A Necessary Deception

by Scattered Logic

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson. Everyone else is mine.

Author's Note (1): This chapter contains explicit sexual references. While I don't believe this chapter goes past an "R" rating, I don't wish to offend anyone. If you are underage, please go elsewhere.

Author's Note (2): Special thanks to Sara McGee and Cormak for agreeing to edit this chapter, and to Cormak, Lady Jamie and The Hooded Crow for the entertaining, and sometimes slightly wicked, discussions.

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Ethain still hadn't returned from lunch when Jareth heard a soft knock on the office door.

"Come in," he called out as he shook his head over the latest castle maintenance reports.

He looked up to see Sarah peeking into the room.

"Good afternoon," he said, as he rose with a surprised smile.

"Hi, could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Of course." He gestured for her to come into the room and waited as she approached his desk.

"First, thanks for the clock and the extra breakfast," she said with a smile.

He inclined his head and realized that she was looking at him strangely, almost as if she had never seen him before. She gave her head a little shake.

"The reason I'm here is..." Her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath and continued. "In the Aboveworld, it's fairly common for a woman to ask a man out on a date. Um, so, I was hoping you'd have dinner with me tonight. You did say you'd like us to get to know each other better."

A sense of achievement swept through him. She was seeking him out, wanting to spend time with him. His gesture last night had been worth all the effort. He decided to continue the gentle teasing they'd established between them.

He lifted one eyebrow and said with laughter in his voice, "Are you asking to court me, Sarah?"

He watched as she looked at him steadily and then glanced away.

"What if I were?" she asked quietly.

He took in her serious tone and expression. She wasn't teasing with him now, and his heart leapt. This was more than he could have expected.

He tilted his head until he caught her eye. "Then I would be delighted," he said gently.

She gave a small smile, and then suddenly mimicked his usual arrogant demeanor, "So, I've asked you out. Are you going to accept or not? I haven't got all day, you know."

He smiled widely, "Yes, I accept. Will this be a formal occasion?"

"The way you usually dress for dinner is formal enough for me," she said, turning to leave. "I'll meet you in the dining room tonight at seven." She grinned at him and slipped out of the room.

He was still smiling when Ethain came back into the room.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I had a few things to take care of before I could return."

"That's fine. Are you and Brennan to dine in the castle tonight?" Jareth asked with studied nonchalance.

"No, we have other plans," Ethain said, suppressing a smile. "Your mood seems to have improved."

"Sarah has asked me to have dinner with her tonight," Jareth said, eyeing his aide with sudden suspicion. "Perhaps that explains the mysterious note you received earlier?"

"Yes, and I'm not going to give away her plans," Ethain said with a smile, dropping one part of the charade while continuing another. "Did she say why she wished to dine with you privately? Is something wrong?"

"No, she wishes to become better acquainted," Jareth said.

Ethain nodded, satisfied. 'Good girl,' he thought, 'No mention of thanks or appreciation.' It seemed his earlier comments regarding honesty had hit the mark.

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Sarah was tired enough that she opted for an afternoon nap. She tracked Twylla down and threatened her life if she allowed Sarah to oversleep and then dropped off as soon as her head touched the pillow. She slept dreamlessly until Twylla knocked on her door. Sarah found the goblin maid holding a gown made of garnet colored satin.

"Paslia's finished this one for you," Twylla hurried in with the dress draped over her arms.

Sarah took the dress from her and held it up. It was gorgeous, with a low scooped neckline and full skirt. The color would look beautiful on her. "Tell Paslia that she's outdone herself."

Twylla beamed. "Well, then, I'll be back after your bath to help you dress."

"I can dress myself."

"But the corset..." Twylla began.

"No, I'm not going to spend the evening fighting to breathe," Sarah said firmly and Twylla frowned. "I'm playing hostess to the King. I don't need something else to be nervous about. No corset, not tonight. The dress doesn't really need it, does it?"

"I suppose not." Twylla grudgingly admitted, taking the dress from Sarah. "I'll hang the gown up so that it doesn't wrinkle until you're ready to dress."

After her maid left, Sarah took a leisurely bath. She'd known she was staring at Jareth earlier in his office, but it had been the first time she'd seen him since realizing how she felt about him. Just looking at him had made her heart flutter. And then he'd made that comment about courting and she just couldn't force herself to tease about it.

