I forgot to write it in the chapter before and for that I bow in apologies: the song that was being played on the radio is a song from the Cowboy Bebop Movie. In this chapter, it is the same song, taking where I have left it.
Belongs to its rightful owner.

…………………………………………………….

Chapter 9. Game over.

…………………………………………………….

Standards disclaimers apply.

…………………………………………………….

The owl flew lazily over the city. Nobody noticed it. The day was still warm as the sun was coming closer to the horizon. He didn't know how much time he had spent in that petrified state after Sarah's refusal but it had devoured half of the day. Sarah was certainly home by now.

…………………………………………………….

Sarah sighed as Jareth disappeared in a flash of light. Her name on his lips had echoed in her heart causing more damages that she had thought it would. Sighing again, Sarah stood up, stretched her arms above her head and levering her bag to her shoulder again, she exited the park, without a last glance.

She ran to the bus station just in time to catch one that led her back to the city, a few blocks only from her place. Lost in her thoughts, Sarah didn't pay attention to the people around her, nor did she see the people pointing at her, nor did she hear the whispered comments as she walked down the streets. Nor did she realize that she was crying. The tears were falling by themselves, alone, as if they had a mind of their own.

…………………………………………………….

Sarah closed the door behind her and threw her bag on the couch. It was past noon but she wasn't hungry, she was weary. She was bone tired and all she wanted to do was to sleep. She walked to her bedroom and took off the jeans she was wearing, leaving them lying on the floor of her living room. She then slid under her covers and curled in a foetal position and fell in a deep slumber without dreams.

…………………………………………………….

She awoke at the feeling of being watched. Blinking she raised, leaning on an elbow, pushing her hair out of her eyes, and took a look around. The sun was stetting, judging by the fading light falling on her bed, so she had slept through the whole afternoon. But nobody was there. Shaking her head, she slumped back in bed, bringing the covers once more over her chin. She didn't know how long she slept again, or if she slept at all, but a caressing hand, smoothing her black locks surprised her and jerked her out of her bed. Jareth was standing at the head of the bed.

"Jareth!" Sarah screamed as she whirled around to face him.

…………………………………………………….

Jareth's face cracked with a bitter smile, as Sarah stood on the over side of the bed, only in a shirt and panties, flustered. As for Sarah, she was ready to scream again as the trails of blood from Jareth's shirt came to view when he sat on the bed, and therefore, stepping in the fading light of the day. Crawling back on the bed, Sarah reached for him, hysteric. "Jareth! What happened? You're covered in blood!"

As her hand was about to touch his chest, Jareth grasped it and brought it to his lips, making her blush. "Nothing happened." He answered. Then he smiled again and Sarah's heart started to beat widely. Why was he there? When he had yelled her name, earlier in the park, he had seemed so angry but now, sitting on her bed, he was frightening.

…………………………………………………….

Yes, she was scared, scared of Jareth. Oh, he could hurt her physically, but Sarah wasn't scared of what he could do to her body. Rather, what he could do to her heart. Sarah's breathing became ragged as Jareth's lips touched her hand again, then he dropped a kiss in the interior of her wrist and raised his head to meet her eyes.

"Don't you think it's weird?" He started softly, leaning closer to her, his voice dropping slowly to a murmur. "I mean it usually takes people more than four days to decide if a relationship is worth it or not. We've been reunited for less than a week and we already made love, fought and I confessed." Sarah could only stare. She still hadn't convinced her heart of the sensible reasoning of her mind: Jareth was going to leave her once he was tired of her, just like everyone else and therefore, she felt like somebody had given her an anaesthesia. "When you're around, Sarah dear, life seems to speed up at least a thousand times. When you're not, my life is dull and meaningless." Sarah tried not to listen but Jareth didn't allow her to. He let her hand go and leaned on her, making her fall backwards in the bed, under him. She felt like someone else had taken over her body: her emotions were dull and her head felt like it was in a fog, dense enough to be cut with a knife. She felt like she was watching the scene rather than being an actress of it. "You don't want to be left alone and you don't believe when people swear to you they won't so you shut them away." He whispered in her ear. Now, she was sure: Jareth had cast a spell on her. "I won't and I'll make you see. Because for now, you'll have half of my private Hell."

…………………………………………………….

Jareth watched her as he spoke, he watched Sarah crawl back in the shell that he now knew existed, he watched her cover herself, he watched her climb up again in her ivory tower as he talked. He was sure she didn't understand what he was saying, words meant nothing to her anymore. Even though, she played with them in her books, in her life, words had no meaning nor place around her, as people had used them so much that they were much like a tissue ready to be torn apart by a careless wind.

For the first time, he saw. He really saw and a thousand of little things came back to him: like in his study, the first time, they had almost made love. She had been so vibrant and eager but when he had stopped, she hadn't said a word, nor did she seem to mind if he stopped or not. Or like in his bed, after, she hadn't said a word on what had just happened. She was just there, not searching. And when they were in her room, she had been so shy to kiss him. He remembered widely the suddenly oddly trembling lips. He remembered her sudden cold eyes when she had talked to him in the park and the lack of interest she had displayed. Or now, how lifeless she felt to him.

But, there were times, when the shell wouldn't contain the old Sarah, the young one he had met, when they were by the waterfalls, on the grass, she had taken on the lead because she wanted too. Because her heart, if not her mind, wanted too. Now that he knew, now that he thought about it, he saw the experienced shell that she had put up over the years, the one she had polished till it was perfect, till nobody could see beneath, where her emotions were carefully kept in check. The twins had said she was afraid of what he could do to her: destroy her shell. If words couldn't convince her, actions would.

