...and they all came after her with pitchforks and torches, ready to take her alive, for she had broken far to many promises, both with herself and her incredible, wonderful, amazing readers...
Yeah, uh... can I plead the fifth? No further comment on anything that has happened in the last 5/6 months... If you're just desperate for why I have disappeared and seemingly abandoned my story then I guess there's a PM box for that... BUT I'M BACK NOW AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS RIGHT?
As it always has been, and shall always be: I do not own any of these characters except for my own.
Saturday's meeting with Victoria passed smoothly, Sarah didn't pay attention to most of it and Jared looked off into space. It was the same old stuff, a basic briefing, Victoria's usual reprimands, the subtle pushes to get Jared and Sarah to go on another date. It seemed to drag on forever but nothing really pivotal happened. After the meeting Victoria went back to Sarah and Jared's flat with them, she was like the hover parent all the kids didn't like, even if they weren't misbehaving.
"Sarah, I have a spa scheduled for us this afternoon, we'll get one of those new gemstone facials, massages, and then a body polish for you, and a wrap for me. We'll have lunch after. Meet me at the car in five." At that Victoria got up and left the flat. Jared came in and sat in the only single seat armchair in the place like it was his throne.
"I hear I have the whole place to myself this afternoon? How pleasant, though I'll miss the joyful light which you bring to the world, it will be so drab without you." Jared smirked. Sarah rolled her eyes, then walked out of the room to get her purse. On her way out the door she huffed, then slammed the door and marched down to the waiting car.
Once Jared was alone he rolled his head back on the back of the chair, he knew his sarcasm was no way to win Sarah over, but he just couldn't help himself. He walked to his bedroom and locked the door, walking back the mirror and passing through.
Jareth wandered around his private gardens, things were starting to wear on him even though it seemed like he had been getting stronger against the magic Sarah had unconsciously placed against him. He knew the Labyrinth itself was the culprit behind Sarah's unrecognition. He wished to talk to the soul of the Labyrinth, but as he knew, it did things on its own schedule, Jareth was merely a physical extension.
He stopped by a few rose bushes with strange and striking flowers, they were pale grey with deep blue around the tips of every petal, only found in the Goblin Kingdom of course. Jareth reached out to touch one, accidentally pricking his finger. "You know, those took your grandmother, my mother, nearly three-hundred years to get just right. She used to tell me they were from part of the moon her husband gave to her. I'll never know if that was true, but the story was good, and the roses have never died, though its been nearly two-thousand years since she started cultivating them. They were her rose, one of the few ways she will always be remembered." Jareth studied his finger, the place where the thorn pricked him was silver.
"Mother, you are creating quite a habit of sneaking up on me. I do wish you'd stop" he said, showing her his finger like a child.
"Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings. I've been in the garden long before you even came back from the Above." She walked toward the woven seat hanging from the willow tree which stood in the middle of the garden. All Jareth managed to say was "oh."
The High Queen studied her son as he stopped by another group of rose bushes, this time they were deep red, tipped with shimmery white, the light catching the tips, making the roses seem almost alive. "You're thinking again child. Is it about that lovely young girl from the Above?" She too stopped by the roses, which seemed to pull ever so slightly toward her, causing Jareth to furrow his brows. "There is still so much you have yet to learn son."
"Mother," Jareth wasn't feeling like talking, which is why he came to his apparently not-so-private not-so-secret garden, but he wasn't feeling like kicking his mother out. He sighed, giving in. "Yes, you know very well she occupies my every thought. I'm not going to last much longer, but no matter what I chose there is a huge risk that I will lose here."
"Jareth, these are the risks we take for the ones we love. It may be cliché, but when the humans of the Above said if you love something you let it go, they may have been on to something. You can't force her to accept anything she's not willing to accept, but you can't keep playing this game either. Sooner or later something has got to give."
"I know that, but what? Even I, the king of games, is getting tired of playing. But I can't help myself. Also, the Labyrinth seems to be part of my issues as well. I'm not sure if you'd have and insight into that, but I feel as though it's the one playing with the magic. This damned Labyrinth, sometimes it takes its own existence to lightly. Why can't it just play nice?" Jareth pouted.
"You know it can hear you, don't offend it or it may play dirty, that is one thing it has taught you plenty about. It obviously didn't teach you anything about the simpler, more natural concepts." She said gesturing to the roses which seemed to be enjoying her attention.
"What do you mean by that?" He said, feeling like he too was missing what was right in front of him.
"Nearly every king and queen has their own rose, which they create and leave to grow in the royal garden. Why do you think these ones love me so much? I'm practically their mother. I created these. It's part magic and part understanding of nature. A magic that is almost so simple its difficult, one that is learned, rather than given at birth. As I said, you still have much to learn child."
Jareth scrunched his nose and sighed. "Yes, yes, I heard you the first time."
"Well, you'll soon have more time to worry about your magic. I feel as though things may be changing very soon. I'll leave you now, I must go see what trouble your sister has gotten herself into." Jareth watched as his mother vanished in a flurry of rose petals, the same which were uniquely hers. Jareth stood for several more minutes, then decided he should go check in with his new spy as well as Hoggle. He had a plan, which would either work very well, or would kill him.
