Gentle warning in this chapter. We will get some back story on Sarah's part and it's a little on the negative side. I know that we are waiting for the romance to start blooming, and because of this, I think you will quite like this chapter. I wasn't kidding you when I said this was a slow burn story.
This one is good and long. I really enjoyed writing this one. And the ending is ADORABLE, if I do say so myself.
I own nothing. I am writing this purely for shits 'n giggles.
~Plots, Plans, and a Past~
The evening makes its way into the household. Ellie had slept nice and hard as another cold front blew into the city. Jareth does what he can to stay comfortable as he takes another look at some of the papers about M's Orchid while Sarah decides to take a break and work on some hospital paperwork instead. It's relatively quiet as the weather forecast can be heard from the television in the other room.
Concentrating on their work, Jareth and Sarah's ears welcome an odd sound that suddenly stems from the hall. They lock eyes as they hear the steady squeak of wheels turning a toy boat is rigged to a small wagon. It slows to a stop right in the middle of the living room between the adults as they are further inclined to watch a show that is about to start. Before anyone knows it, a ball sporadically bounces out of the room and destroys the ship at hand. Small pieces can be seen flying in the air and onto the floor with the sound of a tiny voice shouting from the other room. "Boom!"
Giggles are heard as the patter of feet grow larger. "We did it Lancelot!" The child shouts as she runs out and twirls with her teddy bear. Ellie spots the two adults in the midst of the celebration and runs to her mother in a hug. "And the pwincess and the knight beat up the mean piwate and stole the queen's necklace back!" Ellie narrates as she pulls the necklace that Jareth had gotten for her and put it around her mother. "And the magic returned to the queen of the fairies.- look look it's glowing!" She shouts as she looks to the plain necklace that only glows in her imagination.
Jareth watches the smile beam from Sarah's face as she lovingly grabs her daughters cheeks and gives her a big kiss. "You're fever is gone." She happily hums.
"I feel so good mama." Ellie's grin lights up the room.
"You look like you feel better." Sarah combs her fingers through her daughter's hair. "That sleep must have really helped." Sarah tilts her head at how much better she looks and acts.
"Mama, the necklace?" - Sarah looks down, to where Ellie points. The story is not quite over yet. Sarah returns to character.
"Huh? -oh oh, yes! I never thought I'd see this again! You two are my heroes. What would I do without you?"
"Now I have to keep it-" Ellie says pulling the necklace off of her mom. "I have to make sure they don't take it from you again."
"Good idea! I trust you and Lancelot to keep it safe from the bad guys out there- why don't you go and put it in your magic jewelry box?"
"No," Ellie dismisses, "it needs to stay on me."
Sarah's smile never leaves. "Okay, but be careful. You will be sad if something happened to it." but Ellie runs off before Sarah can finish her thought. - "And no running!" She can't help but chuckle as gets up to chase her daughter into the other room.
Jareth watches as the joyous smile transforms the young woman yet again. He can't help but almost become entranced as he watches the mother and child together. It is a bond that is rarely seen on his side of things. There is little joy in the lives that he had been forced upon in the many years of his "occupation". Throughout such a time, he had seen so much heartache and sadness, and these negative emotions are expected whenever someone were to come and tread within the Labyrinthian walls. Having to sit here and watch a wondrous game of "pirates" that is spawned off by a child and her spectacular imagination certainly beats the bleak and depressing demands of his job. Jareth takes this into consideration and decides that his predicament is better than it potentially could be. He can definitely enjoy this small moment, and wonders how he can bring more of this kind of positivity into a job that he has been forced to do for so long. He hopes that this is no longer the case. He hopes he can finally pass this job down to someone, and he can finally move on with his life.
Maybe even have his own child to play pirates with. Oh, how he envies the woman that he watches.
His thoughts are disturbed by a sudden and strange ringing sound. This sound can be heard in the hovel of a kitchen as Sarah rushes to the noise. Picking up a house phone connected to the wall, she answers.
"Hello...?"
Sarah smiles. "...Hey Lana how are you-"
Sarah's smile immediately saddens. She gasps. "...Oh my God," a hand is pulled up to her mouth, "Lana. I'm..." Sarah's eyes droop in such sorrow, it causes slight concern for Jareth. "I'm so sorry..." Sarah's face changes again, Jareth decides that this is more of her motherly side, "...no. No, no no. Don't you worry about a thing. You need to be with family right now... Yes, you need to take however much time off you need..." Sarah nods, "Absolutely. And I am so sorry. I will call in a few days for an address to send some flowers, okay?... Okay, bye-bye sweetie. You are in my thoughts..." Sarah slowly hangs up.
