An: I should have been working on my Gothic Art Paper which is due today and What did I spend my day doing? Writing another chapter and painting a picture of Jareth!! Oh dear, where are my priorities, hmm?? Ah well...It's past midnight now and I finally finished my paper. God is architecture boring! Painting Jareth wasn't boring though. Want to take a peek at him?? http://community.webshots.com/album/32180194AkcuefOWbc
This is a long chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! How's everyone enjoying their clones BTW??
Brotherly concern...
Grocery shopping with Jareth turned out to be interesting. She learned that he preferred beef over chicken. Apparently his goblins were good at catching chickens and he'd eaten enough chicken to last the rest of his immortal life. He helped her carry the groceries from the car into the house and helped her put everything away. She cooked them a light lunch and they got back into the car to drive around town. Their final destination being the lake. Due to the warm temperature, the light dusting of snow that had fallen the night before had melted and most of it had already dried up. There was a slight chill to the air and a small wind as they stepped from the car.
Sarah walked to a large rock and took a seat on it. Jareth stood not far from her, his hair drifting around him in the wind.
They both remained silent, gazing at their surroundings. "Jareth....Do you miss home?"
"What?"
"Do you miss your home, your castle?"
He tilted his head at her, trying to understand where the question came from but he answered it none the less. "Yes I suppose that I miss home a little. I haven't been away that long. Only a few days, although I'm sure that my goblins are trashing the place." She grinned, remembering what his throne room had once looked like. "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Just curious."
"Trying to get rid of me are you?"
"No, not at all." He smiled back at her and then leapt up onto the rock to sit beside her. "How did you become the Goblin King?"
One brow arched delicately over his eye. He watched her pick up a pebble that was resting on the rock they sat on and she threw it into the water. "My, aren't we curious today?"
"Does that bother you?"
"No." He crossed his legs, sitting Indian style. "How did I become Goblin King? I don't think anyone ever cared to ask that question and I'm afraid that the answer is rather boring. You see, my father was the King before I and when he grew bored of ruling I became the Goblin King."
"So you have a family like I...like I used to?"
"Yes, I do. Although I haven't seen my mother or father in several hundred years."
"Hundred years?"
"My word, you and your daughter have much in common and it's not just your appearance. Yes hundreds of years."
"How....how old are you?"
"634. I'll be turning I'll be 35 at the end of the year." He laughed at the surprised expression on her face. "Didn't think I was that old did you?"
"No."
"Does that change things, that I'm an older man?"
She chuckled softly. "Much older." She corrected. "But no that doesn't bother me."
"Good."
"Anything else you want to know while I am telling all?"
"Has anyone else ever beaten your Labyrinth?"
He didn't answer her right away but merely stared at her, watching the wind lift her hair up off her shoulders. "No. There has only been one child who ever defeated me and she isn't a child anymore." He caught a few strands of her hair in his hand and tangled his fingers in the strands. "You were the only one."
She seemed satisfied with this answer and she looked back out over the water. They sat side by side a while longer and then Sarah drove them home. She cooked them dinner and they watched another movie. She wrapped his hand again before they both bid each other good night.
Sunday came and went quickly. Sarah drove to Toby's to pick up Ary and she was a chatterbox the entire way home. She was disappointed that Jareth had not come along for the ride, but her spirits lifted when they walked into the house and there was Jareth waiting in the doorway.
"Jareth!!" the little girl cried and she dropped her backpack and teddy bear on the floor rushing at the Goblin King and hugging him tightly. Sarah smiled as she watched Jareth lift her up into his arms and hug her in return.
"I want to hear all about your weekend." He told her. Aryanna began rattling off about how the cat Snicker loved to sleep with her. Toby and Cheryl had taken her to the movie store to rent movies and then took her out for dinner on Saturday night. She colored and played on the exercise bike. The crystal he had given her was a huge success in school and everyone wanted to try it. Sarah went upstairs to put Ary's clothes away. She had already heard about Ary's weekend in the car.
The next few days flew by in a blur. Ary went back to school and every morning Jareth and Sarah walked her to the bus together. So far Linda had left them alone and for that Sarah was grateful. Sarah went to work during the day. Sometimes Jareth would return to his castle while she was at work to make sure that his goblins had not destroyed it. Everything seemed all right and he began to check in on them through his crystals. He had grown rather fond of the television as well as the shower and he enjoyed them during the day when he was alone. Every night when Sarah got in from work, Jareth and Ary had dinner ready for her. Jareth started cooking on his own, without magic and he found that he enjoyed it more that way. Sarah found that he was a wonderful cook and there were no more nights of macaroni and cheese.
