King of Dreams, Owner of None
by Bunniko
AN:?Here ya are, two chapters on the same day. Ain't yall lucky? Hope someone likes it enough to review; reviews really cheer this cripple up. Or, as my Irish friends are calling me, "Peg leg." Only 14 more days 'til I get this cast off! Be happy for me!!
Anywho, another chapter with oblique references to me and my friends. So again, there's some stuff I own. I own: Trixie/Jeannie, Melinda, Deborah, and other things as they appear. I do not own: Texas (bummer), England (yay!), the Labyrinth (sniffle), Jareth, Sarah, etc. To my real life friends: See if you can find yourself. Did I write you in? lol
Please Note: This chapter, too, is set a week AFTER the movie, and in this chapter the rating goes up.
Note 2: Updated, corrected, slightly edited 8-12-02)
Erm, let's read? (Can't think of anything in English or Japanese right now.)
Chapter Five -?Shattered Crystals
Jareth was well aware he had an audience. He could feel it when either of the girls touched the book. It was like they were touching him. He'd grown addicted to the feel of Sarah's hands on the book, the way it felt like she was touching his soul. Trixie's hands felt good too, but it was Sarah's touch he craved. He looked at her, regretting yet again that she was so young, so innocent. He wanted her, but he didn't want to destroy her innocence. He didn't want the hate that would follow. He had to be careful, to watch his temper.
From age 10, Sarah had fascinated him, as much as he fascinated her. 'Little Trix', as he thought of her, did not fascinate him and so, she was easy to dismiss from his thoughts. Dreamer that she was, even though it had lessened a great deal, Trix was not fascinated by him.
"Sarah." he breathed her name and saw her shiver.
"You . . . you're dead." she was almost crying now. "I didn't mean to . . . I mean, I . . . I just . . . Toby! You're here for Toby!" She whirled to run upstairs, but he caught her by the arm. She froze. He hadn't touched her except in the ballroom. She stared at his hand.
"Forget about the baby." This time his voice worked its magic. She relaxed, turned towards him. He pulled her closer, a heavy magic singing in the air, gliding over her skin like an exotically perfumed lotion. Her head spun and she allowed him to lead her to her room. The storm rumbled overhead, but she didn't hear it.
The giddiness fled a bit when she felt the edge of her bed against the backs of her calves. She fought her way out of his haze, which made Jareth proud. He smiled down at her in an indescribably heartbreaking manner. "It's you I am here for." he confessed, reclining against the wall and staring deep into her cruel eyes.
A part of Sarah went Firey wild. She broke apart, flew, melted, screamed, fainted, wanted to punch him and also wanted to kiss him. But the part controlling her logical thinking had grown stronger in the Labyrinth. "Why?"
"You mean you don't know?" He sighed, hurt, but attributed it to the awful school system these days. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. As I told you, I reordered time, I gave you your dreams, I changed the world for you!" He moved closer, "Only for you!"
"You've stolen Toby . . ."
"You asked it."
"frightened me, threatened my friends . . ."
"They are my subjects." he reminded her firmly.
"frightened Trixie . . ."
He could not deny that.
"nearly killed me!"
"Only nearly, my dear girl. I would never have truly hurt you."
"I didn't know that!" she snapped. Suddenly, she was furious with him.
His eyes widened, seeing her anger. "Sarah," he pleaded, sensing things were getting out of control.
She searched for the cruelest thing she could say. He'd said she was cruel, and . . . yes, the words popped into her mind and fell from her mouth before she could think. "I don't believe in you!" she declared harshly. His face, oh his face! She violently restrained an urge to run away. She pushed on. "I've caught a chill, I'm hallucinating, this isn't happening." She sat on her bed, clutching her head, trying to will this all to be a nightmare.