"That sounded dreadful." Jareth says, admitting to his eavesdropping.
"Dreadful and shitty," she sighs in disdain, "that was Ellie's home school sitter. Her mother just died." She shakes her head in sadness.
"How sad." Jareth's voice is solemn for the stranger.
"It's sad and unfortunate," she sighs looking in the direction of Ellie's room. "She will need time off, and that means I am out of a sitter for Ellie until further notice, and I have work tomorrow." Sarah sits at the nearest table. "Damn," a whisper is heard from the young woman. "This has been such a wonderful weekend, hasn't it?" She says as she slumps her body into the chair. She crosses her arm in thought mode. "Fuck..." her voice hums to a whisper, "She is going to be hurting for a long time..." Sarah almost falters as she thinks of the young girl. "Why does God let shit like this happen all the Goddamn time?"
Deciding against a negative turn to a religious debate, he changes the subject. "You have others that you can call on, right?"
Sarah shakes her head, "No. Not for tomorrow. All of my other helpers are all dancers. We all have to attend for routine and music. All ensemble required."
"Why not let the child go with you to the club?"
Sarah's brow curls as she looks to him. "I apologize if I may not be too comfortable with exposing my three year old to the lovely world of erotic dancing just yet." Sarah looks to him with confused eyes.
"Well, are you wearing costumes?" Jareth asks, trying not to add attitude with his words.
Sarah winces, "Not until later in the week."
"Why not take personal time for yourself? Tell the "evil M's", as you call them, that you need to take a few days off."
"Because I just did that." She leans in on her knees, continuing to think of a solution. "I just got done with a weekly leave while Ellie and I bunked at the hospital. We were getting as many tests done to see exactly what is wrong with her."
Jareth leans in towards her direction. He starts to become concerned. "You don't have any answers, yet?" The sound of his voice catches Sarah's attention. She shakes her head in confirmation.
"I guess it could be okay taking Ellie there for a few days. It's been a while since she's visited." Sarah shows a weak smile. "That place used to be her second home when she was an infant. We almost spent more time there then we did here. But that was before I was a dancer."
Jareth sneers at the idea. "I can't imagine having to stay in that disgusting place more than I must."
Sarah chuckles a little. "That's what happens when you're a single mom on a waitress salary. I had to make money, and I wasn't a dancer at the time. It was almost two years before I was asked to partake in the ensemble. I remember early on in Ellie's infancy when Michelle saw me breastfeeding and told me that I could make more money with what nature gave me than what I made behind the bar. I refused the offer until the doctor bills started racking up. I had a sick baby and bills to pay. How could I refuse?"
Jareth carefully listens to this story with discretion. The more she speaks, the more pieces start to form in in his mind about her rather checkered past. Sarah was hit hard with being an adult at such a young time in a humans life.
This leads more questions to penetrate his mind. "May I ask a question?"
"It depends on the question." Sarah is weary, but willing to listen.
"How old were you when you had Ellie?"
Sarah nods, "Good one. I was eighteen, but closer to nineteen."
As Jareth digests more information he starts to come up with an idea. "You know, this situation might work to our advantage."
"What do you mean?"
"We can take Ellie with us, and we can use her as-"
"Hold up there, bub," Sarah suddenly stands, "believe me when I say that you do not want to keep going down this road." Her voice carries heavy warning.
"Just hear me out." Jareth holds his hands out in defense. "We can use her as an excuse to, maybe go into a more of a secluded area to work on school... Maybe even an office?" Jareth hints, "in a place that might be vulnerable to answers that we are looking for?"
"That's exactly what I didn't want you to say." Sarah's temperature slowly rises.
"It will work. You don't have to worry about your child, and we can get what we need to move on." Jareth is persistent. "I don't want to be stuck in these forever. And the sooner I get out of here, the better it will be for everyone."
Sarah admits to herself that he kind of has a point. What could it hurt. Her stomach churns at the idea. It's not like Ellie would be in danger. She would be in the same building as Sarah, and Jareth can't do any baby stealing with the cuffs on, either... But the twins. The more she hears about them, the more uneasy she feels. She isn't even sure how she will react when she sees them next, and she works for those people. Her eyes dart at all ends of the room as she fidgets with this babysitter-less kink in their plan. Jareth sits next to her with a large amount of patience waiting for her to answer. She turns her back to him. "Ugh! I don't know. I don't like this idea."
