Falling in Love
Sarah woke up gasping for breath and unable to move. She felt as if she lay under a heavy blanket. Unable to see anything, she struggled to fight her way free of the confining blanket.
"Sarah?" Jareth's tired voice inquired softly and the blanket was pulled away from where it had been wrapped around her. As the dark red blanket was pulled from her, she noticed she was still in Jareth's room and the bed was trashed. "Are you okay, Sarah?" Jareth asked in concern, noticing the trapped look in her eyes. "It's not Peraline again, is it?"
"It's...I don't think so. I guess I was just having a nightmare," Sarah stammered, gasping for breath.
"Would you like me to wake your parents or get you something to drink or anything?" Jareth asked uncertainly, glancing over to the other side of his bedroom. Sarah looked to find that Karen had fallen asleep in her dad's arms in a huge armchair and he was sleeping while he held her. She relaxed unconsciously when she saw that she wasn't alone with the Goblin King again and smiled at him nervously.
"I could use a glass of water or something," she offered hesitantly and he grinned, glad to be of some use to his love while she was ill. He gestured to the bedside table and she had her choice of drinks. Eventually, she chose the milk that was steaming in the cool air and he dismissed the rest to wherever he'd gotten them from. "A bite to eat, perhaps," she mused, sipping on the warm milk and was offered a variety of midnight snacks from a turkey sandwich to a little breakfast. "One could get used to this," Sarah giggled, blushing as she glanced at the happy Goblin King behind her.
"Anything else? Anything at all?" Jareth offered anxiously, his magic ready to supply anything she might desire.
"A little company," she whispered, glancing down at her hands curled around the mug in her lap.
"I could summon Hoggle or Sir Didymus or Ludo or Toby or, well," Jareth paused, seeing her withdraw with every suggestion as to whom she might enjoy talking to. "Or...I could do the best I could," he offered hesitantly.
"I don't want to be a bother," Sarah replied morosely.
"You aren't. Everyone's so worried about you. Especially me. I know some of what you're going through and it's killing me to see you so ill," Jareth replied hurriedly, moving around the bed to kneel before her.
"It's alright. I'm just...I feel so useless sleeping all the time," Sarah hastened to reassure him. "If nothing else, it's keeping me out of school while everyone goes crazy for your crystals," Sarah teased him slyly and he chuckled. Sarah patted the bed beside her and he hesitantly sat down next to her. She surveyed the delightful array of snacks and finally sampled a melon ball; it was perfectly ripe and still chilled. She smiled at Jareth beside her and he smiled back.
"If you don't want me to sell the globes, I won't," Jareth offered suddenly, looking away from her and letting his mask fall back into place. Sarah paused, wondering where this had come from. "I made them for you after all, so it's only fair that you should chose how they are disposed of."
"But life's not fair, remember," Sarah told him gently and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "It doesn't matter to me anymore, really. I barely think about it anymore. I just wish you'd have asked my permission before selling them here. I was startled when you showed up again and a little afraid you'd take Toby again."
"I'm sorry," Jareth told her after a moment of silence and Sarah stared at him in shock.
"What?" he asked in offense.
"You've never apologized before. It startled me," Sarah replied in embarrassment, looking away from him. Jareth hesitated but put his arm around her anyways, still keeping his face carefully blank. Sarah stiffened and, just before Jareth would have removed his arm, leaned against him gently. He held her closer as he felt her relax and she snuggled under his arm, reaching to grab a deviled egg. Eating half, she had a delightful idea and held the other half up near Jareth's lips. He stared at her wide-eyed and a blush spread over her face while she wondered if she was being too forward. He gulped and blushed as he opened his mouth and let her feed him. "It's...I mean, are you alright?" Sarah asked breathlessly and he nodded slightly. They stared at each other for a minute before Karen's restless tossing broke them from their trance.
"I need to use the restroom," Sarah murmured hurriedly before getting up and dashing out of the room, Jareth opening his mouth to call after her but shut his mouth with a snap as he turned to glare at Karen in the corner. In the restroom, Sarah finished her business and was leaning on the counter tiredly. She looked into the eyes of her reflection and sighed sadly. "I think I'm falling in love," Sarah told herself sadly. "I just wish I knew whether that was a good or bad thing," Sarah sighed, finishing and turning around.
"Definitely a bad thing," Peraline growled and Sarah gasped Jareth's name as she fainted.
