Chapter Fourteen: The Book

When Sarah awoke, Jareth wasn't there. She stretched and looked around, scratching the back of her neck for a moment. She felt glorious; she hadn't slept so well in a long while. She touched her chest, just above her heart, and felt it beating steadily.

She thought about last night. If someone had told her she'd end up making love to the Goblin King, she'd have laughed—and secretly indulged in some fantasies. She never believed she could become intimate with the Goblin King.

And what about love? She thought. She remembered the dream she'd had, and at the end Jareth had whispered in her ear…had that really happened? It had technically been a dream, even if they'd both experienced the same dream, could one take another person's word at face value in a dream?

Sarah's stomach growled, breaking into her thoughts. She threw back the covers, found her panties and bra. She'd just slid the bra on when the door opened, letting in a burst of hot air. Jareth walked in, a slight sheen of sweat glittering on his forehead and his hair ruffled from the hot, desert wind. He seemed surprised to see she was awake already, but then he grinned.

"Good morning, Precious Thing."

Ah, the morning after, always a time to do a bit of soul-searching. Sarah looked at Jareth. He wore simple, black pants and an embroidered waistcoat, which showed off the slight muscled definition in his arms. Sarah felt lust uncurl in the pit of her stomach. She licked her lips, unaware of the gesture, but Jareth followed it. His grin widened and there was triumph and pride in his gaze.

"Pleased with yourself?" Sarah asked, turning away. She slipped on her shirt.

"Yes." Jareth said it casually. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes." Sarah thought about putting her jeans back on, but in the end decided not to, yet. Maybe she was a bit of a tease and she never knew it before, or maybe she just liked the way Jareth kept glancing at her.

"One thing that's good about this cabin is that it always has what you need." Jareth opened a cabinet and pulled out a pot. A few moments later he had porridge cooking on the stove. They ate in silence, but it was a companionable silence. Sarah was shocked how comfortable she felt around him.

"What now?" she finally asked.

"I've been thinking about that," Jareth said. "Leander is strong, that's the problem. My magic is fragmented—bits of it are in you—and the Labyrinth is in upheaval so it's not listening to me like it should. I need more weapons, more magic."

She waited, but Jareth seemed to be deep in thought. She took the bowls to the sink and washed them out. When she turned the water off, she couldn't wait any longer, and said impatiently, "Well? So we need more magic…?"

"The book," Jareth said.

"Excuse me?"

"The book, Sarah," Jareth said. Although his voice was calm, his eyes were sparking with an emotion Sarah couldn't name. She moved back to the table and sat, trying to catch his gaze. "The Labyrinth, the book! It's nearly as old as I am and it's pure, untwisted Labyrinth magic."

"Okay, the book," Sarah said, slowly. "How can it help?"

"Relics of the Labyrinth are very powerful. The necklace, Leander's sword…" Jareth paused, leaning back. "If we use the relic's power to our advantage, we could tip the balance in our favor. Do you still have the book, Sarah?"

"Yes, of course. Actually, I always wondered, how did the book find me? What it said in there was true, it seems kind of silly just to have it floating around, telling people how to wish others away."

"Is it?" Jareth smiled. "The Underground is a place of magic, filled with mythical things like unicorns, dwarves, fairies. It requires belief to survive, Sarah. Even one person believing can be the difference between life and death for this world."

"Okay, belief, but the book told about other things…" Sarah thought about that line, the Goblin King loving a girl. Her heart fluttered, remembering the line from the book; remembering the dream; remembering how his kisses and caresses felt.

"The book tells the truth," Jareth said, simply. "It came into being by the Labyrinth, for self-preservation, but the things it spoke of were truths, perhaps even prophecy."

"Have you ever read the book?"

"No. It came into being in the Aboveground and was in a human's hands before I even knew it existed. Usually, it didn't last in one person's hands for very long. I think you're the longest owner."

There was something he wasn't telling her, she knew because he wasn't focusing on her face. He kept his expression neutral. She frowned. "Jareth? Is everything okay?"

He looked at her, smiled. "Yes, but we need that book, Sarah."

"It's in my apartment," Sarah said. Jareth met her eyes. "Are you serious? We're going to my apartment? Really? Can we do that?"

Jareth leaned closer, touching Sarah just above her heart. "Yes," he murmured softly, his face so close to her that the ends of his hair brushed her cheeks, as soft as a butterfly's wing. "Your heart is stronger, it's taken nicely to you. And I am fully healed."

Sarah felt a searing joy at the thought of going back home to the Aboveground, and then it dissolved into confusion when she looked at Jareth. What they had done together had been beautiful, she had never felt so wonderful, and she couldn't just leave him anymore. Plus, there was her heart. She touched where Jareth had touched a moment before, felt her heart pounding in her chest, and said, "How can I go back? I'll die, you said so."