The days turned into a week and soon a few weeks had gone by. Sarah received a job promotion and was hired as Jake's personal secretary. The extra money enabled her to pay more of the mortgage, to fix up her car and to buy a few things for Jareth. Ary had willingly given up her toy room so that Sarah could change the room into a guestroom for Jareth. She felt guilty about making him sleep on the couch. He seemed content there but as time passed she realized he should have his own space.
Sarah had been very secretive the last week and Aryanna kept Jareth busy downstairs. He colored with her and helped her prepare for her spelling tests.
"And how do you spell automobile?"
"Hmm... A..u..t..o.......m....o...b....i..l..e."
'Very good. You're getting quite good at spelling Ary."
Sarah peeked her head into the kitchen. "I hate to interrupt homework and studying time, but I need to borrow Jareth for a minute."
"Ok Mommy. He's all yours. That was the last word anyway."
'Good girl. Why don't you go over the words again ok?" She nodded.
Jareth rose from the kitchen table and walked into the hall. "Do you need me for something?"
"There's something I want to show you." He nodded and followed her upstairs. "Ok you have to close your eyes."
"What?"
"Close your eyes. It's a surprise." She took his hand and he nodded, closing his eyes. She led him forward down the hall and opened the door to a room. "Ok you can look now."
Jareth opened his eyes. "Sarah? What happened to Ary's play room? Are you expecting visitors?" Ary's toys were gone. There was a bureau, and a bed covered by a royal blue blanket. There was a desk and chair and a shelf full of books. He gazed down at her in confusion and she smiled.
"The couch isn't all that comfortable and you do need your own space...Ary put her toys in the basement and she can play with them there."
"This..this room is for me?" She nodded. "Sarah, you didn't have to go through all this trouble." He stepped into the room noticing it had been redone. Fresh paint lined the walls and the room had been scrubbed clean. The sheets and blanket on the bed were new.
"It wasn't any trouble. Just think of it as a little thanks for everything you have done lately."
"Sarah..." She put a finger to his lips. "I don't want to hear it."
"But all the work you put into here. This has been were you've been hiding yourself?"
"Yes. Every night I came up here and worked on it, until it was done. I've had a little extra money in my check each week thanks to my promotion so I bought some paint, some sheets, a blanket. I polished the old bureaus and put the bed together."
"Thank you." He pulled her to him, hugging her gently.
"Thank you. Listen, Ary is going to Toby's again this weekend and Toby wanted all of us to get together for dinner on Saturday night."
"I'm sure you will all have a wonderful time."
"No, you too. You're invited too."
Jareth paled. "Me?"
"Yes you. My brother wants to meet the man who has made his sister and his niece so happy."
"Sarah, I don't know if it would be a good idea."
"Why because of what happened 20 years ago?" He nodded. "Jareth, I told Toby about that years ago. He wasn't upset by what happened. In fact he was happy that things turned out as they did. And he already knows about you, that you're here and what you've been doing for me and for Ary."
He sighed. "I didn't think he knew about me."
"Do you think that my daughter could keep that big of a secret? No way. She told Toby everything that first weekend you were here. When I picked her up at his house I told him what was going on. Will you come out to dinner with us? Please?" She pleaded at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.
He tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer to him. "Of course I will."
Saturday night came quickly. Sarah and Jareth were going to meet Toby, Cheryl and Ary at a local restaurant, called Eddy's. It overlooked the lake that Sarah had taken Jareth to their first weekend alone together. Jareth was exceptionally quiet in the car.
"Hey are you all right? You're pretty quiet. You aren't nervous are you?" He shook his head. "Then what is it?"
"I have never been out to eat at a restaurant before."
"It's not much different then eating at home, except we can all order different things and we get served by a waitress." He nodded.
Sarah pulled into the parking lot. "Look there's Ary, Toby and Cheryl." She beeped the horn once and pulled into a vacant spot by Toby's black Firebird.
Sarah stepped out of the car and Toby grabbed her spinning her around. "Sarah! It's been too long."
"Just a week and a half silly." She hugged her brother in return and he put her down. "Hi Cheryl."
"Hi Sarah. It's wonderful to see you again." Sarah gave the tall, redhead a hug.
"And where's my little trouble maker??"
"I'm not a trouble maker mommy." Ary rushed to her mother hugging her tightly. "Where's Jareth mommy? Where's Jareth?"
"I'm right here." Ary lunged at the Goblin King who stood behind Sarah, hugging him tightly. Toby watched and looked at his girlfriend.
