Chapter 12: Like a Spider's Web

For the next week Sarah and Jareth stayed in each other's company. She spun a neat web around Jareth and he gracefully fell into it. Her trap consisted of gentle touches and long gazes into his eyes. She would smile just for him and play shy all at the same time. And she enjoyed it, which made her disgusted in herself.

They became so close and yet never close enough. They were sitting in Henry's office reading or in Sarah's case, studying. She tossed her book on the table and stretched, raising her arms over her head. She smirked when she felt his eyes on her. She looked up.

"Can I help you?" she raised on eyebrow

"Perhaps," he got up and walked over to her chair, leaning forward he placed each hand on either side of her. He grinned. "Tell me, Sarah." He breathed her name. "Do I make you nervous?"

She swiftly moved her face closer to his, "No." she answered placing a quick kiss on his lips forcing him to back up in shock. "Do I?" She sank back in the comforts of her chair and grinned impishly at him. I can promise you that it will take more then an evasion of personal space.

"You have changed a great deal, Sarah." He was looking thoughtfully at her.

"You say that so often." Mimicking his English accent.

"I mean it so often."

She looked at him sharply. He's falling in love with me?

Standing up to face him, she smoothed down the front for her dress some what shakily. Before she could speak however, his mouth was on hers once more. It was passionate and deep, drawing then both into its depths. Without thinking she responded to him, wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled her body flush with his. He broke off, breathing heavily and leaning in to bury his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.

"Jareth-."

The slamming of a door cut off Sarah. Said door was very close.

"The next time you wish to use my office, your Majesty, I believe I will have to leave you with a chaperon of a suitable age and gender." Henry's eyes were cold and calculating, "if you two were just leaving I would like a solitary word with Sarah for just a moment."

OXO

Jareth, having been pushed away by Sarah when the door slammed, left without a word or glance to either of them.

Once the door was closed once more, Henry turned to his student. "Know this, Sarah, I do not agree! What ever you are doing with him is wrong! You're making him love you! That was not in the bargain with Annetha. You are to sleep with him and leave it at that!" he paced in front of her. "Stop playing these games, or soon you will be no better then the Fae!" he looked at her, cutting her off when she opened her mouth to speak, "Oh I don't know what to do with you!"

Hearing a strangled sob coming from her, he finally looked into her eyes. Oh gods, save us! He prayed.

"You're involving your emotions." He picked up a book and threw it against the wall. "Damn it, Sarah! How could you be so stupid?" He sank down and tried to think. The fact was that this is not the way she should have done it and it's tearing her soul apart. He sighed. She's only human and just turned immortal. She's so young, even by Fae standards she is considered little more then a child. She had so much growing and learning still. There was nothing else for it, she had to do this; it was commanded by the queen.

"Go Sarah, wherever you please right now. And don't tell anyone what happened here, and especially don't tell Annetha. There is time enough for that later. Hide them for now, lock them in you closet or chest or whatever. Just go." He didn't have to tell her what the "them" were. He knew that she would understand.

Sarah was looking at him like a confused little girl. She was playing with fire and she didn't know how much it would come to burn her. With a small goodbye and sorry she left, following Jareth.

Henry slumped in his chair, thinking of what to do. I won't say anything to her, that's the best way. Not to say anything at all, not yet anyhow.

OXO

Jareth was pacing angrily back and forth. Henry was pissed, he could practically taste it! But in no way could he see the reason for it. Both he and Sarah had done nothing wrong. There were no laws or rules against simply flirting and flitting around each other. No matter how he turned it in his mind, something was definitely going sour here.

For the first time he had come to his sisters kingdom, he created a crystal, in it formed the image of Sarah and Henry. They were talking and their voices carried though the transparent surface. "Go Sarah, where ever you please right now. And don't tell anyone what happened here, and especially don't tell Annetha. There is time enough for that later. Hide them for now, lock them in you closet or chest or whatever. Just go." well so much for his eavesdropping. He missed the entire conversation. The image followed Sarah. She was heading to the gardens, towards him.

As she rounded the corner, he twisted his hand and conjured an exact replicated doll of Henry.

Her face was puzzled when he solemnly handed the doll to her. "Well?" she asked.

"Human magic is often considered "witchcraft" by you humans, and I have always had a fascination with voodoo practices."

She laughed and flung the doll back at him. It vanished as he waved his hand. He looked at her, "Are you going to be alright? What did he say to you?"

"He says anything he wants to say to me. He is, after all, my tutor." She spat and ran her foot over her saliva.

Jareth wrinkled his nose, "Sarah that's disgusting."

"Yeah well, so are Henry and your sister now that you mention it!"

"My sister?"

"It's nothing, just a sort of a falling out between us."

Jareth raised one eyebrow but said nothing. Silence dropped like a stone between them. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable but it was close. He could tell that Sarah was upset about something but he couldn't read her at all. One thing with Sarah was that she never seemed to have the correct amounts of different emotions. He knew she could hide them, they had talked about that, but he didn't know she was this good.

"Jareth?" Her voice was soft, almost hesitant. "Will you escort me to the festivals tomorrow?" her warm eyes turned to him, filled with hope, fear and admiration, all directed to him.

"Of course love, I'll do anything, but you will be the guest of honour you know. It will be expected for you to stay the entire time, in front of everyone."

"If we need to escape, I'm sure Anne will let us… or at least I'll blame it on you. That way I won't get into trouble."

He laughed, "Oh, no you don't! This will be your fault if it will be anyone's!"

She pouted cutely with large innocent eyes, "but she may yell at me…"

He smirked, "Then I guess you will have to give as good as you get."

And, for a reason that escaped Jareth, she blushed.

As she opened her mouth to reply, however, the small servant girl came to interrupt once more.

"Your majesty" she curtsied to Jareth, "Your sister, the Queen, would like to see you for dinner. You as well, Lady Sarah, are to attend."

"I see you have learned some manners, Jaslyn. The last time you came to get me, you ordered and argued." Sarah replied just a little too coldly.

"No more then you first did, Lady Sarah." She gave a smug little smile and skipped off.

"Oh that girl! She-."

Jareth's laughed cut her off. "Dear Sarah, are you really going to complain about some girl who at the very least has more manners then you first did?"

"Well… she is under me you know. I am the chambermistress, after all…"

"And you are under me, and you are under Henry and Annetha, as you have seen for yourself. Between them and I, we don't really care for rank. You have been making a big deal of it, though."

"Only after Annetha shoved it down my throat!" her pitch picked up, and she cheeks grew red with anger.

"That was before, when you were stubborn and too busy acting the victim to see around you!" Jareth was getting tired of this act. She wasn't being fair and the last time that was all she had wanted. Fairness! Bah!

"Me? The victim! Just you wait to see who the real victim is Jareth!" she turned and ran to her room at the end of that long hall.

He stared after her, then sighed. Anne wasn't going to be impressed. He made his way to the dinning area where they have been taking their meals.

Dinner was quiet. Sarah arrived half an hour after they had begun, and shyly offered her apology to Jareth and Anne for being late. She sat after they forgave her and ate her meal in silence, barely looking up. When it was over, she excused herself and went to bed.

Anne laid a hand on his arm, "Don't worry about her, she's just a bit up tight about the party tomorrow. She will be the center of attention you know. That has to be just a bit nerving."

"Do you really think she is the best for this? She's very young still, hardly older then a child."

"She's understands what must be done and she will do her best." She smiled in a very secretive way, "Tomorrow will be a very important day for her, after all." She sipped her tea and said in an off handed way, "I think she is very much growing into a young woman of surprising beauty, don't you agree, Jareth?"