Jareth hesitated, then took off his necklace and slipped the chain around her neck. She felt the heavy pendant settle between her breasts. She lifted the pendant in the palm of her hand and looked at the odd symbol. She had forgotten her gloves were off; immediately she saw the long stretch of time, like a road spanning into the distance, and on it the Goblin King walked. His head was tipped back, searching the skies. She felt loneliness, responsibility, determination—emotions that washed over her and made her shake. She blinked and the vision faded; the only thing she saw was Jareth's face, thoughtfully watching her.

Loneliness, she thought. Every time I get a feeling of him, there's always loneliness. There was loneliness for Leander, too. The Labyrinth is so cruel.

Sarah leaned forward, cupping Jareth's cheek, and gently kissed him. He jerked, surprised. He hadn't been expecting it. Sure, they hadn't talked about what had happened between them, but had he expected that she would just push it aside? Forget it had happened? The thought made her smile mischievously. She wanted to pull off his clothes and run her hands over the hard, flat planes of his chest. She wanted to kiss him until she had no breath left; until her new heart pounded and echoed in her ears. She wanted to see his face when he called her name in pleasure, just like last night.

"Sarah." Jareth gently pulled away. "We have to finish this, before Leander's magic perverts everything in my Labyrinth. I must fight him, I must win."

Sarah frowned. Most guys she knew would have jumped for joy if presented with a second opportunity for an orgasm. But, Jareth did have a valid point. Leander was destroying Jareth's home, of course he had to deal with that. Plus, it might be a blessing in disguise; there was a lot for her to think about. What did she want to do? She remembered her reflection in the mirror wearing the Goblin Queen's clothes. Was that still an option? Did she want it to be?

This isn't easy. It isn't like a relationship between two humans, she thought. It isn't "Hey, I like you, wanna be my boyfriend?" Jareth's the Goblin King. What do I feel? Do I love him? Can I love him—forever? There would be no less, of course. It wasn't like she could break up with him and go back home. Jareth had said it, hadn't he? Her heart needed magic. Boy, it would be awkward if they fell out of love and she was stuck in the Underground. It wouldn't be like worrying she'd meet her ex in the supermarket. Jareth was the freaking king. And she would be vulnerable, maybe the only other human in the Underground. She'd have friends—Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, of course—but she couldn't go to the local bar or meet people at her library's book club if she got lonely.

Her heart clenched in panic. Leaving behind her home wouldn't be like moving to another country. It was so much more—everything was so much more. Her life was completely different now. She looked up and met the Goblin King's eyes and her mouth went dry. Oh god, what had she gotten herself into? Love was only the tip of the iceberg. What about her life?

"Sarah," Jareth said, reaching out to take her hand, "are you ready?"

Sarah took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"I know you get nauseous," Jareth said, grinning wickedly, "but for once, if you vomit, it'll only be in your own apartment on your own things."

Sarah blinked at him, surprised, then laughter bubbled out of her. The panic faded slightly. He couldn't have known what was really on her mind, but she was grateful he could joke, nonetheless. "I'm ready," she said. She thought, Let's go home, and then the cabin faded away.

Author's Notes: Yes, I'm back! I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere (in case you were wondering) --

*suddenly, Jareth appears, interupting*

Jareth: I did, actually, think you had disappeared. What took you so long to continue this story? For god's sake, woman, it's been more than a month!

CQ: I know! I know! Life took a sudden, hectic turn and I found myself unable to work on any extra projects I had --

Jareth: Plus, this chapter is so short! Not satisfying at all!

CQ: Hey now! I hadn't worked on this in nearly a month, so I decided to make this chapter short so I could get my groove back. Anyway, I'm already working on the next chapter, which should be uploaded very soon. And what's more, this story is nearly complete! Just a few more chapters and you'll get your ending, Goblin King.

Jareth: About time! I do not like things half-finished.

CQ: Well, neither do I!

Jareth: Good!

CQ: Good!

*glares at each other, then CQ notices that Jareth is wearing a particularly nice set of leather, tight pants. Her eyes travel lower...*

CQ: You know, those are nice. I think I missed you, Goblin King. I think I missed you a lot.

Jareth: *sigh* Well, it's good to know everything has picked up right where it left off.

Sorry for the long wait, folks. I was surprised at how much my stats jumped once I uploaded the last chapter, but then I love some good luvin' too. ;) Please keep the reviews, comments, suggestions coming. I'm thinking I'm going to be extremely naughty and upload a chapter of a new story, one I've been thinking about for quite a while with a more wicked (but still delicious) Jareth. I usually like to have 2 side-projects in the works, so I can bounce back and forth. If you haven't already, Author Alert me so that when that goes up, you'll know. I'm thinking it'll be sometime this week, maybe even later today. I'm estimating there's 3 more chapters of the Clockwork Heart left. Whoo! Exciting! (Well, for me, anyway, this IS my first fanfic)

See you all next time!

The Fine Print: As always, I own nothing in regards to the Labyrinth except my own original characters.