Chapter Twenty-Nine: Amaretto and Cherries, Part One.

She should have known that something was up when Jareth had suggested the hike in the first place, the very idea of him participating in such mundane exercise was laughable, but he had been half asleep when suggesting it, so she hadn't really thought on it too long. When he had brought it up again in front of her family, Sarah knew that maybe she should have been slightly wary but everyone was just getting along so well that it seemed nearly criminal to object. Now it was clear that she was simply a fool.

It was hard to say what, exactly, she had been expecting, after all it was the dead of winter and most of the nature parks near their home were closed. Still, this was just ludicrous, even for Jareth!

'Moron. Idiot. Fool,' she chanted to herself while deliberately making her way over to her much-too-happy boyfriend for some insight on just what the hell he thought he was doing.


It was just a tiny expenditure of magic, barely any effort at all to transport the five of them Underground and modify her family's memories enough that they would be peacefully oblivious to where they were. Jareth had even matched up the environments so that the area they were in right now wasn't too different from the climate they had just left. He had been careful and considerate of the details but, judging by Sarah's aggravated stride, his dear Lady was in no way thankful. Not that he had expected her to be.

His reasons were entirely selfish, doubtlessly things that would drive Sarah to violence if she ever heard them. First and foremost was the fact that Jareth was simply more comfortable Underground. The Aboveground had once been able to host and nourish nearly all life forms, but when he had brought his people to a different realm he had taken most of the magic with them; being in the mortal world was like trying to breath underwater: you could try, but there wouldn't be any air. There was no magic, and it left him feeling bereft, half-starved; he still had what was inherently his birthright, but it was harder to use in the absence of environmental magic. Second was the fact that, by Jareth's count, he had spent more time in Sarah's home than she had in his. Her powers were strengthening by constant exposure to his own strength, but chances were they would never manifest without being properly exposed to the all-encompassing atmosphere of the Underground. He was curious to see where her magic would lay, how it would choose to develop; most of the humans he had gained dominion over had only ever been able to perform minor illusionary tricks, but then none of them had had as much raw potential as she did. His third and final reason was what would probably earn him a smack, should he ever admit to it. Taking Sarah's family Underground meant he was spending some of the time that she owed him, but it also meant that she wouldn't be earning anymore of her little explanations for a while; he had enough to tell her already, there was simply no need to add to that.


Karen and Robert stood off to the side, chatting idly about how pleasant, and fast, the car ride had been, while Toby meandered for a few feet looking almost-interested in a nearby tree. Sarah was both thankful and horrified of the scene in front of her. On the one hand she was absolutely thrilled that her family wasn't having some sort of collective mental breakdown after having been dragged into another realm; on the other hand their continued peace of mind indicated meddling on Jareth's part.

Her boots crunched over the light coating of snow as she moved to stand next to the man in question. "What did you do to them, Jareth?" she asked quietly.

"I have taken them out for a hike," he answered plainly, still surveying the hilly forest around them.

Sarah sighed, exasperated. "You know that's not what I meant." He was such a frustrating man, she thought. This morning had been confusing enough already without him doing his best to make it worse. For that one hour at the breakfast table, as he regaled them all with (questionably truthful) stories of his two younger brothers, she had almost been able to believe that they were really just two normal people trying to get used to the thought of having the other one around. And on a basic level perhaps that's what they were, but he certainly made it hard to stay pleasant with him.

Jareth chuckled and turned to face her, the lightest dusting of ice crystals on top of his black coat caught the sun's rays, flashing and glowing mysteriously. "I simply filled in the blanks, dear," he motioned to her family. "The car ride was none too fascinating, believe me." When she continued to look distressed, he added, "The human mind is incredible, it sees only what it wants to. They remember a journey, whether it took place or not, so they have absolutely no need to question where they are or even the things that they may see while they are here. If anything seems completely unaccounted for then they will forget it all on their own."

Sarah frowned up at him. "We really need to talk about your need to tweak people's memories." That was the second time he had admitted to dancing around in someone's brain; being faced, again, with undeniable proof that he could and would use his magic in such capacity was hard to swallow.

