Ick. I don't know about you all, but I didn't enjoy that lovely hiatus one
bit. I've completley lost my drive to write this story. Luckily, however,
I've pre-written chapter 19 as well, so hopefully I can shovel out chapter
20 in time to post it more or less on time. Anyway, enjoy. n.n() I also
couldn't think of a good title for this one, so blah.
Disc: Bah.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jareth glared at Sarah defiantly. Of all the rotten timing, she had to have chosen -now- to have figured it out. She didn't appear very happy to have made the discovery, either.
And she was just standing there, watching him. Obviously waiting for something. He shifted irritably. What did she expect him to do? Confirm it? Say "yes, Sarah, I am the Goblin King"? She was in for a disappointment if that was the case.
"Well?" She asked finally. "You are him, aren't you?" Jareth leaned forward and regarded her coldly, as if to say 'what do you think?', and Sarah took a step back. "What do you want? Are you after Toby again?" She hated the way her voice shook at that last question.
Jareth sniffed haughtily. So it was back to this, was it? He would not have dignified that one with a response, even if he -could- have made one.
Sarah felt frustration welling up inside her. "Damnit, say something!" He was just sitting there, acting so annoyingly owl-ish. As if he could ever play the innocent now. It -was- him, she was sure of it. All the little clues clicked into place now. She was amazed that she hadn't realized it sooner. No normal owl could have possibly survived even half of what he'd been through. It just wasn't possible.
And now he was going to insult her intelligence by continuing with this little charade? Of all the arrogant, selfish, stuck-up... Well, two could play at this game, she decided. "Fine, if you won't speak up, then I'll just have to stop feeding you until you're forced to admit who you are." She flipped her hair over one shoulder and left the room.
Jareth let out the breath that he had been holding. This wasn't good. He could starve, and she wouldn't even realize that it wasn't an act until she found him dead. She may choose to wish him out of this dilemma in some way or another, but he didn't like having to rely on that. It was risky, and he'd already lost too much by taking unnecessary gambles. It probably didn't matter what he thought of the situation, however. He had very little choice but to leave things in the hands of fate at this point.
He heard the back door slam below, and the soft sound of Sarah's footfalls on the grass. From the sound of it, she was heading next door. 'Running to him, are you, Sarah?' He sighed and turned to face the wall.
She would never help him, and he was a fool to have thought that she would have. He knew that now. Perhaps it would have been better if he'd been killed by that horned owl. Or turned over to the animal healers and given a painless death. Either situation would have been preferable to being trapped here, condemned to die unless Sarah took pity on him. And now that she had convinced herself that he could survive without her help, he could expect no mercy. If only she still thought of him as an owl. He would have had care, affection, a chance to think of a way out of this.
All this time, he had been clinging to the belief that she knew. Now he wished that she had never found out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah fled from her house, ignoring her father's protests. She had to get out.
She was halfway across the yard before it finally sunk in. Jareth was here. THE Jareth. The Goblin King. Her rival. In her house. Posing as a normal owl for the last month. She couldn't stop the tears from welling up as she climbed Alex's front steps and reached for the doorbell.
Posing as an owl. Her owl. But no, he really wasn't her owl, was he? He wasn't -her- Jareth, he was the real Goblin King. Staying at her house, probably scheming right in front of her the entire time. Had he been laughing at her as she held him in her arms? How could she feel any love for the little creature now? He wasn't an innocent animal at all. He was a cunning, deceitful, manipulative bastard, and he'd managed to fool her completely. She'd -trusted- him completely.
No, she'd trusted the barn owl completely. The Goblin King was a different story entirely.
She felt so used.
How dare he...
"Sarah?" Alex opened the door and looked at her tear-streaked face. Sarah's lip trembled and she threw her arms around Alex's neck. The boy patted her back in confusion. "Sar, what's wrong?"
Sarah shook her head and pulled away. "Nothing. I... I can't explain."
"Err... okay." Alex didn't seem very satisfied by that answer, but he shrugged and swung the door wide open. "Wanna come on in?" Sarah nodded and stepped inside.
"Want anything to drink? Milk, hot chocolate, beer?" Alex asked, heading towards the kitchen.
"Just milk's fine." Sarah pulled off her shoes and followed him.
"One of these days I'm gonna get you to try alcohol," he told her, getting a glass out of the cupboard and going to the fridge for the milk. Sarah wrinkled her nose.
"You got me to try beer at the barbecue, remember? I had a sip of yours."
