Hey everyone

This will be the second last chapter of this story (or is it?) and in this chapter I will be switching quite a lot between Jareth and Ann. That is all I'm going to say about this :D

The Darnedest Thing

When Ann woke up the first thing she noticed was that Jareth came into her room, but he hadn't seen that she was awake. She lay watching him for a little time while she pretended to still be asleep. She hadn't really noticed before how handsome he really was. Well, she had noticed, but not quite in the same way.

She started at the top. His hair was white as always and it was in the same hair-do as she remembered he had always had that many years ago. It was wild and yet in order. Wisp-like and wild on the top and slightly thinner and smoother at the bottom. His mismatched eye always caught hers in a caring, yet painful gaze. It was as he cared for her, almost to the point that she thought he loved her. But she always figured that would be impossible since he were years older than her and yet he seemed to be no older than some and 30 years.

His mouth was something unusual...probably because of his teeth, but she didn't mind at all it just made want to kiss them more. It would've been nice if he had kissed her because he somehow liked her, that day she came to his castle. His overall body wasn't that bad, slim yet muscular. She had never seen him in anything other than loose shirts and tight pants, very tight pants. It was very hard to not notice everything from his waist and down. She had always wondered if he wore them just because it was comfortable or because he wanted women to notice.

"Do you like what you see?" She hadn't seen him walk over to her bed let alone heard him sneak on to it. His voice was so close to her ear and she could feel his breath on her neck. So close!

She got redder than a cooked lobster and tucked her comforter over her head so he wouldn't see.

"Hahahaha, this is what I like about you, Ann. You're always showing your emotions on your face. But I'd like you to see me and notice me."

She shook her head as she didn't want him to see her bright red face. Besides she couldn't face him now that he found her looking at him like...like...like she wanted him. She was so embarrassed to say the least.

"Ann..." He spoke her name gently and kissed her neck. "Ann, you do know that you drive me over the edge. I'm so crazy about you." He continued down her neck to her right shoulder, pulling her t-shirt away so he could kiss that part of her too. She normally didn't sleep in t-shirts, but somehow she must have been too tired to change out of it.

Ann felt her breath shorten and her heart starting to race as Jareth kissed his way down. But something felt not quite right. "Jareth no...I can'..." She didn't get to finish her sentence when his lips were over hers. It felt so good and she felt her mind going blank. His lips were as soft and wonderful as she had imagined, no, better. And still there were this annoying, small presence. "...Ann...Ann..." It kept calling her name...what was going on? "...Ann...ANN! Wake up, you lazy girl!" Her eyes sprung up and she was still in bed...well of course, but weren't Jareth too? Hey how did he move so fast? First he was kissing me and now he's right in front of me?

"How did you get there so fast? Weren't you just...?" " Just what? I've been right here trying to wake you up. What were you dreaming about? Something good? Perhaps about me?" He moved a bit closer, but not enough to kiss her.

For the second time she blushed red and this angry feeling came up. And here I was just starting to like him. Man, he drives me crazy some times. But it felt nice. That kiss.

"Don't get ahead of your self! Who would want to dream about an arrogant jerk like you? And what are you doing here anyway? Don't you have someone else whose day to ruin?" "Awww, is little Ann angry because I interrupted a hot dream?" He abruptly moved away and turned his back towards her. "I'd like for you to come with me to my peach orchard. So get dressed quickly and meet me in the throne room as soon as you're done." And with that he left the room.

It had been such a huge temptation to do exactly what she had dreamed when he came into the room. She had looked somehow strained and oddly pained, but as he had gotten closer he could see that that wasn't the case. He had touched her forehead and instantly saw what she had dreamed about. It was such a shock to him that she thought that about him. He had gotten quite aroused from it and it had taken all his self control not to really do it to her. He really needed a very, very cold shower, but there were no time for that right now. He just had to suck it up for now.

But it had also been annoying. Here he was in person and she got all soft over a dream version of him. Not that he wasn't like that, but why did he always have to be so...provoking with her!

It was as if he wanted her to be mad at him and to stop liking him. Does she even like me at all? But if she didn't then what was that dream all about? I have to control my self more when I'm with her. What is it about me and not showing her who I really am? Do I really want her to think of me as an arrogant jerk? Well, who am I kidding! I am an arrogant jerk! Why would she fall for me in the first place? My stunning looks? Jareth, get a hold of yourself of, course not!

He walked to his office with tense steps and sat down in his big arm chair. He put his feet on the table and sat there with a crystal ball in his hand, watching Ann as she got up and got ready to go to his peach orchard. He, of course, didn't peek on her while she changed in the bathroom. One was a gentleman after all. But it didn't seem to calm him down that much. He just hoped it wouldn't show when they would meet. He wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment.

