Chapter 21 The Many Sides of the Man

Sarah's "Good night," probably went unheard as Jareth beat a hasty retreat towards his own room. She stared after him for a few moments, confused by the way he switched so quickly from hot to cold. Her own reactions were less puzzling. Excitement, arousal, some fear… it was a powerful mix and, in other circumstances, it would have been guaranteed to keep her awake half the night thinking about him. However, she didn't think that would be the case tonight. Sarah smothered a yawn as she turned into the bedroom that had been prepared for her and for the first time felt how truly exhausted she was. The lack of sleep the previous night, three glasses of wine, and the physical and emotional toll of the past two days had finally caught up with her.

Sarah was only marginally aware of her surroundings as she undressed and put on the nightgown that had been left out for her. It was floor length silk, but the material was so fine that it didn't seem to have any weight to it at all. The bedroom had an adjoining bathroom and it was all she could do to relieve herself and wash quickly before falling into bed and into a deep sleep.

Considering he had been the focus of her thoughts for two days now it was hardly surprising that Sarah dreamt about Jareth that night. At first he was the charming host she had encountered tonight; he told her funny stories about the goblins and smiled at her in the candle light. As that image dissolved it was replaced by the Jareth she remembered from before- cold and aloof. He seemed to be silently laughing at her. Sarah's dream self turned away from him in embarrassment, although she had no idea what she'd done to merit his amusement, but when she turned her back she was facing him yet again. He was surrounded by the corpses of goblins and his expression was heartbreakingly sad. He reached down towards one and softly, lovingly, pushed the hair back from its face.

Sarah awoke from the dream feeling as sad as Jareth had looked. She'd never actually seen Jareth show anything like affection to the goblins, but somehow she believed that the image was real; as were the other two sides of him that she'd seem. He could be friendly and charming but also manipulative and condescending. She suspected one could never really be sure where they stood with Jareth. She found that thought oddly depressing but didn't have the chance to dwell on it as she fell back asleep within minutes. If she had any further dreams that night she didn't recall them by morning.

The angle of the sun slanting through her window indicated to Sarah that it was probably quite late by the time she got up. The rumbling in her stomach concurred with that assessment. Sarah splashed her face with cool water and combed her hair into some semblance of order. Now that she was awake she was better able to take in the details of her appearance. The nightgown she wore was a pale mint green color but so lightweight that she could almost see through it. It was the most gorgeous thing she'd ever slept in, and clearly not designed with sleep in mind. Sarah wondered if Jareth had picked this nightgown himself, and what he would think if he saw her in it. Imaging him looking at her dressed like this caused her skin to flush slightly and her nipples to harden.

'Jeez,' Sarah thought, 'I'm worse than a teenager." She couldn't recall the last time she'd had such a strong physical reaction to a man. On the back of the bathroom door was an emerald green robe with mint green trim which she put on and belted tightly. On her way to the restroom she'd noticed that the dress she wore yesterday was gone and there wasn't anything obviously laid out for her so she could either wait around until someone came to fetch her, or she could venture out like this. Her stomach cast its vote loudly so Sarah double checked that the robe covered her completely and ventured out of her room. The upstairs hall was quiet so she quickly made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. It was empty, but the table was set for two and on the counter she found a variety of croissants, pastries, fresh fruit and juice.

Seeing the two place settings she assumed she should wait, but the house was so quiet she was unsure if Jareth was even up yet. As she stood there hesitantly an exterior kitchen door opened and the man himself appeared.

Good morning," Sarah said.

"Ah, good," Jareth said cheerfully. "You're awake." He smiled broadly and gestured for Sarah to take a seat. He brought the food to the table and joined her. "I hope you slept well?"

They made polite conversation while they ate. The easiness and camaraderie that Sarah thought she'd felt last night was absent and she wondered if it had simply been the result of the wine and the sense of intimacy that comes with sitting in front of a fire at night. Sarah kept up her end of the conversation, but while they talked she also studied Jareth carefully. Despite his cheerful demeanor he looked a little drawn and tired and she wondered how much sleep he had gotten the night before. She was about to ask him about it when he suddenly reached across the table and took the hand that she'd placed idly by her now empty plate. He squeezed it gently and stoked his thumb across the backs of her fingers; setting off shivers that radiated up her arm.

"You look lovely this morning," he said with more warmth than he had shown thus far.

Sarah felt herself light up more from the tone and the way he was looking at her than from the compliment itself. She smiled but quickly looked down to make sure she was still demurely covered in emerald green.

"Thank you," she replied. After a moment she continued. "The dress I wore yesterday was gone and I didn't see anything else to wear…" She trailed off, expecting him to understand her meaning. Sarah picked up her glass of orange juice and took a long drink.

"Oh, didn't I mention it last night?" Jareth asked. "I thought for your portrait we'd do a nude."

Sarah's suddenly exhalation sent orange juice splattering all across the table. Her face turned red as she coughed but she quickly got herself under control and looked into Jareth's eyes. For a moment he stared at her with an expression of total seriousness, but he couldn't hold it for long. He burst out laughing, but it was not a cold or unpleasant laugh.

"I'm sorry," he said once his laughter had been reduced to chuckles. "It was just too easy. You're so much fun to tease. Don't worry. There's a selection of dresses waiting for you in your room whenever you're ready. I thought you'd like to pick what you'd want to be painted in." He was still smiling when he finished speaking.

Sarah felt herself her lips twitching but did her best to control it as she stood up. She held her head high as she looked down at him sitting in his chair. "You've got orange juice on your shirt," she said and turned to flee into the living room. Despite her attempt to appear impassive Jareth could hear her laughter as she made her way to the stairs.