As the time for dinner drew near, she applied her makeup and perfume, then brushed her hair until it shone.

Don't allow Jareth to believe it's an act of appreciation if there's more to it than that. It wouldn't be fair to either of you.

She took her dress from the armoire and carefully put it on, then slipped into her shoes.

She was looking forward to tonight, but the thought of it made her a little nervous. She took a long look at herself in the mirror.

"Well, Ethain, I'm taking your advice," she said aloud, smoothing the dress over her hips. "I'm going to make myself very clear."

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When Sarah entered the dining room, she gasped in surprise. The long dining table had been moved along one wall and was set up as a buffet with chafing dishes. The extra room provided by its removal would give adequate space for dancing. A smaller linen covered table set for two now sat in the place of the larger table with two chairs awaiting their occupants.

Lighted candles scattered throughout the room gave off a soft glow and vases with freshly cut flowers filled the air with a sweet fragrance. Various wines and a decanter of brandy were on a tray at the far end of the buffet. The comfortable chairs that had previously been arranged in a separate seating area had been replaced with a sofa and side tables.

Ethain had thought of everything.

Sarah had purposely arrived a few minutes early. Since she'd been the one to invite Jareth, she'd wanted to be there when he arrived.

She heard the dining room door open and turned to see Jareth enter the room. He wore a purple jacket so dark it was almost black and a matching vest with silver embroidery, over a white poet's shirt. Black leggings, boots and gloves completed his ensemble.

Her first thought was, 'I wonder what he'd say if I just took him by the hand and led him straight up to my bedroom?'

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Jareth barely registered the changes to the dining room decor. All he could see was Sarah. She smiled when she saw him and began to walk toward him, telling him that she was glad that he was here. He knew that he should answer, but all he wanted to do was look at her.

The dress Sarah wore was short and black. It was not excessively tight, but the soft fabric clung to every curve of her body. Held up by thin straps, the square neck dipped just to the beginning swell of her breasts. The skirt revealed several inches of creamy thigh and her legs seemed astonishingly long. Her shoes apparently consisted of only a few thin strips of black leather and impossibly high heels.

As she walked toward him, the heels caused her hips to sway in a most enticing manner and, all too soon, she was standing in front of him, smiling. The extra height given her by those heels made her almost as tall as he was.

He quickly pushed away the very clear, but very inappropriate, urge to simply pick her up and carry her to his bedchambers.

"Good evening, Sarah, you look ravishing." He gave a mental wince at his choice of words. His subconscious seemed determined to point out the obvious.

Sarah's eyes began to gleam and she gave a slow grin, "I was just thinking the very same thing about you."

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Sarah was elated; dinner was going very well. Jareth had been pleased to discover that the meal consisted of all his favorite dishes. There hadn't been any awkward pauses in the conversation and they both seemed intent upon charming the other.

But it was all she could do to keep from staring at him as he ate. How could a man be so beautiful?

She looked down at her dessert, a wonderful concoction of fruit, honeyed cream and some sweet spice she wasn't familiar with. She was so tempted to dip her finger in the cream and hold it up to his mouth. The vivid mental image of his lips closing around her finger caused her to shiver.

"Are you cold?" He asked, slight concern on his face.

Her eyes had drifted from her dessert to his mouth, and at his words she blinked.

"No, I'm fine." She was horrified to feel herself blushing and he looked at her curiously.

"I've never had this dessert before, it's very good," Sarah said quickly.

"I first had this during a meeting with the rulers of the dragons." He said, lifting a spoonful to his mouth.

"Dragons? There are dragons?" She asked, astonished.

"Yes," Jareth said, amused at her reaction, and then shook his head to forestall her inevitable question. "And no, you may not see one. Dragons are dangerous and unpredictable."

"Wait, you met with them? They can talk?"

"Not in language as we use it, but they do communicate with a form of telepathy. Mainly emotions and mental images."

"If they're so dangerous, why did you meet with them?" she asked.

"It was during the time that the magic was becoming unstable. The dragons are the oldest creatures in the Underground. They're very powerful and I thought they might have a way of reversing the damage, but they did not."

"And then you found me?" she asked softly.

"And then I found you," he agreed.

After dessert, they moved to the sofa to have an after dinner brandy. Her little black dress certainly seemed to have captured his attention; she'd seen him casting more than one lingering glance at her legs throughout the evening.

