Enjoy!

Sarah was relaxing in her reading nook when the doorbell rang. Again. For the third time today.

Closing her book for the third time that day, she muttered under her breath and she opened the door to another large bouquet of red roses. She smiled, exasperated.

"Thanks, David. I'm still not going back," she replied automatically, pitying the poor man. David had been Jareth's chauffeur for as long as she could remember. While she had typically sent him to run strange errands, this was the first time Jareth had ever ordered him to do anything. Which included wooing Sarah with flowers. And chocolates. And more jewelry than she cares to admit.

The older man rolled his eyes at her and set the flowers on her dining room table. For the third time today. "Can you at least talk to the poor fool? He's wasting away without you there. Irene says he hasn't left his office in four days. Thank goodness for the work gym, am I right?"

"I quit for my own good, David. The real fool was me for staying that long just breaking my heart further. If he wants to throw everything away like he did me, that's on him. I'm not cleaning up his messes anymore," Sarah shrugged, twirling one of the roses on in her hand. She slid the driver a warm cup of coffee across the kitchen island. "You and Iman should come over for dinner tomorrow. I'm making chicken parmesan."

David sighed and shook his head. "He's not going to give you up, Sarah. I've known that boy his whole life and nothing has captivated him like you do. Perhaps he was protecting you."

"Protecting me? Protecting me from what, David?"

"Ask him yourself," retorted the old man, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm too old for young love. See you tomorrow, Sarah."

"You better not come before 8 am! I'm unemployed now!" The man didn't answer her as he whistled out of her home.

Cursing to herself, Sarah tried to return to her book. But she couldn't concentrate.

The visitors had begun the very next morning after she quit in Jareth's office. She could still see his grief stricken face as she stood and left, handing him her access pass unceremoniously. Her cheek throbbed at the memory of Claudia's vicious slap.

Protect me? Ha! What a load of bull.

Irene had filled her in on the absolute chaos that had been going on since she left. Meetings were being missed, paperwork wasn't filed correctly, and someone had let Daisy loose in the upstairs gardens. But the biggest mess was Jareth. He refused to see anyone, including his parents, until the engagement with the Von Brassovelts was cut off.

"It was all over the news! Mr. Oberon threatened to sue Von Brassovelt's daughter for harming one of his employees and cancelled their contract. I could hear the yelling coming from the floor above," Irene gossiped, dropping off the dozen donut from her favorite bakery yesterday. Her friend handed her a large amaretto latte with bourbon caramel, her favorite. "He still won't come out of his office, you know."

"He'll come out when he gets bored enough. Don't worry, it won't take him long to find another shiny object."

Irene smiled and sighed. "Sarah, you are the only one who could say something so mean."

"I want an explanation, not a half assed apology. If Jareth King wants me to forgive him, he's going to have to try a lot harder than lattes and donuts."

Throwing her book onto the sofa, Sarah huffed and decided to head to bed. She wasn't going to be able to focus on anything with Jareth on her mind. But it was nothing a refreshing bath and soft bed couldn't fix.

When she came out of her steaming bathroom, Sarah noticed a bright light coming through her window. "What the hell is that? Oh, he can't be serious!"

Quickly dressing herself in shorts and a hoodie, Sarah ran downstairs and yanked the front door open. And her jaw quickly hit the floor.

Outside her home, Jareth King, CEO, had set up a large light up sign that had I LOVE YOU SARAH WILLIAMS in bright white letters. Bright enough that her neighbors were all stepping out of their homes, glancing curiously at lanky man holding a baker's dozen roses.

"What are you doing! Is that-Is that the Labyrinth system?! That's not supposed to be released for another two weeks! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Sarah, I-"

"Shut it off! You can see that light from International Space Station! Do you want everyone to know our secrets?! Did you blind yourself into stupidity?!"

Jareth chuckled but obeyed. He seemed thinner, more gaunt and had foregone his ever present gloves. His hair was limp and though freshly washed, lifeless. He wore only a white button up and black dress pants, completely unprepared for the chilly night. The weatherman had predicted snow, for heaven's sake!

Crossing her arms, Sarah tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. No man should be able to make Victorian ghost chic look hot, but Jareth managed to pull it off.

"Can we talk, Sarah?"

"...Inside! It's freezing out here and you looked like you're one cough from death. Have you eaten in the past decade? When was the last time you had anything to drink?"

"I don't know..." Jareth shrugged, uncharacteristically timid.

"Do you have a death wish? Go sit in the living room while I make tea!"

Jareth sat down on the sofa in Sarah's living room and looked around. He stubbornly avoided her gaze. "In all the years I've known you, I've only been here a couple of times."

"When mom died," Sarah whispered, setting a mug of tea and a plate loaded up with cookies on the coffee table. She retreated back to the doorway, wary.

"She was a wonderful woman. And she raised an incredible if clumsy daughter."

"...Why are you here, Mr. King?"

"Sarah, I...I can't begin to apologize enough for everything. There's so much I don't know how to say-"

"Spare me," she hissed, leaning against the doorway. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "I don't want to hear your excuses, Jareth. You left me that morning. I gave you my virginity and you left me there like trash! What were your exact words? 'You don't have to apologize for your actions, Miss Williams. Let's forget about the whole damn thing'! Well I can't!"

"She was going to destroy your family," Jareth roared, launching up from the couch, the mug crashing on her purple rug. His eyes, those beautiful mismatched eyes, were filled with tears as he croaked out, "My mother was going to lash out against your family if I didn't do what she said. I was going to protect you, but she would hurt you through them. Though Toby, Sarah! Why can't you see that I didn't want to marry that worm of a girl?! That I wanted nothing more than to hold you once again in my arms?! I left my heart with you that morning, Sarah."

Speechless, the woman shook her head slowly. "...She wouldn't. Mrs. King knows me, she likes me! I've known her for ten years, Jareth! She wouldn't do that!"

"Wouldn't she? For the greater good? Wouldn't my mother do just that?"

Sarah sobbed and collapsed into Jareth's arm, the man barely able to catch her before they both crumpled to the floor. He stroked her dark hair, mumbling sweet nothings against her head as she cried.

"It's okay to cry, my princess. It's okay, I've got you now. I'm not letting you go, Sarah Williams. Not for all the gold on this world."

"Jareth, I didn't know...oh, god, all the things I've said to you. How could you stand it?"

He smiled sadly as he pressed kisses to her wet lashes. "I was ready to be hated by you if it meant you were safe."

Sarah's lip trembled and she pulled him into a kiss before wrapping her arms around him. "I don't hate you, my love. I'm with you from now on. No matter what happens, we face it together, okay? No more secrets, no more lies, no more leaving."

"I promise, my dear," Jareth swore, rocking her back and forth.

They stayed there, basking in each other's warmth and love until the early signs of dawn crept through the living room windows.

One more chapter should have us good to go. I was originally gonna end it as is, but I didn't feel we were done with Sarah and Jareth just yet. Let me know what you think!