For the final time, only Damien is mine.
"No!" Jareth said in a choked voice. He wrapped his arms around her as the blade fell to the floor. He pressed his hand over her wound, mumbling incoherently. Damien was laughing now. Anger boiled up inside him again, anger that gave power to his tired body. Jareth gently lay Sarah down and grabbed the sword, slick with Sarah's blood. He lurched forward and managed to jam the blade into Damien's leg. Damien fell to the floor screaming. Jareth yanked out the blade and shoved it upward into Damien's stomach and into his lung.
While Damien writhed on the floor, Jareth crawled back over to Sarah and cradled her against him. He realized that his eyes stung with newly shed tears. He stroked her hair away from her face with bloody hands, whispering to her, though his mind couldn't understand his own words.
"He was right about me getting hurt because his memories broke," Sarah murmured, watching the dead form of Damien disappear. Glancing back up at Jareth, the grey tinge slowly faded from her eyes before she closed them, resting her head against his chest.
Jareth felt his magik flowing back into him and he placed his hand over her wound. He felt his magik flow into her and heal her, sapping what little remained of his strength. He transported them back to their rooms in his castle and collapsed beside her on the bed, too weak to worry about the mangled state of his own body.
Sarah awoke some time later, wondering if she had been dreaming. Looking down at her arms, she saw the long burn marks and knew it had been real. Slowly rolling over, her gently pulled Jareth to her, using a crystal to ease his pain since she didn't know how to heal him.
Jareth stirred and then clamped himself to her, pressing his face to her neck. He mumbled something in his sleep and sighed, content, before continuing his rest.
Sarah smiled softly and cuddled against him, quickly falling asleep beside him.
Jareth opened his eyes to a blinding shaft of sunlight. He closed his eyes and pressed his face into Sarah's neck. A thought slowly sank into his sleepy mind and he smiled, he had his wife back. He let his mind collect itself and went over the events of the past few days. All of these thoughts he came across were met with an attitude of annoyance and anger until he remembered the sickening sound of that blade plunging into his wife's stomach and the warmth of the blood as it spilled onto his chest. He shivered and hugged Sarah to his chest, trying to banish the horrific thoughts.
Sarah ran her hands through his hair and kissed his forehead, slowly waking up.
Jareth cleared his mind of all thoughts but those of the present. He pulled away to look at his wife.
"Sarah, are you all right?"
"I think so, I'm just scared at what I remember of what happened," Sarah murmured, nuzzling his neck.
He ran his fingers through her hair, smiling softly.
"You were taken from me," he said softly, almost to himself.
"I remember that much," Sarah said, kissing his jaw.
He swallowed. "That's all that happened. Everything is okay."
Sarah nodded and snuggled against him, crying quietly as the shock of what had happened wore off.
He held her close to himself, kissing her forehead.
"What's wrong Sarah? You're safe now, it's all right," he said soothingly.
"I know, but it scared me," Sarah said, pulling back to look at her husband's familiar face.
He smiled softly at her. She didn't seem to remember, for which he was glad. The less she remembered the easier she would sleep. He kissed her softly.
"Don't worry my queen," he said, looking her over. "We will get you fixed up and then we'll rest up a bit."
"Sounds good," Sarah murmured, leaning forward for another, slower kiss.
As he kissed her, Jareth let his hands travel over her body, healing the burns and bruises that covered her.
Breaking away, she sighed softly. "What about your legs?" she whispered against his lips.
He blinked, confused, and looked down at his legs. Blood had rubbed off of his wounds and onto the covers. He had forgotten about them completely because of their numbness. He looked over at Sarah.
"Let me teach you how to heal," he said, kissing her temple as he sat up. "First, place your hands on the wounds and picture, in your mind, the wound gone without pain. Then make it so with your magik. You won't need a crystal."
Sarah slid lower on the bed, placing her hands on both of Jareth's legs. Doing as he said, she visualized his legs healed. Her eyelids fluttered as her magik flowed out and healed his legs. Resting her head in his lap, she smiled softly up at him.
Jareth stroked her face with his fingertips. Her shining green eyes looked back up at him. "You are a quick learner my beautiful Sarah."
He was quiet for a few moments. "You are all right now?"
"I think so, but I still don't remember quite a lot of what happened," Sarah murmured, catching one of his fingers between her lips.
He grinned and ran the tip of his finger over her teeth. "Perhaps it is better this way, my flirtatious queen," he said in a slightly amused voice.
Sarah curled her tongue around his finger, lacing the fingers of one hand with his second hand.
Jareth took his finger from her mouth and replaced it with his lips after rearranging himself on the bed so that one of his newly healed legs held her down to the bed and the other pressed against the outside of her thigh. He clamped his hands over her wrists and kissed her neck.
