorted. "You think I would tell my mother about a strange man who seemed to be hitting on me?", she asked. "It would've scared her half to death." She stood and stared at him for a few moments before walking forward and hugging Jareth around the neck. "You're a damn idiot, you know that, right?"
Jareth chuckled and hugged her back. "I have you to remind me, daughter. And your mother. And my... son-in-law... and my future brother-in-law... and my future brother-in-law's probable wife.... and your friend... and your friend's bro-, um son."
"Shut up, Dad.", Leanna muttered. Jareth did shut up at that.
Leanna released him after a few moments. "C'mon Dad. Let's go save Mom."
Jareth grinned and turned to Morgan and Dillon. "Well, are you coming to save your king?", he asked. Morgan and Dillon grinned.
Leanna turned to JJ and bit her lip. "JJ, maybe... maybe you and Uncle Toby and Iris should stay here. Make sure Celeste doesn't go nuts."
JJ crossed his arms. "Right. That's the reason you don't want me to go.", he said, raising an eyebrow.
Leanna sighed. "Okay, so I don't want you to get hurt. You guys should still stay here. Hell, if it were up to me, I'd be the only one going." She rubbed her neck. "But I think this is what I was meant to do."
JJ frowned. "What?"
Leanna looked up at him. "Save the king, bring back the queen and the prince, and help them save the kingdom. I'll be saving my mother in the process."
JJ shrugged. "Doesn't mean we can't help. You haven't heard of Iris' Gift yet, have you?"
Leanna shook her head. "What is it?"
JJ smirked. "Bring us along, and you'll see."
Leanna grumbled then looked up at Jareth. "What do you think?", she asked him.
Jareth's eyes widened. "You're asking my opinion of something?", he asked in surprise, and she nodded. "Well, I'll be damned."
Leanna shrugged. "Well, maybe, but I'm not one to judge."
Jareth grinned, then looked at JJ. "Hmmmm.... I say.... we can use all the help we can get."
Leanna muttered, "Fine.", and JJ wrapped an arm around her waist. "But if you get yourself killed, I'm coming to the Underworld and forcing Pluto to let me torture you myself."
JJ grinned. "Of course, love."
Leanna glared at him then walked out of the tower, followed by the others.
Leanna banged on Toby's door and shouted, "Get up, Uncle Toby!"
"Go away!", came the answering shout.
"I thought you wanted to help save Mom!"
Silence for a few moments, then, "We'll be along later."
Leanna paused. " 'We'?" No answer. Leanna muttered a few choice curses before turning away and continuing out of the castle.
After Leanna had fun scaring the guard for the thousandth time in the past eight months, they were outside the wall.
Leanna took a deep breath. "Dad, you go on with Morgan and Dillon. JJ and I have to make a quick stop at home to stir up a little trouble."
Jareth grinned. "Good idea." He conjured a crystal, then suddenly had his air supply cut off by his daughter.
"You stay alive, you hear?", she muttered.
"Don't worry about a thing, love.", Jareth replied, and she let go.
"Me? Worry? Ha! Perish the though!" She laughed at the familiar phrase.
Jareth grinned. "Of course, my daughter." He nodded to Morgan and Dillon. They reached out and touched the crystal. There was a bright flash of light, and the three of them were gone.
Leanna took JJ's hand, and he brought it up to his lips and kissed it. Then, his brows furrowed and his other hand found its way to her stomach.
"Not long now.", he whispered.
Leanna grinned, then snapped her fingers and a bottle of the clear potion appeared in her hand. She downed it. "Let's hope she'll hold out a bit longer.", she said. And she squeezed his hand, and they were gone.
And that is it for Chapter 9. Hope you enjoyed it. Only one more chapter to go, which might not be out until perhaps sometime in Thanksgiving. As I said before, I've been busy lately, so it might be a while. I'm not sure right now. And the Oblivion Field thing I made up myself... I was daydreaming in Physical Science and found myself wondering just where magic came from... and I came up with the Oblivion Field. Anyway... I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think... Oh my gosh! There is over 6,000 words in this chapter!