AN: This chapter started out different than the way it ended up. I think I know where it is going, but I am not so sure anymore. But hey! You all get to find out what Jareth did to Mark. It isn't really all that bad. More comical than anything else.
Chapter 6
Decisions
The hours that passed later that morning went too fast for me. I desperately wanted to stay, but a part of me still nagged me about returning to my normal life. Jareth and I had barely spoken, save for a few whispered words after we woke. We were both preoccupied with our thoughts. I knew he didn't want me to leave, but thought that I would resent him for keeping me within his world.
Jareth finally broke the silence at breakfast when he told me what had been done to explain my absence.
"Your great-aunt Rachel died and you went home for her funeral. You were her favorite grand niece, so to follow her wishes, you spent a week at her lakeside cabin, which you inherited, and scattered her ashes in the lake. Unfortunately, the cabin is not equipped with any sort of communication devices, and the nearest is an hour drive away. Not that you felt like talking to anyone. Her death deeply affected you, and the week away from everything has done you some good about coming to terms with her death. No one should ask you any pesky questions, not even Mark. He had things of his own to deal with."
"What did you do to him?" I asked, remembering that he had never told me what he had done.
Jareth didn't look up from his plate, "Nothing he didn't already have coming."
I decided to drop the topic, pretending to be interested in how he was able to come up with such a story about my absence, "How were you able to arrange all of this?"
"I have ways. Now, are you ready to go back?" He scooted his chair away from the table and held out his hand to me.
I slowly nodded my head, not believing that I would ever be ready to leave him. How could I have thought that I could leave easily when I felt the way I did? In two weeks I had become a completely new person, one with an active imagination, a taste for life, and strength to take on my new experiences. I had found a love from an unexpected source and had shared a night of passion with him. I was comfortable in my surroundings and knew that I belonged in his world. A tear rolled down my cheek as I made a very difficult decision. I wanted to come back, wanted to stay with Jareth forever. I was going to come back when I had tied up everything in my 'normal' life.
I pulled on Jareth's hand, motioning him to stop. "Jareth, wait a minute. I can't do this forever. I can't live in that world for the rest of my life knowing what this world is like. Give me two months. After that, regardless of if I call you or not, I want you to come and get me. Will you do that for me?" I looked into his eyes as I spoke, and I could see the elation build as he heard my words.
"Anything for you. But, are you sure that you want to leave entirely? It is a big change for you, and life here is not always easy. I don't want you to do anything that you aren't ready for."
"I'm sure. Now, the sooner I go, the sooner I will be able to come back, right?"
In response, he pulled me to him and held me for several minutes. We stood there as if the whole world could fall down around us and we wouldn't move. So many things were unspoken, so many emotions left to deal with, but neither one of us needed to. We could read each other perfectly, and that is all the reassurance that we needed. I was his and he was mine.
* * * * * * * *
At first, it felt odd to be back in my house. I couldn't call it home anymore. It wasn't home. My home was far away with Jareth. After the first week, I slipped back into my old routines: work, home, grocery store, phone calls to friends, things like that. I slowly prepared myself for the separation that was only a short seven weeks away. I began talking to my boss about finding a replacement for me, and I told my friends that I was going to be moving out of town. I had even started a countdown calendar in the kitchen, ticking off the days until I would return home.
The one thing that I was not prepared for was the way Mark behaved around me. He treated me like he did when we first started dating. He never said a harsh word, raised his voice, or even made an attempt to argue with me. It was like he was courting me all over again. But I knew it wouldn't last. I had even been brave enough to slip his ring off of my finger for the last time and give it back to him. I had worn it for the first few days while in the castle before taking it off and leaving it in a drawer. Now that I had it back on, it felt heavy and binding. I could see the rage boil up inside of his eyes when his fingers closed around the glittering stone, but it was quickly replaced by a look of not understanding.
"But why, Sarah?"
"I told you. I don't think that I am ready for that sort of commitment. Aunt Rachel's death made me think a lot about my life and the direction it was taking. I just don't know what I want right now. Please, don't hate me. I just think it is better for the both of us." I was lying, I did know what direction I wanted my life to go in. But, the rest of it was true.
"Does this have anything to do with that fight we had? I am so sorry about that. I came over the next morning to apologize, but you were gone. Once I saw the note that you left explaining what had happened, I realized what an ass I had been and felt terrible. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"
"Of course I can forgive you."*I just choose not to* I thought to myself. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? You seem a little distant."
"While you were gone, something did happen. I had the freakiest dream. Maybe it wasn't a dream, maybe it did actually happen. I don't know. After I came over to see you on the morning that you left, I went back home and crashed on the couch. The next thing I remember is being in this place that smelled like shit. Worse than that, actually. Really indescribable. The next thing I know, this guy in tight pants comes over and starts talking to me like he knows me. Then, out of nowhere come all of these short things and they have these sticks with mouths on them and they start whacking me with these sticks and the mouths started biting me. Weird thing about it is that I could actually feel the pain. It was everywhere. On my arms, in my hair, on my legs. To top it all off, the guy starts throwing things at me. They almost looked like clear round balls. I started ducking them so only one hit me, but that was enough. It hurt so much that I was knocked over and the guy comes over to me and says "Now you know what it is like." and kicks me in the side. I laid there for what seemed like hours, in pain and in this place that smelled bad. Next thing I know, I was back on the couch, pain free. I had slept the entire day, but at least I wasn't dreaming any more. How messed up is that?"
While Mark's dream unfolded for me, I fought the urge to laugh. Knowing my state of mind at that time, I would have been furious with Jareth if he had told me what he had done. But now, all I could do was listen as Mark told me how terrible it all had been. Later that night, we said our goodbyes and I closed another door in my life. I was surprised at how easy it all had been, glad that I was finally rid of Mark.
I walked to the kitchen and marked off the day on my calendar. Only six and a half more weeks to go.
* * * * * * * *
Things seemed to go pretty normally until one morning after I had been back in my house for a month. I woke up feeling awful, and I barely made it to the bathroom before I got sick in the toilet. My head was spinning as I lay on the cold tiled floor, wondering where I could have picked up such a bad case of the flu. I spent the next few days close to my bed, only venturing out of it occasionally. My secretary Rebecca came over one afternoon and persuaded me to go to the doctor. After three days of continually getting sick, I was willing to go anywhere anyone would take me, as long as I would feel better after going.
The nurse was friendly looking, with strawberry blonde hair that was pulled back away from her face. She took my temperature, my blood pressure, my pulse, and went over the list of usual questions, hovering over my face as I lay flat on the examination table.
"Are you on any medication right now?"
"No."
"Are you allergic to any medication?"
"No."
"When was your last period?"
I couldn't remember. Not right away, at least.
"Miss Williams? Hon, are you alright? Are you going to be sick again?"
"No. Um, it was about eight weeks ago, I think.
"Hmmm....Is there a chance that you could be pregnant?"
"Well...."
"Never mind. We can let you talk to the doctor about that. Do you think that you are well enough to sit up?"
And so the whole appointment went. The doctor could find nothing wrong with me, other than the fact that I couldn't hold anything down. He drew blood for tests and sent it away for some sort of quick scan. I laid on the table for nearly an hour before he came back with the typical manila folder in his hand.
"Well, my dear, there is nothing for you to worry about."
"So, I'm ok? Why am I so sick then?"
"You are fine. The morning sickness will pass on its own."
"Morning sickness?"
"Yes, Ms. Williams. Congratulations, you are pregnant."