12

Jareth approached Sarah at the bar after making her wait another hour or so. It wasn't his fault. The audience had requested encores and who was he to deny them? He had slowly packed up his instrument and gone backstage to change. He wore jeans, a pink button-down shirt and black tie with a pink printed t-shirt over it.

Above-ground fashions were ridiculous. But he knew he wore it well, and that all the women in the club (and a couple of the men) wanted him all the same.

He went to the bar, ignoring the silently fuming woman standing just beside him, and ordered his new favourite drink.

"Grey Goose over ice." The taste was mediocre, but it gave him a buzz and made him wonder what he'd get back Underground if he gave the same order. He hid a smile at the thought. "And one for the angry lady here." The bartender poured them drinks (on the house of course. He'd done well for himself since arriving in this city) and they wordlessly made their way to an empty booth in a dark corner. Sarah said nothing but merely held his gaze. He sighed.

"I'm not going back. And we both know you can't make me." He said. She didn't drop her gaze. "I'm serious. I've been there ever since I was...young."

"You were three when you left this world." said Sarah. "Didn't you read the news report in the back of the book?"

"No. Why would I waste time doing that? The past is the past, it's the present that matters and presently I'm a very busy man. I have another gig later on tonight, this was just the warm up!"

"The goblins need you."

"I'm sure you're doing an adequate job there." He took a sip.

"Underground needs you."

"Underground wants an administrator. And I'll bet it's quite happy with you, Sarah-so-organised with her bland taste and obsessive compulsive disorder." He saw a flash of surprise on her face. Yes, Sarah, I've been inside your house, he thought to himself.

"And what about all the creatures that care about you?"

"Let's be honest, Sarah. I'm a bit temperamental. I'm sure they prefer you over me anyway." He thought briefly of Mummy, and wished he'd made time to say 'goodbye'.

"What about me?" she said finally. "I don't belong there. This is my home, not yours."

"I was born here too Sarah. It's my home as much as it is yours. Why should I miss out on a life, a career and some human company? I've been Under for years, Sarah. Decades even. You've been there one week." Sarah glared at him. She brought her hands up and in them was a crystal. A few expletives went through Jareth's mind. She can do that? It took me years... before he finished the thought he felt himself floating and tiny, encased in cool crystal.

She had him. The room around disappeared into a dull grey mist and he knew they were in Limbo, halfway between worlds. She was dragging him home.

"No you won't!" he shouted, taking his owl form. The crystal shattered and he was released in a flutter of feathers. Furious he screeched and attacked the human woman, claws slashing at her face and tangling her hair. She screamed and took on a form of her own. Claws slashed out at him and they wrestled. His feathers were pulled out and he bit out chunks of her dark fur. On and on they fought, both determined to take a chunk out of the other and vent years of smouldering resentment. Sarah's sharp teeth dug into his wing and he screeched, talons raking across her belly and then he flew, clumsily, up and out of reach. He summoned the energy in the air and a bolt of lightning struck the ground the Sarah-cat.

He took his human form, shaking. He clenched his fists and waited for the smoke to clear. Stars, she almost had me! He thought.

He stood glaring at the unconscious Sarah who was human once more. Killing wasn't really his thing. He'd never done it to any creature, other than on the occasional hunting trip anyway. If he was just a little bit more evil it would make his life easier. She was dangerous, and he couldn't bear the thought of eternity alone Underground.

But he knew he wouldn't hurt her.

Underground would not have let her go unconditionally. Sooner or later it would call her home.

He scooped her up off the ground and slung her unceremoniously over one shoulder. He then summoned his guitar from the club and teleported them back to his hotel room.