"Toby and Cheryl, I'd like you to meet Jareth." Sarah introduced. Jareth nodded at them and Toby extended a hand to him.
It was unbelievable to Jareth how he had grown. He was 21 now, tall, still blond with bright blue eyes. Jareth placed his gloved hand into Toby's hand. "It's about time, that I finally got to meet you. My niece can't stop talking about how wonderful you are and my sister, well she was always fond of you. It's amazing how you've helped them."
"It's been my pleasure to help them." Toby nodded and released his hand. "Well I called and set reservations for us. I knew it would be busy tonight, especially with the back room open."
"Yay!!" Ary cried. Jareth gazed at Sarah and she smiled sweetly.
The group went inside and was seated quickly. Ary was insistent that she had to sit between Jareth and Sarah but one look from her uncle Toby told her to drop the subject so she sat between Toby and Sarah. Sarah helped Jareth order his food and the two of them hid behind the giant laminated menu deciding what they wanted to eat.
The restaurant was noisy and in the back room there was music and dancing going on. Eddy's was a well known place in town, with good food and a nice setting. There were candles on all of the tables as well as flowers. And in the back room each weekend there was a DJ and the dance floor was open to all ages.
"What are you getting Sarah?" Toby called from across the table.
"I think I'll get fish and chips." She told him peeking out from behind the menu.
Toby threw his hands up into the air. "How did I know?"
"Maybe because that's what I always get here!" She laughed and she tossed her cloth napkin across the table at him.
"How about you Jareth?"
Jareth looked up from his menu. "I'm going to try the steak. Sounds very good."
"It's awesome. That's what I'm getting too."
A waitress showed up at the table and everyone ordered.
"Mommy will you play pin ball with me before dinner comes? Please?" Sarah knew she would ask sooner or later. Every time they went to Eddy's she always had to play a few games of pinball.
"Oh all right. Cheryl you want to come?" The young woman nodded. "Ok, we'll be back in a little while." Sarah leaned over to whisper something in Jareth's ear and he nodded. She placed a hand on his shoulder before she took Ary's hand and they walked over to a game room on the other side of the restaurant. Jareth watched them go, Aryanna bouncing up and down as she held her mother's hand and Cheryl holding Ary's other hand.
"I hope that my sister and her daughter aren't driving you crazy." Toby said to him across the table.
Jareth turned back to him. "On the contrary, I've enjoyed staying with them."
"How long are you going to stay with them?"
Jareth reached for his glass of water and took a sip. "That depends on Sarah and Ary." He said looking over the rim of the glass. Toby scooted over into Sarah's empty seat and leaned closer to Jareth.
"I don't know if you noticed, but my sister really likes you and Aryanna adores you. Do you have any intention of dating my sister, or are you just around to help her and then leave?"
One of Jareth's brows rose. "That again depends on Sarah." He said choosing his words carefully.
"So you like her then?"
"I fail to understand this line of questioning." Jareth shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with their discussion.
"My sister hasn't had a man in her life in 8 years ok, not since that miserable ass Adam left her. I haven't seen her as happy as she is now in a really long time. And Ary, the kid is just bubbling with joy since you came into her life. She doesn't stop talking about you. Both of them can't stop talking about you. I just need to make sure you're not going to hurt them. I don't want to see my sister slip into depression again. It wasn't pretty the first time around and I don't want to see it a second time."
Jareth understood now. Toby didn't wish for Sarah and Ary to be hurt again. "I understand your concern. But I assure you, I am not here to hurt Sarah or Aryanna. I know what happened to Sarah in the past and I know it affected Ary as well. I would never intentionally hurt either of them."
"Good, so you understand that if you hurt either one of them in anyway that I'll break your nose or your fingers or whatever I feel like breaking, Goblin King. I don't care who the hell you are. You hurt them, I hurt you. Got that?"
Jareth's brows lowered over his eyes and his voice became cold. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm warning you. My sister is a good woman and she doesn't need anymore shit in her life. She's gone through enough. It's obvious you care about her and my niece, but if anything goes wrong, you will regret that you stepped into Sarah's life again. Are we clear about that?"
Jareth didn't have a chance to respond as Sarah and Ary could be heard making their way back to the table. Toby sat back into his own seat and Jareth glared at him. He didn't like to be threatened, especially by a mortal boy who could have become a goblin.
"How did you do Ary?" Toby asked.
"I beat mommy and Cheryl!"
"You did?"
"Oh yeah, she totally kicked our butts." Cheryl laughed as she took her seat beside Toby.
The waitress arrived with the food a short while later and soon they were all eating. There wasn't a quiet moment from the minute the food arrived as tales from the past came spilling out.