Ann hated herself right now. How could she snap at him like that? It was nothing like her parents raised her to be. She was pretty sure they would be quite cross with her now. It often felt like they were with her wherever she went. She stopped what she was doing and walked over to the huge window in her room. She looked over the labyrinth with a saddened expression and felt something like a deja-vu come over her. Like she had stood here before and looked over the labyrinth the same way, but how could that be? This was the first time she was here, right? Of course it was. She didn't recognize anything here. It all felt just like a dream. He seemed like a dream himself. Like he wasn't real and just a part of her imagination.

Ann shook her head, clapped her cheeks and walked out the door. This is just silly. I'm not dreaming and Jareth seems too real to be dream. Heck, I even kissed him! Or more correctly he kissed me.

Ann again shook her head. She could feel her cheeks get red again from remembering her dream this morning. It had seemed so real and he had seemed so into her. She wondered if that was how he really felt about her. Now that she thought about it he had been quite close to her when she woke up, like he had just kissed her, and something else didn't escape her attention. She had quickly removed her eyes from him and because she was so embarrassed she took it out on him. Jareth had seemed embarrassed too, but he had turned away from her so quickly that she wasn't sure.

With him nothing was sure. He was like an ever changing stream. Nothing was like it seemed with him.

She entered the throne room, looked at the throne itself and found: Nothing! She looked at her watch...it was spinning uncontrollably, like as if she was at the north pole or something. Well, this place wasn't exactly following the rules. She gave out a sigh."You missed me that much, my dear?" His voice was so close it made her jump."Oh, my goodness! You shouldn't sneak up on me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!" "Well, that would be a first, but are you not happy to see me?" He looked at her with hurt and sadness. She could see in his eyes that he wasn't joking or trying to provoke her. She dropped her jaw open in sheer amazement and then closed it again just to smile, giving up trying to figure him out. "Of course I'm happy to see you. Just don't give me a scare next time, okay" She reached up and kissed his cheek gently. She then put her arm in his."So you wanted to show me your peach orchard? I thought you didn't like peaches." Jareth shrunk a bit before answering:"I actually lied to you that day. My favorite is peaches not peas. I hate those more than anything. And I have another confession to make: I..." She put her finger on his lips."You don't have to tell me now. Let me figure it out on my own. It's bad enough that you lied to me about that. But I forgive you...for now." She let go of his arm and swirled around to face him putting her arms behind her back, smiling teasingly. "So where's that all famous orchard of yours? I can't wait to see it!" Jareth pointed behind her."It's right behind you. Have you forgotten that here I am the king and therefore can do everything?" He moved closer again and just when she thought he was going to kiss her he moved past her and grabbed her arm in the process.

I really have to control myself! This is getting way out of hand. When did I fall for her so deeply? Was it really when she wasn't afraid of my owl-form or was it the first time she rejected me? Why do I have to play coy with her heart like this? She doesn't deserve this at all. When time comes I have to let her go back and never think of her again.

Jareth looked as Ann walked around the peach trees and it seemed like they greeted her welcome home. Had he shown it to her before? It may be the case, but he needed more proof and he needed that spell lifted from the diary. He wished he knew how to unravel this mystery that had started so long ago.

He had been so much in his own thoughts that it totally surprised him to see her in front of him. "You okay? You looked so far away when I called out to you that I figured you were deep in thought." "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about how to solve a problem that has come up." "Is it something you'd like to talk about?" "No, don't worry about it. It's just a normal part of my duties as the king. But thank you for your concern. So what do you think of my orchard?" Jareth put his arm around her shoulders and walked beside her as he spoke. "I would love to say that I love it..." "But?" "...but the trees are sick. Like something is eating them up from the inside. Something dark and sinister. I don't like it and I don't know yet what it is, but I'll figure it out. Just give me about a week. I need to take some samples and I need to get samples from my granny's peach tree, for comparison. It is one of the finest and healthiest peach trees I've ever known." "Alright, I'll make sure what ever else you might need will be available to you. And..." He sighed. "...during that time I wont be able to spend much time with you. I fear my presence will disturb your focus. I want you to save my orchard." With that and a kiss on her lips he was gone. He figured it was for the best for the both of them.

Ann stood frozen in the middle of the orchard. She was stunned both at his final words and his kiss. It was so different from the first one he gave her. It felt as if he was in pain somehow, but also that he cared deeply for her.

She shook of both trails of thought and started to focus on the trees. It was as they spoke to her, welcoming her and telling her their stories. She could hear the whispers in the wind. The leaves felt as a mothers caress on her cheeks. She felt at home here. It was as her past life had been lived by someone else and now she was waking up from what seemed like a dream. Like this was the world she belonged to. It all seemed so good to be true.

That was when she heard a strange sound.