Lookie! Another chapter! n.n UAW: Yeah, me too! It still runs great,
too, although one or two of my games don't want to work half of the time.
But that's okay, that's what emulators are for. *grin*grin* Anyway,
important chapter, so I expect lotsa reviews! n.- *iggles* I'm such an
praise-monger. n.n()
Disc: What disclaimer? They're mine! All mine! *gets slapped with a lawsuit* Geeze, I was kidding! *sighs and empties her wallet* There. 26 cents. And that's canadian money. S'all I have. *sighs*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Sarah's first paycheque rolled around, Jareth was getting tired of the box. Not that he didn't appreciate it in comparison to the carry case, but he was healing a little more every day, and he was starting to grow restless. He could move his wings now without any pain at all, although they would remain useless for a while when it came to flying. He would need to gradually build the muscles in them back up, but he couldn't do so in such a cramped space.
He was going to make sure Sarah got the message, too. She got home from work that day to find that the box's interior was shredded. The owl had his beak hooked over the cardboard rim (which now had several tears and a few chunks missing), and was tugging steadily. Another piece tore off and he spat it out onto the desk top.
"Hey!" Sarah dropped her bag and rushed over to inspect the damage. Jareth tilted his head and watched her finger the tattered rim. "Again, Jare? That's the third one this weekend..." She looked at him and sighed. "Guess we need to look into getting you a cage."
The Goblin King's head snapped up and he backed away, eyes wide. Not another cage...
Sarah saw his horrified expression and giggled. "A big one," she clarified, "or a perch or something." Jareth relaxed visibly. As long as she wasn't thinking of something as cramped and uncomfortable as that carry case, he wouldn't mind. Sarah scratched his neck affectionately as she thought about it. "But in the meantime, you're going to need another box."
Jareth paused mid-croon and sighed. Yes, of course. Another box. How silly of him to forget.
"Sorry, it's just until we find you something better," the girl promised. "Wait here while I find another box for you, okay?"
Well, at least he was graduating from box status soon, Jareth thought as she walked off. He couldn't really see much of Sarah's room from where he was, so the change of scenery would be welcome. It would certainly be an improvement over brown cardboard walls and Sarah's plain white stucco ceiling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah dug around through the attic, searching for something that her charge could use. It was proving to be a much more daunting task than she'd anticipated. Her family habitually hung onto every single piece of memorabilia that they'd received over the years, and it had managed to accumulate into quite the impressive collection. While this increased her chances of finding something usable, it also meant there was more to dig through in order to find it.
She'd been up here for a good hour now, after getting Jareth a new box and watching him settle down to sleep. He'd be awake again soon, since it was almost dusk, so she couldn't spend too much longer up here. Sarah glanced at the pile of dusty old junk she'd just finished sifting through and stretched tired, aching muscles. So far, she hadn't really come across anything, aside from an old wardrobe that looked promising, if she could get the permission from her father to modify it a bit. It would be ideal, in fact, but it would be a lot of work, and she needed to get a hold of some materials first, anyway. She needed something else in the meantime, before Jareth destroyed another box.
Sarah rubbed the back of her sore neck absently as she thought about her owl. It was still really strange, having him around, and she'd been forced to take on a lot of responsibility in taking care of both him and Merlin. Her dog would have to go in for a checkup soon, she realized. The idea made her nervous. Karen would probably come along, and it was almost guaranteed that her stepmother would mention Jareth to Dr. Trapp. Sarah was sure -that- would go over real well. She wasn't sure what she'd do once he found out, although she was hoping that, once the veterinarian saw how well the barn owl was being taken care of, he'd decide to let her keep Jareth. And she really wanted to keep him.
Sarah smiled. She'd grown quite fond of the little owl lately, ever since she'd woken up and he'd been there next to her. It still felt a bit unreal, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was so amiable that she had no doubts that he'd been born in captivity or similarly tamed, and he'd just escaped and gotten lost, or was abandoned. Whatever the circumstances were, he seemed used to people, and the way he behaved was almost human. Sarah was almost sure at times that he knew more of what was happening than he let on. After all, owls were said to be really intelligent, right? Sarah wouldn't be surprised.
A glint of metal caught her eye from a corner of the attic she had yet to explore. Wading through boxes and reaching up to pull the chord on the extra light hanging above her head, she peered closer to see what it was. The dusty old light bulb added a faded yellow glow to the dim illumination from the other bulb across the room, and Sarah could now make out a brass pole as the source of the gleam. It was lying at a funny angle, propped up against some boxes as if it had been tossed there, and partially hidden by a rolled-up old rug that used to adorn the floor in the basement. She got close enough to reach it by stretching, although she had to yank hard to free it and she nearly lost her balance twice.