"You don't believe in me?" His voice was like an icy wind, harsh and lashing. He moved quickly, fury getting the better of him, all his fine notions and smooth behaviors gone in a flash. He pushed her down on the bed, pinning her beneath him, forcing her to stare into his mismatched eyes. "Would I be more real to you if I behave like the animal brutes you call human? Is that what you truly want? Not to be understood, but to have your wishes ignored? Are you like so many other human females, who cry for respect but crave domination?" He sneered the word "human" with a deep disgust. "I had you in the palm of my hand at the ball. At any time I could have brought you to my palace and treated you anyway I wished. I could have offered you Toby back for a price your kind never minds paying." He flung himself away from her and stood staring down at her. He raked her outstretched, pajama-clad body with hot eyes, but they were hot with disgust.
He lowered his voice, his voice a mockery of the gentle voice he had used before. "Would you have done that, Sarah? Laid down in my bed for Toby?"
"Don't talk to me like that!" There was very little strength in her voice, however. Tears rolled silently down her face. That innocence that Jareth had considered so precious was shattering around her.
"I loved you, Sarah. But I see now that what I loved about you was as false as your costumes. You are just like all the other boring Earth girls that claim to dream, but are owned by what they call 'reality.'" He turned away. "Yet I still love you, Sarah." There was regret in his voice; he regretted deeply what had just happened here. It was the closest he could come to apologizing. Yet her declaration of disbelief still burned his soul. He leaned heavily against the vanity. His gaze fell on the picture of them. He lifted it up. "Even then, I was with you." He tossed the antique gilt frame at her.
She picked it up, shaking. Stared into the picture, seeing herself at that tender, innocent stage. Her eyes moved to Trixie's happy face. They stood arms tightly about each other, heads tilted together, hair mingling. Merlin sat in front, on their feet, as she remembered. And then . . . wait, the owl! She glanced up at him, "You were there?" Her question was a timid whisper.
He watched her in the mirror. "Yes." He nodded just once, controlling his feelings only with great effort.
"You . . . pervert!" She sat up, eyes wild. "You've been watching me since I was 10?" Her voice ended on a shriek and from elsewhere she heard Toby begin to wail. She didn't care. "You sick bastard!"
He cut her off. "How dare you!" He tossed a crystal at her and she flinched away, completely distrusting it. "I spend my life helping children! I have never . . . what you suspect . . ." he shuddered. Recovering himself, he addressed her icily. "I watched you because you were interesting. You and your friend had such beautiful dreams. Dreams are my business. It's been so long since great dreamers have been seen above ground. But I saw potential in you."
"You set me up! You trapped me with that book!"
"I spoke to you through the book. You followed it of your own will. You didn't understand it then and you don't understand it now. I thought you were finally growing up. But now I see you were only trying on another part."
He spoke to her now from the window. "You more than Trixie, but both of you, had what I needed. Fresh dreams, pure hopes, a reason to stay alive. With the fading of the Fae from the Earth, the fading of most people's belief in anything but science, my heart darkens. Boring dreams filled with hate and lust wreak havoc on lands that are half built on human dreams." He sighed. "But Trixie, she only dreams when she had the time. She's caught up in school and life. Her dreams have shrunk. With her friends she plans a small life. Her friends are at the center of her dreams. Why, sometimes she even completely gives up on love. She's bought into the fashion magazine definition of beauty. Her wildest dreams revolve around books and TV, another person's creation. The only time she releases her magic is when she writes. And lately, it's only been harsh reality poems." He sighed again and Sarah felt weird hearing her friend discussed like this. "I moved the stars for a girl who is only a great pretender. How you fooled me, my precious thing." He seemed to be even older than he'd appeared at their final confrontation. "That's a gift." He pointed listlessly at the crystal that had settled in the middle of her bed. "It will let you talk to Trixie at anytime. But keep it hidden."
Sarah looked at it hungrily, but warily.
"There's no trick." He had crossed the room to stand before her, tugging at a glove. "Farewell, Sarah. I will not reveal your deception to my subjects. They will remain free to visit you whenever you both wish." He bowed distantly to her. "Such a pity." he murmured. Then, he was gone.
It took Sarah a few moments to realize he hadn't been pitying himself. Her rage fled and she flew to the window. "Jareth!" The wind carried her call away. "What have I done?" she whispered.
