Who's Saving Who?
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the computer I typed this on.
Note to my reviewers: I know you thought that Jareth and Sarah's talk would end up in an argument, but that was too easy. You'll just have to see what I mean. This is not the last chapter, but the next one is. Thanks for sticking with me for this long.
Jareth was sitting at his desk in his study; a single lamp lit casting shadows over his fine sculpted features. His pen was moving fluidly over the piece of parchment he was concentrating on. Sarah cleared her throat a little to let him know she was there, while pulling the black robe she wore tighter around her chilled skin.
Slightly irritated that he had to interrupt his work, Jareth looked up an annoyed expression on his face, which vanished once he saw Sarah fidgeting in front of him. She looked pale and a bit scared, and he wondered what had upset her so. Standing, he walked around his desk, and took her in his arms and asked her what was wrong. Shaking her head, Sarah pulled out of his embrace, and motioned to the chairs.
Taking a seat, Sarah said, "I had a nightmare." Jareth took her hand and held it to comfort her. "Go on," he said. Swallowing to make her voice work, Sarah continued, "And Leach was in it. I know this may sound crazy, but he's been following me around in my dreams. He's always been intrusive and violent, but tonight, he killed me in my dream. It's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to fall asleep because I know he's waiting for me."
Sarah couldn't go any further as she feared that her words would fail her and the tears would fall, but she didn't want that. She didn't want Jareth to think her any more weak than she was. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Jareth asked, feeling guilty that he had essentially caused her so much distress. If he hadn't reordered time then she wouldn't be having this problem, but what was done was done.
"Because I thought that if I did tell you that you would think that I was crazy. But tonight was terrible. The dream felt so real, I mean, when I touched something it felt as if it was right under my hand. How do you think he's doing this?"
Thinking it over, Jareth couldn't come up with a logical explanation. "I'm sorry love, but I couldn't begin to think of a way he could manipulate your dreams. If you would like, I can go to earth and see what he's up to if it makes you feel any better."
A bright smile broke over Sarah's gloomy face and she said, "Great! Beat him up for me would you." Of course she was just kidding. But Jareth was a little reluctant to find it humorous since he had killed him before. "I'll get right on it then," he said conjuring a crystal getting ready to depart to earth.
Sarah didn't want him to go just yet, but she knew he'd be back soon. "Be careful," she said. Flashing her a haughty grin, he replied, "Of course, love," and he disappeared in a flash of light. Once again Sarah pulled the robe tighter around her body. The castle was too quiet. Looking around the study she tired to find some sort of distraction to take her mind off of Jareth's absence.
The crystal brought Jareth to a hospital room. Looking around he noticed Leach lying upon a bed, a heart monitor and various other machines he didn't know the purpose of were all around him making beeping noises. Footsteps down the hallway alerted Jareth, and he moved stealthily to a bathroom in the room.
Keeping the door partially open, Jareth overhead a conversation between two nurses and a doctor. "Doctor, the patient doesn't seem to be improving. If anything his condition has steadily worsened over the past couple of weeks." "Maybe we should put him out of his misery and take him off life support," one sensible nurse suggested. The doctor was vehemently against it. "No," he said sternly, "Mr. Leach is a very important person I'm told. If we end his life we could be dealing with serious consequences. We'll keep him on life support for as long as possible and hope that he awakes from his coma soon."
Their conversation over, the trio walked out of the room and shut the door behind them. Jareth stepped out of the bathroom quietly, his mind still absorbing his newfound knowledge. That's when the pieces of the puzzle all came together in Jareth's head. Leach was manipulating Sarah's dreams by simply being in a coma.
He'd heard stories before where people in comas, so near to death, were able to send telepathic messages to people via dreams. If Leach was indeed that near to death, than there was nothing the doctor and nurses could do. Jareth, feeling his heart beating unsteadily in his chest, he found the tube that led to Leach's life support vessel. With his hand shaking from uncertainty, he reached forward hesitantly and gripped the cord in his hand. Closing his eyes, Jareth pulled the cord out of the electric socket. No alarms went off, no bells rang, Leach just simply stopped breathing. Unlike last time, he felt no regret. Simply a flood of relief came over him.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jareth conjured a crystal, and transported himself as quickly as he could back to the castle. He found Sarah waiting for him, still seated in the armchair that she had been when he left. "How'd it go?" she asked while he took a seat next to her. Jareth began to rub his temples, deliberately avoiding her question.
"Talk to me," Sarah pleaded. A heavy sigh escaped Jareth's lips unchecked, and he told Sarah what had happened. Sarah listened in grim fascination as he told her how he had terminated Leach's life. An overwhelming sense of happiness overtook Sarah, and she threw her arms around Jareth's neck. "Oh, I'm so sorry that you had to do that, but it feels so good to know he's gone." Her voice came out muffled as her face was pressed into Jareth's chest.
Pulling her away from his chest, he asked, "You mean you're happy I killed him?" Her brow creased, "Well, yes. I know that may sound sadistic, but he wouldn't have stopped until he killed me. You did the right thing Jareth. Don't ever doubt it." She placed a firm kiss on his cheek demurely. Standing, she stretched toward the ceiling and yawned. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "I think I'll go get a good nights rest. Thanks dear." Leaving the room, she left a troubled Jareth to his thoughts.