Sarah lay on the massage table face down, cringing as she felt the lady rub her back. One thing she hated was people she didn't know touching her, not that she was a germaphobe, but it had always given her the creeps. Sarah just sighed and dealt with it silently, because she knew Victoria loved being pampered this way.
"So Sarah, I was thinking of having you and Jared go to dinner together so that I, or your mysterious stalker, could take a few snaps, just to let the fans know what you're up to." Sarah knew it was coming, but she didn't realize Victoria would say it this soon. She yelled at her manager in her head.
"You know, it pitching it like that doesn't make me want to go on a date with him any more than it does when you say it outright. I'm just simply not interested." As Sarah said her last sentence the masseuse hit a knot in Sarah's shoulder, making her yelp.
"I think otherwise Sarah, I think, no, I don't just think, I Know you like him. Even if you don't realize it yet, you are very much in love."
"No! Never, not his arrogant ass, not any day. I would never 'love' him. I don't care how gorgeous I or you think he is."
"But you still think it, and that is all that matters."
"Vic, do you have any idea how shallow you sound? Karen really has been waring off on you hasn't she." Sarah was crying internally, both because Victoria seemed so clueless, and because the masseuse was truly abusing Sarah's poor muscles.
"Oh well, there's still no denying the truth we all know." The masseuse walked out of the room allowing them privacy to return to their fluffy white robes. They chatted as they walked to the steam room, waiting for the next thing, scheduled 40 minutes after their massages. Sarah tried to relax but something was just really making her hyper aware of everything and she didn't know why.
"Do you ever have a day where you just feel ultra sensitive? Like everyone is watching you and they all hold some secret against you, and they judge you but you don't know why? It's like there are eyes everywhere, and they all know something that is apparently obvious to everyone but me…" Sarah trailed off after she realized Victoria was staring at her with a raised brow.
"Well, I can tell you one obvious thing that you seem to be missing, and that is that you're in the place nearly every other girls and even lots of boys want to be. Right in the reach of Jared's arms. And you two obviously share a connection, are you sure you haven't crossed paths more than just previous shoots before?"
"Victoria! Stop! I don't want to hear that name today, I thought this day was supposed to be for relaxing, well, you're not helping me relax AT. ALL." Sarah looked at her manager for a second longer before she went to sit in a chair in the giant cave-like steam room.
"Miss Sarah Williams? Are you ready for your body polish?" Asked a heavily accented voice of one of the masseuse. Sarah got up and walked past Victoria toward the door to follow the petit lady. So much for relaxing.
Victoria and Sarah walked from the spa at around 4pm, and headed back to the hotel for the day to decompress. Sarah walked up to her room, nerous about what Jared would ask about her day, but almost strangely… excited? Sarah flushed at even letting the thought cross her mind. That arrogant ass hole? Excited for what, another lively spat?
She put the key in the door and opened it as quietly as possible, hoping to catch Jared off guard. Setting her stuff down she poked her head into the different rooms, not finding Jared in any, but again his door was closed and locked, with no response from the inside. She was beginning to get suspicious, she made a note to question him next time she saw him.
It was around 7:00 that evening when Jared walked back out of his room to find Sarah with her eyes closed on the couch. He smirked, the first thought coming to his mind being to play a trick on her, but he chose otherwise. "Sarah dear I don't think you'll sleep well tonight if you nap now." He said in his sweetest voice.
"Oh, and like you should talk. Where were you today?" Sarah opened one eye and crossed her arms, she hadn't reached sleep yet, just the awkward spot right before it.
"Oh, uh, just out and about. Why? Did you see something?" Jared was panicked, he didn't expect Sarah to respond to his quip.
"Oh… why are you worried if I saw something? Is there something you're hiding?" Sarah hadn't expected Jared to get defensive, and she didn't know what base she had to question Jared, but she felt like a door had opened in her mind. Ironic that Jared's door was always locked, she thought. She kept her well trained face from breaking into a sly grin, trying to act the part, just to see how far she could implore.
"Uh, why ever would you ask? I have nothing to hide, nothing, nothing tra lala" Jared's poker face faltered as he finished speaking, breaking into a smirk. Sarah jumped on it.
"Well if you have nothing to hide then why are you being so defensive?" Sarah felt a new need to get answers, but slowly, to torture Jared. It was rare that she had the upper hand and she was going to juice every second of it.
"What are you talking about? I'm not being defensive at all! Why are you being so nosy!?" Jared tried to get leverage.
"I'm not being nosy, you're just being so secretive. I figured maybe you had a reason. I'm not sure if you've heard this little phrase before, but it goes something like 'secrets don't make friends, but friends make secrets'. Jared, we're not friends, and you're not doing very well to get there either if you keep up this… charade." Sarah wasn't sure if charade was the right word, for Jared didn't seem to be hiding a secret identity, but something told her it wasn't wrong either.