She deliberately crossed her legs and watched as his eyes followed every movement. She gave a small smirk and thought that while he was the most powerful creature she'd ever encountered, in some ways, he reacted just like any other man.

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Jareth had been admiring her legs again--they really were very beautiful--when he'd seen Sarah watching him. He recognized her knowing look and her self-satisfied smirk. He immediately understood that he'd been caught out and that Sarah believed she held the upper hand.

He smiled to himself. 'Ah, Sarah,' he thought. 'Do you think I haven't noticed how you look at me?' Whatever she had been thinking about during dessert when she'd been so focused on his mouth had brought a pretty blush to her cheeks.

Time to escalate things just a little.

He leaned toward her and lightly traced one finger over the strap of her dress along her shoulder. "You really are very lovely tonight. It's unusual to see a woman dressed in such a gown in the Underground." He slowly moved his fingers across her shoulder to her neck, stroking gently. He smiled, as her eyes grew wider.

"Twylla seemed very concerned that you would see my knees. Are knees considered bad things here?" She asked a little breathlessly.

"No," Jareth purred, "But usually only a husband or a lover is the allowed to see a woman's legs unclothed."

He looked at her closely. At his words, she caught her breath and bit her lip, but she recovered quickly.

"You won't tell Twylla on me, will you?" she asked with a nonchalant shrug.

"Never," he swore solemnly, while his fingers moved back down to the strap of her dress and slipped under it. He watched with satisfaction as her eyes darkened.

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'Oh hell,' Sarah thought. She was supposed to be seducing him, remember? When had she lost control over the evening? Oh yes, it had been that last time she'd caught him looking at her legs. He'd known he'd been caught and started using that damn Fae seductiveness against her.

Time to let him know that she knew what he was doing and take back control.

She slipped away from him and stood. Taking several casual steps back, she said, "I do know about the Leanan Sidhe and the effect they have on humans. You take advantage of that shamelessly," she scolded playfully.

He rose and took a step toward her. "Effect, Sarah? Do I have some effect on you?" he asked with feigned innocence.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." She put her hands on her hips.

"But I don't." His smile widened. "Explain it to me."

He took another step toward her.

With a lift of her eyebrows and a slow smile, she took a step back.

He stepped forward.

She stepped back.

They looked at one another and grinned. Both of them recognized the efforts of the other to be the one in control. The outcome of this game was becoming inevitable. But, still, wasn't it deliciously fun to play?

She tilted her head and said, "If we had music, you could dance with me."

Jareth laughed softly, "I thought that was what we'd been doing for the past several minutes."

He made an elegant gesture and soft music filled the air. "May I have this dance?" he asked with a slight bow.

Sarah stepped into his arms and he danced her smoothly around the floor. He really is a wonderful dancer, she thought, so graceful. Just like in that dream. Her eyes went wide. Just like in that dream. If he'd been able to go into Toby's dreams, had he gone into hers?

Jareth noticed the startled expression on her face. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking about the last time that I was here. After I ate that peach, I had a dream and..." She hesitated, "Were you there?"

He chuckled and suddenly the music changed. A familiar melody filled the air. Sarah's smile turned shy. He swept her around the room and then his voice was soft in her ear.

"There's such a sad love

Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel

Open and closed within your eyes

I'll place the sky within your eyes"

Their steps slowed and then came to a stop. She remembered the rest of the song very well.

Falling in love.

Before he could continue, she touched the tips of her fingers to his mouth. "Not sad," she whispered. "But I am falling in love with you."

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Jareth was stunned at her words. "Sarah, I..." he began and she shook her head.

"No, please don't say anything. If it's the 'I like you, but' speech, I don't want to hear it right now. And if it isn't, then one declaration a night is enough."

He closed his eyes as she moved her fingers to gently trace over his forehead, his eyes, his nose, and finally back to his mouth.

She leaned in and kissed him. Her lips moved softly and her tongue slipped into his mouth and brushed lightly against his, a delicate advance and then a retreat.

He deepened the kiss and felt her hands slide into his hair. She pressed closer to him and he trailed his mouth over her cheek, down to her ear. He took her earlobe gently between his teeth and felt her shiver. A slight nip drew a gasp from her.