"You do know we'll have to announce to our subjects that we have returned, safe and sound?"
"Later?" Sarah whispered, nuzzling his neck and smiling at how wonderful it was to be back with her husband.
He pulled back and smiled at her.
"If you wish it to be so."
"I do wish it so," Sarah whispered, kissing him softly.
Sarah wrapped the towel around herself and walked behind Jareth, peeking at his towel clad reflection in the mirror. Kissing his shoulder, she laid her head against his back, her damp hair sticking to her skin.
"I know there's something I need to remember, but I can't," she muttered, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Jareth smiled and took one of her hands in his.
"Don't think about it Sarah. It's over and-"
There was a knocking on the door.
"Your highness? You are back? Your highness?"
Jareth groaned and pulled himself away from Sarah and pulled on a robe then went to answer the door, his hair sticking up at all angles. He pulled open the door and leaned on the frame.
"Yes?"
The goblin took a step back.
"We were worried about you sire. You's back now I see."
Jareth nodded. "Yes. Perceptive little one, aren't you?"
The goblin nodded. "My mum always said I got the brains."
Jareth laughed. "I'll bet she did. Now, is that all?"
The goblin nodded. Jareth waved a hand at it.
"All well and good then. Tell the others so myself and my queen are not to be disturbed."
With that he closed the door in the goblin's face and walked back to his wife, running his hands through his hair as he did so.
Sarah smiled at Jareth and leaned her cheek against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
He rested his cheek on hers and sighed.
"Oh my Sarah, you tired me out again."
Sarah laughed softly and hugged him. "As did you my king."
He smiled as he traced the line of her towel against her skin.
"I do try to please you."
"You seem to accomplish that quite nicely," Sarah said, kissing the pulse on his neck.
Jareth chuckled and pulled away, giving her a quick kiss. He tugged on a pair of silk pants and perched himself on his windowsill.
"It feels so good to look out this window again," he mumbled.
Sarah smiled and pulled her robe out of the wardrobe, exchanging the towel for it. She walked back to where Jareth sat and leaned against him, putting her arms around his shoulders, the important memory still nagging her at the back of her mind.
Jareth sighed and was about to speak when there was another knock on the door. He gritted his teeth.
"Away with you or I'll chuck you into the an oubliette!"
"An oubliette! It has something to do with an oubliette," Sarah muttered, staring out of the window.
Jareth looked up at her.
"What does?"
"What I'm trying to remember, something that's important," Sarah said irritably.
He stood and touched his fingers to her cheek.
"Don't trouble your mind with it. If it's important it will come."
"Well, I wish it would come soon," she murmured, cupping her hand over his.
He smiled and then growled as the banging persisted.
"What!"
The door opened and Hoggle, Didymus and Ludo entered.
"You's all right Sarah?" Hoggle asked for the group.
"Yes, Jareth rescued me. Ludo, when did you get back from looking for Jareth, when I was kidnapped you still hadn't returned," Sarah murmured, leaning back against her husband.
Ludo blinked slowly at her question.
"Ludo looking hard. Ludo looked undew evewything. Jaweth no place. Didn't find Jaweth so Ludo kept looking."
"Oh," Sarah murmured, still wondering when he had returned.
Sir Didymus bowed low before her and Jareth.
"Tis a great relief to have you back m'lady."
"Thank you Sir Didymus, I'm very glad to be back," Sarah said with a smile.
"And now that you's back sire, tell the kitchen to ease up on the salt will youse?" Hoggle muttered, not knowing what to say.
"Salt," Sarah murmured. "I've got it! It was that little bratty girl that put a ring of salt around her sibling. She summoned the demon," she cried out.
"What! It is death for anyone to summon a creature of the dark hells," Jareth said, his eyes wide.
"Well, she somehow managed to get away with it," Sarah murmured, scraps of her memory drifting back to her.
"I'm not so sure she did, let me check," Jareth said, creating a crystal in one hand while he slipped his second around her waist.
The crystal formed a small image of the girl's room, everything shrouded with an aspect of sorrow and gloom.
"I'd say she didn't get away with it," Jareth murmured quietly, letting the image fade.
"So's there won't be's anymore demons chasin' you's?" Hoggle asked timidly.
"Let's hope not," Sarah muttered, sitting beside Jareth and glancing from him to her three friends who stood before her.
Turning to Jareth, she tilted her head.
"You don't have any other brothers turned demon with a grudge against you, do you?"
For a moment, he regarded her solemnly, then began to chuckle. "I really hope not, because that was exhausting."
Sarah laughed softly and hugged him. "Well, at least we're both back."
"And believe me, I'm very glad of that fact," Jareth told her with a smile.
El Fin