"What other choice do you have?" He finally asks.
Sarah spins in frustration as she forcibly combs her fingers through her hair. "If something happens to my baby girl," she suddenly walks up to him, "I will kill you."
"And I believe you." He calms her mother-lion instinct kicking in. "I just hope that I can keep her safe without my magic." He tries to use this as a way to get out of the cuffs.
"No." The word bites Jareth's ears. "You better learn how to use your mind, because those cuffs aren't coming off yet. But, if you find something good in that office, you have my word that the moment I see evidence myself, I will personally take them off, right then and there."
"Oh, come on." Jareth is not thrilled by this, but it does give him some incentive to get information, and fast.
"Listen, with those cuffs on," she continues, "the twins will be more inclined to let you into more secluded areas that you normally wouldn't be allowed in if you did have magic." She looks to him.
"Damn it." He curses her for having a good point.
"Like you said," Sarah reiterates, "what other choice do we have?"
With the end of this discussion, everyone decides that it is time for the house to turn in. Sarah calls for Ellie to get into her pajamas, and goes to help the toddler from getting too tangled in her night clothes. Jareth looks at the small couch with an ugly look on his face. He lingers towards the large object and lightly kicks the side cushion, knowing that he will be stuck on this monster for another night.
As Sarah leads her daughter into the mother's bedroom, she bites her lip with guilt as she watches Jareth trying to make the couch more comfortable for his next night's sleep. Watching this bewildering sight, she admits that she feels bad for the Fae King. Here he is, in a foreign land, forced into a stupid and reckless plot for redemption, and alongside him stands a puny human single mom that is still trying to process her new reality. Sarah thought she had been through everything, but reacquainting herself with this snobby, egotistical drama king, and having to come up with a plan to clear his name as a human stealer, while also maybe cracking one of the biggest cases on human/fae history, has certainly proved her wrong. She admits that if she were in Jareth's position, she would hope for better hospitality then she has shown him. Sure, the only background they have together is her fending for her life to get her little brother back from the perilous journey into his Labyrinth, but that was only one time. Sarah shakes her head at the tangent in her mind. Why not try to keep him as comfortable she she can in a very uncomfortable situation?
Exhausted with her mind, Sarah goes to tuck Ellie into her bed and comes out to see Jareth somewhat seated in a semi-comfortable position. She looks to him. "Are you all snuggled in your bed, your majesty?"
Jareth rolls his eyes at her impotence. "I make do within my prison cell."
"Would you like a teddy bear?" She chuckles.
"Good night to you, too." Jareth hates the way that her giggle hits his ears. He tries to ignore her as she starts to walk away.
"Follow me," she says with the bend of a finger, physically requesting his presence.
"I'll pass." He dismisses.
She turns around with a gentle sigh. "Just come on. I want to show you something." She urges him further.
"Figures you'd wait until I was somewhat comfortable..." Regardless of his thoughts, he follows suit.
Taking a few steps down the hall, she takes him into the middle door on the right. The light turns on to shine on a fairy tale themed room, complete with a canopy bed. She invites him to follow her into the child's room. "Ellie rarely sleeps in here. Being as emotional and sick as she is, she sleeps with me a lot." She turns towards his direction. "This bed is practically brand new, and the sheets are clean. This bed has seen more babysitters napping on it than my own kid." She half grins towards his direction.
"This is..." Jareth ponders for the correct words, "very much appreciated." His words are honest. His eyes wander to her with a new look in them. Sarah is having a hard time trying to decipher his tone as he steps a little closer to her. "Thank you."
Sarah stands with an awkward sway. "This is kinda my way of apologizing for my behaviour. I am not the easiest person to work with, and I know that." She slaps her hands together behind her back, radiating in uncomfortable body language.
Graciously accepting her offer, he sits on the bed in a comfortable fashion. "It definitely beats a stiff love seat."
"Yeah," she smiles with a nod. She touches a few trinkets as memories start to flood her mind. "A lot of this was mine." She picks up a musical jewelry box. It is weathered and rusted, and complete with a girl in a lovely white gown in the middle. "It's strange to see my own kid playing with things that I had when I was her age." She adds as she hands the trinket to Jareth. "She loves this one in particular." She gently tugs at the fabric on the dress. "As an infant, she was always in pain. As expected, she cried a lot." Sarah grins a little as she becomes comfortably close to the Fae sitting next to her. Jareth invites the closeness as he continues to listen. "I played this for her one time, and it immediately put her to sleep. It was my helper every single night... until the music box inside of it stopped working." Sarah's grin falters at the thought. "I admit that she wasn't the only one that was sad the night it stopped playing its song."