Sarah held it up and studied it. She had been almost positive that this lamp had been given away to the Salvation Army or something. It was the gaudiest old thing. The pole ran up from a wide, round base that was cracking and chipped, proving that the 'brass' wasn't really brass at all, only some other metal that was painted to look that way. The neck ran upwards for about three feet, then bent at a 90 degree angle to run sideways for a bit, before finally making up it's mind and heading up again. A dingy, dusty yellow half-cone rested on top, made from some sort of strange paper mache that resembled bits of masking tape stuck into a crude effigy of a lampshade. It was absolutely hideous.
But it was perfect for what Sarah wanted it for. The lamp was designed so that it could overhang an easy chair or a bed by jutting out sideways, and the length of horizontal bar was about the perfect size for a bird of Jareth's size to perch on comfortably, with some extra room to move around a bit. Sarah started to wade back out of the mess, a triumphant grin on her face.
The next thing she did was find some duct tape and an old, ratty towel. She took off the lampshade and the metal frame that came with it and went to work. In no time at all, she had a usable perch, which she brought up to her room and set down in front of Jareth with an air of satisfaction.
"Look what I made for you," she announced proudly. The owl yawned and opened his eyes to see what she'd woken him up over. "Didn't I tell you that I'd get you a perch or something?" She continued as she reached in to lift him out of the box, mindful of how she held him around his wings, and set him down on the towel-wrapped bar. "Be right back," she called as she took the box and left the room to get an old newspaper.
Jareth shifted his weight experimentally. Not bad at all. The padding was comfortable, and he no longer felt claustrophobic. This was definitely -much- better than his previous accommodations, he noted with approval.
He stretched his wings and looked around curiously. He'd never really gotten a good look at Sarah's room before, although he'd glanced around when he had snuck into her room to climb onto her bed, and again while he sat in her lap soon afterwards. He'd watched her plenty of times through his crystals, true, but they tended to fuzz everything around the subject unless he willed it otherwise. Interesting how many of her possessions resembled aspects of his Labyrinth. He'd have to look into that when he got the chance.
His eye fell on an object on the desk behind him and he blinked, peering closer to inspect it. He'd never noticed it before, mostly because it had been hidden behind the box. Now the box was gone,and Jareth wasn't quite sure whether to feel amused or insulted.
Good grief, was that supposed to be -him-?
The little figure did loosely resemble him, although it didn't do him nearly enough justice, he noted with a sniff. At least it's attire was somewhat accurate, but his silky blond mane was -much- nicer than the dull pale mess of what passed for hair on the tiny statuette, and his complexion wasn't nearly so colorless.
Jareth scoffed and looked away. Where in all Aboveground the girl had gotten the thing, he couldn't imagine, although he reluctantly admitted that he was somewhat flattered that she had it at all. It meant that she thought about him, which was encouraging.
Still... he looked back and cringed. The thing was absolutely frightening.
He heard a familiar giggle behind him as Sarah came back in. "You like that thing, hey?" She grinned and set the newspaper down on the bed, picking up the ugly Goblin King replica and holding it up in front of him. "Isn't it creepy-looking? 'Hello!'" She spoke for the statue in an eerie falsetto imitation of his usual clipped tones, "'I am the Goblin King, Jareth. No one can beat my Labyrinth! Ah hah hah hah hah!'"
She made it dance about, while Jareth watched in appalled fascination. He got the distinct impression that he was being mocked.
"'No one can resist my stunning charms and good looks,'" she continued in the same doll-voice. "'Why yes, I do have a lemon in my pants! Would you like a peach? Or perhaps I could offer you your dreams.'" Sarah's grin turned positively wicked as she went on, "'All you have to do is accept my crystal balls! Just touch my balls, Sarah, and I can make all your dreams come true!'"
Jareth balked and lost his balance, tumbling to the carpet.
"Omigosh!" Sarah set the statue back on the desk and reached down to scoop the owl up gently, cradling him in her arms. "You okay?"
Jareth squirmed and she set him down on the tabletop. He shook his feathers and stared at her in disbelief. Had -his- Sarah just said what he'd thought she had? Were he in his other form, he would be turning a lovely shade of red right about now.
"Towel must have come loose," she muttered, tugging at it. "Guess I'll have to tape it on better."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I really don't like it, Sarah," Karen stated at dinner.
"What don't you like about it?" Sarah asked after swallowing a bite of pasta.
"It's too open. That owl could just hop off and go anywhere it wants, and I've told you already, it's not to leave your room." Her stepmother reminded her primly.
"Oh, for heaven's sake.." Sarah rolled her eyes. "He's not going to leave my room, I'm just taking him out of that stuffy little box. You were the one who kept complaining about how he was ripping them to pieces, remember? Besides," she added, taking a sip of her milk, "if Dad'll give me permission to use that old wardrobe up in the attic, it'll only be temporary."
