CS: **had brand new clothes on and is drying her hair** Um, this is the next chapter. If there are any water stains on it you know who to blame.
J: **walks in wearing a pink frilly robe with lace and fake pearls all over it** Can I take this stupid thing off yet?
CS: No.
J: **whines** But it itches!
CS: Jareth, Jareth, still whining, Jareth!
Lestat: HEY!
CS: **looks aggravated** AND WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM? FIRST SPIKE, NOW YOU! GODS, a girl has to have a break from all these sexy men eventually, ya know?
Lestat and Jareth: You think I'm sexy?
CS: **screams**
Disclaimer: So what if most of this belongs to other people; what are you going to do, sue me?
Please don't!
Chapter Eighteen: 'The time has come' the Walrus said…
"Jareth, come on," Sarah said two weeks later. Her wound was fully healed; nothing left but a light scar that was barely noticeable on her pale flesh. There had been no change is Celeste's health. "Let's go for a walk. It'll help keep the circulation in your legs," she joked.
Sarah had been begging him to do something with her for the longest time. Finally, Jareth gave in. The walk through his courtyard was silent, yet somehow peaceful. It was dark out, almost thirteen o' clock.
Jareth walked silently beside Sarah. He looked at each flower, each bush, each stone as if seeing it for the first time. He remembered when Celeste and he had walked through this very courtyard for the first time.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
"Jarey, it's beautiful!" Celeste exclaimed.
"Why thank you, Lesty. I was thinking about your Damsel Garden when I constructed this."
"See, I knew that you couldn't have constructed this on your own. Always stealing my ideas!" Celeste teased.
"Why you no good- that's preposterous! You're the one always getting me in trouble!" He said, rising to the bait.
"Yes, but then I'm always blamed for it!" Her eyes glittered as she turned to look at him.
"But I'm your younger brother- that's my job- to annoy you!"
"Well, I'M going to be the MATURE one and walk away from this…" she flipped her hair.
"Arrogant!" he called.
She turned slowly, "Bastard!"
He smirked, "Conceited!"
Her jaw dropped before answering, "DRAG QUEEN!"
His eyes narrowed, "ELEPHANT EGO!"
Her eyes gave him the look that clearly said 'look who's talking'. Suddenly, her lips curved into an evil smile.
"Celeste, no!" when he realized what she was about to say.
"Fop."
"Grandma!"
"Fop."
"Bad Hair Year!"
"Fop."
"Idiot!"
"Fop."
"STOP saying that!"
"Saying what, Fop?"
"Stop!"
"Fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fo-"
"THAT'S IT!" Jareth screamed as he lunged onto her.
Screaming and falling into a flower bush, the two wrestled. There was a great struggle, one second Celeste had the advantage- the next Jareth had it. The tussle went on for a little while longer until Jareth had Celeste pinned under him and he was tickling her mercilessly.
"UNCLE! UNCLE!" she screamed between her laughs.
He let her go and stood, looking down on her menacingly. "I win."
"Yes," she said as she got up. She brushed off her skirts. "You most certainly did win." She started to walk away, leaving Jareth with a triumphant smile.
She turned when she got to the door, "But that's only cause I let you, fop!" her bell-like laughter rang out again as she raced to her bedroom, Jareth in pursuit, laughing as well.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He had a ghost of a smile on his face as he recalled that day. She didn't stop addressing him as fop and "His Royal Foppiness" until he took back everything he had said about her.
But the truth hit him like a freight train in his stomach, she wouldn't be calling him fop anymore, and they wouldn't tease and fight at all…
His brooding mood returned. Sarah, he thought as he looked at his love. She was looking at him concerned. He stopped and sighed, leading them to a bench. He was about to do the hardest thing in his life.
"Sarah, there's something I need to talk to you about…"
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
"Whether or not, I'll wake up?" she questioned. "You mean I have a choice?"
"Yes, you have the power to wake up and yet, you may not if you choose as much."
"Does everyone have this decision, Gabriel?"
"No, very few do. Most people do not have the power to wake up again," he stated. He looked at her and smiled. Gods, he had missed her- sometimes watching wasn't enough. He couldn't resist caressing her cheek.
"Oh Gabriel, I don't want to leave you!" she cried, holding him tight. "How could I leave you again? I love you so much… every day is a torture… to know that I can't be with you; that you're not by my side where you should be. To know that I'll never be able to hold you or kiss you ever again…" she sobbed.
He let her cry. He didn't answer her until her huge sobs had died down to small hiccups and silent tears. "Oh my love, my sweet precious love, nothing would give me more pleasure than to have you here with me. But you must consider what you're giving up your friends and your family… Jareth would be destroyed without you!"
"I DON'T CARE! I don't care! I just need to be with you!" she cried, sobs slowly returning. "I love you! I love you so much!"
"And I you. But darling, truly think about your decision… it's not a quick and easy one," he sighed. He held something out to her, a candle.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"This is your life, Celeste. That brilliant flame is yours and yours alone." He pointed to a door that hadn't been there before. It was made of gold, white gold, and silver swirled together, making odd designs and letters. "This is your choice. You must walk through that door, but when you do- you must choose whether you will snuff the candle and die or keep the flame going and return to the land of the living." He turned to her. "This is your choice, not mine, not Jareth's, and not Gavinn's, yours."