His heart and mind set, Jareth leaned on her till he had her pinned under him and he released all the power he had been gathering without her noticing.

…………………………………………………….

            As soon as Sarah felt Jareth's weight rest on her, she started to tremble: his warmth was penetrating her and she didn't want that, nor did she want the soaring her heart suddenly took, despite her attempts to keep it in check. Jareth had always had that way with her: he was always disrupting her. First he had turned her world upside down, changing her views and perspectives on the world around her, he had pushed her till she couldn't bear it anymore, making her yell and clench her little fists. He had once again turned her world upside down as he destroyed, almost absentmindedly one of the constant, anchor of her life, denying the hate he was supposed to have against her. Hatred was safe. Love, as he was once again proving it to her, wasn't because for the third time, Jareth was destroying, toying with her universe with his words and deeds.

            That wasn't supposed to be that way. He was supposed to have her for a certain amount of time, and then threw her away. That was something she was used to, but what Jareth was doing to her, that was something she wasn't used to and that was scaring her.

Suddenly, Jareth's heat leveled up considerably and Sarah squirmed under him but he closed his strong arms around her and held her as they sank into the darkness.

They were falling backwards! The thought was plaguing her, she was screaming, that she knew, she could feel her throat starting to ache, the world was pitch dark around her, she couldn't even see her own limbs or Jareth. She could feel Jareth and his tight hold on her but that was all. And Sarah screamed.

…………………………………………………….

"Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" Someone was yelling her name and kissing her face. Her eyes fluttered opened and she found herself staring in a pair of mismatched eyes. How odd. She thought.

Jareth smiled lightly when Sarah opened her eyes, she didn't seem to understand where she was. "Sarah." He called again, softly. This time, her eyes widened and her pupils focused instantly and she fought her way under him until she was sitting on her knees, in front of him. She was frantically looking around her, trying to figure out where she was. She was definitely in the Underground, but she had never been in that place before: grass under her, trees all around her it almost looked like she was in a prairie. Almost, as the "prairie" was surrounded by white walls. There even were some small hills, here and there and there was a little river running happily next to them. The walls seemed far away and extremely closed in the meantime, as she couldn't see any corners or turns. The walls were just there. Sarah looked up and was glad to find that there was no ceiling: a clear blue sky with soft white clouds lazily floating there reassured her. She almost smiled in relief. Even though, her surrounding brought her an idea of liberty and joy, the walls were restraining her, making her suffocate, and if not for the sky, she would have hyperventilate. Her heart was beating like a madman in her chest.

Jareth smiled again as he watched the emotions being played on her face. In here, there was no place to hide. Unfortunately for her. Slowly, he reached for her chin, forcing her gently to look at him. "There is a ceiling, he said, amused as her eyes suddenly widened again and he kept on, it changes its appearance according to my moods." She was so beautiful, kneeling in the grass, dressed only in a white shirt, her long wild black hair around her and her infatuating long and slender cream legs. He was doing all this for her. Always and only for her. The one who said that the Goblin King wasn't generous was a fool.

Sarah looked up again and she watched the dark clouds coming, running, like a wave, overwhelming the soft white clouds. She heard the thunder roared and she saw the stars twinkling helplessly, trying to survive through invasion. She returned her gaze to him, as he forced her fingers to open and close around his silver pendant. "Jareth, I don't understand."

"I love you." And Jareth collapsed against her. He was shivering like he had a strong fever and Sarah tried to embrace him but found that her right hand was firmly closed around the pendant. She couldn't let it go. Jareth's upper body fell against her knees and unconsciously, he reached to close his arms around her legs, begging for her warmth. The shivering intensified, scaring Sarah again. And it passed through her by the pendant. 

Something alien was coming up her arm, like a spider climbing slowly along her flesh. She wanted to scream but no sound came out of her lips. Then it descended to her legs by her chest, squeezing her heart, caressing her neck and this time, she managed to scream till she lost herself into oblivion.

…………………………………………………….

A soft murmur annoyed her ears, pulling her from the warm darkness where she was laying.
Wake up, little one. It seemed to say. I will show you the truth.
The truth? Sarah thought. Who needs it?
You do, the stranger answered. You do. The person said again, sadly.
I don't want it, Sarah said, trying to get back to sleep.
Is that what you are going to do with the rest of your life, little one? Sleeping, leaving your hurts and scars healing without tending them? Sleeping over your aches and not minding them? Living or rather half-living in a dream state? The sadness in the tone was heartbreaking and Sarah turned her attention fully to the voice.
Is it bad? Sarah asked.
She could almost see a lazy smile coming to the lips of the owner of the voice. Male or female, Sarah didn't know. It would be better, if you let me show you the truth.
Puzzled as the voice seemed oddly familiar and not, Sarah asked again. Who are you?
I am the Labyrinth. Jareth is me. I am Jareth. Jareth is the Labyrinth.

…………………………………………………….

Suddenly it occurred to me
The reason for the run and hide
Had totalled my existence

Everything left on the other side
Could never be much worse that this
But could I go the distance

I faced the door and all my shame
Tearin' off each piece of chain
Until they all were broken

But no matter how I tried
The other side was locked so tight
That door it wouldn't open

Gave it all that I got
And started to knock
Shouted for someone
To open the lock
I just gotta get through the door

And the more that I knocked
The hotter I got
The hotter I got
The harder I'd knock
I just gotta break through the door

Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder
Break through the door

…………………………………………………….

            A small chapter, I know, but I hope intriguing. The next one would be the end of A little Bit of Hell. For an unknown reason, I'm feeling melancholic when I think that the next one would be the last.

Ah, well, it's how it's supposed to be. See you around.

Mikim.