Robert mumbled something through a mouthful of noodles. Karen nudged him under the table with her foot, and he swallowed before repeating the question. "Which old wardrobe?"
"Oh, the old green one, I'll show you after dinner. I was thinking of taking the panels out of the doors and replacing them with chicken wire. It would be really secure," Sarah looked at Karen. "I could put a sliding lock on the doors so that he couldn't get out, and it would be a lot roomier for him, and easier to keep clean."
"That sounds like a good idea," Karen agreed. "We even have some extra locks in the shed, don't we, honey?"
"Mmm hmm," Sarah's father agreed, "I'll have to see this wardrobe of yours, and then we'll decide whether or not it's a good plan."
"But you're buying the chicken wire yourself," Karen insisted. "You have a job now, and that owl is-"
"..My responsibility, I know, I know." Sarah rolled her eyes. "I'll go buy some tomorrow at the hardware store, if Dad'll drive me."
"Let's just see about this wardrobe first, okay?" Robert repeated.
"Fine," Sarah relented, "But I'm telling you, it's perfect for it."
"And if it's not, you still need to think of somewhere else to put that thing, because I will not have it sitting on a perch out in the open. You can always put him back in Merlin's carry case if it comes down to it." Karen speared a noodle on her fork and popped it into her mouth as she eyed her stepdaughter.
Sarah 'mmph'ed and swallowed her mouthful, rolling her eyes yet again. "I am not putting him back in that thing, Karen, he was miserable in there."
"Well, it's only a suggestion," Karen sniffed. "I still think he shouldn't be out in the open at all. It's too dangerous."
Sarah bit back a protest. It wouldn't help her case at all if she got her stepmother angry again. "Well, hopefully the wardrobe will work out, and then you won't have to worry any more. The perch is only temporary," she reminded them.
"Yes, well, we'll see how it works out," Karen agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "But I want you to keep your door closed at all times."
"Don't worry," Sarah reassured them as she stood up to take her empty plate to the kitchen. "I don't think the perch idea will really cause any problems at all."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah groaned and opened her eyes, awakened by yet another thump. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. 7:23 am. Damn it, today was -supposed- to be her day to sleep in. She pushed the covers aside and got out of bed to pick her owl up off of the floor. Again.
He looked up at her with sleepy, dazed brown eyes as she lifted him up and held him against her chest. So much for the perch idea not causing problems. She'd completely forgotten that barn owls were concave-dwellers. They slept on flat surfaces. They weren't built to sleep comfortably on little tiny perches. She sighed and wondered if this was going to be going on all day. Every time she put him back on the bar, he fell asleep and ended up falling off again sooner or later.
Yawning, she crawled back under the covers, the owl still nestled in her arms. If she had to bring him to bed with her to get some extra sleep, then that's what she'd do. She settled back down and he leaned against her, burying his face against her collarbone and going back to sleep. Sarah dozed off again a few moments later, gently hugging the soft warm thing beside her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was standing on a glassy pane, looking at the world below. The land all around him was barren and grey, and sharp stones jutted up from the ground, cold and merciless. He knew that whatever he did, he couldn't touch the ground, or he'd die. The sky above him was a sickly shade of green, intermingled with streaks of thick black and blood-red. Jareth shuddered. The whole place was deathly quiet, lifeless, and a horrible sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. He looked down.
The surface below him turned out to be the top of a giant hourglass. Only there was no bottom to it, and as he peered over the edge, he could see the warm golden sand inside flowing out of the funnel and spilling onto the unforgiving ground below. As it hit, it turned the same awful grey as the rocks, becoming dull and melting into the rest of the ground.
There was something hauntingly familiar about the sand that made Jareth's stomach twist as he watched. He steeled himself and looked down into the hourglass, a sinking feeling in his gut telling him that he already knew the answer.
Sure enough, it was a miniature version of the Underground that sat inside, slowly sinking lower and lower. One by one, different parts of it were disappearing under the sand with a sickening 'schlorp' sound, almost as if the sand were mud instead of desert. They fell out through the bottom and onto the chilly stone below, turning grey and shattering into unrecognizable fragments.
Jareth fell onto his hands and knees. He couldn't breathe. He felt positively ill.
He looked closer, and he could see Sarah inside, standing with her three travel companions and looking around in confusion.
"Sarah!" He called. Her head shot up and her eyes met his. She looked lost.
"What's going on?" She called back as the world around her sank. Hoggle took a step forward and glared up at the Goblin King.
"What're you doin' back here, Jareth?" He shook his knobby fist. "This is all yer doing, ain't it!? Come down here and fix it, ya rat!"
Jareth closed his eyes. "I can't."
"Whaddaya mean, you can't!?" Hoggle demanded. Jareth ignored him.
"Sarah, you need to make it stop," he told her.