"Oh, Honey!" In Texas, Trixie wept. "Poor Jareth."
by Bunniko
AN:?Here ya are, two chapters on the same day. Ain't yall lucky? Hope someone likes it enough to review; reviews really cheer this cripple up. Or, as my Irish friends are calling me, "Peg leg." Only 14 more days 'til I get this cast off! Be happy for me!!
Anywho, another chapter with oblique references to me and my friends. So again, there's some stuff I own. I own: Trixie/Jeannie, Melinda, Deborah, and other things as they appear. I do not own: Texas (bummer), England (yay!), the Labyrinth (sniffle), Jareth, Sarah, etc. To my real life friends: See if you can find yourself. Did I write you in? lol
Please Note: This chapter, too, is set a week AFTER the movie, and in this chapter the rating goes up.
Note 2: Updated, corrected, slightly edited 8-12-02)
Erm, let's read? (Can't think of anything in English or Japanese right now.)
Chapter Five -?Shattered Crystals
Jareth was well aware he had an audience. He could feel it when either of the girls touched the book. It was like they were touching him. He'd grown addicted to the feel of Sarah's hands on the book, the way it felt like she was touching his soul. Trixie's hands felt good too, but it was Sarah's touch he craved. He looked at her, regretting yet again that she was so young, so innocent. He wanted her, but he didn't want to destroy her innocence. He didn't want the hate that would follow. He had to be careful, to watch his temper.
From age 10, Sarah had fascinated him, as much as he fascinated her. 'Little Trix', as he thought of her, did not fascinate him and so, she was easy to dismiss from his thoughts. Dreamer that she was, even though it had lessened a great deal, Trix was not fascinated by him.
"Sarah." he breathed her name and saw her shiver.
"You . . . you're dead." she was almost crying now. "I didn't mean to . . . I mean, I . . . I just . . . Toby! You're here for Toby!" She whirled to run upstairs, but he caught her by the arm. She froze. He hadn't touched her except in the ballroom. She stared at his hand.
"Forget about the baby." This time his voice worked its magic. She relaxed, turned towards him. He pulled her closer, a heavy magic singing in the air, gliding over her skin like an exotically perfumed lotion. Her head spun and she allowed him to lead her to her room. The storm rumbled overhead, but she didn't hear it.
The giddiness fled a bit when she felt the edge of her bed against the backs of her calves. She fought her way out of his haze, which made Jareth proud. He smiled down at her in an indescribably heartbreaking manner. "It's you I am here for." he confessed, reclining against the wall and staring deep into her cruel eyes.
A part of Sarah went Firey wild. She broke apart, flew, melted, screamed, fainted, wanted to punch him and also wanted to kiss him. But the part controlling her logical thinking had grown stronger in the Labyrinth. "Why?"
"You mean you don't know?" He sighed, hurt, but attributed it to the awful school system these days. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. As I told you, I reordered time, I gave you your dreams, I changed the world for you!" He moved closer, "Only for you!"
"You've stolen Toby . . ."
"You asked it."
"frightened me, threatened my friends . . ."
"They are my subjects." he reminded her firmly.
"frightened Trixie . . ."
He could not deny that.
"nearly killed me!"
"Only nearly, my dear girl. I would never have truly hurt you."
"I didn't know that!" she snapped. Suddenly, she was furious with him.
His eyes widened, seeing her anger. "Sarah," he pleaded, sensing things were getting out of control.
She searched for the cruelest thing she could say. He'd said she was cruel, and . . . yes, the words popped into her mind and fell from her mouth before she could think. "I don't believe in you!" she declared harshly. His face, oh his face! She violently restrained an urge to run away. She pushed on. "I've caught a chill, I'm hallucinating, this isn't happening." She sat on her bed, clutching her head, trying to will this all to be a nightmare.
