OH MY GOD! Your reviews made me so happy! I aim to please. Well, sorry for the long wait. Just got back to the Aunt's house where I FINALLY HAVE INTERNET! SCORE! And Meri-san, I know! I do all my stuff on Text Edit and it seems so long! But it's not...-sigh-
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Sarah awoke to several doctors hovering around her. She was slightly dazed, then looked at the clock. "Holy shit! It's 6 in the morning!" She clapped a hand to her forehead. "I've been sleeping all day!"
One of the doctors shook his head. "You've been asleep a little longer than that, Sarah." She still looked confused, so the doctor continued. "You've been asleep for about three days. We were getting worried about you."
Sarah let out a meek laugh. "I guess I was tired..." The doctors all looked at one another, when a familiar voice cut through the crowd.
"Well? What did you call me for? The girl looks fine!" Dr. Smith burst through the swarm of doctors.
"She didn't before, Kyle. She's been asleep for three days." Another familiar voice answered.
"Dr. Cowen? What're you doing here? I thought you were still in Alicia's ward..." Sarah was very confused. She had been tired! Why did people have to be so worried about someone sleeping for a long while?
"Well, you're a...special case." Sarah was even more confused about this.
"Why am I a special case?" Dr. Cowen didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Dr. Smith and the other doctors.
"Would you mind if I spent a few hours alone with the patient? I want to do some research." She asked.
Dr. Smith looked like he was going to put up a fight. "Cecilia, this is my patient and I don't think-" Dr. Cowen cut him off.
"Please. Be professional. You sound like a whining five year old!" Dr. Cowen laughed as she spoke, showing him she was only kidding. Dumfounded, Dr. Smith nodded and quickly led the other concerned doctors out of the room. Dr. Cowen looked towards the door and waited until every last one of them was gone. She then walked quickly to the door and shut it, locking it from inside after closing it.
Before Sarah could even asked what this was about, Dr. Cowen answered. "I knew there was something special about you."
Sarah was even more dazed than she had been when she woke up. "What do you mean?"
"I knew there was something special about you. Reading your files only confirmed my thoughts." Sarah raised an eyebrow in confusion. Dr. Cowen smiled, old recoletcion shining in her eyes. "Sorry to confuse you, but I suppose you fell for his joke as well." She sighed and sat down.
"What are you talking about?" This conversation was making her nervous.
"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. What I'm trying to say is-" She took a breath- "is that I believe you." The words felt like sun beaming down on Sarah. She acted dumb, though.
"You believe me about what?"
"I told you! I read your file. What you said you saw...The Labyrinth, the Goblins, Jareth..." Sarah looked up quickly.
"i didn't say his name in the paperwork! How'd you know it?"
"He never mentioned the other people who've gone against the Labyrinth, has he?" Sarah shook her head and Dr. Cowen looked at the ground. "No. I don't see why he would. But when I was around 13, I wished my little sister away. I had to go on the same quest as you." Sarah's eyes widened in amazement.
"What happened?" Sarah felt like a little girl, being told a bedtime story she had heard somewhere along the line once before.
"Well, I traveled through the Labyrinth. I was so determined to get my sister back. And I came so close...So close..."
"Did you get her back?"
"Almost. But not quite. I made it to the Escher Room. And she changed, right before my eyes. Her feet and ears got all big and she looked so distorted...I didn't get it then. Jareth was the enemy, yet here he was offering me my dreams! I didn't know what to do! So I did the only thing I could. I took my dreams. I had wanted to be a doctor since I was four...And here I am! Those ten years later. But my dreams didn't have anything to do with memory erasing, I guess. It pains me to this day that I let my own flesh and blood melt away!" Sarah saw a stray tear run down Cecilia's face. She sniffled and continued. "But I guess I asked for it, huh. He told me that I was the closest anyone ever came to beating the Labyrinth."
"Until me." Dr. Cowen looked up at her, tears streaked on her face.
"What?"
"I beat it. Three years ago. That's why I'm here. The pressure of it all built up. So I told my stepmom. She thought I was nuts so she called the funny farm on me!"
"That sucks..."
"Yeah..."
"Hey. Could I talk to you again about stuff like this?"
Sarah nodded. "That depends, do I have to address you formally?"
"I guess a proper introduction should be made. I'm Cecilia." She stuck out her hand. Sarah took it in hers, shook it, and looked up at her new friend.