"W-what?" Sarah blinked. "I don't understand... how?"
Jareth opened his mouth to reply, but the glass underneath him shook and he was tossed against it roughly.
"Ludo!" Sarah was screaming. "Ludo!"
"Sawah!" The great beast lowed, sounding scared. The desert below him gave way and was sucking him in. "Sawaaah!"
"Ludo!"
"Fear not, my brother, I will save thee!" Didymus came charging in on Ambrosius, ready to pull Ludo out. Another tremor shook the ground, and the sheepdog panicked, throwing Didymus off and scrambling to get away. Ludo was pulled right under, and Didymus followed head-first. Ambrosius didn't get far before he was sucked into the dusty ground as well. There was a loud 'whump' as the sand settled over where they had been.
"Didymus!" Sarah sobbed. "Ludo!" It had all happened so fast...
Jareth pushed himself to his knees, spitting out blood. He looked back down at the sound of his name.
"Jareth!" Sarah cried again, wiping away tears determinedly. "What do I do?"
"You have to-" he began, and was cut off by another earthquake. Sarah whirled around in time to see Hoggle get pulled into the sand as well.
"Damn you, Jareth!" He cried, and was swallowed up.
"No! Hoggle!" Sarah fell to her knees and clawed at the sand. "Hoggle!"
Jareth squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch as the girl dug into the sand, trying to retrieve her friend. She finally gave up and sat back, covering her eyes with one dirtied hand and weeping bitterly.
"Jareth!" Sarah stood up shakily, her voice pleading. "Do something! Bring them back! Tell me how to bring them back!"
Now Jareth hesitated. The last two tremors had happened because he'd made an attempt to help her. He knew with an unshakable certainty that she'd be next if he tried again. The thought of losing her... it was unthinkable, plain and simple.
"...I cannot." He slumped in defeat. She'd be sucked in before the words could even leave his mouth.
"What!? Please! I'll do anything!" She begged. "I don't care about defying you anymore, just bring them back! Please..." Her voice broke as she saw that he wouldn't give in to her wishes.
She really didn't understand, he thought sadly. He looked away, unable to face her any longer.
"Damn you, why won't you help me!?" Sarah demanded.
The ground shook again, and Jareth's eyes widened in alarm. The sand was almost gone! "Sarah! Get out of there!"
Sarah screamed as she was sucked in up to her waist. "Help me!" Her voice grew shrill with terror. "Please! Jareth!" Her cries were cut off as she disappeared under the sand, her hand stretching upwards in desperation before it, too, was swallowed up.
"No!!" Jareth shouted, pounding at the glass with his fists. "Sarah!" Oh, gods, she was gone... he had to get to her! "Sarah!" The pane split and shattered beneath him, and he was falling, falling...
He shot upwards with a start and was momentarily blinded. Blinking, he turned away from the light as a pair of hands picked him up.
"Ssssssh," Sarah soothed, "It's okay, Jareth, you're safe..."
Jareth buried his face in her neck as relief flooded through him. She was alright, he was alright, it had only been that dream again. But it had felt so real...
Someone was making small, frightened noises, and after a moment, he realized that it was him. Sarah continued to smooth his feathers, whispering comforting things to him and holding him reassuringly.
After a while, he started to calm down enough to rationally think about the dream he'd just had. While he'd had it repeatedly for the last few nights now, it was the first time he could remember all of it. It wasn't terribly difficult to interpret. Any imbecile could tell what the sand running out through the half-hourglass meant. The magic would continue to seep out of his realm until there was nothing left, and the longer he waited to stop it, the harder it would be to reverse the damage. In all likelihood, it was happening already. Sarah still loved the Underground, as far as he knew, but she was starting to lose her faith in it, and she was distracted by too many everyday cares to daydream about it as often as she used to.
Strangely enough, the thought of losing his kingdom hadn't frightened him nearly as much as the idea of losing Sarah. It hadn't just been the fact that she held his power. He had felt desperate, lost, quite literally sick to his stomach. He had, by now, grown used to the idea that he might never be able to go home again, but he had to admit that he wasn't quite sure what he'd do if Sarah wasn't around. He'd be dead right now. She was the only thing that kept him going lately. She was HIS Sarah, and he didn't relinquish what was his without a fight. And now that she'd finally stopped hating him, he wasn't quite so angry with her any more. Even if the circumstances were less than ideal.
Jareth buried his face in her hair, reveling in the warmth that crept through him. Even if he didn't get his powers back or get to go home, things wouldn't be too bad if he could stay with her. He didn't feel quite so lost when Sarah was here. He practically melted when she began scratching his neck lightly. When had he grown so soft? It seemed as though he really had become a pet after all, but it didn't matter. He was in a better position because of it, and he couldn't bring himself to fight it any longer, anyway.
