AN: Warning Taren alert!

Thanks to all the nice people who review me. And a special thanks to The Hooded Crow and Comack3032, for their valuable advice.



Mine



Between you and your conscience.



Taren stood in the open doorway, "Sarah." She sobbed. She waited till Sarah was looking at her, and then covered her face with her hands. "Oh Sarah." Was all Taren could manage, shock knocking her off course for the moment. She had not expected Sarah to be pregnant.

Quickly searching her mind for possible obstacles this baby might bring about. Taren decided that it changed nothing. The child was not a factor, -not yet-.

"Oh Sarah." She cried again. "Why did you have to come? Why now?" pausing to sniffle. Taren went on with the speech she had prepared in front of her mirror earlier.

"Me, and Jareth have been getting on so well. Why couldn't you just leave my husband alone?" She walked over to the bed and threw herself down on it. Her sobs became louder punctuated with deep gasps of breath.

Sarah was racked with guilt, and what had happened just now with Jareth, wasn't making it any easier. She walked over to the bed, and leaned down. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to come here, but." Taren sat up so quickly that Sarah took a couple of startled steps backward.

Taren looked up at Sarah, her tear stained face made Sarah feel ten times worse. Sarah started to finish what she had been saying, but Taren held up her hand.

The crying had stopped quite suddenly, Jareth and I were trying for a child, but as fate would have it we have not been blessed." Taren began to sob again as she finished. "I suppose he will put me aside now that you carry a child. Unless the child is not his." The dejected hope Sarah could hear in Jareth's wife voice, made her feel like something to be scraped of a shoe.

The look she gave Taren spoke volumes.

"Then it's no use. He will set me aside in favour of you. I'll not beg him, my pride is all I have left now." That was it for Sarah she could take no more. This poor woman had done nothing to deserve this.

"It'll be ok, I'll-I'll go to Jareth and tell him that he cannot divorce you, or whatever the procedure is for ending a marriage is down here. I'll tell him that I won't stay here, that I want nothing to do with. That you." Taren interrupted her.

"No, no you must never tell him you know about me, he will want to know how we met, and when. And I cannot lie, not to him. No, you must just tell him that you don't want to stay here. Tell him you want to go home. He can't refuse, it's the law. He hasn't challenged you, you owe him nothing, he can't keep you here."

"It's not as easy as that." Sarah stared at the ground; going home was not an option. "Why not?"

"It's a long story, but I can't go home."

Sarah wasn't sure why she didn't want to tell Jareth's wife about the danger to her baby that going home would result in. Her instincts told her that this woman didn't need to know the whole story.

If Sarah had been looking up at Taren at that moment, she would have seen the look of intense anger cross her features. Taren forced her mind to accept this new problem.

After a few moments of silence Taren spoke. "Ok then, would you leave if you could? Not to the above ground, but outside of Jareth's domain."

Sarah hesitated, she didn't want to trust this woman, but who else could she trust. Jareth. Never.

To Taren she gave a nod of acceptance.

Taren smiled, a new plan had formed, a better one than the last.

"I'll need a while to ready everything. I have to send a few messages out, and it may take a couple of weeks. But I'll find a place, where Jareth will never find you."

Her last remark filled Sarah with an unexpected dread, but she couldn't figure out why.

Taren got up and walked to the door, 'This was going to be so easy.' Her mind sang.

Her expression only showing concern. "I must go Jareth will be back soon, don't forget what I said, don't tell Jareth that you have met me. He would be furious that I had instigated a meeting with you." With that she opened the door, and after looking out the corridor both ways, she left.

Sarah sat on the bed, her mind was whirling, she was so tired, and her whole body was weak. Stroking her stomach, she said aloud to her baby.

"Well Laurel, This is another fine mess that I've gotten us into!"