"Oh my god Sarah, do you remember that time when we slept over Uncle Tim's?" Toby cried from across the table.
Sarah burst out laughing, nearly choking on her food. "Oh my gosh, Tobe, how could I forget?"
"Oh man is that when you guys drove his jeep around the yard and crashed into one of the bushes when he wasn't home?" Cheryl asked.
"Oh yeah! We flattened the thing! And he didn't even notice until like a week later."
"Oh my gosh, I haven't thought about that in so long. I remember when he called dad and demanded to know what happened to his bushes."
"Dad thought it was so funny that he couldn't get through yelling at us without laughing."
"Oh those were the days..." Sarah sighed. God she missed her father....
Jareth listened quietly as they reminisced occasionally eating some of his dinner. It was obvious that they were a close knit family and they had many memories together.
"Can we go dancing after dinner?" Ary asked with a mouthful of fries.
"Ary sweetie, please don't talk with your mouth full."
She swallowed the food. "Sorry mommy. But can we dance after dinner? The back room is open and they are playing good music!"
Cheryl laughed. "And how do you know what's good music?"
"They're playing the same music that they play on the radio all the time."
"Yeah they are playing some good stuff. I'm up for dancing. I'll bring the rest of my steak home so I don't lose it out on the floor." Toby said pushing his plate away from him.
Cheryl elbowed her boyfriend. "Toby that's nasty, we don't need to hear about that while we're eating." Toby shrugged and Cheryl glanced over at Jareth. "Jareth, you've been pretty quiet. I hope we didn't make a bad impression."
"Not at all." He smiled.
"We could go home, if you don't want to go dancing..." Sarah told him. "You have been fairly quiet tonight. Are you all right?"
'I'm fine." He smiled again and she reached for his hand squeezing it.
"Will you dance with me?" She asked him.
"Of course I will." He whispered softly.
Sarah stood, still holding his hand. "We're going dancing." She announced. Jareth got to his feet quickly.
"Have fun. We'll be out in a little while, as soon as Ary finishes eating." Cheryl told them.
"Ok. We'll be waiting for you."
Toby watched closely as Sarah led Jareth out onto the small dance floor. It was already crowded with people who had finished their meals. The music was a slow song, and Sarah reached for Jareth, putting one hand in his and her other hand on his shoulder. He grinned at her and slipped his hand onto her waist and they began to move slowly.
Jareth closed his eyes for a moment and thought back to another time when they had danced. She was dressed in that beautiful white gown and he was in his favorite blue frock coat. He opened his eyes and smiled at her, grateful to be dancing with her again.
Toby watched as they began to move slowly across the floor and how his sister moved closer and closer to the Goblin King, resting her head against his chest. To Toby he looked so out of place on the dance floor. He, like Sarah and Ary could see the real Goblin King with his wild hair, and strange clothing. Cheryl on the other hand saw him with his hair tied back, a blue t-shirt on and jeans. She didn't completely understand who Jareth was so she didn't see him in his true form. Toby continued to watch them. Jareth was running his fingers through his sister's hair and Sarah leaned against him, one hand holding onto the ruffles of his shirt collar. It was obvious that she cared a great deal about him and Toby realized that Jareth seemed to care for his sister. He was whispering something into her ear and she threw her head back, laughing.
Toby prayed that Jareth wouldn't hurt her.
"I'm done.. I'm done! I want to dance!" Ary jumped up out of her chair, throwing her napkin at the table and taking off for the dance floor before Toby or Cheryl could stop her. She ran straight for Jareth and her mother and they separated so that she could fit in between them and the three of them slow danced together.
Cheryl smiled as she watched them. "Do you think he could be the one?" She asked Toby.
Toby sat back in his seat and fiddled with his napkin. "I..I don't know. I mean Sarah really seems to care for him and Ary, god Ary loves him. He just better not hurt them."
"Do you think he loves her? He seems to care a great deal about her, Ary too."
"I know he does. Sarah told me herself a few weeks ago that he told her he loved her. She told me she wasn't sure how she felt about him so they agreed to be friends. They look closer than friends to me. I think my sister is falling for him." He admitted softly.
Cheryl finally pulled her eyes away from the trio she watched on the dance floor. "Does that bother you?"
"I don't know..I just don't want to see her hurt again."
Cheryl reached over, squeezing his hand. "I know you don't Tobes. I know how much you love your sister and Ary and I know how much Sarah's depression affected you. But I think Jareth really cares about both of them."
"Yeah I know. Hey, they have some good upbeat music playing right now. Let's go dance."
'Ok."