He handed her the candle. Her wide eyes turned to his, her lips trembling. Gabriel couldn't resist any longer. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Listen to me. Listen. I love you; I will always love you. And I will always be waiting, but once you say good bye to the world, it's gone. Make a wise decision, luv. I'll always love you, I'll always be waiting, I'll always be watching, and I'll always be with you. Remember, the hardest part about being in this world is living in it." He kissed her forehead. "Until we meet again," he whispered. He disappeared leaving her with her decision.
(A/N: Yeah, yeah I took some of it from Buffy)
"I love you," echoed in the air. A tiny *ping* followed the whispered vow.
She looked down and saw her wedding ring, the one that had been stolen the day she was turned into a vampire. "I love you too," she whispered to her vacant lover.
She looked at the flame and her ring and considered.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He created a crystal. "Sarah, I've decided that you should go home."
Her concerned expression turned to that of shock. She stood, "What?"
He looked at her wearily. "I'm not fit enough to protect you, you were caught many times, and injured. If it hadn't been for Celeste… Gods, you would be worse off…"
"Just like that," she said slowly. "You're going to give up… without a fight- just like that!"
"Sarah, please don't make this harder than it already is. I can't protect you and-"
"I never asked for a protector, Jareth! I never wanted a knight in shinning armor from you! I wanted a friend, a shoulder to cry on, an equal… a lover…" she looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears. "But if your not strong enough to fight for it, for everything you have then go ahead and send me home. Because then you're no longer my Jareth, you're just a forgotten Goblin King."
"I want to be with you, Sarah, I do but it's impossible!"
"So is walking upside down and goblins the last time I checked but they still exist. Love, Jareth, is never easy, but you don't see me giving up do you!"
Jareth was ready to give up, his will disintegrating before his eyes. He held out the crystal, "Just take it and go. You know how to use it."
She slowly took the crystal and looked at Jareth. She looked beyond the façade he was putting up and tilted her head. "No," she said simply, smashing the globe at their feet.
"Sarah…"
"No, I'm fighting it…" she approached him. "Can't you see that I care?" she stepped closer almost touching him. "Can't you see that I love you, Jareth?"
He looked just as shocked as he was the first time he heard it, "Sarah…"
She didn't let him finish; instead, she pulled him into a delicate, but passionate kiss.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Celeste took a deep breath, this was it. She walked to the door and turned the handle. Then she-
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
What, you thought I was just going to give it all away. Nuh-uh. You'll just have to wait until next chapter.
J: **walks in wearing a pink frilly robe with lace and fake pearls all over it** Can I take this stupid thing off yet?
CS: No.
J: **whines** But it itches!
CS: Jareth, Jareth, still whining, Jareth!
Lestat: HEY!
CS: **looks aggravated** AND WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM? FIRST SPIKE, NOW YOU! GODS, a girl has to have a break from all these sexy men eventually, ya know?
Lestat and Jareth: You think I'm sexy?
CS: **screams**
Disclaimer: So what if most of this belongs to other people; what are you going to do, sue me?
Please don't!
Chapter Eighteen: 'The time has come' the Walrus said…
"Jareth, come on," Sarah said two weeks later. Her wound was fully healed; nothing left but a light scar that was barely noticeable on her pale flesh. There had been no change is Celeste's health. "Let's go for a walk. It'll help keep the circulation in your legs," she joked.
Sarah had been begging him to do something with her for the longest time. Finally, Jareth gave in. The walk through his courtyard was silent, yet somehow peaceful. It was dark out, almost thirteen o' clock.
Jareth walked silently beside Sarah. He looked at each flower, each bush, each stone as if seeing it for the first time. He remembered when Celeste and he had walked through this very courtyard for the first time.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
"Jarey, it's beautiful!" Celeste exclaimed.
"Why thank you, Lesty. I was thinking about your Damsel Garden when I constructed this."
"See, I knew that you couldn't have constructed this on your own. Always stealing my ideas!" Celeste teased.
"Why you no good- that's preposterous! You're the one always getting me in trouble!" He said, rising to the bait.
"Yes, but then I'm always blamed for it!" Her eyes glittered as she turned to look at him.
"But I'm your younger brother- that's my job- to annoy you!"
"Well, I'M going to be the MATURE one and walk away from this…" she flipped her hair.
"Arrogant!" he called.
She turned slowly, "Bastard!"
He smirked, "Conceited!"
Her jaw dropped before answering, "DRAG QUEEN!"
His eyes narrowed, "ELEPHANT EGO!"
Her eyes gave him the look that clearly said 'look who's talking'. Suddenly, her lips curved into an evil smile.
"Celeste, no!" when he realized what she was about to say.
"Fop."
"Grandma!"
"Fop."
"Bad Hair Year!"
"Fop."
"Idiot!"
"Fop."
"STOP saying that!"
"Saying what, Fop?"
"Stop!"
"Fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fop fo-"
"THAT'S IT!" Jareth screamed as he lunged onto her.