"Oh Sarah" Jared chided "the only reason we aren't friends yet is because you won't accept me. It wounds me Sarah." Jared was struggling, and he knew Sarah could tell. He mentally kicked himself for backing himself into the corner in this argument. Even though he was being Jared he still couldn't outright lie. He could ask questions to evade question and blur the truth, he could also just not respond at all, but he still couldn't lie. He hoped Sarah wouldn't notice his lack of answer.
"Uh huh. It's always my fault. Do you sleep a lot?" Sarah decided to ease up on Jared, for now. She narrowed her eyes, knowing he didn't answer her question. But she decided to let the guy at least think he was getting a break.
"Yes, I do enjoy a good nap. Victoria and Winston sure can take the energy out of you." Jared scratched the back of his neck, then realized how nervous he must look.
"Tell me about it. Did Winston go 'out and about' with you today?"
"No no, he did his own thing, I did mine. How was your day with Victoria?"
"Eh, it was fine. I'm not particularly fond of strangers touching me but it was alright." Sarah looked at her nails, as if to check that they were sharp before she clawed back in.
"Understandable." Jared wanted to make a suggestive quip but figured it wasn't in his best interest.
Sarah dropped the conversation for a bit to cool down. She checked her phone, responding to the group text between herself, Maya, and Danny. Several awkward minutes of silence later Sarah came up with her plan of attack, really hoping to pin Jared into the corner. She excused herself to the restroom to check her makeup and give herself a pep-talk in the mirror. Coming back she stood leaning against the wall leading to the hallway, just in case Jared tried to head to his room.
"So tell me, Jared" Sarah narrowed her eyes at him "Why do you keep locking your door if you have nothing to hide? And, when I come by does there never seem to be a single noise coming from the inside?" Sarah was genuinely confused, but she knew something was up.
Jared hadn't even figured Sarah would have checked his door, he tried to act nonchalant. "Well, I uh, I just kept locking it out of habit from home. That's all. I always lock my bedroom door at home, my sister has no concept of boundaries."
"Hmm, I see. It's not the locked door that confuses me though, it's that you seem to disappear once inside, then magically pop back up again at the worst times. In the middle of the day as well." Sarah prodded Jared with her eyes when she saw he was hesitant to answer.
"Sarah pleaser just let it go." Jared couldn't think of a comeback. "It's late, I think I'll be heading to bed. Tomorrow is going to be long." Jared got up and made a move for his room but Sarah stood her ground.
"It's barely dark, and you seem to have been sleeping all day, what's the big rush to get to bed?" Sarah positioned herself between Jared and his bedroom door, and took a deep breath. Not sure why she felt compelled to fight so much, or why she was putting herself into this position. Jared could easily pin her against the door and take advantage of her, he could easily trick her into his room, or even worse she could find out something horrible. For heaven's sake Jared could be a serial killer just hiding his weapons inside his room… Sarah mentally shook that idea from her head, that just didn't seem to fit Jared for some reason.
"I'm just very tired, Sarah why are you being so bothersome." Something clicked in Jared's head, he realized he needed to end this as soon as possible and get things under his control again, because the Labyrinth was playing Sarah's side, and letting her onto him, slowly, but this wasn't factored into Jared's plan, and he couldn't come up with a new plan fast enough.
"Why are you being so defensive? Jared you do realize just how guilty you look right now, right?" Sarah leaned against the door, putting one hand on the knob. Jared's face paled and his eyes grew to saucers. "That's just what I thought! You are hiding something!" Sarah poked her free hand at his chest.
"Sarah…"
That look, she had seen it before. She knew that look, more than from just a picture. But she couldn't remember. "Jared…" She wouldn't budge though.
"Fine. Fine! I'll make a deal with you." Jared threw his hands up in surrender.
"We can negotiate."
"You drive a hard bargain don't you. It always seems to come down to a deal between us."
"You're digging yourself a deeper hole."
"You inf.."
"Cut to the chase." Sarah interrupted, leaning on one hip and crossed her arms.
"I'll tell you tomorrow after the shoot, and in the mean-time I'll make sure that one photographer you were having trouble with keeps his hands to himself when helping pose your clothing. I'll also make sure no more shenanigans take place at my hand or any others, as well as I'll keep Victoria and Winston occupied with something other than us. In other words, I'll make sure the day runs smoothly without any misplaced hands, in exchange for postponing my secret and you letting me go to bed. Deal?"
"All that, and you'll make sure I have the best and biggest coffee you can find in Germany at four a.m. sharp. Deal?"
Jared would do anything just to get her off his back for at least 24 hours so he could figure out what he should do, but he acted like he needed to consider.
"Times up on that deal, I also need to add one more thing. When you tell me tomorrow it will be over something nice here in our apartment which you have to come up with, like a cheese plate and drinks or something. If you don't say yes right now I will remain right here until you tell me."
"Deal, you really are a pain. Now that that's settled let me in my room."
Sarah stepped to the side and motioned to the door, letting Jared slip past and into his room for the night, of course not without locking the door first.