~*Being the idiot that I am, I forgot to put up a disclaimer, so here it
is:*~
Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth, etc., etc.
~
Sarah very nearly didn't stop the Honda. How tempting it was to make another person's day as bad as hers! Maybe splash a little bit of muddy water in their face with the tires; or honk cheerfully as she drove by in her warm--working--car; perhaps give them the finger? Who knows what would've happened if Sarah hadn't been overcome by a sudden attack of conscience. She definitely wouldn't be where she is now, but we'll get to that later. The fact is, she applied her brakes none-too-gently (the car's brakes worked, thank god for small favors) and left a nice layer of Goodyear rubber on the shiny asphalt.
She just prayed that the person wouldn't be another chapter to "Sarah's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." The wipers ticked back and forth; the heater whooshed, as the person approached the car. They were wearing a black rain rubber--not a very good color to be wearing on a dark, rainy highway--that went over their equally dark clothes. The rubber had a large hood that covered the person's face, leaving it in darkness--like a demon's- -but Sarah still caught a glimpse of a--grateful?--smile on their face as she leaned across the passenger seat to open the door.
Oh great, she thought, as she caught sight of the lean body underneath the poncho, the heeled boots, and tight pants. Of all the people that could be stranded on a highway, I have to pick up a transvestite!
The domelight lit the car. Shined on the person's boots like the moon on the surface of a calm pond. Sarah glanced at them. Then looked at them. Then all-out stared at them. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from them. Why did they look so familiar?
Say something, dumbass! she commanded herself, her eyes growing larger and larger with each passing second as she looked at the black boots. Say something or the guy'll think you're an axe-murdering freak with a major foot obsession!
But she couldn't. Couldn't bring herself to say anything, or look at anything but those boots. Because memories were flooding back, attacking her senses, making her head spin worse then the wind made the raindrops spin. She gasped as she suddenly realized what she'd known all along.
The boots suddenly weren't the problem anymore, as the man reached up and pushed back his hood. With a visible effort, she tore her eyes away from those damned familiar boots. In what seemed like eternity, her eyes found their way up his body, to his face.
"Oh my god." Her voice was a dry, raspy whisper that seemed to echo.
"Hello, my Sarah." Cultured, deep voice dripping with arrogance. "Have you missed me?"
Sarah Williams, who's college roommate often teasingly complained that Sarah did *nothing* but talk, for the first time in her 26-year-long life, couldn't force a word past her trembling lips. Her throat worked, clicking as it tried to form even a syllable, but to no avail. She couldn't move as she stared into the face that had been faded by her memory, now in front of her in full color.
First fear washed through her body, like wild waves across an innocent beach, then was replaced by anger at his stupid presumptuous attitude. This was followed by--excitement? hope? *desire*--which in turn caused disgust at herself.
Outside the car, the world carried on, what with its raining, and blowing, and harassing of the trees. Inside the car, the world stopped. Neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity. Jareth sat there, facing her, leaning against the door as if he were reclining on his throne. A small, knowing smile played on his lips. Those fascinating eyes fairly sparkled with amusement. He was alive with color and emotion. Sarah, on the other hand, sat froze, body stiff, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. The only movement she unknowingly made was the faint tremors in her body.
Finally, Jareth spoke.
"What, no smiles and warm greetings for me, Sarah?" he said, his voice seeming to go straight to Sarah's mind. Laughed. "Not that I can blame you, of course."
Sarah's eyes slid closed and her head rolled back across her shoulders. Don't faint don't faint don't faint whatever you do don't faint Finally looked back at him.
"What are you doing here, Jareth?"
This simple comment seemed to result in more amusement from him. She glared at him, irritated.
"What's so funny?"
"Why, I'd think that a smart girl--woman like yourself could puzzle out why I'm here," he replied. "Or aren't you as intelligent as I have taken you to be?"
"Don't start with me," she warned angrily. "I've had a horrible day, and I don't need this from you right now."
"I'd bet that you wouldn't need this from me at any time in your life."
"You're absolutely right. I don't need you, for that matter. Why do you have to keep popping up in my life at the most inopportune times?"
"'Inopportune times?' You'd call this day 'inopportune?'" His eyes narrowed. "Oh, yes. That slipped my mind for a moment. You call all men who find you desirable 'inopportune.'"
That hit a little too close to home for Sarah. "Get out of my car."
He crossed his arms. "And why in the world would I do that, after all that trouble of trying to make you stop."
"You know what? I don't really care what you would and would not do, as long as you get the hell out of my car."
