AN: Here's the next bit. Sorry so short. Don't worry the next chapter is a bit longer. Thank you to my reviewers, keep 'em coming:
Disclaimers: See the other chapters...
This can't be real...
Sarah regained her composure quickly, much to Jareth's dismay. She backed away from him and he felt his heart sink.
"I.." She started but she couldn't think of anything to say. She was beginning to come to her senses, realizing that she had been in Jareth's arms. Jareth the Goblin King. Now that certainly didn't make sense.
He didn't say anything to her, just looked at her with sorrow filled eyes. Why was she suddenly pulling away from him? Things had been going so smoothly...
"I have to be dreaming.. this isn't real. It's too perfect, too weird. It's an illusion." She said, refusing to look at him. "I'm still in the rocking chair. That's what's real, this... this isn't." She shook her head, trying to convince herself.
Jareth let out a deep sigh.
"The Goblin King doesn't show up in my living room holding my little girl's hand and he certainly doesn't tuck her into bed, tell her a story and give her breakfast the following morning. I'm dreaming...I'm...definitely...dreaming."
"You're not dreaming." He said softly.
"Yes..I am!" Her voice rose in volume and for the first time since Jareth had been in her presence he sensed some of the old Sarah returning. "The Goblin King I know would never do those things."
"Can you be so sure?" He stepped closer to her and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
"YES! He was cold and sinister, manipulative, arrogant. He would never do these things."
"People change Sarah. Haven't you, yourself changed from what you once were? You don't appear to be the naïve, spoiled but also adventurous teenager that I remember, which is of course normal. As you said, you grew up and in the process you changed and matured. And when trouble came your way and it became too much of a burden you changed again. Hiding your spirit, your invincible will somewhere deep within you. So is it so hard to believe that I have changed as well? I may appear to be arrogant and cold sometimes but that is not all that I am. I have changed and it was you who brought that change to me.."
"No..he couldn't change, it's not possible."
"Why are you talking about me as if I was not here?" The first real anger in his voice since he had entered this house.
"You're not! This isn't real!" She gestured to everything and backed away from him, bumping into the kitchen wall. She buried her face into her hands.
Jareth realized this was a crucial point. He had to make her believe that everything happening was real, that he was real. She was repressing her emotions, trying to hide within the hole she had dug for herself. The hole that she escaped to when she had not been able to deal with things over the last several years. He would find that hole and he would fill it with as much dirt as he could. He'd build a mountain over it. He wouldn't let her escape into it anymore.
"Look at me Sarah. Please." When she didn't respond, he gently pried her hands from her face. She was not crying but she looked helplessly lost. He took one hand and put it against his chest. She could feel the rythmic beating of his heart beneath her palm. "What do you feel Sarah?...tell me."
She remained silent for a moment, her hand lingering over the warm pale flesh.
"What do you feel?" he asked again. His voice was painfully soft, his breath sweet and warm on her face.
"I feel..a heartbeat." She said softly.
He reached for her hand and brought it slowly to his lips, placing light kisses on the skin.
"I'm real Sarah. I always have been and I always will be and I am here to help you. I'm not leaving until I accomplish my task. There is a little girl who summoned me here to help her mother and that is exactly what I intend to do. I will not let her down."
She surprised him when she pulled her hand from his and reached up gently touching his hair. The blond hair was smooth and silky and so very soft. Like a child's fine hair. He studied her with his eyes, watching her. Her gaze didn't meet his, she was watching her fingers entwine in his hair. He didn't move, and if he could have, he would have stopped breathing. He would let her set the pace to whatever the future had in store. He had already decided that he would not push his feelings on her. He wasn't here to reclaim her or try to wisk her away to his castle. This wasn't revenge and it wasn't salvation.
He would help her and her daughter survive and try to restore happiness in her life. If love was found along the way, then so be it, but if it wasn't, then that's the way things went. He would be content with the gift that a little girl had given him. For he was given time, to spend with the woman he loved and thought he would never see again.