And that was when it dawned on him, as clear as one of his crystals. Too late he realized his mistake, and there was nothing he could do to reverse it now.
Heaven help him, he had let himself fall in love with her all over again.
Disc: What disclaimer? They're mine! All mine! *gets slapped with a lawsuit* Geeze, I was kidding! *sighs and empties her wallet* There. 26 cents. And that's canadian money. S'all I have. *sighs*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Sarah's first paycheque rolled around, Jareth was getting tired of the box. Not that he didn't appreciate it in comparison to the carry case, but he was healing a little more every day, and he was starting to grow restless. He could move his wings now without any pain at all, although they would remain useless for a while when it came to flying. He would need to gradually build the muscles in them back up, but he couldn't do so in such a cramped space.
He was going to make sure Sarah got the message, too. She got home from work that day to find that the box's interior was shredded. The owl had his beak hooked over the cardboard rim (which now had several tears and a few chunks missing), and was tugging steadily. Another piece tore off and he spat it out onto the desk top.
"Hey!" Sarah dropped her bag and rushed over to inspect the damage. Jareth tilted his head and watched her finger the tattered rim. "Again, Jare? That's the third one this weekend..." She looked at him and sighed. "Guess we need to look into getting you a cage."
The Goblin King's head snapped up and he backed away, eyes wide. Not another cage...
Sarah saw his horrified expression and giggled. "A big one," she clarified, "or a perch or something." Jareth relaxed visibly. As long as she wasn't thinking of something as cramped and uncomfortable as that carry case, he wouldn't mind. Sarah scratched his neck affectionately as she thought about it. "But in the meantime, you're going to need another box."
Jareth paused mid-croon and sighed. Yes, of course. Another box. How silly of him to forget.
"Sorry, it's just until we find you something better," the girl promised. "Wait here while I find another box for you, okay?"
Well, at least he was graduating from box status soon, Jareth thought as she walked off. He couldn't really see much of Sarah's room from where he was, so the change of scenery would be welcome. It would certainly be an improvement over brown cardboard walls and Sarah's plain white stucco ceiling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah dug around through the attic, searching for something that her charge could use. It was proving to be a much more daunting task than she'd anticipated. Her family habitually hung onto every single piece of memorabilia that they'd received over the years, and it had managed to accumulate into quite the impressive collection. While this increased her chances of finding something usable, it also meant there was more to dig through in order to find it.
She'd been up here for a good hour now, after getting Jareth a new box and watching him settle down to sleep. He'd be awake again soon, since it was almost dusk, so she couldn't spend too much longer up here. Sarah glanced at the pile of dusty old junk she'd just finished sifting through and stretched tired, aching muscles. So far, she hadn't really come across anything, aside from an old wardrobe that looked promising, if she could get the permission from her father to modify it a bit. It would be ideal, in fact, but it would be a lot of work, and she needed to get a hold of some materials first, anyway. She needed something else in the meantime, before Jareth destroyed another box.
Sarah rubbed the back of her sore neck absently as she thought about her owl. It was still really strange, having him around, and she'd been forced to take on a lot of responsibility in taking care of both him and Merlin. Her dog would have to go in for a checkup soon, she realized. The idea made her nervous. Karen would probably come along, and it was almost guaranteed that her stepmother would mention Jareth to Dr. Trapp. Sarah was sure -that- would go over real well. She wasn't sure what she'd do once he found out, although she was hoping that, once the veterinarian saw how well the barn owl was being taken care of, he'd decide to let her keep Jareth. And she really wanted to keep him.
Sarah smiled. She'd grown quite fond of the little owl lately, ever since she'd woken up and he'd been there next to her. It still felt a bit unreal, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was so amiable that she had no doubts that he'd been born in captivity or similarly tamed, and he'd just escaped and gotten lost, or was abandoned. Whatever the circumstances were, he seemed used to people, and the way he behaved was almost human. Sarah was almost sure at times that he knew more of what was happening than he let on. After all, owls were said to be really intelligent, right? Sarah wouldn't be surprised.
A glint of metal caught her eye from a corner of the attic she had yet to explore. Wading through boxes and reaching up to pull the chord on the extra light hanging above her head, she peered closer to see what it was. The dusty old light bulb added a faded yellow glow to the dim illumination from the other bulb across the room, and Sarah could now make out a brass pole as the source of the gleam. It was lying at a funny angle, propped up against some boxes as if it had been tossed there, and partially hidden by a rolled-up old rug that used to adorn the floor in the basement. She got close enough to reach it by stretching, although she had to yank hard to free it and she nearly lost her balance twice.