Thanks for reading. Please review if you feel like it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the computer I typed this on.
Note to my reviewers: I know you thought that Jareth and Sarah's talk would end up in an argument, but that was too easy. You'll just have to see what I mean. This is not the last chapter, but the next one is. Thanks for sticking with me for this long.
Jareth was sitting at his desk in his study; a single lamp lit casting shadows over his fine sculpted features. His pen was moving fluidly over the piece of parchment he was concentrating on. Sarah cleared her throat a little to let him know she was there, while pulling the black robe she wore tighter around her chilled skin.
Slightly irritated that he had to interrupt his work, Jareth looked up an annoyed expression on his face, which vanished once he saw Sarah fidgeting in front of him. She looked pale and a bit scared, and he wondered what had upset her so. Standing, he walked around his desk, and took her in his arms and asked her what was wrong. Shaking her head, Sarah pulled out of his embrace, and motioned to the chairs.
Taking a seat, Sarah said, "I had a nightmare." Jareth took her hand and held it to comfort her. "Go on," he said. Swallowing to make her voice work, Sarah continued, "And Leach was in it. I know this may sound crazy, but he's been following me around in my dreams. He's always been intrusive and violent, but tonight, he killed me in my dream. It's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to fall asleep because I know he's waiting for me."
Sarah couldn't go any further as she feared that her words would fail her and the tears would fall, but she didn't want that. She didn't want Jareth to think her any more weak than she was. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Jareth asked, feeling guilty that he had essentially caused her so much distress. If he hadn't reordered time then she wouldn't be having this problem, but what was done was done.
"Because I thought that if I did tell you that you would think that I was crazy. But tonight was terrible. The dream felt so real, I mean, when I touched something it felt as if it was right under my hand. How do you think he's doing this?"
Thinking it over, Jareth couldn't come up with a logical explanation. "I'm sorry love, but I couldn't begin to think of a way he could manipulate your dreams. If you would like, I can go to earth and see what he's up to if it makes you feel any better."
A bright smile broke over Sarah's gloomy face and she said, "Great! Beat him up for me would you." Of course she was just kidding. But Jareth was a little reluctant to find it humorous since he had killed him before. "I'll get right on it then," he said conjuring a crystal getting ready to depart to earth.
Sarah didn't want him to go just yet, but she knew he'd be back soon. "Be careful," she said. Flashing her a haughty grin, he replied, "Of course, love," and he disappeared in a flash of light. Once again Sarah pulled the robe tighter around her body. The castle was too quiet. Looking around the study she tired to find some sort of distraction to take her mind off of Jareth's absence.
The crystal brought Jareth to a hospital room. Looking around he noticed Leach lying upon a bed, a heart monitor and various other machines he didn't know the purpose of were all around him making beeping noises. Footsteps down the hallway alerted Jareth, and he moved stealthily to a bathroom in the room.
Keeping the door partially open, Jareth overhead a conversation between two nurses and a doctor. "Doctor, the patient doesn't seem to be improving. If anything his condition has steadily worsened over the past couple of weeks." "Maybe we should put him out of his misery and take him off life support," one sensible nurse suggested. The doctor was vehemently against it. "No," he said sternly, "Mr. Leach is a very important person I'm told. If we end his life we could be dealing with serious consequences. We'll keep him on life support for as long as possible and hope that he awakes from his coma soon."
Their conversation over, the trio walked out of the room and shut the door behind them. Jareth stepped out of the bathroom quietly, his mind still absorbing his newfound knowledge. That's when the pieces of the puzzle all came together in Jareth's head. Leach was manipulating Sarah's dreams by simply being in a coma.
He'd heard stories before where people in comas, so near to death, were able to send telepathic messages to people via dreams. If Leach was indeed that near to death, than there was nothing the doctor and nurses could do. Jareth, feeling his heart beating unsteadily in his chest, he found the tube that led to Leach's life support vessel. With his hand shaking from uncertainty, he reached forward hesitantly and gripped the cord in his hand. Closing his eyes, Jareth pulled the cord out of the electric socket. No alarms went off, no bells rang, Leach just simply stopped breathing. Unlike last time, he felt no regret. Simply a flood of relief came over him.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jareth conjured a crystal, and transported himself as quickly as he could back to the castle. He found Sarah waiting for him, still seated in the armchair that she had been when he left. "How'd it go?" she asked while he took a seat next to her. Jareth began to rub his temples, deliberately avoiding her question.
"Talk to me," Sarah pleaded. A heavy sigh escaped Jareth's lips unchecked, and he told Sarah what had happened. Sarah listened in grim fascination as he told her how he had terminated Leach's life. An overwhelming sense of happiness overtook Sarah, and she threw her arms around Jareth's neck. "Oh, I'm so sorry that you had to do that, but it feels so good to know he's gone." Her voice came out muffled as her face was pressed into Jareth's chest.
Pulling her away from his chest, he asked, "You mean you're happy I killed him?" Her brow creased, "Well, yes. I know that may sound sadistic, but he wouldn't have stopped until he killed me. You did the right thing Jareth. Don't ever doubt it." She placed a firm kiss on his cheek demurely. Standing, she stretched toward the ceiling and yawned. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "I think I'll go get a good nights rest. Thanks dear." Leaving the room, she left a troubled Jareth to his thoughts.
Thanks for reading. Please review if you feel like it!