"Oh, right," Alex nodded and grabbed a beer for himself. "And you thought that it tasted like rat piss."
"Well, I didn't put it that way, but yes," Sarah agreed, accepting the milk that Alex handed her and following him down into the basement.
"Wanna play Zelda again?" Alex headed towards the TV.
Sarah was tempted, but she wasn't really in a game mood. "Nah, that's okay. Maybe we could watch a movie? I kinda just want to stare at a screen for awhile."
"Sounds good." Alex pulled a tape from the shelf and popped it in the VCR. "Evil Dead?"
"Never seen it, but sure." Sarah made herself comfortable on the couch and sipped her milk, and Alex hit play and joined her a moment later.
Sarah started to watch the movie, but she couldn't really get into it. She was far too preoccupied with the Goblin King. It was easier to forget him when he was far away, but when he was right in her house? Not likely.
She glared at the TV screen absently. She still couldn't believe that he'd completely fooled her into believing that he was an innocent owl. She should have known better! He'd taken advantage of her compassion to get into her house and put himself in a position to spy on her and her family. God only knew what he'd been plotting, what he was planning to do to them. She was angry at herself for walking right into it. Angry and scared.
She thought back to earlier and mentally kicked herself. Maybe it would have been smarter to pretend she didn't know for awhile longer, if only to delay whatever he was going to do now that he was discovered. She could have prepared herself, been ready for it. She should have thought ahead, but she'd been so determined to confront him that she'd just gone ahead and rushed in. She wasn't going to go back on her promise now, though. He knew now that she knew, and there was no point in keeping up this little facade.
Sarah sighed. Maybe he would just leave sooner, now that she wasn't playing his game any more. He had no power over her, right? As long as she didn't let him get the upper hand, he really couldn't do much. This was -her- turf, after all.
Assuming, of course, that he didn't have the upper hand already. She had no way of knowing.
She was so preoccupied with her line of thought that she never noticed when Alex first snuck his arm around her shoulders, then his hand on her knee. His kiss caught her completely off-guard.
At first she was too surprised to do anything but sit there. She hadn't even seen it coming. Then several things registered. She'd dropped her glass and spilled what was left of her milk on her leg, and it was soaking through her jeans. Alex reeked of beer, and when he forced his tongue into her mouth, it was alcohol-flavoured. Sarah wondered how many he'd had before she'd decided to come over. She finally regained her senses and shoved him away.
"Alex! Get off of me!" She moved to the end of the couch and gave him a wounded glare. "Jeez, what did you think you were doing!?"
"Aw, c'mon, Sar," Alex snorted. "I thought I made it pretty damned obvious that I like you."
"Yeah, as a friend!" Sarah exclaimed. "Where on earth did this come from?"
"What are you talking about? Sarah..." Alex leaned towards her and she backed away. He sighed. "Christ, Sar, I've always liked you. Why the hell did you think I was always bugging you to get out of your room and do stuff?"
"I thought you wanted to be friends again!" Sarah eyed Alex nervously.
"Oh, come on, Sar." Alex gave her a condescending look. "We've known each other for years. We practically grew up together. I think we're past the friends stage."
"I don't," Sarah protested. "I only -like- you as a friend, Alex!"
"Hell, you're not even giving me a chance!" Alex's voice rose in anger, and Sarah flinched away.
"I'm sorry..." she said quickly. "I think I'd better go."
"Hey, don't walk out on me!" Alex grabbed her wrist roughly as she got up to leave. "You can't leave now! I'm not finished yet!"
"Ow! Alex!" Sarah struggled, trying to yank free. "Let go, you're hurting me!"
"You're not going, Sarah!" Alex shouted.
"Leave me alone!" Sarah dug her nails into his forearm until he loosened his grip. He grabbed her hair as she broke away, and she whimpered.
"I said to stay here, you bitch!" He snarled. Sarah brought her knee up sharply and he doubled over, clutching himself in pain and coughing. Sarah turned and ran up the stairs.
"Sarah, wait!" She heard him call from the basement. "Come back, I'm sorry!" He came hobbling up just as she was pulling on her loafers. "Don't go!" There was a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Just stay away from me, Alex!" Sarah cried, throwing the front door open and hurrying out.
She slammed it behind her and ran. She didn't head home, she just ran. Ran from Alex, ran from Karen, ran from Jareth. Ran from everything that was changing so suddenly in her life. Nothing made sense any more. She ran until she was out of breath, and then she collapsed onto the curb and cried.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was standing on a ledge, overlooking a vast plane of whiteness. It was almost like a sea of fog, like seeing the inside of a cloud. It was a sort of nothingness, and yet there was nothing terribly menacing about it. It was pure, unsullied. A clean slate.