"And if I don't?"
Ugh, he was so irritating! That smile constantly playing on his lips, the knowing glint in his eye, his overbearing arrogance and confidence--it was no wonder the only way he could amuse himself was with toying with a Human.
"I don't know," Sarah purred in a low, dangerous voice. "But if I were you, I wouldn't wait around to find out."
"You're no match for me, Sarah."
This was all too surreal. Hadn't he spoken those very words in her parents and Toby's bedroom 11 years ago? It was 11, wasn't it?
"Jareth, you're pissing me off."
"Oh, no," he shot back sarcastically.
"Why don't you just tell me why you're here and get it over with? Or are you going to put me through hell for the third time?"
For the first time since he removed the hood, he took his eyes off of her and looked around. No cars had passed them, sitting in the middle of the road while the storm raged outside. Not here. Here wasn't good.
"Let's go somewhere to have a little chat, shall we?"
"Jareth, don't--"
But it was too late.
The car sat, empty and running, on the side of the road in the rain, until a state cop (with a bad urinary infection, I might add, but that has nothing to do with this story) drove by, spotted it, and called it in. The car was found to belong to a Sarah Williams.
Sarah Williams was officially labeled a "Missing Person."
~
The warm comfort of the car dissolved around Sarah, falling away like grains of a curtain of sand to reveal the throne room of Jareth's castle. She was sitting on the throne itself. He stood a few feet away, still smiling that stupid lovely smile.
"Welcome back."
"Damn you, Jareth!" she shouted at him, jumping up.
"Now, Sarah--" he said, holding up a hand.
"No!" she exclaimed, stomping straight up to him. I'm not afraid of you anymore. "You listen to *me* for a change, majesty. I don't know if you knew this or not, but I have a daughter. And the woman who's babysitting her right now--I don't even know her! She could be a child abductor for all I know. She expected me back hours ago. My daughter could be by herself. There could be a fire. There could be a million things, and if you don't take me right back to my car, or at least to my apartment, I'll make you feel *agony.*"
Jareth waited a moment or two. "Now, if you are quite finished, I believe you wanted to know why I'm back in your life."
"Gee, I think you're right," she snarled sarcastically.
"Well, I don't know if you knew *this* or not, but I knew you had a daughter."
"What doesn't that surprise me?"
"And she is mine."
Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth, etc., etc.
~
Sarah very nearly didn't stop the Honda. How tempting it was to make another person's day as bad as hers! Maybe splash a little bit of muddy water in their face with the tires; or honk cheerfully as she drove by in her warm--working--car; perhaps give them the finger? Who knows what would've happened if Sarah hadn't been overcome by a sudden attack of conscience. She definitely wouldn't be where she is now, but we'll get to that later. The fact is, she applied her brakes none-too-gently (the car's brakes worked, thank god for small favors) and left a nice layer of Goodyear rubber on the shiny asphalt.
She just prayed that the person wouldn't be another chapter to "Sarah's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." The wipers ticked back and forth; the heater whooshed, as the person approached the car. They were wearing a black rain rubber--not a very good color to be wearing on a dark, rainy highway--that went over their equally dark clothes. The rubber had a large hood that covered the person's face, leaving it in darkness--like a demon's- -but Sarah still caught a glimpse of a--grateful?--smile on their face as she leaned across the passenger seat to open the door.
Oh great, she thought, as she caught sight of the lean body underneath the poncho, the heeled boots, and tight pants. Of all the people that could be stranded on a highway, I have to pick up a transvestite!
The domelight lit the car. Shined on the person's boots like the moon on the surface of a calm pond. Sarah glanced at them. Then looked at them. Then all-out stared at them. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from them. Why did they look so familiar?
Say something, dumbass! she commanded herself, her eyes growing larger and larger with each passing second as she looked at the black boots. Say something or the guy'll think you're an axe-murdering freak with a major foot obsession!
But she couldn't. Couldn't bring herself to say anything, or look at anything but those boots. Because memories were flooding back, attacking her senses, making her head spin worse then the wind made the raindrops spin. She gasped as she suddenly realized what she'd known all along.
The boots suddenly weren't the problem anymore, as the man reached up and pushed back his hood. With a visible effort, she tore her eyes away from those damned familiar boots. In what seemed like eternity, her eyes found their way up his body, to his face.
"Oh my god." Her voice was a dry, raspy whisper that seemed to echo.
"Hello, my Sarah." Cultured, deep voice dripping with arrogance. "Have you missed me?"