Jareth releases a little smirk at the hints that she keeps giving him. "Music is but another avenue for our senses of memory. The level of nostalgia that memories bring can become quite addicting." He gently returns to her the object that contains a shared memory between the adults. "I'm sorry to inform you that this feeling does not fade with age."
She caresses the object as she stands again, this time with the goal to leave. But something inside of her halts her movements; Something in her is enjoying the company, and does not wish for this interaction to stop. She reminisces as her fingers glide over of the many stuffed animals as she slowly paces the room. She can feel his eyes on her the entire time. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of this when I went off to college. I was going to give most of it to Toby..." She suddenly halts. Her words cause her to wince in the memories that try to barge in through her mind. "But Ellie was..."
"Unexpected?" Jareth answers for her.
Sarah's burst of a random chuckle is not a pleasant sound. "Yeah," she nods in agreement; her tone is harsh, "to say the least."
Jareth hums catching onto even more nuances within her character. "How is young Tobias?" He asks in a curious tone. "I trust that he thrives within human civilian life, well enough?"
Sarah is slow to respond. Suddenly she feels unable to look towards him.. "I... don't know." Her words are honest, even though they struggle to come out. "I... haven't seen him in a long time." She twiddles her fingers as she leans up against a dresser. She mentally regrets bringing up his name.
It is faint, but Jareth swears that he hears some heartache in her voice. He continues to look to her as she continues to avoid his gaze. Her sudden distance only causes more curiosity to stir within him, but he decides to respond to her silent plea to not continue with their current conversation. Instead, he lingers his eyes around the room, as he digests even more of her back story.
"I see."
There is much inside of this woman's mind, and as much as he doesn't wish to believe it, there is something inside of Jareth that wishes to dive deeper within who Sarah is. She risked so much to get that little boy back and now she doesn't see him anymore? What exactly happened? What else has not been said? He wants to ask more questions. He wants a better understanding. He wants to... know her.
Sarah deeply inhales. "That... is my cue to leave. I'm sure you're tired." She doesn't leave room for rebuttal. Jareth accepts the idea of turning in for the night, if only to be able to sleep in a real bed. "You should be able to sleep well enough." Her voice dissipates with every word. She silently starts to make her way out.
"Good night, Sarah." The sound of his voice carries a subtle but caring sound to it. Hearing this makes her hair stand on end. She isn't sure how to process this slight change in her at the sound of his voice speaking her name, but it is foreign enough for Sarah to appreciate it's feeling.
"Good night, Jareth." She repays the kind gesture as she tries to share a smile. Closing the door, she deeply inhales as she hurries into her room with a sleeping little girl in her bed. The low volume level of the weather channel bleeds through the silence of the room as her whole entire being is absolutely overcome with emotion. Sarah slowly slides down her door with the overwhelming desire to cry. She ends up cradling her knees and lets the tears flow as she hugs her arms. Her noises are quiet and soft. She doesn't wish to wake her child with her tears. But her tears are large and mournful. Memories flood her vision, and she is forced to remember everything. She hates going back inside of her mind.
Little does she know that Jareth has excellent Fae hearing. Regardless of the new and comfortable bed that he is able to sleep in, he finds that he will have a very hard time falling asleep through the night as her silent crying overbears the entirety of his mind for the rest of the evening.
+x+x+x+
~Five Years Ago~
Eighteen year old Sarah Williams stands on her childhood porch as she caresses her pregnant tummy. She can't tell if her uneasy feeling is due to morning sickness or absolute fear of what lies behind the large white door that stands about half a foot away from her. She stands for a moment to try to breathe. Her nerves start to get the best of her as memories seep through her subconscious. She doesn't know what to expect once she walks in, though she has a rough idea. Ideally, she wants to see her father smiling and happy to embrace her, but she knows that is only a pipe dream. The very idea causes a tear to drip from her eyes. She shakes her head at the internal image and deeply inhales. The sound of the door bell ringing makes her want to abort this mission and run, but against her better judgement, she tries to stand her ground.
The mere moments feel like hours as she waits for the door to open. Her step-mother stands on the other side of the door frame as her cold, dark eyes stare the young woman down. Sarah cowers at older woman, as her voice matches the tone of her eyes. "What are you doing here?" The woman's words are short and quick.
Sarah's courage is weak, but she does her best to respond. "I came for the rest of my things."