Jareth was standing there beside her, gazing out into the unfathomable blankness. For a while, neither of them spoke.
"Sarah, I need your help," he admitted at last.
"What?" Sarah blinked in surprise. "My help?"
"Yes. To rectify what has been done." He turned to face her, and his steady gaze bored into her. Sarah shifted uncomfortably.
"What has been done...? I don't understand..."
"No, of course you don't." Jareth smiled coldly. "You never did understand, did you?" Sarah bristled.
"Well, maybe if you'd explain it to me instead of speaking in riddles!" She snapped. The whiteness seemed to take on a more menacing atmosphere, and it crackled with energy. She ignored it and glared at him. What was he up to now?
"I thought I was being quite plain, Sarah." He looked bored.
"Yeah, well not plain enough, because I still don't understand. Why don't you just go terrorize more young girls and leave me alone? I don't want you around."
"I really don't have much choice in the matter, Sarah." Jareth snapped tersely.
"Well then, pull that stick out of your ass and kindly enlighten me instead of strutting around like an arrogant jerk."
Jareth gritted his teeth angrily. "I tire of this defiance from you, Sarah. Must you make everything difficult? As I've already told you, I need your help."
"Oh? Like hell you do." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "What are you plotting, Jareth?"
"I'm plotting nothing."
"Bull shit. You're always up to something. Don't think you can fool me, you asshole. Why would you even need my help at all?" Sarah demanded "Why don't you just use your big bad Goblin King powers to get yourself out of whatever mess you're in!?"
"Because I don't have them!" Jareth snapped. "You do!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
"What?" Sarah asked in a quieter tone.
"I said," Jareth lowered his voice as well, "you have my powers, Sarah."
"I don't follow you."
Jareth sighed. "You've had them since you defeated me. Since before then, really, but only a part of them, which I could have taken back at any time. Now you have all of them, and I am powerless, Sarah."
Sarah was staring at him, uncomprehending. "I don't believe you," she said at last. "This is some sort of trick."
Jareth nearly laughed. "What reason would I have to trick you now, Sarah? That game is over. I do not consider us to be rivals any longer. What could I possibly hope to gain, aside from what I've said?"
"Revenge," Sarah answered without hesitation.
"Revenge?" Jareth repeated, amused. "I've tried that already, dear Sarah. There is very little I can do in the form of an owl. I thought I'd make you love me and then leave you, but I couldn't even do that much." His voice lost its lightly mocking tone. "I have long since grown weary of this new game, Sarah. I do not wish for us to remain enemies any longer."
"Then you never should have taken my brother," Sarah shot back automatically.
"Then you should have never wished for me to take him!" Jareth exploded. "Am I to be forever punished for your thoughtlessness!?" He paced around her once more, while she shrank from the glare he was shooting at her. "You continually cast me as the villain and don't pause to think of how I did nothing but what you wanted of me. I am tired of suffering because you refuse to let go of the past."
He stopped behind her and she turned to face him. His shoulders sagged, his proud demeanor was gone. He looked crestfallen, anguished, so very tired. Without thinking, Sarah reached forward and brushed one of his cheekbones with her fingers. Jareth's eyes fell shut at the contact, and it only added to his bone-weary expression.
"Don't fight me anymore, Sarah," he pleaded in a whisper.
Sarah noticed that her hand was shaking, and she drew it back quickly. She had realized a long time ago that he had only been doing what she asked him to, but she had also assumed that he had thoroughly enjoyed it. He hadn't given her any reason to believe otherwise when she had challenged his labyrinth, up until their final encounter, and that had only been a last desperate attempt to win, hadn't it?
"Please, Sarah..."
Sarah backed away, confused. He -had- been this way in the end, hadn't he? She shook her head in denial. It was too much, too soon.
"What must I do to convince you?" Jareth sighed, taking her movement as a refusal. He looked so sad. "I've tried everything I could think of without success. Tell me what you want, Sarah."
Sarah opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again when she realized that she didn't know what to say. What -did- she want?
Thunder rumbled from somewhere off in the distance. He was watching her, waiting for an answer. Sarah shifted uncomfortably.
"I..." she began, and then her mouth went dry and she had to stop. Jareth was staring at her intently, silently prompting her to continue. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I want-"
The sound of glass shattering jolted her awake before she could finish.