Jareth simply shrugged, as if he could see absolutely no harm in it. "They are none the worse for where, I assure you," he soothed, taking her hand in his and running a comforting thumb over her knuckles while leading her back toward the others.

"If one of them ever starts to inexplicably cluck like a chicken," she muttered, thinking of those cheesy hypnotists on TV, "then I swear I will strangle you." Well, she'd probably laugh first, especially if it was the ever prim-and-proper Karen, but then she'd strangle him.

He laughed then, whether it was because the idea delighted him or he found the thought of her chocking him ridiculous she wasn't sure.


Her reaction had been a lot better than Jareth had expected. Something in her was starting to accept him, he thought in glee. Less than a day ago Sarah probably would have shouted and raged at him; she was still upset, there was no mistaking that, but her response had been delightfully mature. 'We really need to talk,' she had said, and he had no doubt that they would, at length, but at the moment he was simply in awe. Perhaps Sarah had grown more than he had given her credit for.

A movement to the side caught his attention as they finally caught up with Sarah's family. Toby was standing a few feet away, his dirty blonde hair shining in the weak light. The boy looked confused, as if he were lost in familiar territory. His blue eyes darted from tree to tree, taking in everything that he could, and somewhere, deep in the recesses of his pupils, there was the light of remembrance; the poor boy just didn't know why.

A satisfied smile broke out over Jareth's face.


The man was too independent, much too used thinking things through and not sharing his plans with anyone, Sarah thought while gazing around the room.

After a few hours of walking and talking, Jareth had vanished her family in a blaze of magic. When she turned panicked eyes to him he had assured her that he sent them home, and that they were now under the impression the two of them were going out for dinner. Sensing that she was still skeptical, he had produced one of his crystals and told her to look for herself. Reflected back at her was the parlor, where Karen was handing out hot chocolate and her father and Toby were playing Go Fish. It was a relief and an eye opener, for two very different reasons. One, whether he had meant it that way or not, it did show care on his part; even if she didn't agree with his methods, Jareth cared enough to make sure her family was alright. And two, she had never known his crystals could do that; it was both cool and creepy. What exactly did he spend his time looking at? As if his popping into her room whenever he pleased wasn't enough of an invasion of privacy, now she had to worry about unseen eyes no matter where she went!

Once matters about her family had been cleared up, Jareth brought them to… well, somewhere. It was an informal dinning room connected to a cozy looking kitchen. Everything about the room was warm and inviting, simple and yet still elegant. Somehow she doubted this was the Goblin Castle. It really made her wonder how many places he considered home. Jareth was currently striding around the kitchen, doing something or another but, after a couple of unidentifiable flashes of light, Sarah was a little afraid to look. Under any other circumstances she would have considered the thought of him in a kitchen hilarious, he was a king after all, but he just looked so relaxed that Sarah had to wonder if His Kingliness spent a great deal of time alone and cooking skills had risen out of necessity. It was a bit of a weird thought anyway, couldn't he just use his magic to make some food?

A large steaming cup placed itself in Sarah's line of vision, causing her eyes to wander up the arm and to the face of the man who was holding it. She accepted the drink with a quiet thank you and let the glass warm her hands while she peered curiously at its contents. It looked like a reddish hot chocolate, she thought.

Jareth sat down with a mug of his own, took a liberal sip, and turned to Sarah. "Dinner will be ready soon," he murmured, leaning back in his seat and managing to look more comfortable than could be possible while sitting on wooden furniture.

She gave a fearful sideways glance at the kitchen, "What is it?" Visions of maimed, unidentifiable foods flashed through her mind, making her shudder. Then again… he had moved with as much grace as if he had been dancing, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She took a quick sip of her drink, surprised when the taste of cherries and amaretto met her tongue.

He gave a smile and a quiet chuckle, although she wasn't sure if was at her question or her reaction to the drink. "Indulge me, Sarah. In the meantime, I believe we have some talking to do."


A/N: Okay, this is a short chapter so I promise to update again later this week.

A special thank you to Venus Smurf for pointing out how funny Jareth taking a hike could be, and to Darklady26 for being so amazingly insightful.

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Disclaimer: Labyrinth does not belong to me; I am making no money off this story. (I would not, however, be adverse to writing for room and board should anyone feel the urge to adopt an author.)