Disclaimers: See the other chapters...
This can't be real...
Sarah regained her composure quickly, much to Jareth's dismay. She backed away from him and he felt his heart sink.
"I.." She started but she couldn't think of anything to say. She was beginning to come to her senses, realizing that she had been in Jareth's arms. Jareth the Goblin King. Now that certainly didn't make sense.
He didn't say anything to her, just looked at her with sorrow filled eyes. Why was she suddenly pulling away from him? Things had been going so smoothly...
"I have to be dreaming.. this isn't real. It's too perfect, too weird. It's an illusion." She said, refusing to look at him. "I'm still in the rocking chair. That's what's real, this... this isn't." She shook her head, trying to convince herself.
Jareth let out a deep sigh.
"The Goblin King doesn't show up in my living room holding my little girl's hand and he certainly doesn't tuck her into bed, tell her a story and give her breakfast the following morning. I'm dreaming...I'm...definitely...dreaming."
"You're not dreaming." He said softly.
"Yes..I am!" Her voice rose in volume and for the first time since Jareth had been in her presence he sensed some of the old Sarah returning. "The Goblin King I know would never do those things."
"Can you be so sure?" He stepped closer to her and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
"YES! He was cold and sinister, manipulative, arrogant. He would never do these things."
"People change Sarah. Haven't you, yourself changed from what you once were? You don't appear to be the naïve, spoiled but also adventurous teenager that I remember, which is of course normal. As you said, you grew up and in the process you changed and matured. And when trouble came your way and it became too much of a burden you changed again. Hiding your spirit, your invincible will somewhere deep within you. So is it so hard to believe that I have changed as well? I may appear to be arrogant and cold sometimes but that is not all that I am. I have changed and it was you who brought that change to me.."
"No..he couldn't change, it's not possible."
"Why are you talking about me as if I was not here?" The first real anger in his voice since he had entered this house.
"You're not! This isn't real!" She gestured to everything and backed away from him, bumping into the kitchen wall. She buried her face into her hands.
Jareth realized this was a crucial point. He had to make her believe that everything happening was real, that he was real. She was repressing her emotions, trying to hide within the hole she had dug for herself. The hole that she escaped to when she had not been able to deal with things over the last several years. He would find that hole and he would fill it with as much dirt as he could. He'd build a mountain over it. He wouldn't let her escape into it anymore.
"Look at me Sarah. Please." When she didn't respond, he gently pried her hands from her face. She was not crying but she looked helplessly lost. He took one hand and put it against his chest. She could feel the rythmic beating of his heart beneath her palm. "What do you feel Sarah?...tell me."
She remained silent for a moment, her hand lingering over the warm pale flesh.
"What do you feel?" he asked again. His voice was painfully soft, his breath sweet and warm on her face.
"I feel..a heartbeat." She said softly.
He reached for her hand and brought it slowly to his lips, placing light kisses on the skin.
"I'm real Sarah. I always have been and I always will be and I am here to help you. I'm not leaving until I accomplish my task. There is a little girl who summoned me here to help her mother and that is exactly what I intend to do. I will not let her down."
She surprised him when she pulled her hand from his and reached up gently touching his hair. The blond hair was smooth and silky and so very soft. Like a child's fine hair. He studied her with his eyes, watching her. Her gaze didn't meet his, she was watching her fingers entwine in his hair. He didn't move, and if he could have, he would have stopped breathing. He would let her set the pace to whatever the future had in store. He had already decided that he would not push his feelings on her. He wasn't here to reclaim her or try to wisk her away to his castle. This wasn't revenge and it wasn't salvation.
He would help her and her daughter survive and try to restore happiness in her life. If love was found along the way, then so be it, but if it wasn't, then that's the way things went. He would be content with the gift that a little girl had given him. For he was given time, to spend with the woman he loved and thought he would never see again.