Sarah bolted upright in bed and looked around wildly. Bits of her window littered the floor, a rock the size of her fist lying amidst the mess. She blinked and threw the covers aside, scrambling over to the window to peer out. Whoever had thrown that rock was long gone by the time she got there, but Sarah could hazard a guess as to who it had been.
"Sarah!?" Her father and Karen were in her doorway moments later. "What happened!?" Her father asked.
"Are you alright, Sarah?" Karen sounded genuinely concerned.
"I...I'm fine," Sarah stuttered. "Someone threw a rock through the window."
"I'll call the police," Robert said, and left the room.
"Can I get you anything? Some tea or something?" Karen asked. Sarah nodded dumbly and followed her stepmother down to the kitchen.
She sat in silence as Karen prepared some tea and made small talk, trying to take her stepdaughter's mind off of things. The police arrived and took a report, and then Sarah grabbed an extra blanket from the linen closet and headed into the living room to curl up on the couch.
After a half hour of trying to get comfortable and staring at the ceiling, it became fairly obvious that she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. Her thoughts kept turning back to the night's events.
She already knew that it had probably been Alex who had broken the window. No doubt he was angry about what had happened a few days ago, and chances were that he'd gotten drunk again and decided to vent some frustration. Sarah had to admit that she'd never seen it coming, although she really should have. Alex wasn't exactly the most stable person she knew. He definitely had anger management issues.
But it wasn't the fight with Alex or the broken window that wouldn't let her sleep. It was the dream she'd been having.
'Tell me what you want, Sarah...' Jareth's last question haunted her. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted from him. She'd known in her dream, just before she woke up, but now it was gone, out of her reach once more. She remembered the rest of the dream, however, and what was more, she could recall previous dreams she'd had. It was funny how remembering one dream could trigger someone into remembering any other dreams that were related to it.
Sarah sighed and got up, heading towards the kitchen. She was always coming here when she couldn't sleep for one reason or another, and that seemed to be happening more and more lately. She made herself another cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table to mull it over. The dreams had her confused. She knew, in the back of her mind, that they weren't just something her subconscious had come up with. And if they were any indication, the situation was far different from what she'd though. Sarah felt more than a little guilty. Jareth had been trying to tell her something all along, and she'd only just realized it now.
And she felt really bad for him, now. He may have been her rival in the past, but she'd never wished him harm, really, and for something like this to happen to him was just awful. She sympathized with him, no matter how much she'd fought against him before. Maybe his behaviour hadn't just been an act. Maybe he hadn't been faking anything. The attack by that other owl, the mistreatment... maybe it wouldn't have killed him (and she wasn't sure whether it could have or not... she had no idea if that was included in his loss of powers), but it was still a horrible thing to have to go through. If what he'd told her in her dream was true, and he had no powers left, then he really wasn't much better off than a normal owl.
Sarah felt a cold ball of worry settle into the pit of her stomach. A normal owl... and she hadn't fed him in days.
She didn't quite remember grabbing the Ziploc bag full of meat scraps from the fridge or rushing upstairs, although she stubbed her toe somewhere along the way. Jareth lifted his head from the ledge to look at her as she came rushing in. She unlocked the wardrobe and threw the door open, then tore open the bag and stuffed a chunk of meat into his beak. Jareth nearly choked on it and backed away from her.
"Oh, Jareth, I'm sorry," she was murmuring softly, moving to cram another piece of meat down his gullet. Jareth pulled back, and she blinked and slowed down, holding it out to him instead. He swallowed the first scrap of meat and snatched the next from her fingers greedily. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated, over and over like a mantra.
She tossed the empty bag aside and reached in carefully to scratch his neck, but he ducked away and glared at her wearily. He was still angry at her for wounding his pride, it seemed. She pulled her hand away and brought her chair over, sitting in it and watching him. She sighed.
"I did some thinking," she began. He bobbed his head and gave her a questioning look. Well, she had his attention, at least. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She would never have given an inch if she'd been facing him in his other form. But he was small, and vulnerable, and completely at her mercy. And he just didn't seem as intimidating now. She heaved another sigh. 'Here goes nothing', she thought. "Well, actually, I did a lot of thinking." She looked up and met his curious gaze. "And, well..." She fidgeted. "I've decided to help you, after all."
Jareth's hard glare softened, and he slumped down. He looked relieved and exhausted, like someone who'd just won a great struggle. He let out something very close to a whimper as she reached in again and stroked his feathers. They stayed like that for a moment, while a cool breeze blew in through the broken window pane. Sarah dropped her hand and looked out at the stars.