Sarah held it up and studied it. She had been almost positive that this lamp had been given away to the Salvation Army or something. It was the gaudiest old thing. The pole ran up from a wide, round base that was cracking and chipped, proving that the 'brass' wasn't really brass at all, only some other metal that was painted to look that way. The neck ran upwards for about three feet, then bent at a 90 degree angle to run sideways for a bit, before finally making up it's mind and heading up again. A dingy, dusty yellow half-cone rested on top, made from some sort of strange paper mache that resembled bits of masking tape stuck into a crude effigy of a lampshade. It was absolutely hideous.
But it was perfect for what Sarah wanted it for. The lamp was designed so that it could overhang an easy chair or a bed by jutting out sideways, and the length of horizontal bar was about the perfect size for a bird of Jareth's size to perch on comfortably, with some extra room to move around a bit. Sarah started to wade back out of the mess, a triumphant grin on her face.
The next thing she did was find some duct tape and an old, ratty towel. She took off the lampshade and the metal frame that came with it and went to work. In no time at all, she had a usable perch, which she brought up to her room and set down in front of Jareth with an air of satisfaction.
"Look what I made for you," she announced proudly. The owl yawned and opened his eyes to see what she'd woken him up over. "Didn't I tell you that I'd get you a perch or something?" She continued as she reached in to lift him out of the box, mindful of how she held him around his wings, and set him down on the towel-wrapped bar. "Be right back," she called as she took the box and left the room to get an old newspaper.
Jareth shifted his weight experimentally. Not bad at all. The padding was comfortable, and he no longer felt claustrophobic. This was definitely -much- better than his previous accommodations, he noted with approval.
He stretched his wings and looked around curiously. He'd never really gotten a good look at Sarah's room before, although he'd glanced around when he had snuck into her room to climb onto her bed, and again while he sat in her lap soon afterwards. He'd watched her plenty of times through his crystals, true, but they tended to fuzz everything around the subject unless he willed it otherwise. Interesting how many of her possessions resembled aspects of his Labyrinth. He'd have to look into that when he got the chance.
His eye fell on an object on the desk behind him and he blinked, peering closer to inspect it. He'd never noticed it before, mostly because it had been hidden behind the box. Now the box was gone,and Jareth wasn't quite sure whether to feel amused or insulted.
Good grief, was that supposed to be -him-?
The little figure did loosely resemble him, although it didn't do him nearly enough justice, he noted with a sniff. At least it's attire was somewhat accurate, but his silky blond mane was -much- nicer than the dull pale mess of what passed for hair on the tiny statuette, and his complexion wasn't nearly so colorless.
Jareth scoffed and looked away. Where in all Aboveground the girl had gotten the thing, he couldn't imagine, although he reluctantly admitted that he was somewhat flattered that she had it at all. It meant that she thought about him, which was encouraging.
Still... he looked back and cringed. The thing was absolutely frightening.
He heard a familiar giggle behind him as Sarah came back in. "You like that thing, hey?" She grinned and set the newspaper down on the bed, picking up the ugly Goblin King replica and holding it up in front of him. "Isn't it creepy-looking? 'Hello!'" She spoke for the statue in an eerie falsetto imitation of his usual clipped tones, "'I am the Goblin King, Jareth. No one can beat my Labyrinth! Ah hah hah hah hah!'"
She made it dance about, while Jareth watched in appalled fascination. He got the distinct impression that he was being mocked.
"'No one can resist my stunning charms and good looks,'" she continued in the same doll-voice. "'Why yes, I do have a lemon in my pants! Would you like a peach? Or perhaps I could offer you your dreams.'" Sarah's grin turned positively wicked as she went on, "'All you have to do is accept my crystal balls! Just touch my balls, Sarah, and I can make all your dreams come true!'"
Jareth balked and lost his balance, tumbling to the carpet.
"Omigosh!" Sarah set the statue back on the desk and reached down to scoop the owl up gently, cradling him in her arms. "You okay?"
Jareth squirmed and she set him down on the tabletop. He shook his feathers and stared at her in disbelief. Had -his- Sarah just said what he'd thought she had? Were he in his other form, he would be turning a lovely shade of red right about now.
"Towel must have come loose," she muttered, tugging at it. "Guess I'll have to tape it on better."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I really don't like it, Sarah," Karen stated at dinner.
"What don't you like about it?" Sarah asked after swallowing a bite of pasta.
"It's too open. That owl could just hop off and go anywhere it wants, and I've told you already, it's not to leave your room." Her stepmother reminded her primly.
"Oh, for heaven's sake.." Sarah rolled her eyes. "He's not going to leave my room, I'm just taking him out of that stuffy little box. You were the one who kept complaining about how he was ripping them to pieces, remember? Besides," she added, taking a sip of her milk, "if Dad'll give me permission to use that old wardrobe up in the attic, it'll only be temporary."
Robert mumbled something through a mouthful of noodles. Karen nudged him under the table with her foot, and he swallowed before repeating the question. "Which old wardrobe?"