"And I'm Sarah. But I think you know that by now." Sarah smiled.
Cecilia sighed. "Well, enough of a sob story for one day. I'll see you tomorrow?" Sarah nodded.
As soon as Cecilia was about to leave the small room, the phone by the door began to ring. Sarah stared at the phone for several seconds, wondering why anyone would call here.
"Aren't you gonna answer it?" Cecilia questioned from the doorway, snapping Sarah out of her daze.
"What? Oh, yeah." Sarah quickly got up and ran to the phone, picking it up before regaining her balance. "Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.
"Hello. Sarah? Sarah Williams?"
"Yes?"
"There is a visitor for you. Would you like them to be sent up?"
"Um...sure?"
The phone operator hung up. Sarah was slightly confused, but shrugged. "Hey, Cecilia? You wanna stay? Someone wanted to visit me..." Cecilia shook her head.
"No. I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides, I have some other things to do. Don't really want to get fired." Sarah shrugged and nodded.
"I understand." Without another word, Cecilia left the room. She managed to walk halfway out into the hall, when a man with wild blonde hair and dazzling mismatched eyes passed her. He was wearing earth apparel, a pair of tight jeans and loose dress shirt, as well as his classic leather boots. The hair and eyes were the same as Cecilia remembered them, only without as much makeup. She stopped abruptly.
The girl stopping caught his eye. He stopped as well, turning to stare at her. "Do I know you?" he asked, almost as rudely as he could. His voice filled Cecilia's head with remembrance and fright.
"You might not remember me," She said meekly, "But I remember you." One of Jareth's painted eyebrows raised. "You really don't remember me, do you?"
"I can't say that I do." Cecilia looked at her feet.
"No. I guess you wouldn't. It was ten years ago, after all." His eyebrow raised higher.
"What was?" Just then, realization struck him like a tidal wave. "No. It can't be." He shook his mane of blonde hair and continued walking to Sarah's room.
"Can't be what?" Jareth ignored her and walked faster. At long last, he arrived at Sarah's room.
He saw Sarah's form resting on the bed, back turned towards the door. Without so much as a word, he walked near her, sitting on the space of the bed that was not acquired by her body.
Sarah had been struggling not to fall back asleep. Her eyes fluttered open as soon as she felt the pressure on the bed. She had momentarily forgotten about the visitor she was supposed to be receiving. She sighed and spoke half sleeping. "Cecilia?" she asked, thinking that she had decided on staying.
Instead of answering, Jareth lay down by her side, wrapping his arms around her waist. "No, love."
Sarah was completely awake now. Though he couldn't see it, her mouth was opened in shock. She turned her head to look up, making sure that it was actually him. Sure enough, a piece of untamed blonde hair fell into her face and she stared into the smiling eyes of the Goblin King.
Without a warning, Sarah turned and threw her arms around him, burying her head in his neck, taking in his spicy scent. "You're actually here!"
"You were expecting me not to come? You did ask this of me, after all. Did you not?" Sarah nodded and happily hugged him nearer. Sarah pulled back to look at him. He looked a little different, wearing normal street clothes and not as much eye makeup as when she usually saw him. She stared into his eyes, blue and hazel pools of feeling for her. It was as if he could read her mind. He waved his hand casually behind him, and the door slowly creaked closed. His eyes roamed from her eyes to her mouth and back again. Sarah bit her lower lip and managed to smile at the same time. His face drew nearer to hers. After what seemed like an eternity, their lips met.
Jareth was glad for Sarah's forgiveness, and showed her fully. He used his tongue to gently part Sarah's mouth, and was surprised when she didn't pull back. Instead she leaned into him, biting his lower lip playfully. Jareth's lips roamed, returning the bite to her neck. Sarah couldn't help but laugh at his eagerness. She tipped her head upwards, giving him better space of her flesh.
It was as if fate had wished it to be this way, one at the time of her life, finally feeling she had some friends and that she belonged, even if it wasn't the greatest place to belong in. The other at the ultimate low, after temporarily going crazy. They could almost sense each other's still persistent dependence on one another, like a pair of gloves. They belonged.
Just then, there came a knocking at the door. At first the two ignored it, it didn't matter to them. The knocking grew persistent still, yet neither got up from the bed.