"But I don't know how.." she sighed.
Disc: Bah.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jareth glared at Sarah defiantly. Of all the rotten timing, she had to have chosen -now- to have figured it out. She didn't appear very happy to have made the discovery, either.
And she was just standing there, watching him. Obviously waiting for something. He shifted irritably. What did she expect him to do? Confirm it? Say "yes, Sarah, I am the Goblin King"? She was in for a disappointment if that was the case.
"Well?" She asked finally. "You are him, aren't you?" Jareth leaned forward and regarded her coldly, as if to say 'what do you think?', and Sarah took a step back. "What do you want? Are you after Toby again?" She hated the way her voice shook at that last question.
Jareth sniffed haughtily. So it was back to this, was it? He would not have dignified that one with a response, even if he -could- have made one.
Sarah felt frustration welling up inside her. "Damnit, say something!" He was just sitting there, acting so annoyingly owl-ish. As if he could ever play the innocent now. It -was- him, she was sure of it. All the little clues clicked into place now. She was amazed that she hadn't realized it sooner. No normal owl could have possibly survived even half of what he'd been through. It just wasn't possible.
And now he was going to insult her intelligence by continuing with this little charade? Of all the arrogant, selfish, stuck-up... Well, two could play at this game, she decided. "Fine, if you won't speak up, then I'll just have to stop feeding you until you're forced to admit who you are." She flipped her hair over one shoulder and left the room.
Jareth let out the breath that he had been holding. This wasn't good. He could starve, and she wouldn't even realize that it wasn't an act until she found him dead. She may choose to wish him out of this dilemma in some way or another, but he didn't like having to rely on that. It was risky, and he'd already lost too much by taking unnecessary gambles. It probably didn't matter what he thought of the situation, however. He had very little choice but to leave things in the hands of fate at this point.
He heard the back door slam below, and the soft sound of Sarah's footfalls on the grass. From the sound of it, she was heading next door. 'Running to him, are you, Sarah?' He sighed and turned to face the wall.
She would never help him, and he was a fool to have thought that she would have. He knew that now. Perhaps it would have been better if he'd been killed by that horned owl. Or turned over to the animal healers and given a painless death. Either situation would have been preferable to being trapped here, condemned to die unless Sarah took pity on him. And now that she had convinced herself that he could survive without her help, he could expect no mercy. If only she still thought of him as an owl. He would have had care, affection, a chance to think of a way out of this.
All this time, he had been clinging to the belief that she knew. Now he wished that she had never found out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah fled from her house, ignoring her father's protests. She had to get out.
She was halfway across the yard before it finally sunk in. Jareth was here. THE Jareth. The Goblin King. Her rival. In her house. Posing as a normal owl for the last month. She couldn't stop the tears from welling up as she climbed Alex's front steps and reached for the doorbell.
Posing as an owl. Her owl. But no, he really wasn't her owl, was he? He wasn't -her- Jareth, he was the real Goblin King. Staying at her house, probably scheming right in front of her the entire time. Had he been laughing at her as she held him in her arms? How could she feel any love for the little creature now? He wasn't an innocent animal at all. He was a cunning, deceitful, manipulative bastard, and he'd managed to fool her completely. She'd -trusted- him completely.
No, she'd trusted the barn owl completely. The Goblin King was a different story entirely.
She felt so used.
How dare he...
"Sarah?" Alex opened the door and looked at her tear-streaked face. Sarah's lip trembled and she threw her arms around Alex's neck. The boy patted her back in confusion. "Sar, what's wrong?"
Sarah shook her head and pulled away. "Nothing. I... I can't explain."
"Err... okay." Alex didn't seem very satisfied by that answer, but he shrugged and swung the door wide open. "Wanna come on in?" Sarah nodded and stepped inside.
"Want anything to drink? Milk, hot chocolate, beer?" Alex asked, heading towards the kitchen.
"Just milk's fine." Sarah pulled off her shoes and followed him.
"One of these days I'm gonna get you to try alcohol," he told her, getting a glass out of the cupboard and going to the fridge for the milk. Sarah wrinkled her nose.
"You got me to try beer at the barbecue, remember? I had a sip of yours."
"Oh, right," Alex nodded and grabbed a beer for himself. "And you thought that it tasted like rat piss."
"Well, I didn't put it that way, but yes," Sarah agreed, accepting the milk that Alex handed her and following him down into the basement.