"Oh, the old green one, I'll show you after dinner. I was thinking of taking the panels out of the doors and replacing them with chicken wire. It would be really secure," Sarah looked at Karen. "I could put a sliding lock on the doors so that he couldn't get out, and it would be a lot roomier for him, and easier to keep clean."
"That sounds like a good idea," Karen agreed. "We even have some extra locks in the shed, don't we, honey?"
"Mmm hmm," Sarah's father agreed, "I'll have to see this wardrobe of yours, and then we'll decide whether or not it's a good plan."
"But you're buying the chicken wire yourself," Karen insisted. "You have a job now, and that owl is-"
"..My responsibility, I know, I know." Sarah rolled her eyes. "I'll go buy some tomorrow at the hardware store, if Dad'll drive me."
"Let's just see about this wardrobe first, okay?" Robert repeated.
"Fine," Sarah relented, "But I'm telling you, it's perfect for it."
"And if it's not, you still need to think of somewhere else to put that thing, because I will not have it sitting on a perch out in the open. You can always put him back in Merlin's carry case if it comes down to it." Karen speared a noodle on her fork and popped it into her mouth as she eyed her stepdaughter.
Sarah 'mmph'ed and swallowed her mouthful, rolling her eyes yet again. "I am not putting him back in that thing, Karen, he was miserable in there."
"Well, it's only a suggestion," Karen sniffed. "I still think he shouldn't be out in the open at all. It's too dangerous."
Sarah bit back a protest. It wouldn't help her case at all if she got her stepmother angry again. "Well, hopefully the wardrobe will work out, and then you won't have to worry any more. The perch is only temporary," she reminded them.
"Yes, well, we'll see how it works out," Karen agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "But I want you to keep your door closed at all times."
"Don't worry," Sarah reassured them as she stood up to take her empty plate to the kitchen. "I don't think the perch idea will really cause any problems at all."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah groaned and opened her eyes, awakened by yet another thump. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. 7:23 am. Damn it, today was -supposed- to be her day to sleep in. She pushed the covers aside and got out of bed to pick her owl up off of the floor. Again.
He looked up at her with sleepy, dazed brown eyes as she lifted him up and held him against her chest. So much for the perch idea not causing problems. She'd completely forgotten that barn owls were concave-dwellers. They slept on flat surfaces. They weren't built to sleep comfortably on little tiny perches. She sighed and wondered if this was going to be going on all day. Every time she put him back on the bar, he fell asleep and ended up falling off again sooner or later.
Yawning, she crawled back under the covers, the owl still nestled in her arms. If she had to bring him to bed with her to get some extra sleep, then that's what she'd do. She settled back down and he leaned against her, burying his face against her collarbone and going back to sleep. Sarah dozed off again a few moments later, gently hugging the soft warm thing beside her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was standing on a glassy pane, looking at the world below. The land all around him was barren and grey, and sharp stones jutted up from the ground, cold and merciless. He knew that whatever he did, he couldn't touch the ground, or he'd die. The sky above him was a sickly shade of green, intermingled with streaks of thick black and blood-red. Jareth shuddered. The whole place was deathly quiet, lifeless, and a horrible sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. He looked down.
The surface below him turned out to be the top of a giant hourglass. Only there was no bottom to it, and as he peered over the edge, he could see the warm golden sand inside flowing out of the funnel and spilling onto the unforgiving ground below. As it hit, it turned the same awful grey as the rocks, becoming dull and melting into the rest of the ground.
There was something hauntingly familiar about the sand that made Jareth's stomach twist as he watched. He steeled himself and looked down into the hourglass, a sinking feeling in his gut telling him that he already knew the answer.
Sure enough, it was a miniature version of the Underground that sat inside, slowly sinking lower and lower. One by one, different parts of it were disappearing under the sand with a sickening 'schlorp' sound, almost as if the sand were mud instead of desert. They fell out through the bottom and onto the chilly stone below, turning grey and shattering into unrecognizable fragments.
Jareth fell onto his hands and knees. He couldn't breathe. He felt positively ill.
He looked closer, and he could see Sarah inside, standing with her three travel companions and looking around in confusion.
"Sarah!" He called. Her head shot up and her eyes met his. She looked lost.
"What's going on?" She called back as the world around her sank. Hoggle took a step forward and glared up at the Goblin King.
"What're you doin' back here, Jareth?" He shook his knobby fist. "This is all yer doing, ain't it!? Come down here and fix it, ya rat!"
Jareth closed his eyes. "I can't."
"Whaddaya mean, you can't!?" Hoggle demanded. Jareth ignored him.
"Sarah, you need to make it stop," he told her.
"W-what?" Sarah blinked. "I don't understand... how?"
Jareth opened his mouth to reply, but the glass underneath him shook and he was tossed against it roughly.