Cheryl and Toby rushed out to the dance floor where Sarah, Ary and Jareth were already dancing. They joined the group and soon everyone forgot about their pasts, their problems and just danced to their hearts content..
This is a long chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! How's everyone enjoying their clones BTW??
Brotherly concern...
Grocery shopping with Jareth turned out to be interesting. She learned that he preferred beef over chicken. Apparently his goblins were good at catching chickens and he'd eaten enough chicken to last the rest of his immortal life. He helped her carry the groceries from the car into the house and helped her put everything away. She cooked them a light lunch and they got back into the car to drive around town. Their final destination being the lake. Due to the warm temperature, the light dusting of snow that had fallen the night before had melted and most of it had already dried up. There was a slight chill to the air and a small wind as they stepped from the car.
Sarah walked to a large rock and took a seat on it. Jareth stood not far from her, his hair drifting around him in the wind.
They both remained silent, gazing at their surroundings. "Jareth....Do you miss home?"
"What?"
"Do you miss your home, your castle?"
He tilted his head at her, trying to understand where the question came from but he answered it none the less. "Yes I suppose that I miss home a little. I haven't been away that long. Only a few days, although I'm sure that my goblins are trashing the place." She grinned, remembering what his throne room had once looked like. "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Just curious."
"Trying to get rid of me are you?"
"No, not at all." He smiled back at her and then leapt up onto the rock to sit beside her. "How did you become the Goblin King?"
One brow arched delicately over his eye. He watched her pick up a pebble that was resting on the rock they sat on and she threw it into the water. "My, aren't we curious today?"
"Does that bother you?"
"No." He crossed his legs, sitting Indian style. "How did I become Goblin King? I don't think anyone ever cared to ask that question and I'm afraid that the answer is rather boring. You see, my father was the King before I and when he grew bored of ruling I became the Goblin King."
"So you have a family like I...like I used to?"
"Yes, I do. Although I haven't seen my mother or father in several hundred years."
"Hundred years?"
"My word, you and your daughter have much in common and it's not just your appearance. Yes hundreds of years."
"How....how old are you?"
"634. I'll be turning I'll be 35 at the end of the year." He laughed at the surprised expression on her face. "Didn't think I was that old did you?"
"No."
"Does that change things, that I'm an older man?"
She chuckled softly. "Much older." She corrected. "But no that doesn't bother me."
"Good."
"Anything else you want to know while I am telling all?"
"Has anyone else ever beaten your Labyrinth?"
He didn't answer her right away but merely stared at her, watching the wind lift her hair up off her shoulders. "No. There has only been one child who ever defeated me and she isn't a child anymore." He caught a few strands of her hair in his hand and tangled his fingers in the strands. "You were the only one."
She seemed satisfied with this answer and she looked back out over the water. They sat side by side a while longer and then Sarah drove them home. She cooked them dinner and they watched another movie. She wrapped his hand again before they both bid each other good night.
Sunday came and went quickly. Sarah drove to Toby's to pick up Ary and she was a chatterbox the entire way home. She was disappointed that Jareth had not come along for the ride, but her spirits lifted when they walked into the house and there was Jareth waiting in the doorway.
"Jareth!!" the little girl cried and she dropped her backpack and teddy bear on the floor rushing at the Goblin King and hugging him tightly. Sarah smiled as she watched Jareth lift her up into his arms and hug her in return.
"I want to hear all about your weekend." He told her. Aryanna began rattling off about how the cat Snicker loved to sleep with her. Toby and Cheryl had taken her to the movie store to rent movies and then took her out for dinner on Saturday night. She colored and played on the exercise bike. The crystal he had given her was a huge success in school and everyone wanted to try it. Sarah went upstairs to put Ary's clothes away. She had already heard about Ary's weekend in the car.
The next few days flew by in a blur. Ary went back to school and every morning Jareth and Sarah walked her to the bus together. So far Linda had left them alone and for that Sarah was grateful. Sarah went to work during the day. Sometimes Jareth would return to his castle while she was at work to make sure that his goblins had not destroyed it. Everything seemed all right and he began to check in on them through his crystals. He had grown rather fond of the television as well as the shower and he enjoyed them during the day when he was alone. Every night when Sarah got in from work, Jareth and Ary had dinner ready for her. Jareth started cooking on his own, without magic and he found that he enjoyed it more that way. Sarah found that he was a wonderful cook and there were no more nights of macaroni and cheese.