"Come back later." Karen dismisses as she starts to close the door.
Sarah stops the door with her hand. "That's what you said last weekend, and the weekend before that. I'm tired of this stupid game." She tries to push the door open.
Karen doesn't budge. Her voice does not change. "I said to leave."
"You can't stop me from getting what belongs to me." Sarah says as she tries not to let her emotions get the best of her. She tries to walk in the door.
Karen forcefully shoves her back. "No." Her voice is firm and mean. "I don't want you here while my son is in the house. I finally got him to stop asking about you."
This comment pierces Sarah's heart. This sadness disguises itself as anger as she pushes the older woman to the side. "What is the matter with you? Why won't you let me see my brother?"
"You know why. Just get your useless crap and get out of my house."
"It's not your house." Sarah says, matching the older woman in height. "It's my father's house."
"Your father is dead." Karen's voice beats Sarah's mind with anger and sorrow.
Sarah's head shakes at the immaturity of the older woman. "So is your soul."
The young mother-to-be passes the woman as she makes her way to the stairs with an unfolded box under her arms. She rushes into her childhood room and packs as fast as she can. The faster she gets out of the house, the better it will be for her sanity. She can't stand being around that horrid woman more than she has to. She is ready to finally get all of her belongings and walk out the door forever.
She is quiet as she gathers what little belongings that has been left behind in this room. She observes her old empty bed stripped of any sheets and blankets, and her vanity with a cracked mirror. Opening it's drawers, she grabs all of its contents, not really seeing all of what she is tossing into the large box that she quickly threw together. She needs to leave this place. Soon.
She painfully reminds herself of the conversation that led what little relationship she had with her step-mother to and end. She was in trouble and didn't know where to go. Sarah was lost. She was sad. She had no one, especially when she went off to a college filled with empty friendships and frat parties. She was alone a lot. She had gotten used to it. The girl she shared a dorm with was sick of seeing Sarah sulking around all the time and coerced her to sneak into a bar with her and her friends. Sarah didn't know what she was doing. She was a shell of who she once was.
When she met that older man, he was kind. He was handsome. He was charismatic. But that's how they all are. He wanted to pay attention to her. He acted like he cared. She clung to that idea so tightly, and she completely lost herself. They were a secret item for less than a month. He convinced her that they didn't need protection, and that he would make sure that nothing would happen.
Then it happened.
She never saw him again.
Her father was gone. She can't get a hold of her real mother, and Karen had been brutally cold to Sarah since her father's quick and mournful fight with Cancer. Sarah believed that Karen was just waiting for something like this to give her an excuse to hate Sarah even more than she did. As a strong Catholic woman, getting pregnant in college was exactly what Karen needed in order to kick Sarah to the curb. Sarah's head shakes at the horrid memory.
"Sarah?" A meek little voice coo's from the hallway. The voice alerts the young woman. The tears in her eyes immediately dissipate at the sound. Her heart swells as she turns to see the happy toddler at the door. She is bombarded by a hug to her leg from the small child. He giggles and screeches in excitement upon seeing his older sister.
"Toby!" Sarah is only too grateful for the genuine happiness that radiates from his smile as he sees her. At least someone in this family still wants something to do with her. She picks up the little boy with loving arms and hugs him tightly. He mumbles as he tries to speak to her, saying things like "happy" and "hug" as he holds her tightly. "I've missed you so much, bubba!" The young child continues to giggle and shout in excitement of seeing his sister after what felt like forever.
"Toby no!" Karen walks in to see the scene and rips the toddler from his sister's hands. Toby whines and whimpers as he tries to keep a hold of Sarah's neck, but Karen's strength is much stronger.
"Hey!" Sarah shouts in offence to the woman's forceful actions, but she doesn't stop the woman from taking the child.
"I just told you that I don't want you around him!" She says marching across the hall to gently plop him into his play pen in the next room. Toby starts to wail and cry as she closes his door.
"Why won't you let me see him? He's my family, too!" Sarah's voice reaches new heights as she starts to create a scene.
"You never really cared for my baby." Karen's words are brash. "You were always the selfish little spoiled daddy's girl. You hated Toby when he was born." The older woman's voice rises. "You're just doing this to him out of spite towards me." She crosses her arms standing guard in front of his door.
"You have no idea what I have gone through for that kid." Sarah can't contain her emotions anymore. "I went through hell to make sure he was always safe and protected. I fucking LOVE him. I'm a good sister!"
