Sarah lost track of time after he'd left, and found she couldn't dwell on what was happening beneath her feet without her stomach turning. She realized it was necessary, that didn't mean she had to like it. She couldn't bring herself to go back into her room, so she fished around his, locating one of his shirts and pulling it over her head. It was entirely too large for her, and she had to keep pulling it back up onto her shoulders, but she felt it was preferable to walking around completely naked.

She wandered around his room for quite some time, but found nothing interesting, to her disappointment, aside from a few crystals. She grabbed one, testing its weight, surprised at how light it was. She took it with her. It was raining outside, and since Jareth had made mention of how beautiful the view of the city was from his balcony, she decided she could spend her time there waiting for his return.

The large window seat that ran perpendicular length across the balcony doors dissected in two when she pushed them open, leaving enough room on both sides for at least two people. She sat and crossed her legs,, watching the lightning spread its arms across the black sky. She wondered idly if the weather was predicated on Jareth's mood. It wouldn't surprise her.

The rain danced a frantic beat on the balcony floor, creating little puddles in the corners; she knew she shouldn't be, but she was surprised at how normal some things were there in comparison to Above. Rain still fell, life still continued, even as one was ending deep within the tunnels below the castle.

Of course, the Fire Gang probably weren't tossing around each other's heads in the park around the corner from her parents' house.

Sarah stroked the crystal unconsciously, trying to roll it across her hands, a little annoyed at how difficult it was, despite the ease in which he'd made it look. It was less gracefully following the contours of her hands and more rolling off the back of them while she tried not to drop it.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there when she felt his presence behind her. She didn't turn around to look at him.

"Is it done?" she asked, noting how the rain hadn't relented the entire time she'd been sitting there.

"It is," he replied, his tone unreadable. He could see her nod before she went back to trying to make the crystal move across the back of her hand. It slid across her elbow and fell to the floor, rolling out of her view. She turned to see him holding it, arm extending, offering it back to her. She held out her hand and placed it in her palm.

"I can't make it work like you do," she said, trying to take her mind off of the fact that he'd just ended someone's life and yet he was standing beside her, gentle as a calm breeze. "I don't know what kind of magic you do to make it listen to you, but I can't do it." She sounded sad, as if she wasn't just talking about the glass orb in her hand.

"Because it's not magic," he chuckled. "It's practice. Not everything can be done by magic, Sarah. Some things take patience and work." She nodded again, unsure of what to say. He motioned to the empty space behind her with a nod of his head. "May I," he asked.

"It's your castle, Jareth. You can sit where you'd like," she answered, turning back to the storm. She felt his weight behind her, and then an arm around her waist as he slid her back against him. She offered no protest.

"The trick is," he began, leaning forward and taking the crystal, "learning to anticipate its movement. You can't change it, nor would you want to, but you can move with it." He demonstrated his point by rolling it across the back of his hand onto hers, hands, she noticed, that were gloveless. He maneuvered her arms so that it moved cleanly from her palm to the back of her hand.

"Did you kill her yourself?" she asked, slowly rolling it back towards his palm; he gracefully moved it up his arm to his elbow and back again.

"Yes," he answered quietly with a sigh.

"I'm not angry with you. I know why you had to do it," she offered without prompting. She could feel him nod behind her, his hair brushing against her shoulder.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect you."

"I know."

She attempted to roll the crystal to her elbow, but it tipped over and fell; he caught it and placed it back into her hand. "You have to learn to accept that it has its own path, you can alter that path, you can temporarily change its direction, but it will always end up where it's supposed to be," he said as she attempted to force it along her arm again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," she answered, slowly moving it again across her forearm into his palm.

"You don't want to hinder its movement or push it to move too fast, or it will retreat. You want to move with it, to guide it and use it how you see fit."

"What if it doesn't want to be used and discarded? What if it wants to tread its own path? What if that path isn't the one chosen for it?"

"Then you accept the path and adjust. The magic within is never discarded. It always returns to its source. It always will. It's what you do with that magic that determines what happens next. You can't control everything. It's something I'm still learning."

Sarah moved the crystal slowly from one hand to the other and back again. Jareth dropped his hands to the tops of her thighs and watched as she concentrated keeping it moving. He dropped his head to her bare shoulder and placed a kiss there, apparently unable to resist touching her, even when she was already so close.

"And what happens when you finally do accept the path it's taking? When you adjust and move with it?"