"You don't believe in me?" His voice was like an icy wind, harsh and lashing. He moved quickly, fury getting the better of him, all his fine notions and smooth behaviors gone in a flash. He pushed her down on the bed, pinning her beneath him, forcing her to stare into his mismatched eyes. "Would I be more real to you if I behave like the animal brutes you call human? Is that what you truly want? Not to be understood, but to have your wishes ignored? Are you like so many other human females, who cry for respect but crave domination?" He sneered the word "human" with a deep disgust. "I had you in the palm of my hand at the ball. At any time I could have brought you to my palace and treated you anyway I wished. I could have offered you Toby back for a price your kind never minds paying." He flung himself away from her and stood staring down at her. He raked her outstretched, pajama-clad body with hot eyes, but they were hot with disgust.
He lowered his voice, his voice a mockery of the gentle voice he had used before. "Would you have done that, Sarah? Laid down in my bed for Toby?"
"Don't talk to me like that!" There was very little strength in her voice, however. Tears rolled silently down her face. That innocence that Jareth had considered so precious was shattering around her.
"I loved you, Sarah. But I see now that what I loved about you was as false as your costumes. You are just like all the other boring Earth girls that claim to dream, but are owned by what they call 'reality.'" He turned away. "Yet I still love you, Sarah." There was regret in his voice; he regretted deeply what had just happened here. It was the closest he could come to apologizing. Yet her declaration of disbelief still burned his soul. He leaned heavily against the vanity. His gaze fell on the picture of them. He lifted it up. "Even then, I was with you." He tossed the antique gilt frame at her.
She picked it up, shaking. Stared into the picture, seeing herself at that tender, innocent stage. Her eyes moved to Trixie's happy face. They stood arms tightly about each other, heads tilted together, hair mingling. Merlin sat in front, on their feet, as she remembered. And then . . . wait, the owl! She glanced up at him, "You were there?" Her question was a timid whisper.
He watched her in the mirror. "Yes." He nodded just once, controlling his feelings only with great effort.
"You . . . pervert!" She sat up, eyes wild. "You've been watching me since I was 10?" Her voice ended on a shriek and from elsewhere she heard Toby begin to wail. She didn't care. "You sick bastard!"
He cut her off. "How dare you!" He tossed a crystal at her and she flinched away, completely distrusting it. "I spend my life helping children! I have never . . . what you suspect . . ." he shuddered. Recovering himself, he addressed her icily. "I watched you because you were interesting. You and your friend had such beautiful dreams. Dreams are my business. It's been so long since great dreamers have been seen above ground. But I saw potential in you."
"You set me up! You trapped me with that book!"
"I spoke to you through the book. You followed it of your own will. You didn't understand it then and you don't understand it now. I thought you were finally growing up. But now I see you were only trying on another part."
He spoke to her now from the window. "You more than Trixie, but both of you, had what I needed. Fresh dreams, pure hopes, a reason to stay alive. With the fading of the Fae from the Earth, the fading of most people's belief in anything but science, my heart darkens. Boring dreams filled with hate and lust wreak havoc on lands that are half built on human dreams." He sighed. "But Trixie, she only dreams when she had the time. She's caught up in school and life. Her dreams have shrunk. With her friends she plans a small life. Her friends are at the center of her dreams. Why, sometimes she even completely gives up on love. She's bought into the fashion magazine definition of beauty. Her wildest dreams revolve around books and TV, another person's creation. The only time she releases her magic is when she writes. And lately, it's only been harsh reality poems." He sighed again and Sarah felt weird hearing her friend discussed like this. "I moved the stars for a girl who is only a great pretender. How you fooled me, my precious thing." He seemed to be even older than he'd appeared at their final confrontation. "That's a gift." He pointed listlessly at the crystal that had settled in the middle of her bed. "It will let you talk to Trixie at anytime. But keep it hidden."
Sarah looked at it hungrily, but warily.
"There's no trick." He had crossed the room to stand before her, tugging at a glove. "Farewell, Sarah. I will not reveal your deception to my subjects. They will remain free to visit you whenever you both wish." He bowed distantly to her. "Such a pity." he murmured. Then, he was gone.
It took Sarah a few moments to realize he hadn't been pitying himself. Her rage fled and she flew to the window. "Jareth!" The wind carried her call away. "What have I done?" she whispered.
"Oh, Honey!" In Texas, Trixie wept. "Poor Jareth."