"No. You're a slut." Karen's eyes grow darker. "And I don't want a pathetic impregnated little whore like you tainting my baby." Sarah's eyes grow in shock. "It's bad enough that he no longer has a father as a proper mentor. I'm not gonna let him waste his days watching a sister bare a bastard of a child. I refuse to let him end up like you." Her voice emphasizes the last word, making Sarah tear up in more anger.
"Oh yeah. That's real smart Karen, making him lose a sister for something so selfish and stupid after losing a parent to death." Sarah's voice raises to the despicable woman.
"He is my baby!" The older woman hisses. "He is the only thing that I have left of Robert. I am not about to lose him, too. I will decide what is best for my child. You had a future, Sarah. You had a scholarship to NYU, you were going to do amazing things, and you threw it all away when you got pregnant, and by a married man, no less. He was right to leave you. You should have been smarter. I don't know what the hell you were thinking, Sarah. You deserve everything that happens to you. I thought I was trying to teach you and raise you right, but I was wrong."
"You know what, Karen? You are teaching me something." Sarah's venomous voice spits back. She turns to throw the remains of her things in the box. "You're teaching me all the ways that I should NOT raise my child. I would never treat my child the way you have treated me." Tears form in the young woman's eyes. This sudden burst keeps her step-mother silent. "You forget that you married MY father. You married into MY family. You forget that because of that, I was your child, too. But, not only did you fail Toby on how to be a proper role model as a grieving mother, you also failed me. But thanks to you, I now know that, in order to properly raise my own child, I should just do the opposite of everything you have ever done. So thank you." She says as she forcefully closes the box that sits on the bed.
Karen's heart is even colder than ever. "We'll see how good of a mother you'll be when you abandon your child on a street somewhere after cracking under the pressure. You're still a child. You still act like a child. How are you be able to stand two of you?"
"I may be a young mother, but at least I'll know that I will be a better mother than you will ever be." Sarah is not afraid to fight back to the wretched woman before her.
This causes more emotions to stir inside of the bitter step-mother. She has lost what little patience she had for the petulant child before her. "You." Karen inhales to try to keep her composure. "Be off of my property in five minutes or I am alerting the authorities."
"No need." Sarah says picking up lonely only box. "The only good thing that came out of my father dying is that he can now see what kind of woman you really are." Sarah shoves her step-mother with her box at hand, almost hard enough to shove her to the floor. She turns to face her one more time. "Goodbye, Medusa. Can't wait to hear about the next man that you seduce and kill for their bank account." Sarah's last comment is so unexpected to Karen, she stands with wide eyes of her own. She stands as still as a statue as she watches Sarah walk down the stairs and burst through the door before slamming it shut as hard as she can.
+x+x+x+
The cold spring morning makes it difficult for Sarah to wake up, but she is eager to escape her nightmares. Getting out of bed, she lets her child continue to sleep as she gets up to move her body around. She immediately starts to plan for what to take for Ellie as she wanders into the living area to make some eggs and toast for the party of three. Walking in, she sees that Jareth is already wide awake and seated at the kitchen table looking over at the newspapers, yet again. She can't really blame him. There isn't much else to do until they arrive to the club later in the morning.
"Keep that up, and you'll rub off all of the ink." She comments with a low morning voice. The sound perks his ears and he turns to see the woman in a purple spaghetti-strap nightgown that is neatly traced with black lace, and dark grey sweatpants to cover her legs. "There will be nothing left on the page to anyone read." She sleepily grins passing him as she works her hair in a messy bun to prepare breakfast.
He watches her walk with a hum. "Keep dressing like this, and you might find someone other than a child in your bed." He replies with his own sleepy voice. It is low and rugged. She tries to ignore the attractive way his voice sounds.
"I was wondering when you were going to pull one of those pathetic little one-liners on me." She says opening her fridge to grab the breakfast supplies. "Though, that's a weak one compared to some of the beauties I've heard from the other girls."
"Who said I was talking about me?" His question causes her to slightly pause her movements. He notices her slight falter and smiles even more. "Besides. Didn't you specifically tell me not to hit on you?" That comment should not have made her blush. "Or have you changed your mind?" He stands to meet her in the kitchen.
"Been there, done that. Wrote the damn book." She attempts to dismiss him. "Regardless of who it is, it's highly unlikely I'd find anyone worthy of such an archaic position." Her actions starts to make the house smell quite good.
"On the topic of bedfellows, which position do prefer, exactly?" He asks leaning up against the wall in a playful fashion.