The days turned into a week and soon a few weeks had gone by. Sarah received a job promotion and was hired as Jake's personal secretary. The extra money enabled her to pay more of the mortgage, to fix up her car and to buy a few things for Jareth. Ary had willingly given up her toy room so that Sarah could change the room into a guestroom for Jareth. She felt guilty about making him sleep on the couch. He seemed content there but as time passed she realized he should have his own space.
Sarah had been very secretive the last week and Aryanna kept Jareth busy downstairs. He colored with her and helped her prepare for her spelling tests.
"And how do you spell automobile?"
"Hmm... A..u..t..o.......m....o...b....i..l..e."
'Very good. You're getting quite good at spelling Ary."
Sarah peeked her head into the kitchen. "I hate to interrupt homework and studying time, but I need to borrow Jareth for a minute."
"Ok Mommy. He's all yours. That was the last word anyway."
'Good girl. Why don't you go over the words again ok?" She nodded.
Jareth rose from the kitchen table and walked into the hall. "Do you need me for something?"
"There's something I want to show you." He nodded and followed her upstairs. "Ok you have to close your eyes."
"What?"
"Close your eyes. It's a surprise." She took his hand and he nodded, closing his eyes. She led him forward down the hall and opened the door to a room. "Ok you can look now."
Jareth opened his eyes. "Sarah? What happened to Ary's play room? Are you expecting visitors?" Ary's toys were gone. There was a bureau, and a bed covered by a royal blue blanket. There was a desk and chair and a shelf full of books. He gazed down at her in confusion and she smiled.
"The couch isn't all that comfortable and you do need your own space...Ary put her toys in the basement and she can play with them there."
"This..this room is for me?" She nodded. "Sarah, you didn't have to go through all this trouble." He stepped into the room noticing it had been redone. Fresh paint lined the walls and the room had been scrubbed clean. The sheets and blanket on the bed were new.
"It wasn't any trouble. Just think of it as a little thanks for everything you have done lately."
"Sarah..." She put a finger to his lips. "I don't want to hear it."
"But all the work you put into here. This has been were you've been hiding yourself?"
"Yes. Every night I came up here and worked on it, until it was done. I've had a little extra money in my check each week thanks to my promotion so I bought some paint, some sheets, a blanket. I polished the old bureaus and put the bed together."
"Thank you." He pulled her to him, hugging her gently.
"Thank you. Listen, Ary is going to Toby's again this weekend and Toby wanted all of us to get together for dinner on Saturday night."
"I'm sure you will all have a wonderful time."
"No, you too. You're invited too."
Jareth paled. "Me?"
"Yes you. My brother wants to meet the man who has made his sister and his niece so happy."
"Sarah, I don't know if it would be a good idea."
"Why because of what happened 20 years ago?" He nodded. "Jareth, I told Toby about that years ago. He wasn't upset by what happened. In fact he was happy that things turned out as they did. And he already knows about you, that you're here and what you've been doing for me and for Ary."
He sighed. "I didn't think he knew about me."
"Do you think that my daughter could keep that big of a secret? No way. She told Toby everything that first weekend you were here. When I picked her up at his house I told him what was going on. Will you come out to dinner with us? Please?" She pleaded at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.
He tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer to him. "Of course I will."
Saturday night came quickly. Sarah and Jareth were going to meet Toby, Cheryl and Ary at a local restaurant, called Eddy's. It overlooked the lake that Sarah had taken Jareth to their first weekend alone together. Jareth was exceptionally quiet in the car.
"Hey are you all right? You're pretty quiet. You aren't nervous are you?" He shook his head. "Then what is it?"
"I have never been out to eat at a restaurant before."
"It's not much different then eating at home, except we can all order different things and we get served by a waitress." He nodded.
Sarah pulled into the parking lot. "Look there's Ary, Toby and Cheryl." She beeped the horn once and pulled into a vacant spot by Toby's black Firebird.
Sarah stepped out of the car and Toby grabbed her spinning her around. "Sarah! It's been too long."
"Just a week and a half silly." She hugged her brother in return and he put her down. "Hi Cheryl."
"Hi Sarah. It's wonderful to see you again." Sarah gave the tall, redhead a hug.
"And where's my little trouble maker??"
"I'm not a trouble maker mommy." Ary rushed to her mother hugging her tightly. "Where's Jareth mommy? Where's Jareth?"
"I'm right here." Ary lunged at the Goblin King who stood behind Sarah, hugging him tightly. Toby watched and looked at his girlfriend.
"Toby and Cheryl, I'd like you to meet Jareth." Sarah introduced. Jareth nodded at them and Toby extended a hand to him.