"Wanna play Zelda again?" Alex headed towards the TV.
Sarah was tempted, but she wasn't really in a game mood. "Nah, that's okay. Maybe we could watch a movie? I kinda just want to stare at a screen for awhile."
"Sounds good." Alex pulled a tape from the shelf and popped it in the VCR. "Evil Dead?"
"Never seen it, but sure." Sarah made herself comfortable on the couch and sipped her milk, and Alex hit play and joined her a moment later.
Sarah started to watch the movie, but she couldn't really get into it. She was far too preoccupied with the Goblin King. It was easier to forget him when he was far away, but when he was right in her house? Not likely.
She glared at the TV screen absently. She still couldn't believe that he'd completely fooled her into believing that he was an innocent owl. She should have known better! He'd taken advantage of her compassion to get into her house and put himself in a position to spy on her and her family. God only knew what he'd been plotting, what he was planning to do to them. She was angry at herself for walking right into it. Angry and scared.
She thought back to earlier and mentally kicked herself. Maybe it would have been smarter to pretend she didn't know for awhile longer, if only to delay whatever he was going to do now that he was discovered. She could have prepared herself, been ready for it. She should have thought ahead, but she'd been so determined to confront him that she'd just gone ahead and rushed in. She wasn't going to go back on her promise now, though. He knew now that she knew, and there was no point in keeping up this little facade.
Sarah sighed. Maybe he would just leave sooner, now that she wasn't playing his game any more. He had no power over her, right? As long as she didn't let him get the upper hand, he really couldn't do much. This was -her- turf, after all.
Assuming, of course, that he didn't have the upper hand already. She had no way of knowing.
She was so preoccupied with her line of thought that she never noticed when Alex first snuck his arm around her shoulders, then his hand on her knee. His kiss caught her completely off-guard.
At first she was too surprised to do anything but sit there. She hadn't even seen it coming. Then several things registered. She'd dropped her glass and spilled what was left of her milk on her leg, and it was soaking through her jeans. Alex reeked of beer, and when he forced his tongue into her mouth, it was alcohol-flavoured. Sarah wondered how many he'd had before she'd decided to come over. She finally regained her senses and shoved him away.
"Alex! Get off of me!" She moved to the end of the couch and gave him a wounded glare. "Jeez, what did you think you were doing!?"
"Aw, c'mon, Sar," Alex snorted. "I thought I made it pretty damned obvious that I like you."
"Yeah, as a friend!" Sarah exclaimed. "Where on earth did this come from?"
"What are you talking about? Sarah..." Alex leaned towards her and she backed away. He sighed. "Christ, Sar, I've always liked you. Why the hell did you think I was always bugging you to get out of your room and do stuff?"
"I thought you wanted to be friends again!" Sarah eyed Alex nervously.
"Oh, come on, Sar." Alex gave her a condescending look. "We've known each other for years. We practically grew up together. I think we're past the friends stage."
"I don't," Sarah protested. "I only -like- you as a friend, Alex!"
"Hell, you're not even giving me a chance!" Alex's voice rose in anger, and Sarah flinched away.
"I'm sorry..." she said quickly. "I think I'd better go."
"Hey, don't walk out on me!" Alex grabbed her wrist roughly as she got up to leave. "You can't leave now! I'm not finished yet!"
"Ow! Alex!" Sarah struggled, trying to yank free. "Let go, you're hurting me!"
"You're not going, Sarah!" Alex shouted.
"Leave me alone!" Sarah dug her nails into his forearm until he loosened his grip. He grabbed her hair as she broke away, and she whimpered.
"I said to stay here, you bitch!" He snarled. Sarah brought her knee up sharply and he doubled over, clutching himself in pain and coughing. Sarah turned and ran up the stairs.
"Sarah, wait!" She heard him call from the basement. "Come back, I'm sorry!" He came hobbling up just as she was pulling on her loafers. "Don't go!" There was a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Just stay away from me, Alex!" Sarah cried, throwing the front door open and hurrying out.
She slammed it behind her and ran. She didn't head home, she just ran. Ran from Alex, ran from Karen, ran from Jareth. Ran from everything that was changing so suddenly in her life. Nothing made sense any more. She ran until she was out of breath, and then she collapsed onto the curb and cried.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was standing on a ledge, overlooking a vast plane of whiteness. It was almost like a sea of fog, like seeing the inside of a cloud. It was a sort of nothingness, and yet there was nothing terribly menacing about it. It was pure, unsullied. A clean slate.