She sighs a heavy sigh. She does everything she can not to grin at the good comeback. "I have a frying pan in my hand, you know."
"Smells yummy." A small voice calls from the hall,and breaks whatever vibe they were starting with one another. Both adults see the cute little girl as she walks in the kitchen, holding Lancelot under one arm, and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with the other.
"You're just in time, my love." Sarah enters mom mode and she pulls out three plates to hand to Jareth. "Here, make yourself useful," she adds as she opens a drawers with her cheap silverware for him to make the table.
"Yes ma'am." His sly smile never leaves.
"Can I help?" Ellie asks. They all ready their plates for a lovely breakfast and a small plan to get everything together to leave.
Ellie does not stop raving about the idea of being able to go to her mother's job. Her smile beams as she hurries to ready herself for the day and packs up as much as she can in her small backpack. It is enough to keep her busy for the adults to get ready, themselves. Sarah warns her daughter not to get over excited and to walk nice and slow on their journey to the club, and if she can't behave there will be no more trips. This is more than enough of an incentive for Ellie to stay at her mom's side and to keep her hand in Sarah's. Sarah is weary of letting her child out of the house. Who knows what can make her sick, next?
Getting to M's Orchid, the door is already unlocked as the party walks into a busy workplace. Workers and performers can be seen readying themselves for the day. Michelina and Montgomery stand at the door, almost as if they are on guard for any who enter within their establishment. They see their cousin arrive with Miss Sarah, as well as her child. This is an unexpected turn, they decide, as they waltz their way up to the small group.
"Well, isn't this quite a sight." Michelina says in a swift motion. Her brother follows shortly behind.
"Aye, dear sister. Our lovely prospects do not seem to be joined any longer." Montgomery points out.
"Well, not quite." Sarah comments as she pulls up Jareth's arm to see the Fae's shackles are still embedded around his wrists. He forcefully pulls his arm back, sending gratuitous grins upon the twins faces.
"My, my," Michelina tweets.
"Twenty-four hours and she already has her pet quite domesticated." Montgomery adds with a twinkle in his eye as he sees the small, yet familiar child.
"I'm only waiting to see a collar with his name on it." Michelina chuckles at the thought.
"Hi!" A peep of a voice calls from under all noses. The twins' brows collectively rise at the sight of Sarah's child. Montgomery looks down with a sly grin.
"Why isn't it little..." He is having a hard time remembering the name of the child.
"Ellie!" She smiles. She is just so happy to be back in this place as she looks around.
"Aah, of course. Lovely to see you again, Miss Ellie." Michelina says as she pulls out a dark colored lollipop out of her pocket to give to the child. Ellie smiles in delight as she looks up to her mother for permission to accept the gift. Sarah nods in agreement as she immediately pops it in her little mouth.
The twins let them slide on through, but keep a watchful eye. At the sound of the child's name, everyone starts to coo and hug Ellie and see how much she has grown. She loves the attention, and Sarah uses this time to talk to Monty and Michelle about her situation. Her tutor is dealing with some personal happenings and she will have to bring her daughter until she can find a replacement for the next few weeks.
"You are in quite the predicament, Ms. Williams." Michelina says in understanding.
"Yes. And, well... I am not too comfortable with her being in the room with us while we practice our more... provocative numbers." Sarah says looking to the little girl who is distracted by all of her older dancer friends.
"The dances that I create for my girls are of the utmost artistic envisionment on my end." Michelina makes a note. "It's culture. Educate your child Sarah. Maybe she'll learn a few things."
"She might even join our ranks one day." Montgomery comments to the side. Sarah shudders at the thought. 'Absolutely not!' she thinks to herself. Little does she know, Jareth mentally shouts the same thing in his own mind, as if he had a hand in decision making for the well being of the child. But both of their poker faces remain.
"Maybe we can leave the culture to an older Ellie. But right now, she is still quite young, and the only thing she needs to be learning are her numbers and sight words." Sarah's smile appreciates their ideas, nonetheless. Jareth applauds her ability to charm anyone she needs to. "So I was wondering if she could bunk in your office for the time being, only until lunchtime. Just while we iron out the more adult dances."
"No children are allowed to be left unattended in our establishment." Montgomery's monotone voice grinds Sarah and Jareth's ears.
"Lucky for you, I happen to have a babysitter for the day. So, your wish has already come true." Sarah sassily responds out of playful embarrassment on Jareth's end.
Michelina looks to the young mother in shock. "You trust HIM with your child?"
"Maybe she suffered some kind of head injury. Surely her judgement is compromised." Montgomery adds.