"Ludo!" Sarah was screaming. "Ludo!"
"Sawah!" The great beast lowed, sounding scared. The desert below him gave way and was sucking him in. "Sawaaah!"
"Ludo!"
"Fear not, my brother, I will save thee!" Didymus came charging in on Ambrosius, ready to pull Ludo out. Another tremor shook the ground, and the sheepdog panicked, throwing Didymus off and scrambling to get away. Ludo was pulled right under, and Didymus followed head-first. Ambrosius didn't get far before he was sucked into the dusty ground as well. There was a loud 'whump' as the sand settled over where they had been.
"Didymus!" Sarah sobbed. "Ludo!" It had all happened so fast...
Jareth pushed himself to his knees, spitting out blood. He looked back down at the sound of his name.
"Jareth!" Sarah cried again, wiping away tears determinedly. "What do I do?"
"You have to-" he began, and was cut off by another earthquake. Sarah whirled around in time to see Hoggle get pulled into the sand as well.
"Damn you, Jareth!" He cried, and was swallowed up.
"No! Hoggle!" Sarah fell to her knees and clawed at the sand. "Hoggle!"
Jareth squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch as the girl dug into the sand, trying to retrieve her friend. She finally gave up and sat back, covering her eyes with one dirtied hand and weeping bitterly.
"Jareth!" Sarah stood up shakily, her voice pleading. "Do something! Bring them back! Tell me how to bring them back!"
Now Jareth hesitated. The last two tremors had happened because he'd made an attempt to help her. He knew with an unshakable certainty that she'd be next if he tried again. The thought of losing her... it was unthinkable, plain and simple.
"...I cannot." He slumped in defeat. She'd be sucked in before the words could even leave his mouth.
"What!? Please! I'll do anything!" She begged. "I don't care about defying you anymore, just bring them back! Please..." Her voice broke as she saw that he wouldn't give in to her wishes.
She really didn't understand, he thought sadly. He looked away, unable to face her any longer.
"Damn you, why won't you help me!?" Sarah demanded.
The ground shook again, and Jareth's eyes widened in alarm. The sand was almost gone! "Sarah! Get out of there!"
Sarah screamed as she was sucked in up to her waist. "Help me!" Her voice grew shrill with terror. "Please! Jareth!" Her cries were cut off as she disappeared under the sand, her hand stretching upwards in desperation before it, too, was swallowed up.
"No!!" Jareth shouted, pounding at the glass with his fists. "Sarah!" Oh, gods, she was gone... he had to get to her! "Sarah!" The pane split and shattered beneath him, and he was falling, falling...
He shot upwards with a start and was momentarily blinded. Blinking, he turned away from the light as a pair of hands picked him up.
"Ssssssh," Sarah soothed, "It's okay, Jareth, you're safe..."
Jareth buried his face in her neck as relief flooded through him. She was alright, he was alright, it had only been that dream again. But it had felt so real...
Someone was making small, frightened noises, and after a moment, he realized that it was him. Sarah continued to smooth his feathers, whispering comforting things to him and holding him reassuringly.
After a while, he started to calm down enough to rationally think about the dream he'd just had. While he'd had it repeatedly for the last few nights now, it was the first time he could remember all of it. It wasn't terribly difficult to interpret. Any imbecile could tell what the sand running out through the half-hourglass meant. The magic would continue to seep out of his realm until there was nothing left, and the longer he waited to stop it, the harder it would be to reverse the damage. In all likelihood, it was happening already. Sarah still loved the Underground, as far as he knew, but she was starting to lose her faith in it, and she was distracted by too many everyday cares to daydream about it as often as she used to.
Strangely enough, the thought of losing his kingdom hadn't frightened him nearly as much as the idea of losing Sarah. It hadn't just been the fact that she held his power. He had felt desperate, lost, quite literally sick to his stomach. He had, by now, grown used to the idea that he might never be able to go home again, but he had to admit that he wasn't quite sure what he'd do if Sarah wasn't around. He'd be dead right now. She was the only thing that kept him going lately. She was HIS Sarah, and he didn't relinquish what was his without a fight. And now that she'd finally stopped hating him, he wasn't quite so angry with her any more. Even if the circumstances were less than ideal.
Jareth buried his face in her hair, reveling in the warmth that crept through him. Even if he didn't get his powers back or get to go home, things wouldn't be too bad if he could stay with her. He didn't feel quite so lost when Sarah was here. He practically melted when she began scratching his neck lightly. When had he grown so soft? It seemed as though he really had become a pet after all, but it didn't matter. He was in a better position because of it, and he couldn't bring himself to fight it any longer, anyway.
And that was when it dawned on him, as clear as one of his crystals. Too late he realized his mistake, and there was nothing he could do to reverse it now.
Heaven help him, he had let himself fall in love with her all over again.