Jareth was standing there beside her, gazing out into the unfathomable blankness. For a while, neither of them spoke.
"Sarah, I need your help," he admitted at last.
"What?" Sarah blinked in surprise. "My help?"
"Yes. To rectify what has been done." He turned to face her, and his steady gaze bored into her. Sarah shifted uncomfortably.
"What has been done...? I don't understand..."
"No, of course you don't." Jareth smiled coldly. "You never did understand, did you?" Sarah bristled.
"Well, maybe if you'd explain it to me instead of speaking in riddles!" She snapped. The whiteness seemed to take on a more menacing atmosphere, and it crackled with energy. She ignored it and glared at him. What was he up to now?
"I thought I was being quite plain, Sarah." He looked bored.
"Yeah, well not plain enough, because I still don't understand. Why don't you just go terrorize more young girls and leave me alone? I don't want you around."
"I really don't have much choice in the matter, Sarah." Jareth snapped tersely.
"Well then, pull that stick out of your ass and kindly enlighten me instead of strutting around like an arrogant jerk."
Jareth gritted his teeth angrily. "I tire of this defiance from you, Sarah. Must you make everything difficult? As I've already told you, I need your help."
"Oh? Like hell you do." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "What are you plotting, Jareth?"
"I'm plotting nothing."
"Bull shit. You're always up to something. Don't think you can fool me, you asshole. Why would you even need my help at all?" Sarah demanded "Why don't you just use your big bad Goblin King powers to get yourself out of whatever mess you're in!?"
"Because I don't have them!" Jareth snapped. "You do!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
"What?" Sarah asked in a quieter tone.
"I said," Jareth lowered his voice as well, "you have my powers, Sarah."
"I don't follow you."
Jareth sighed. "You've had them since you defeated me. Since before then, really, but only a part of them, which I could have taken back at any time. Now you have all of them, and I am powerless, Sarah."
Sarah was staring at him, uncomprehending. "I don't believe you," she said at last. "This is some sort of trick."
Jareth nearly laughed. "What reason would I have to trick you now, Sarah? That game is over. I do not consider us to be rivals any longer. What could I possibly hope to gain, aside from what I've said?"
"Revenge," Sarah answered without hesitation.
"Revenge?" Jareth repeated, amused. "I've tried that already, dear Sarah. There is very little I can do in the form of an owl. I thought I'd make you love me and then leave you, but I couldn't even do that much." His voice lost its lightly mocking tone. "I have long since grown weary of this new game, Sarah. I do not wish for us to remain enemies any longer."
"Then you never should have taken my brother," Sarah shot back automatically.
"Then you should have never wished for me to take him!" Jareth exploded. "Am I to be forever punished for your thoughtlessness!?" He paced around her once more, while she shrank from the glare he was shooting at her. "You continually cast me as the villain and don't pause to think of how I did nothing but what you wanted of me. I am tired of suffering because you refuse to let go of the past."
He stopped behind her and she turned to face him. His shoulders sagged, his proud demeanor was gone. He looked crestfallen, anguished, so very tired. Without thinking, Sarah reached forward and brushed one of his cheekbones with her fingers. Jareth's eyes fell shut at the contact, and it only added to his bone-weary expression.
"Don't fight me anymore, Sarah," he pleaded in a whisper.
Sarah noticed that her hand was shaking, and she drew it back quickly. She had realized a long time ago that he had only been doing what she asked him to, but she had also assumed that he had thoroughly enjoyed it. He hadn't given her any reason to believe otherwise when she had challenged his labyrinth, up until their final encounter, and that had only been a last desperate attempt to win, hadn't it?
"Please, Sarah..."
Sarah backed away, confused. He -had- been this way in the end, hadn't he? She shook her head in denial. It was too much, too soon.
"What must I do to convince you?" Jareth sighed, taking her movement as a refusal. He looked so sad. "I've tried everything I could think of without success. Tell me what you want, Sarah."
Sarah opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again when she realized that she didn't know what to say. What -did- she want?
Thunder rumbled from somewhere off in the distance. He was watching her, waiting for an answer. Sarah shifted uncomfortably.
"I..." she began, and then her mouth went dry and she had to stop. Jareth was staring at her intently, silently prompting her to continue. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I want-"
The sound of glass shattering jolted her awake before she could finish.