Sarah chuckles. "With him in these," she drags the cuffs up again. "I have faith that she'll be fine."
"Will you stop that?" Again Jareth forcefully pulls his arm away from her with an eye roll.
The twins notice the irritation radiating in their cousin, and Sarah can see that they start to let their guard down.
"Montgomery, will you please escort our young guest and her sitter to our office?" Michelina says as she points the way down the hall with an inviting hand.
"What?" He looks to her in confusion.
"You heard Ms. Williams. She is risking the health of her child to make it to work today. I believe she has the right to a little help from her managers."
Sarah calls for Ellie to return to her. "I promise that she will not be in there one second more than she needs to be, Montgomery." She urges Ellie to follow Jareth and Montgomery. "Don't touch anything in their office, Ellie. It's not a playroom."
"Okay, mama."
Monty grumbles as he escorts Ellie and Jareth into the office. "It seems as though you had quite the wild Sunday, dearest cousin." Monty says unlocking the office door to let them in. "Care to divulge?"
"I'm sure you're just dying to know the details." Jareth says as he sits the child in Michelina's large leather seat in the center of the room in front of the desk. "But, alas that is not part of our bargain."
"You can't sit her there." Montgomery voices his disapproval.
"What is she going to do? Go through your things? I told you, I will be keeping a watchful eye on her." Jareth says pulling out some paper and crayons for her to use on their clean desk.
"It's not her that I am exactly worried about." Montgomery says as he side-eyes his cousin.
"Oh, is little Montgomery worried that I will find his stash of dirty pictures?" Jareth responds in sarcasm. "You can watch her if you like. It will give you some good practice for your new job for when you lose our little bet."
Just as Montgomery is about to release his own rebuttal, his name can be heard clear across the halls of the club. He sighs in annoyance as he makes his way to the door. "Just... don't touch anything." He paces out in a rush.
With a snide smile toward his incompetent cousin, he turns his attention back to Ellie to see that she is drawing something with the art supplies that he had pulled out for her. He watches her as she is in the drawing zone in her own little world. He pulls up a chair next to her to look to see what she is drawing. Somehow, the image is seems a tad familiar to him.
"That is an interesting drawing." He comments as he slowly starts to open a drawer to start snooping under the child's nose.
"This is where I meet Ludo," she says as she scribbles. He immediately stops what he is doing to look to her. What did she say? "He is trapped. I'm gonna help get him."
Jareth pauses for a moment, looking to the four year old in utter confusion. "Ludo?"
"Mmhm! And this is me." She continues to scribble something that somewhat resembles a stick person. "But the pwincess doesn't have a cat. I'm going to have a cat when I'm in the Labwinth." She smiles as she scribbles harder in excitement. "His name will be Button."
"The Labyrinth?" Jareth is absolutely shocked at the notion. How could she... "Do you mean the book?"
She immediately gasps in surprise and looks to Jareth. "You know the Labwinth?" She bounces in her seat.
His own surprise still stands, but a smile grows, nonetheless. "I know it very well," he leans in with a whisper. "It's one of my favorites."
She beams with happiness as she giggles like mad. "I told mommy that I wanna go there. But she says it's only a story." He can see the disappointment on her face. "But I think it's real."
"I am inclined to agree with you, love." He says as he watches her drop her crayons to rummage through her bag. She pulls out the warn little red book with golden lettering.
"Can you read it?" She asks with a joyous voice. Her continuous bouncing shakes her chair as he sees the golden letters does, indeed spell the word "Labyrinth" on the embroidered cover.
His smile is mischievous and prideful. He admits that he is very surprised to learn that Sarah would pass down this strange tradition to her own child after all that she had gone through. He still has much to learn about this woman, and wonders if he will ever cease to be surprised by this mother and her child. He happily accepts the book and makes himself comfortable next to young Ellie. "How about I teach you to learn how to read it, yourself?" He asks. She squeals in excitement as they start their first of many reading sessions to come.
So the ending here is kind of a little homage to my very best friend and fellow Labyrinth FF writer "Ismira Daugene". She is experiencing the hardships of helping her poor kitty cat endure his final days, and I really wanted to do something special. His name is Button, and he is the sweetest kitty. I wanted to do something special for her. I know it's little, but for those of you who read her stories, you now have an idea of what she is going through, and I ask that you send your kindest and warmest thoughts to her. She can really use them right now. And go read her stuff, if for some reason you aren't. It's GOOD!
I shall return. See you soon!