"That's when the real fun begins, Precious," he said. She could feel him smile against her shoulder, his hands dipping to her inner thighs. Sarah stilled and sucked in a breath, the crystal dropping to the floor as his hands continued their path between her legs.

"Tell me to stop, Sarah," he whispered against her shoulder; she could feel his heartbeating in her chest, could feel how stuttered his breath was against her skin. She responded by tilting her head to the side to give him access to her neck. He needed no further prompting.

His left arm snaked around her waist pulling her as close to him as he could, holding her there while his right hand continued its exploration. He was gentle, stroking her slowly, coaxing her to let him in. Her eyes closed and she leaned her head back against his shoulder when he finally touched her where she wanted him. She sucked in a breath as he massaged her clit with his thumb sliding one finger inside of her. He could feel how wet she was, how much she wanted him, the product of a decade of them circling each other coming to its inevitable conclusion. She bit her lip, trying to stifle another moan as he slid out of her, still stroking that bundle of nerves, and entered her again, this time with two fingers.

"I want to hear, you Sarah," he said, nipping at her shoulder, and placing a kiss beneath her ear. She moaned his name when he removed his fingers and slid them into her again. He was slow, and meticulous, stroking a fire that threatened to consume them both. She could feel his magic everywhere, could feel it crackling in the air around them, and pushed hers out to meet it.

It was Jareth's turn to gasp. He quickened his pace carefully, and was rewarded with Sarah's hand resting atop his, urging him on. Her free hand dug into his thigh as pushed her, pumping into her, urging her to her release with every movement on his hand. He knew she was close, could feel her muscles tensing as continued.

"Come for me, Sarah. I want you to come for me," he said as sucking on the skin between her neck and shoulder. She exploded, white lights dancing behind her eyes as she moaned his name to the heavens. She shivered against him as he stroked her lightly, allowing her to ride out the aftershocks of her orgasm before removing his fingers from inside her.

Sarah turned and straddled his hips, her mouth meeting his with urgency. His hands tangled in her hair while his lips moved against hers languidly.

"Slowly, Precious," he whispered against her mouth. "We have all the time in the world, and I've waited an eternity for this." Sarah rose to her knees, hands cupping his face as his fell to her waist. He stood, wrapping her legs around him, and carried them to the bed. He set her down gently and stood, beginning to untuck his shirt from his breeches when Sarah stopped him.

"I want to do it," she whispered. He dropped his hands and leaned down to place another kiss to her lips. She rose to her knees and slid her hands under the material, palms flat against his skin as she lifted it over his head. Her fingertips explored the taut muscles of his stomach and chest; he gave her all the time she wanted. Eyes hooded, he returned the favor, lifting her shirt, palms brushing against her hips and the sides of her breasts as as she lifted her arms for him to remove it completely.

He'd never laid eyes on anything as beautiful in his long existence.

He removed his boots and crawled on top of her, hissing in reaction to the feel of her bare skin against his. He kissed her again, tongue freely exploring her mouth, his weight supported on his elbows while his hands stroked her hair.

"What do you want, Sarah?" he asked as he ground his erection into her; he could feel how wet she was, even through his breeches. She didn't respond, tucking her face into his neck; he ground into her again, the sound of her moan muffled against his shoulder.

"I want to hear you say it, Sarah. Tell me what you want," he said as his left arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her so that he could grind into her again. Her head fell back against the pillows as she whispered his name.

"I can't hear you, Precious," he said, dipping his head down, mouth latching onto one of her nipples. Her back arched into him, hands tangling in his hair, pulling it when his teeth grazed the sensitive flesh.

"Y-you, Jareth. I want you," she whispered breathlessly, hands leaving his hair to run her nails lightly down his back. His mouth was back on hers in an instant. Her fingers dipped beneath the waist of his pants, pushing them down until she wasn't able to anymore; he happily assisted, removing them the rest of the way.

He kissed her slowly as he positioned himself at her entrance, nudging forward unhurriedly, allowing her to adjust to the size of him as he entered her. Sarah felt the quick thrust of his hips and a sharp pull when he finally sheathed himself fully; she whimpered and tucked her face into his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, frozen in that position until Sarah placed her lips to his, and then he began to move. He moved slowly, sliding out of her almost completely before entering her again at the same snail's pace. He was savoring every sensation, searing every moment into his memory forever. He reached down and lifted her legs to lock behind his back before lacing his fingers with hers beside her head.