Sarah Williams, who's college roommate often teasingly complained that Sarah did *nothing* but talk, for the first time in her 26-year-long life, couldn't force a word past her trembling lips. Her throat worked, clicking as it tried to form even a syllable, but to no avail. She couldn't move as she stared into the face that had been faded by her memory, now in front of her in full color.
First fear washed through her body, like wild waves across an innocent beach, then was replaced by anger at his stupid presumptuous attitude. This was followed by--excitement? hope? *desire*--which in turn caused disgust at herself.
Outside the car, the world carried on, what with its raining, and blowing, and harassing of the trees. Inside the car, the world stopped. Neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity. Jareth sat there, facing her, leaning against the door as if he were reclining on his throne. A small, knowing smile played on his lips. Those fascinating eyes fairly sparkled with amusement. He was alive with color and emotion. Sarah, on the other hand, sat froze, body stiff, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. The only movement she unknowingly made was the faint tremors in her body.
Finally, Jareth spoke.
"What, no smiles and warm greetings for me, Sarah?" he said, his voice seeming to go straight to Sarah's mind. Laughed. "Not that I can blame you, of course."
Sarah's eyes slid closed and her head rolled back across her shoulders. Don't faint don't faint don't faint whatever you do don't faint Finally looked back at him.
"What are you doing here, Jareth?"
This simple comment seemed to result in more amusement from him. She glared at him, irritated.
"What's so funny?"
"Why, I'd think that a smart girl--woman like yourself could puzzle out why I'm here," he replied. "Or aren't you as intelligent as I have taken you to be?"
"Don't start with me," she warned angrily. "I've had a horrible day, and I don't need this from you right now."
"I'd bet that you wouldn't need this from me at any time in your life."
"You're absolutely right. I don't need you, for that matter. Why do you have to keep popping up in my life at the most inopportune times?"
"'Inopportune times?' You'd call this day 'inopportune?'" His eyes narrowed. "Oh, yes. That slipped my mind for a moment. You call all men who find you desirable 'inopportune.'"
That hit a little too close to home for Sarah. "Get out of my car."
He crossed his arms. "And why in the world would I do that, after all that trouble of trying to make you stop."
"You know what? I don't really care what you would and would not do, as long as you get the hell out of my car."
"And if I don't?"
Ugh, he was so irritating! That smile constantly playing on his lips, the knowing glint in his eye, his overbearing arrogance and confidence--it was no wonder the only way he could amuse himself was with toying with a Human.
"I don't know," Sarah purred in a low, dangerous voice. "But if I were you, I wouldn't wait around to find out."
"You're no match for me, Sarah."
This was all too surreal. Hadn't he spoken those very words in her parents and Toby's bedroom 11 years ago? It was 11, wasn't it?
"Jareth, you're pissing me off."
"Oh, no," he shot back sarcastically.
"Why don't you just tell me why you're here and get it over with? Or are you going to put me through hell for the third time?"
For the first time since he removed the hood, he took his eyes off of her and looked around. No cars had passed them, sitting in the middle of the road while the storm raged outside. Not here. Here wasn't good.
"Let's go somewhere to have a little chat, shall we?"
"Jareth, don't--"
But it was too late.
The car sat, empty and running, on the side of the road in the rain, until a state cop (with a bad urinary infection, I might add, but that has nothing to do with this story) drove by, spotted it, and called it in. The car was found to belong to a Sarah Williams.
Sarah Williams was officially labeled a "Missing Person."
~
The warm comfort of the car dissolved around Sarah, falling away like grains of a curtain of sand to reveal the throne room of Jareth's castle. She was sitting on the throne itself. He stood a few feet away, still smiling that stupid lovely smile.
"Welcome back."
"Damn you, Jareth!" she shouted at him, jumping up.
"Now, Sarah--" he said, holding up a hand.
"No!" she exclaimed, stomping straight up to him. I'm not afraid of you anymore. "You listen to *me* for a change, majesty. I don't know if you knew this or not, but I have a daughter. And the woman who's babysitting her right now--I don't even know her! She could be a child abductor for all I know. She expected me back hours ago. My daughter could be by herself. There could be a fire. There could be a million things, and if you don't take me right back to my car, or at least to my apartment, I'll make you feel *agony.*"
Jareth waited a moment or two. "Now, if you are quite finished, I believe you wanted to know why I'm back in your life."
"Gee, I think you're right," she snarled sarcastically.
"Well, I don't know if you knew *this* or not, but I knew you had a daughter."
"What doesn't that surprise me?"
"And she is mine."