He continued placing open-mouthed kisses down her neck and her head fell back to grant him easier access. His hand came up and cupped her breast, thumb brushing over the taut nipple through her dress. She drew in a shuddering breath and arched into his touch. 'I'm glad I didn't wear a bra,' she thought wildly.

His hands dropped to her waist, "Close your eyes."

She obediently closed her eyes and felt the giddy sensation of being transported by magic. 'Or maybe it never was the magic,' she thought, 'maybe it was always just being near Jareth.'

She opened her eyes and a quick look around revealed a large room with a sitting area in front of a fireplace. Three windows lined one wall and centered along another was a large bed.

Jareth's bedroom.

He pulled her into a burning kiss while her fingers fumbled the buttons on his jacket open and her hands began trying to push it off his shoulders. He broke the kiss and shrugged the jacket to the floor.

His eyes locked with hers and he began tugging the gloves from his hands. Sarah was a bit embarrassed by the low moan that slipped from her throat. He grinned at her, eyes glittering, and dropped them carelessly before removing his vest and shirt.

She reached out and caught his hands with her own. He stilled and watched as she traced her fingers over the smooth skin. They were soft, she thought, but still so strong. She brought them to her lips and gently pressed a kiss in the palm of each hand. She smiled as his fingers curved to cup her cheek.

Jareth lifted her face to his and kissed her. But this was a soft, tender kiss and it brought tears to Sarah's eyes to feel the emotion stirring inside her.

'Maybe 'falling in love' isn't right,' she thought. 'Maybe I've already fallen.'

Her hands came up to caress his chest and his head lowered to press kisses along her neck. He traced along her collarbone with his tongue as his arms went around her and he unzipped her dress. Sarah shivered as he brushed the dress off her shoulders. It pooled at her feet and she stepped out of it, leaving her clad in only a pair of black lacy panties and heels.

She should have felt shy, but she didn't. He looked at her with such desire that it swept away any doubts she might have had about her body pleasing him.

He held out his hands and he steadied her as she took off her shoes. A smile touched his lips as he watched her shrink several inches. She watched his eyes as she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pushed them down over her hips and, with a little shimmy, they, too, dropped to the floor.

His eyes were so dark they were black. He stood very still for a moment, just looking at her and then a sound came from him could only be described as a growl. She gasped in surprise as he swept her into his arms and crossed the room in swift strides to lay her on the bed.

He quickly kicked off his boots and knelt beside her on the bed. "You're so beautiful," he whispered. She reached up and stroked him through the leggings, lightly at first and then more firmly. Jareth threw his head back and groaned.

She tugged at the leggings impatiently and he quickly pulled them down over his slender hips and stripped them from his legs. Her fingers closed over his erection and she marveled at how something that felt so soft could be so hard. She moved her hand slowly and he gave a shaky laugh and stopped her hand with his.

"Not unless you want this to be over so soon."

Lying down on his side beside her, his head bowed over her breast, lips and tongue teasing the sensitive flesh. His hand slowly skimmed down her body until his fingers found her. She heard him groan softly as he felt her heat. She gasped and instinctively lifted her hips as he stroked her gently.

Jareth was making her feel wonderful but she wanted more--much more.

"Next time. We can go slow next time." Sarah's voice had gone low and throaty.

She put her hands on his shoulders and tugged. He hesitated only a moment, obviously wanting to take more time, but Sarah was ravenous. Jareth shifted so that his weight was on top of her and positioned himself over her.

With a thrust of his hips, he was deep inside her. She cried out in pleasure and he began to slowly move within her.

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, his tongue mimicking the movement of his hips until she was gasping into his mouth. He broke the kiss and pulled back to watch her eyes as he quickened the rhythm.

An aching tension began building, and soon her world narrowed to encompass only the sight of his beautiful eyes looking into hers tenderly and the exquisite pleasure of his body moving inside her.

Sarah began to spiral up, higher and higher as his thrusts became harder and faster. And then she was arching up and her world shattered in bliss. With her name a guttural cry on his lips, he followed her into ecstasy and spilled himself within her.

He slowly collapsed against her; their bodies still joined. Sarah hands gently caressed his back and then reached up to slip her fingers gently through his hair. She tilted her head and kissed him softly on the neck.

A wicked smile crossed her face and she whispered into his ear, "Since you seemed to enjoy the date, does this mean that I can call you again?"

Jareth buried his face into the hollow between her neck and shoulder and laughed.

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