Sarah bolted upright in bed and looked around wildly. Bits of her window littered the floor, a rock the size of her fist lying amidst the mess. She blinked and threw the covers aside, scrambling over to the window to peer out. Whoever had thrown that rock was long gone by the time she got there, but Sarah could hazard a guess as to who it had been.
"Sarah!?" Her father and Karen were in her doorway moments later. "What happened!?" Her father asked.
"Are you alright, Sarah?" Karen sounded genuinely concerned.
"I...I'm fine," Sarah stuttered. "Someone threw a rock through the window."
"I'll call the police," Robert said, and left the room.
"Can I get you anything? Some tea or something?" Karen asked. Sarah nodded dumbly and followed her stepmother down to the kitchen.
She sat in silence as Karen prepared some tea and made small talk, trying to take her stepdaughter's mind off of things. The police arrived and took a report, and then Sarah grabbed an extra blanket from the linen closet and headed into the living room to curl up on the couch.
After a half hour of trying to get comfortable and staring at the ceiling, it became fairly obvious that she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. Her thoughts kept turning back to the night's events.
She already knew that it had probably been Alex who had broken the window. No doubt he was angry about what had happened a few days ago, and chances were that he'd gotten drunk again and decided to vent some frustration. Sarah had to admit that she'd never seen it coming, although she really should have. Alex wasn't exactly the most stable person she knew. He definitely had anger management issues.
But it wasn't the fight with Alex or the broken window that wouldn't let her sleep. It was the dream she'd been having.
'Tell me what you want, Sarah...' Jareth's last question haunted her. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted from him. She'd known in her dream, just before she woke up, but now it was gone, out of her reach once more. She remembered the rest of the dream, however, and what was more, she could recall previous dreams she'd had. It was funny how remembering one dream could trigger someone into remembering any other dreams that were related to it.
Sarah sighed and got up, heading towards the kitchen. She was always coming here when she couldn't sleep for one reason or another, and that seemed to be happening more and more lately. She made herself another cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table to mull it over. The dreams had her confused. She knew, in the back of her mind, that they weren't just something her subconscious had come up with. And if they were any indication, the situation was far different from what she'd though. Sarah felt more than a little guilty. Jareth had been trying to tell her something all along, and she'd only just realized it now.
And she felt really bad for him, now. He may have been her rival in the past, but she'd never wished him harm, really, and for something like this to happen to him was just awful. She sympathized with him, no matter how much she'd fought against him before. Maybe his behaviour hadn't just been an act. Maybe he hadn't been faking anything. The attack by that other owl, the mistreatment... maybe it wouldn't have killed him (and she wasn't sure whether it could have or not... she had no idea if that was included in his loss of powers), but it was still a horrible thing to have to go through. If what he'd told her in her dream was true, and he had no powers left, then he really wasn't much better off than a normal owl.
Sarah felt a cold ball of worry settle into the pit of her stomach. A normal owl... and she hadn't fed him in days.
She didn't quite remember grabbing the Ziploc bag full of meat scraps from the fridge or rushing upstairs, although she stubbed her toe somewhere along the way. Jareth lifted his head from the ledge to look at her as she came rushing in. She unlocked the wardrobe and threw the door open, then tore open the bag and stuffed a chunk of meat into his beak. Jareth nearly choked on it and backed away from her.
"Oh, Jareth, I'm sorry," she was murmuring softly, moving to cram another piece of meat down his gullet. Jareth pulled back, and she blinked and slowed down, holding it out to him instead. He swallowed the first scrap of meat and snatched the next from her fingers greedily. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated, over and over like a mantra.
She tossed the empty bag aside and reached in carefully to scratch his neck, but he ducked away and glared at her wearily. He was still angry at her for wounding his pride, it seemed. She pulled her hand away and brought her chair over, sitting in it and watching him. She sighed.
"I did some thinking," she began. He bobbed his head and gave her a questioning look. Well, she had his attention, at least. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She would never have given an inch if she'd been facing him in his other form. But he was small, and vulnerable, and completely at her mercy. And he just didn't seem as intimidating now. She heaved another sigh. 'Here goes nothing', she thought. "Well, actually, I did a lot of thinking." She looked up and met his curious gaze. "And, well..." She fidgeted. "I've decided to help you, after all."
Jareth's hard glare softened, and he slumped down. He looked relieved and exhausted, like someone who'd just won a great struggle. He let out something very close to a whimper as she reached in again and stroked his feathers. They stayed like that for a moment, while a cool breeze blew in through the broken window pane. Sarah dropped her hand and looked out at the stars.
"But I don't know how.." she sighed.