Their magic shifted and swirled around them, mixing until it was impossible to tell where his ended and hers began. Sarah wrapped her arms around him, her nails dragging down his back leaving angry red marks in their wake as his pace quickened.

Jareth could feel the pressure building at the base of his spine as he moved against her wildly, Sarah urged him on, head thrown back against the pillows, wild and wanton as she begged for her release; Jareth was more than happy to give it to her.

"I want to feel you come for me, Sarah," he said through gritted teeth as he pumped into her harder. "Come for me, now."

Sarah was practically glowing as she did as she was told, her inner muscles clenching around his length as she whispered his name like a prayer. He followed behind her, spilling himself inside her as he kissed every part of her he could reach with his mouth. He removed himself from her, dragging the blankets over them, and shifted so that her head was resting on her chest, she draped her leg over his. He stroked her hair, unsure of what to say, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing as it slowed.

"This… isn't how I thought this day would end," she said with a chuckle.

"Oh? And how did you think this day would end, Precious?"

"I thought for sure one of us was going to kill the other." He laughed.

"Well, there were a few moments there where it could have gone either way," he grinned down at her.

"Shut up," Sarah laughed.

"You know, of all the clothing I have made for you, the finest silks and satins… I think you should just wear my shirts forever. Sincerely - you wear it almost as well as I do," he chuckled.

"Shut up," she said with a grin. "I'm trying to sleep."

"As my lady commands," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Jareth, I -"

"Don't say it," he said, cutting her off.

"Goodnight, Jareth," she sighed as she nestled down against him.

"Sleep well, Sarah," he said as he closed his eyes.

It was dark and Sarah was… wet. Jareth's shirt was matted to her body as she walked through the twists and turns of the labyrinth, the storm still unrelenting overhead. Something was calling her, the faint echo of a dream she tried to hold onto escaped through her fingers like mist. She knew that she must keep going, knew where she was supposed to be, and when she turned the final corner, she was not surprised to see Ava there, waiting for her. She smiled at Sarah, glowing bright against their dark surroundings, illuminating everything around her as surely as the lighting illuminated the sky above them.

"Do you know who I am now?" she asked, smiling at Sarah, her voice like a salve against the pattering raindrops on her skin.

"We couldn't do this when it wasn't pouring?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"This could only happen is it is happening."

"I'm going to write an instruction manual for everyone in this kingdom on how to not speak in riddles. I swear I'm going to do it," Sarah muttered, brushing back the hair that was matted to her face.

"I am sure you will," Ava said with that bell-like laugh, extending her hand.

"You could have just told me you were a walking embodiment of the labyrinth when we met. You didn't have to be all mysterious about it."

"Everyone has a part to play, Sarah."

"So I've been told. Alright, let's get this done and over with," Sarah said, reaching for her, when she felt Jareth's hand grip her wrist and pull it back. She smiled, understanding now. Understanding how he'd postponed this moment a hundred million times, letting her live, letting her be, until she was able to understand the complexity of the choice she needed to make. Erasing each and every dream to keep the burden to himself, until she was ready.

"I wouldn't, Sarah," he whispered.

"I have to," she replied.

"You do not. If this is the only way I can have you, if this is all we ever are, I can accept that."

"Everyone has a part to play, Jareth," Sarah said smiling. Ava tilted her head at the both of them.

"You are perfect counterbalances; fire to his ice, earth to his sky. Her passion will lift you, Jareth, as surely as you will ground her when necessary. This is a path neither of you can diverge from, you gravitate to each other with a force stronger than anything I have ever witnessed. It was never something you could turn away from."

Jareth spun her around to face him, shaking his head. "You don't have to do this. You make your own path."

"I make this path. I am this. I have always been this," she said cupping the side of his face.

"You can walk away from this, Sarah."

"I can't. Don't you see that I can't?" she asked, with a small smile.

"But why? Why now?"

"Because I love you," she said with a shrug. "I can't remember a time when I didn't love you, even if I didn't admit it to myself." Jareth stopped breathing. "This is what I'm supposed to do. What I want to do."

"You accept?" came a small voice from behind her. Sarah turned to face it, Ava again reaching her hand out.

"I do," Sarah replied, and reached out to the light before everything went black. The last thing she remembered was Jareth catching her before she hit the ground.

;)