Cecilia stood knocking at Sarah's door. She knew who that man was, and she was certainly not letting him lay a hand on Sarah.
She couldn't take it anymore. Cecilia burst through the door, catching the kissing couple by surprise. Jareth immediately sprung to turn around, wanting to see who had interrupted them. Sarah too sat up, head peeking up behind Jareth's shoulder.
"What the HELL is going on in here!" Cecilia's angry eyes stared Jareth dead on, blaming him for the entire scenario. He and Sarah looked down at the sheets of the bed, feeling like children that had just been reprimanded for stealing cookies from the cookie jar. When they didn't answer, Cecilia continued. "Why did you have to come back! Things would have been better off if you just left well enough alone. What did you think your place was here?She'd be better off without you! I know I was!" Jareth stared back at her like she'd just slapped him in the face. Cecilia's confidence grew as he failed to answer her questions. "Oh! So you haven't told Sarah about those 10 years ago, did you? You should have known that'd come to bite you in the ass!"
"How was I to know you two knew each other?" Jareth asked defiantly. Sarah stared dumbly at the two.
"Jareth, what is she talking about?" Sarah asked, even more confused than she already had been.
"Oh I'll tell you what I'm talking about!" Cecilia was almost yelling. "'Fear me, love me do as I say'...sound familiar!" Sarah slowly nodded. "Well, you weren't the first person he'd ever said it to. He said it to me, when I went to that god-damn Labyrinth!" Sarah looked astonished. Immediately, she swung her head to stare angrily at Jareth.
"Is it true?" Jareth stared into the floor, but nodded all the same. "How could you? You were just playing me? Manipulating me? Why?"
"I wasn't. I swear." Jareth spoke quietly, losing every ounce of self confidence that he possessed. He tried to think of a reason for what he had done to the two girls. "Well, I will admit that with the first I was trying to manipulate her to do as I wished, but Sarah, with you I meant it. No offense, Cecilia, but Sarah was far more cunning later on through her travels. And it was that which I grew to love. Which was why what I said to you I meant." Sarah softened a little, but was still quite angry.
"Then why did you use the same words?" Cecilia asked accusitorilly.
Jareth was prepared for the question, this time. "Well, the first time I said it, it was just something that had come into mind. The second time, however, it was the closest thing there was to the way I truly felt. 'Fear me, love me, do as I say and I'll be your slave. Let me rule you. And you can have anything you want.' I suppose even those few years ago I was slightly naive. You need not have to follow my every whim. I merely should have told you how I felt. And that was that I would do anything for you. Sarah," He ignored the sputtering protests of Cecilia in the background and cupped Sarah's face with his hands. "I love you."
Sarah seemed to be buying every word Jareth spoke. He meant it with the most sencerity, but Cecilia refused to believe it.
"Then why didn't you! You should have just told her that! Why'd you same the same thing twice if you didn't even mean it once!" Cecilia asked, thinking that to that there'd be no smart answer.
"I told you. Even three years ago I was naive. I thought in order to love you I had to be worshipped by you. However over the course of the years, I've come to know otherwise." Jareth answered triumphantly.
"But...why? Why did you say that to me? I believed you!"
"Last ditch attempt to get you to take your god forsaken dreams. It was suposed to frighten you into taking them. I can see that it worked." Jareth looked around the dingy hosptial room.
Cecilia tried to stutter a rebutle, but could think of none. She stormed out of the room in a huff, slamming the door behind her.
"Why hadn't you told me all this stuff before?" Sarah turned angrily to Jareth. "For once, Jareth just give me the truth!"
"I have been! I just...haven't been telling you all of it." He said uncertainly. Sarah raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, so he continued. "I swear, she was the only other person that I've ever said that to."
"And if I hadn't known Cecilia would you have still told me this?" Jareth felt he couldn't speak, so he simply nodded.
"Good." Sarah said smugly. "Now you owe me for not telling me sooner." She smiled wickedly.
"And what is it that I owe you?" Jareth asked, playing dumb.
"Oh," Sarah spoke, wrapping her arms around his neck again, bringing him to lie down on the bed once again. "You'll think of something."
"And if I don't?"
Sarah bit his lower lip with her teeth and whispered into his mouth. "Then I'll help you think of it." Jareth chuckled and kissed her back, eager that, again, her forgiveness came quickly.