It was unbelievable to Jareth how he had grown. He was 21 now, tall, still blond with bright blue eyes. Jareth placed his gloved hand into Toby's hand. "It's about time, that I finally got to meet you. My niece can't stop talking about how wonderful you are and my sister, well she was always fond of you. It's amazing how you've helped them."
"It's been my pleasure to help them." Toby nodded and released his hand. "Well I called and set reservations for us. I knew it would be busy tonight, especially with the back room open."
"Yay!!" Ary cried. Jareth gazed at Sarah and she smiled sweetly.
The group went inside and was seated quickly. Ary was insistent that she had to sit between Jareth and Sarah but one look from her uncle Toby told her to drop the subject so she sat between Toby and Sarah. Sarah helped Jareth order his food and the two of them hid behind the giant laminated menu deciding what they wanted to eat.
The restaurant was noisy and in the back room there was music and dancing going on. Eddy's was a well known place in town, with good food and a nice setting. There were candles on all of the tables as well as flowers. And in the back room each weekend there was a DJ and the dance floor was open to all ages.
"What are you getting Sarah?" Toby called from across the table.
"I think I'll get fish and chips." She told him peeking out from behind the menu.
Toby threw his hands up into the air. "How did I know?"
"Maybe because that's what I always get here!" She laughed and she tossed her cloth napkin across the table at him.
"How about you Jareth?"
Jareth looked up from his menu. "I'm going to try the steak. Sounds very good."
"It's awesome. That's what I'm getting too."
A waitress showed up at the table and everyone ordered.
"Mommy will you play pin ball with me before dinner comes? Please?" Sarah knew she would ask sooner or later. Every time they went to Eddy's she always had to play a few games of pinball.
"Oh all right. Cheryl you want to come?" The young woman nodded. "Ok, we'll be back in a little while." Sarah leaned over to whisper something in Jareth's ear and he nodded. She placed a hand on his shoulder before she took Ary's hand and they walked over to a game room on the other side of the restaurant. Jareth watched them go, Aryanna bouncing up and down as she held her mother's hand and Cheryl holding Ary's other hand.
"I hope that my sister and her daughter aren't driving you crazy." Toby said to him across the table.
Jareth turned back to him. "On the contrary, I've enjoyed staying with them."
"How long are you going to stay with them?"
Jareth reached for his glass of water and took a sip. "That depends on Sarah and Ary." He said looking over the rim of the glass. Toby scooted over into Sarah's empty seat and leaned closer to Jareth.
"I don't know if you noticed, but my sister really likes you and Aryanna adores you. Do you have any intention of dating my sister, or are you just around to help her and then leave?"
One of Jareth's brows rose. "That again depends on Sarah." He said choosing his words carefully.
"So you like her then?"
"I fail to understand this line of questioning." Jareth shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with their discussion.
"My sister hasn't had a man in her life in 8 years ok, not since that miserable ass Adam left her. I haven't seen her as happy as she is now in a really long time. And Ary, the kid is just bubbling with joy since you came into her life. She doesn't stop talking about you. Both of them can't stop talking about you. I just need to make sure you're not going to hurt them. I don't want to see my sister slip into depression again. It wasn't pretty the first time around and I don't want to see it a second time."
Jareth understood now. Toby didn't wish for Sarah and Ary to be hurt again. "I understand your concern. But I assure you, I am not here to hurt Sarah or Aryanna. I know what happened to Sarah in the past and I know it affected Ary as well. I would never intentionally hurt either of them."
"Good, so you understand that if you hurt either one of them in anyway that I'll break your nose or your fingers or whatever I feel like breaking, Goblin King. I don't care who the hell you are. You hurt them, I hurt you. Got that?"
Jareth's brows lowered over his eyes and his voice became cold. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm warning you. My sister is a good woman and she doesn't need anymore shit in her life. She's gone through enough. It's obvious you care about her and my niece, but if anything goes wrong, you will regret that you stepped into Sarah's life again. Are we clear about that?"
Jareth didn't have a chance to respond as Sarah and Ary could be heard making their way back to the table. Toby sat back into his own seat and Jareth glared at him. He didn't like to be threatened, especially by a mortal boy who could have become a goblin.
"How did you do Ary?" Toby asked.
"I beat mommy and Cheryl!"
"You did?"
"Oh yeah, she totally kicked our butts." Cheryl laughed as she took her seat beside Toby.
The waitress arrived with the food a short while later and soon they were all eating. There wasn't a quiet moment from the minute the food arrived as tales from the past came spilling out.
"Oh my god Sarah, do you remember that time when we slept over Uncle Tim's?" Toby cried from across the table.