Sarah woke up gasping for breath and unable to move. She felt as if she lay under a heavy blanket. Unable to see anything, she struggled to fight her way free of the confining blanket.
"Sarah?" Jareth's tired voice inquired softly and the blanket was pulled away from where it had been wrapped around her. As the dark red blanket was pulled from her, she noticed she was still in Jareth's room and the bed was trashed. "Are you okay, Sarah?" Jareth asked in concern, noticing the trapped look in her eyes. "It's not Peraline again, is it?"
"It's...I don't think so. I guess I was just having a nightmare," Sarah stammered, gasping for breath.
"Would you like me to wake your parents or get you something to drink or anything?" Jareth asked uncertainly, glancing over to the other side of his bedroom. Sarah looked to find that Karen had fallen asleep in her dad's arms in a huge armchair and he was sleeping while he held her. She relaxed unconsciously when she saw that she wasn't alone with the Goblin King again and smiled at him nervously.
"I could use a glass of water or something," she offered hesitantly and he grinned, glad to be of some use to his love while she was ill. He gestured to the bedside table and she had her choice of drinks. Eventually, she chose the milk that was steaming in the cool air and he dismissed the rest to wherever he'd gotten them from. "A bite to eat, perhaps," she mused, sipping on the warm milk and was offered a variety of midnight snacks from a turkey sandwich to a little breakfast. "One could get used to this," Sarah giggled, blushing as she glanced at the happy Goblin King behind her.
"Anything else? Anything at all?" Jareth offered anxiously, his magic ready to supply anything she might desire.
"A little company," she whispered, glancing down at her hands curled around the mug in her lap.
"I could summon Hoggle or Sir Didymus or Ludo or Toby or, well," Jareth paused, seeing her withdraw with every suggestion as to whom she might enjoy talking to. "Or...I could do the best I could," he offered hesitantly.
"I don't want to be a bother," Sarah replied morosely.
"You aren't. Everyone's so worried about you. Especially me. I know some of what you're going through and it's killing me to see you so ill," Jareth replied hurriedly, moving around the bed to kneel before her.
"It's alright. I'm just...I feel so useless sleeping all the time," Sarah hastened to reassure him. "If nothing else, it's keeping me out of school while everyone goes crazy for your crystals," Sarah teased him slyly and he chuckled. Sarah patted the bed beside her and he hesitantly sat down next to her. She surveyed the delightful array of snacks and finally sampled a melon ball; it was perfectly ripe and still chilled. She smiled at Jareth beside her and he smiled back.
"If you don't want me to sell the globes, I won't," Jareth offered suddenly, looking away from her and letting his mask fall back into place. Sarah paused, wondering where this had come from. "I made them for you after all, so it's only fair that you should chose how they are disposed of."
"But life's not fair, remember," Sarah told him gently and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "It doesn't matter to me anymore, really. I barely think about it anymore. I just wish you'd have asked my permission before selling them here. I was startled when you showed up again and a little afraid you'd take Toby again."
"I'm sorry," Jareth told her after a moment of silence and Sarah stared at him in shock.
"What?" he asked in offense.
"You've never apologized before. It startled me," Sarah replied in embarrassment, looking away from him. Jareth hesitated but put his arm around her anyways, still keeping his face carefully blank. Sarah stiffened and, just before Jareth would have removed his arm, leaned against him gently. He held her closer as he felt her relax and she snuggled under his arm, reaching to grab a deviled egg. Eating half, she had a delightful idea and held the other half up near Jareth's lips. He stared at her wide-eyed and a blush spread over her face while she wondered if she was being too forward. He gulped and blushed as he opened his mouth and let her feed him. "It's...I mean, are you alright?" Sarah asked breathlessly and he nodded slightly. They stared at each other for a minute before Karen's restless tossing broke them from their trance.
"I need to use the restroom," Sarah murmured hurriedly before getting up and dashing out of the room, Jareth opening his mouth to call after her but shut his mouth with a snap as he turned to glare at Karen in the corner. In the restroom, Sarah finished her business and was leaning on the counter tiredly. She looked into the eyes of her reflection and sighed sadly. "I think I'm falling in love," Sarah told herself sadly. "I just wish I knew whether that was a good or bad thing," Sarah sighed, finishing and turning around.
"Definitely a bad thing," Peraline growled and Sarah gasped Jareth's name as she fainted.