Screaming and falling into a flower bush, the two wrestled. There was a great struggle, one second Celeste had the advantage- the next Jareth had it. The tussle went on for a little while longer until Jareth had Celeste pinned under him and he was tickling her mercilessly.
"UNCLE! UNCLE!" she screamed between her laughs.
He let her go and stood, looking down on her menacingly. "I win."
"Yes," she said as she got up. She brushed off her skirts. "You most certainly did win." She started to walk away, leaving Jareth with a triumphant smile.
She turned when she got to the door, "But that's only cause I let you, fop!" her bell-like laughter rang out again as she raced to her bedroom, Jareth in pursuit, laughing as well.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He had a ghost of a smile on his face as he recalled that day. She didn't stop addressing him as fop and "His Royal Foppiness" until he took back everything he had said about her.
But the truth hit him like a freight train in his stomach, she wouldn't be calling him fop anymore, and they wouldn't tease and fight at all…
His brooding mood returned. Sarah, he thought as he looked at his love. She was looking at him concerned. He stopped and sighed, leading them to a bench. He was about to do the hardest thing in his life.
"Sarah, there's something I need to talk to you about…"
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
"Whether or not, I'll wake up?" she questioned. "You mean I have a choice?"
"Yes, you have the power to wake up and yet, you may not if you choose as much."
"Does everyone have this decision, Gabriel?"
"No, very few do. Most people do not have the power to wake up again," he stated. He looked at her and smiled. Gods, he had missed her- sometimes watching wasn't enough. He couldn't resist caressing her cheek.
"Oh Gabriel, I don't want to leave you!" she cried, holding him tight. "How could I leave you again? I love you so much… every day is a torture… to know that I can't be with you; that you're not by my side where you should be. To know that I'll never be able to hold you or kiss you ever again…" she sobbed.
He let her cry. He didn't answer her until her huge sobs had died down to small hiccups and silent tears. "Oh my love, my sweet precious love, nothing would give me more pleasure than to have you here with me. But you must consider what you're giving up your friends and your family… Jareth would be destroyed without you!"
"I DON'T CARE! I don't care! I just need to be with you!" she cried, sobs slowly returning. "I love you! I love you so much!"
"And I you. But darling, truly think about your decision… it's not a quick and easy one," he sighed. He held something out to her, a candle.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"This is your life, Celeste. That brilliant flame is yours and yours alone." He pointed to a door that hadn't been there before. It was made of gold, white gold, and silver swirled together, making odd designs and letters. "This is your choice. You must walk through that door, but when you do- you must choose whether you will snuff the candle and die or keep the flame going and return to the land of the living." He turned to her. "This is your choice, not mine, not Jareth's, and not Gavinn's, yours."
He handed her the candle. Her wide eyes turned to his, her lips trembling. Gabriel couldn't resist any longer. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Listen to me. Listen. I love you; I will always love you. And I will always be waiting, but once you say good bye to the world, it's gone. Make a wise decision, luv. I'll always love you, I'll always be waiting, I'll always be watching, and I'll always be with you. Remember, the hardest part about being in this world is living in it." He kissed her forehead. "Until we meet again," he whispered. He disappeared leaving her with her decision.
(A/N: Yeah, yeah I took some of it from Buffy)
"I love you," echoed in the air. A tiny *ping* followed the whispered vow.
She looked down and saw her wedding ring, the one that had been stolen the day she was turned into a vampire. "I love you too," she whispered to her vacant lover.
She looked at the flame and her ring and considered.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He created a crystal. "Sarah, I've decided that you should go home."
Her concerned expression turned to that of shock. She stood, "What?"
He looked at her wearily. "I'm not fit enough to protect you, you were caught many times, and injured. If it hadn't been for Celeste… Gods, you would be worse off…"
"Just like that," she said slowly. "You're going to give up… without a fight- just like that!"
"Sarah, please don't make this harder than it already is. I can't protect you and-"
"I never asked for a protector, Jareth! I never wanted a knight in shinning armor from you! I wanted a friend, a shoulder to cry on, an equal… a lover…" she looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears. "But if your not strong enough to fight for it, for everything you have then go ahead and send me home. Because then you're no longer my Jareth, you're just a forgotten Goblin King."
"I want to be with you, Sarah, I do but it's impossible!"
"So is walking upside down and goblins the last time I checked but they still exist. Love, Jareth, is never easy, but you don't see me giving up do you!"
Jareth was ready to give up, his will disintegrating before his eyes. He held out the crystal, "Just take it and go. You know how to use it."
She slowly took the crystal and looked at Jareth. She looked beyond the façade he was putting up and tilted her head. "No," she said simply, smashing the globe at their feet.
"Sarah…"
"No, I'm fighting it…" she approached him. "Can't you see that I care?" she stepped closer almost touching him. "Can't you see that I love you, Jareth?"
He looked just as shocked as he was the first time he heard it, "Sarah…"
She didn't let him finish; instead, she pulled him into a delicate, but passionate kiss.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Celeste took a deep breath, this was it. She walked to the door and turned the handle. Then she-
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
What, you thought I was just going to give it all away. Nuh-uh. You'll just have to wait until next chapter.