Jareth sat on his throne, watching the goblins play a game of 'Pluck the Feather' with a small number of chickens. His thoughts were on Sarah, as they usually were and he found himself thinking of her eyes just before he'd kissed her, they had been so demanding, confident, and full of unfulfilled desire. A desire that he so desperately longed to quench. He tapped his riding crop against the edge of his boot, heat filled his veins and he wished he could be with her now, he knew she must be sleeping and longed to lie next to her, if only to watch her as she dreamed. He was restless and tired of watching the goblins play their games. He stood and without a word left the throne room, heading to his chambers, telling himself that he would only peek in on Sarah for an instant, just long enough to see that she was indeed, sleeping.
He entered his room moving to the mirror that hung next to the fireplace, he passed his hand over the surface, conjuring the image of Sarah's room with but a thought. It's surface rippled and transformed into the window between their worlds. He was surprised of course, to see that she was not in her bed. He furrowed his brows in concern and whipped up a crystal from the air, "show me Sarah." He whispered and instantly the fog cleared from the crystal, shaping into the beautiful brunette that had captured his heart. She was indeed asleep, though not in her own bed. Jareth whirled around, dropping the crystal to the stone floor, where it shattered into a harmless spray of glitter. He had recognized the bedding Sarah was sleeping in and he moved slowly to his bed to find her there, sleeping in his room… in his bed. He stared at her in shock, but felt the stirrings of satisfaction to see her surrounded by the blacks and silvers of his world.
His wish to watch her sleep had somehow been granted, she seemed at peace and he longed to keep her here always. Her dark hair fanned across his pillow, he reached out to touch it, running his fingers through the dark waves, pleased at the softness under his fingertips. There was a sudden knock at the door and Jareth jerked his hand back from Sarah, he moved quickly to his doorway and opened it to find one of his goblins waiting. He could not remember his name and didn't care at that moment.
"Sorry to disturb your majesty, but Prince Jack is requesting another audience. He waits in the throne room." The goblin squeaked and Jareth sighed in frustration, he was unwilling to leave Sarah alone in his bed, but he knew why Jack wished for the meeting, he had no doubt received his contract, and was unhappy with the new terms. A smile touched Jareth's lips.
"Bring him here, to my chambers, I will see him now." Without waiting for a reply, he shut the door and returned his gaze once more to Sarah's sleeping form. He produced another crystal and whispered into the darkness.
"Silence surrounds, silence within." He blew against the crystal softly and it drifted from his hand to hover over Sarah, where it popped showering her in silver glitter. A few moments later there was another knock at his door and Jareth opened to find an angry, frosted prince.
"Your Majesty," Jack growled through closed teeth, "I need to discuss the terms of your new contract."
"Of course," Jareth agreed, "but keep your voice low, I have company, and she is asleep." He swept the door open wide and pointed to Sarah with his free hand before turning to sit in one of the chairs by the fireplace. Behind him, he heard Jack's intake of breath as he caught sight of Sarah sleeping on Jareth's bed. "Is there a problem?" Jareth asked, turning to see Jack still standing near the door, his eyes fixed on Sarah.
"Why is Sarah asleep in your bed." Jack demanded his voice cold.
"It's the strangest thing isn't it? To see the woman you love with another man, in his bed." Jareth sneered at Jack, who felt his insides freeze.
"The woman I… I don't know what you mean, Majesty." Jack managed, finally tearing his eyes from Sarah to look at the Goblin King.
"Of course you don't," Jareth agreed, "after all, the infamous Jack Frost does not love. You may want to control that flurry you're brewing overhead. I do not fancy a snow storm in my bedroom." He smiled at Jack knowingly. Jack looked above his head to the clouds that he had gathered to him, he'd been unaware of the storm and cursed himself for his lack of control. With a thought they dispersed and he fixed Jareth in his sights once again.
"Sarah would not willingly climb into your bed and you know it. What did you do?" He demanded again and Jareth sighed.
"I would not presume to know what Sarah would or would not do if I were you," Jareth began, shifting his eyes from the frost prince, to the woman asleep in his bed, "I assure you I did not place her there, and what's more I was just as surprised as you to find her, although I would think I am considerably more pleased by this surprise than you."
Jack withered upon hearing Jareth's words and stepped towards the bed where Sarah lay asleep. If Jareth had not placed her in his bed, then she had climbed in on her own, though how she had found his way into Jareth's castle he wasn't… realization dawned on him and Jareth zeroed in on it.
"You know," Jareth accused, "you know how she came to be in my bed don't you." Jack pulled his mask back into place and fixed Jareth with a hard look.
"I know no such thing." He moved towards Jareth and took the other chair by the fireplace as his own. Jareth decided to let this slide for the moment as Jack continued speaking, "now, as for the new terms in our contract, I can not accept."
"You can't accept?" Jareth asked with a raised brow, "what part of the contract is it that you object to?" Jack glared in reply causing Jareth to chuckle. "Well, we can hardly negotiate if you do not tell me what you disagree with." Jack cast a glance at Sarah, still asleep in the Kings bed. He shrugged his shoulders and slouched in defeat. He couldn't argue the terms of the contract without admitting his feelings for Sarah and Jareth knew it.
"When?" Jack asked his eyes still on the girl.
"As soon as possible." Jareth replied, following Jacks line of sight to gaze at Sarah as well.
"Very well," Jack agreed, rising to his feet, "as soon as possible." With one last look at Sarah he left, leaving Jareth staring after him.
As the door closed behind Jack, Jareth stood to stand beside Sarah once more. It was too early for her to be in his bed, to early for her to have made her way into the castle. He cursed himself for what he was about to do. The last thing he wished to do was to play with her mind, her memory.
First, he removed the silencing spell from around her with a wave of his hand, then he produced another crystal, he placed it gently on her head and whispered, 'In Dreams'. Again it popped over her, raining blue and gold glitter onto her face, catching in her hair. He wished he could leave her to waken on her own, in his bed, but he needed her to believe that the time she'd spent in his castle was nothing more than a dream.
As she slept on, Jareth pulled the blanket back, revealing her pale skin to the moonlight, he felt the stirrings of desire in his blood and thought that no one had ever looked more beautiful than she did in the simple shorts and tank top. He struggled for control and reached forward to lift her into his arms. He stared hungrily at the small line of skin that had appeared between her shirt and shorts, with each movement, her shirt rode up a little more until the expanse of her smooth stomach was bare before his eyes. Jareth took a shuddering breath and averted his gaze, he carried her gently across his room, opening the portal between his world and hers, he slipped through and laid her softly on her bed. She breathed unevenly, stirring slightly as he pulled the comforter up over her chest, murmuring in her sleep, Jareth couldn't help but smile at the single word he could make out within her incoherent mumblings.
"Sleep well... my love." Jareth whispered and with one last look, he turned from her and slipped back through the portal.
Sarah felt sleep slipping away and had the strangest sensation of being carried. She felt the comfort of a mattress beneath her and came further into conciousness. Sleep well... my love. At the sound of his familiar voice Sarah forced herself awake and sat up in the darkness of her room she was alone, but she could swear that the mirror rippled slightly across her room. "Jareth." She said into the darkness, knowing in her heart, that she was lost.