cherish19

AN: As promised, here is the next part of our story! And in the same night too! I'm on a roll here. I actually have about two thirds of the next chapter written, so you can expect that out either tomorrow or Friday. While this chapter is short, I think you'll find it interesting. In the meantime, I'm going with one of Cogito's ideas. It's a story called "Once Upon an Eternity". It will be much more involved than this story is, and more on the drama side. I attached the summary for it at the end of this chapter…like a movie trailer…to see if you guys would be interested. I'm already on chapter three of it, but don't expect to see it until I have five or six chapters completed. I want to stay ahead of the game so I don't have such long lapses in updating as I did with Cherish. Please, let me know if you think this new plot is worth exploring. And, as always: Enjoy, read, and review! ~ Saphire

Chapter nineteen: A Dangerous Scheme

Sarah stood in the same place long after Jareth's figure had disappeared over the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, igniting the sky in a bright crimson and orange fire. But, Sarah looked with unseeing eyes. She was wondering of the latest change in the Goblin King. She swore that she would never figure him out, and a tiny voice in her head whispered that she wouldn't want to. But, enough was enough. Her last nerve was frayed. She had come back, tried to help, and failed. Now, she just wanted to go home. The problem was getting Jareth to do it. Maybe, she thought, I can get Jareth's cousin to send me back. But, she knew even as the thought came that it wasn't a viable option. But, it just didn't seem likely to her that Jareth was ready to send her back yet. "What else can I do here, though?" she asked herself aloud. She hoped Jareth had some ideas, because she hadn't a clue.

D'Vinnian watched the encounter between his cousin and Sarah and watched Jareth storm off. He knew Jareth's theory was wrong and had tried to tell the Goblin King as much, but he wasn't surprised Jareth hadn't taken his advice. He watched as Sarah looked after Jareth, even after his cousin was long gone. Quietly, D'Vinnian reached out with his sense of magic and hoped that his mule-headed cousin hadn't gone too far. He smiled to himself, no, Jareth was still close enough. Perfect.

"Sarah, may I speak with you?" D'Vinnian asked quietly as he approached the woman standing silently and no doubt thinking of his cousin.

Sarah started at the sound of a voice behind her. So like Jareth's, but younger and gentler. She turned to face the Goblin King's cousin.

"What about, Goblin Lord?" Sarah asked, feeling she had to be formal with him.

D'Vinnian smiled at her, letting only kindness show, and none of his cunning, "Please, Sarah, call me D'Vinnian or Vin…or I shall start addressing you as Miss Williams."

Sarah giggled softly, "Alright. What do you want to speak about, D'Vinnian?"

D'Vinnian folded his hands behind his back and nodded off to the side, the direction Jareth had gone in, "Walk with me, Sarah."

After a few moments of silence, D'Vinnian began, all the while keeping track of where Jareth was. He knew his cousin well enough to know he was heading back to the chasm, to that place he'd once held so dear. It would fall right into D'Vinnian's scheme.

"I knew Jareth's plan would fail."

Sarah looked up at him, "But how? And why didn't you try to tell -"

"I did. You should know my cousin well enough by now, Sarah, to know that he wouldn't listen."

Sarah decided to venture a question, "Do you know, then, how to truly rebuild the kingdom?"

D'Vinnian nodded, sweeping a stray hair out of his face, "I do."

"And am I still a part of this?"

"Most definitely. Sarah, dreams aren't the only source of magic that mortals have that the kingdom could use."

"What other source is there?" Sarah questioned, confused.

D'Vinnian placed his finger to the side of his nose, signaling it was a secret.

Sarah sighed, exasperated, "Tell me, please."

D'Vinnian shook his head, a half-smile twisting his lips, a strange gleam in his green eyes. But, before Sarah could question him again, she noticed that she and D'Vinnian had reached the chasm, and it looked spectacular in the sunset. D'Vinnian could see Jareth, completely oblivious to their presence, just out of Sarah's range of sight. He set his plan into motion, conjuring an illusion as he and Sarah continued to walk along the chasm's edge, Sarah occasionally glancing over at the waterfall. When she looked up, she saw Jareth ahead of them, walking away. Without realizing it, her pace quickened and she left the Goblin Lord behind her. Maybe Jareth would know what D'Vinnian was hinting at. With that thought, her pace quickened again and she started to jog to Jareth. As she got closer, she noticed that he seemed weak. He looked about ready to drop to the ground. Indeed, for a minute it seemed he would do just that, but, instead, he toppled over to his side, over the edge of the chasm.

"Jareth!" Sarah screamed, going to run after him before slipping on a rock herself. As she started over the edge of the deep cliff, all she could do was scream.

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Jareth had been walking along the edge of the chasm for a while, letting the soft sound of the water soothe him. He felt a presence suddenly and looked up to see Sarah running to him. As he watched on in horror, Sarah slipped, screaming his name, then screaming as she fell down the chasm. With eyes wide with shock, Jareth transported himself to Sarah, stopping her fall, and bringing her back up to safety, pulling strongly on his already waning magic.

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Sarah had her eyes shut tight, waiting to reach bottom. Her body jerked as she felt herself land in someone's embrace and she wrapped her arms around strong shoulders without looking. When she felt herself laid on the ground, she opened her eyes to see Jareth. Their eyes met for a moment and a spark flew…then Jareth passed out cold.

AN2: Yeah, I know, I kinda left this one hanging a little bit. I figured I would try my hand at suspense…though it's not exactly a cliffhanger. I mean, we know Sarah's safe. Oh, I know you're all very intelligent, but Cogito wants me to make sure that I explain that the Jareth that Sarah sees go over the chasm's edge was the illusion D'Vinnian made. But I'm sure you all knew that. Anyway, as I explained above, here is the summary for my newest venture. Please, I'm really looking for some opinions on this…and Cherish as well. You've all been so great at reviewing, it's such an inspiration to me, and I trust you all for honest opinions. Like I said, if you want to flame me, do so eloquently. ** Holding breath ** Well, here goes nothing:

Once Upon An Eternity

Summary: It has been seven years and Sarah is back Underground, and this time it's as a queen. There are still a lot of open wounds between her and Jareth, the least of which would be his games of seduction which only stopped after her wedding. Slowly, though, the Faery Queen and the Goblin King are mending fences and becoming friends. But, when Sarah ends up pregnant, is her husband truly the father?? Furthermore, when the Faery King turns up dead and all signs point to Jareth, whom will Sarah believe? Were Sarah and Jareth meant for each other? Will the Faery and Goblin Kingdoms become one, or will war tear them - and possibly the entire Underground - apart? Rated NC-17 for graphic violence, sex, and language later in the story. For now, let's say PG-13. Drama/Romance/Fantasy