Sarah burst out laughing, nearly choking on her food. "Oh my gosh, Tobe, how could I forget?"
"Oh man is that when you guys drove his jeep around the yard and crashed into one of the bushes when he wasn't home?" Cheryl asked.
"Oh yeah! We flattened the thing! And he didn't even notice until like a week later."
"Oh my gosh, I haven't thought about that in so long. I remember when he called dad and demanded to know what happened to his bushes."
"Dad thought it was so funny that he couldn't get through yelling at us without laughing."
"Oh those were the days..." Sarah sighed. God she missed her father....
Jareth listened quietly as they reminisced occasionally eating some of his dinner. It was obvious that they were a close knit family and they had many memories together.
"Can we go dancing after dinner?" Ary asked with a mouthful of fries.
"Ary sweetie, please don't talk with your mouth full."
She swallowed the food. "Sorry mommy. But can we dance after dinner? The back room is open and they are playing good music!"
Cheryl laughed. "And how do you know what's good music?"
"They're playing the same music that they play on the radio all the time."
"Yeah they are playing some good stuff. I'm up for dancing. I'll bring the rest of my steak home so I don't lose it out on the floor." Toby said pushing his plate away from him.
Cheryl elbowed her boyfriend. "Toby that's nasty, we don't need to hear about that while we're eating." Toby shrugged and Cheryl glanced over at Jareth. "Jareth, you've been pretty quiet. I hope we didn't make a bad impression."
"Not at all." He smiled.
"We could go home, if you don't want to go dancing..." Sarah told him. "You have been fairly quiet tonight. Are you all right?"
'I'm fine." He smiled again and she reached for his hand squeezing it.
"Will you dance with me?" She asked him.
"Of course I will." He whispered softly.
Sarah stood, still holding his hand. "We're going dancing." She announced. Jareth got to his feet quickly.
"Have fun. We'll be out in a little while, as soon as Ary finishes eating." Cheryl told them.
"Ok. We'll be waiting for you."
Toby watched closely as Sarah led Jareth out onto the small dance floor. It was already crowded with people who had finished their meals. The music was a slow song, and Sarah reached for Jareth, putting one hand in his and her other hand on his shoulder. He grinned at her and slipped his hand onto her waist and they began to move slowly.
Jareth closed his eyes for a moment and thought back to another time when they had danced. She was dressed in that beautiful white gown and he was in his favorite blue frock coat. He opened his eyes and smiled at her, grateful to be dancing with her again.
Toby watched as they began to move slowly across the floor and how his sister moved closer and closer to the Goblin King, resting her head against his chest. To Toby he looked so out of place on the dance floor. He, like Sarah and Ary could see the real Goblin King with his wild hair, and strange clothing. Cheryl on the other hand saw him with his hair tied back, a blue t-shirt on and jeans. She didn't completely understand who Jareth was so she didn't see him in his true form. Toby continued to watch them. Jareth was running his fingers through his sister's hair and Sarah leaned against him, one hand holding onto the ruffles of his shirt collar. It was obvious that she cared a great deal about him and Toby realized that Jareth seemed to care for his sister. He was whispering something into her ear and she threw her head back, laughing.
Toby prayed that Jareth wouldn't hurt her.
"I'm done.. I'm done! I want to dance!" Ary jumped up out of her chair, throwing her napkin at the table and taking off for the dance floor before Toby or Cheryl could stop her. She ran straight for Jareth and her mother and they separated so that she could fit in between them and the three of them slow danced together.
Cheryl smiled as she watched them. "Do you think he could be the one?" She asked Toby.
Toby sat back in his seat and fiddled with his napkin. "I..I don't know. I mean Sarah really seems to care for him and Ary, god Ary loves him. He just better not hurt them."
"Do you think he loves her? He seems to care a great deal about her, Ary too."
"I know he does. Sarah told me herself a few weeks ago that he told her he loved her. She told me she wasn't sure how she felt about him so they agreed to be friends. They look closer than friends to me. I think my sister is falling for him." He admitted softly.
Cheryl finally pulled her eyes away from the trio she watched on the dance floor. "Does that bother you?"
"I don't know..I just don't want to see her hurt again."
Cheryl reached over, squeezing his hand. "I know you don't Tobes. I know how much you love your sister and Ary and I know how much Sarah's depression affected you. But I think Jareth really cares about both of them."
"Yeah I know. Hey, they have some good upbeat music playing right now. Let's go dance."
'Ok."
Cheryl and Toby rushed out to the dance floor where Sarah, Ary and Jareth were already dancing. They joined the group and soon everyone forgot about their pasts, their problems and just danced to their hearts content..