Disclaimer: You know it, I know it, the whole world knows it… do I really have to spell it out? NOT MINE.
- Chapter 2 -
Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase you
Even doves have pride
--Prince, "When Doves Cry"--
Three more words entered Sarah's head: Angry Goblin King.
And then, a whole flood of thoughts came rushing in. Among them, What's he doing here? I thought he was dead. I was just about to have sex. How much did he see? Did Michael just scream like a little girl?
At that last thought, Sarah turned toward her boyfriend, who was still sitting on the floor, staring at the intruder in shock. Half naked, bewildered, and his desire decidedly… deflated.
Then she turned back to her unexpected visitor, who watched them both coolly, arms folded across his chest. The expression on his face—well, the last time she had seen that very expression was on her math teacher, Mr. Zalinsky, three years ago. It was just two weeks after her little adventure, and she'd found herself constantly engrossed in daydreams, unable to concentrate on anything else. And then Sarah, normally a 'B' student, had scored herself a stunning 14% on her math exam. She suddenly remembered Mr. Zalinsky's exact words: "I'm disappointed in you, Sarah. We both know you can do much better than this."
Sarah felt her cheeks redden as the seconds dragged out. Finally Michael broke the silence. "You, um, know this guy, Sarah?"
Jareth's eyes momentarily flicked toward Michael, and a flurry of emotions passed through them, before they finally resettled into their usual expression. So neutral and indifferent. She could almost believe that this was just a casual, albeit unanticipated, reunion, not—whatever it actually was.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," she replied hesitantly. She had so many questions, but how could she ask them in front of Michael? She looked toward Jareth to see if perhaps he had something to say on the matter.
Apparently, he did not. He seemed completely satisfied with leaving the explanations to her.
Suddenly, embarrassment and discomfort aside, she felt herself getting very annoyed. Who did he think he was, showing up here after all these years and in circumstances such as this? She had not invited him into her life with her words this time. Toby was not even home.
Face hardening, she demanded answers. "What are you doing here?" Okay, there was question number one.
Jareth's attention returned to her. "Preventing you from making the biggest mistake of your life." Then he smirked. Oh, there it was again, three years later and just as infuriating as ever. "Or, should I say, doing the biggest mistake of your life?"
"Hey!" Michael interjected indignantly, while Sarah blushed a deeper shade of red. But Michael's complaints were quieted when Jareth sent him a single disdainful look. "Fair enough," he mumbled.
"I would really rather do this elsewhere, Sarah," Jareth continued once he had dealt with the interruption. "Someplace where we don't have to worry about an audience."
And just like that, before she had a chance to respond, they were gone, appearing an instant later in Jareth's throne room. An empty, silent, intimidating throne room. Aside from their locale, two other things had also changed. First, Sarah found herself standing, no longer sitting as she had been in her bedroom. Second, and more importantly, Jareth had transported her sans her blankets. Therefore, she was currently standing in the Goblin King's near-empty throne room, a few mere feet away from said ruler himself, wearing only jeans and her unclasped bra.
One leering grin and she was suddenly reminded of that fact. Her hands moved quickly to replace it as her fingers fumbled nervously on the clasp, and it didn't help the way he kept looking at her.
"Sarah, Sarah," he murmured as he moved close enough to trace the light blue material with one leather-clad finger. "I would have guessed white."
Freed from their completed task, her hands came up and pushed him away. It was strange how she had just moments ago been ready to go all the way with Michael, and now, mere looks and a suggestion from Jareth were enough to fill her with fear. More fear than she had experienced when she'd traversed the Labyrinth in order to save Toby.
"Oh, come now, Sarah," he said, fixing her with his mocking gaze. "You're not a child any longer—as you were just about to prove before I intervened." She detected just a hint of bitterness in the last part of that statement.
Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, reaching for some bit of modesty, as she replied, "What I was willing to do was with Michael, and those feelings are non-transferable."
"And what exactly is it about your Michael—" he practically spat the name out—"That makes you willing to give such an important part of yourself up to him?"
She glared at him in return. This was not a conversation that she wanted to have. God, she was starting to wish that it had been her dad who had walked in on them. But she realized that she had to answer, or else he would think that she had none to give him. "He loves me," she finally replied.
One arched eyebrow, "Do tell."
"What's there to tell?" she asked. "He said he does, and I believe him."
An undecipherable look clouded over Jareth's face. "That was how he said it, in those very words." It wasn't a question, but Sarah nodded anyway. "And that was what you wanted to hear, some empty words?" he asked, sounding angry now.
But Sarah was angry too, angry at the way he had brought her here without her consent, angry at the way he had simply burst back into her life, and angry at the way he could remain so damn unreadable even when he was full of emotion. "They are not empty words!"
"Yes, Sarah, they are," he replied cruelly. "Empty and hollow and meaningless. And how quickly you fell for the lies."
Before she could even think about what she was doing, her hand came up to meet his face, but in that very same instant, his own came up and grabbed her wrist. She stumbled backward as he pushed her roughly up against the wall, bringing his lips down to her own.
Sarah's eyes widened in response, as she stood, one hand pinned beneath his, and the other free but unknowing what to do. Then he pulled back, but his face was close enough still that all she could see were his eyes. Even then, without looking down, she knew he was grinning.
"Or maybe not, after all." To her confused gaze, he clarified, "You never said you loved him."
"I—" she opened her mouth to reply, but realized she had nothing to say.
Finally, he let go of her hand and moved back far enough so that she could remember to breathe. "So why would you give yourself to him?" he repeated his earlier question.
Sarah looked away and whispered, more to herself than to him, "It's not so important." But he heard nonetheless. After a moment's pause she met his gaze again, a renewed determination in her eyes. "It doesn't matter anyway—what you think and how you feel, about me and Michael—it doesn't matter." She pushed herself away from the wall, standing firmly as she spoke. He'd called her cruel once, and she decided to live up to his description. "Who are you to tell me what to do? I will do what I want… and who I want." Yes, that seemed to do the trick. "Go back to your Labyrinth, Goblin King. No one called for you, so you have no power over me."
Jareth's face hardened, the anger clear in his mismatched eyes. But then suddenly he grinned, a cold and frightening expression. "That sounds to me like a challenge, Sarah, and I certainly do enjoy a challenge."
