A shower of disappearing glitter showered down from the ceiling, surrounding the Goblin King as he eyed his adversary. He noticed the determined tilt of her chin, and knew that it would not be easy to break through the tough exterior that was her defense. It amused him to watch as she built resistance to him.
"To what do I owe the honor of your company?" Sarah smirked, keeping her voice level and unshaken. Jareth grinned, stepping away from the fireplace and toward her, giving a small, cold laugh when he saw her 'valiant' protector faint from the shock of what was happening. He watched Sarah glance at her friend to make sure he was alright, and then quickly return her gaze to Jareth. Unblinking, they maintained eye contact, each waiting for the other to turn away.
"Happy Christmas, Sarah," he reached out a hand to help her up from the couch where she was still grasping the arm to the point that her knuckles were white. Relaxing her grip, she considered his hand, and finally grasped it, and stood in front of the Goblin King. "Is this not the holiday when you spend time with friends…and the ones you love?" Jareth said this last part in a tone that made Sarah wonder if he were mocking her or simply trying to grate upon her nerves. She looked at him uncertainly, not knowing what to say.
"I've brought you a gift," he said, producing a crystal from midair. Now Sarah understood the game; they were back in her realm of understanding.
"Oh no, not again," she said, "You took something that belonged to me once, you cannot do that again. I haven't wished anyone or anything away." She started pacing nervously. "I'm not a child of 16 anymore, there's no lesson to be learned, no moral of the story anymore. I've got a life, firmly grounded in reality." Jareth smirked at this comment.
"Oh really? Firmly grounded in reality are we? And how do you explain your career, living off the earnings from a book about… well about ME. Not that I'm not flattered, but really, Sarah… let's be honest, shall we?" Sarah looked around the room, trying to think of a good reply. She couldn't deny what he had said.
"I believe that dreams and a little bit of fantasy are necessary in life," Sarah answered, "which doesn't change the fact that I have a firm grasp of reality." She stood her ground and braced herself against whatever the arrogant ruler might throw at her next.
"You've grown," he replied, "in more ways than one. I see that I cannot continue to think of you as a child. Forgive me for leading you to believe that I had taken something from you. Shall we begin again?" His eyes gleamed. He cringed internally, and hoped that spending time with Sarah would be sufficiently agreeable to make up for the amount of pride that he had just had to swallow.
Sarah nodded. She wasn't sure what to expect, but the presence of Jareth in such close proximity was already making her head spin. She struggled to regain her grasp of the situation.
"Please, have a seat," she decided to play the part of the gracious hostess. "Can I get you something to eat, something to drink?" She paced in front of the fireplace nervously.
"I am a bit hungry," he admitted. "All this traveling between worlds is exhausting, really." Sarah nodded, and trotted over to the kitchen to rummage for what she could find. She had some leftovers from the day before, Christmas cookies and candy. Quickly placing some of the holiday sweets on a holiday themed paper plate, she returned to the living room and set it down on a table next to the couch. Jareth was strolling around the room, looking at pictures that were framed on the wall and on tables.
"My friends," Sarah explained. "The picture I have of my family is over there." She pointed to a small end table which displayed a framed picture of Sarah, Karen, her father, and Toby.
"This is the child?" Jareth asked, gazing at the photograph. Sarah nodded, beginning to smile. She picked up Sir Didymus from his position on the floor and carried him to an armchair in the study, calling out to Jareth.
"Toby and my father and Karen are in Florida. I chose to remain here and celebrate with my friends instead." She tried to disguise the discomfort in her voice, but Jareth caught it. He chose to disregard it, for now. He took a seat on the couch and lounged as if it were his throne, taking a cookie and continuing to gaze about the room. Sarah returned to the room, rolled her eyes at his position, and sat in a comfortable armchair nearby. She decided to take advantage of the fact that he was, at least temporarily, acting agreeable and not trying to scare her to death.
"Can I… can I ask you something?" she ventured. Shifting his attention, Jareth sat up where he was sitting, and nodded regally. Sarah took a deep breath. "How are… How have… Hoggle and Ludo been? Do they miss me? Have they… have they forgotten?" Jareth's heart jumped at the self-conscious strain in her voice, but he couldn't resist tormenting her just a little bit.
"You haven't called on them?" he drawled, trying to look mildly shocked. Sarah fidgeted nervously, avoiding eye contact. He already knew the answer but wanted to watch her squirm a little before he eased her mind.
"I… I tried to, earlier… but after that first time, things began to get easier… I didn't need them as much… I didn't mean to lose contact but after a while it seemed… seemed…"
"Silly?" Jareth suggested.
"Yes, I guess so… silly to call on creatures, albeit my friends, when I had the strength I needed to get through what I needed to get through." Sarah sighed, finally venturing a glance at her guest. He was looking at her with a mixture of concern and something else, and his eyes flashed blue and brown. Sarah shivered and looked down at her hands.
"Sarah?" Jareth breathed, voice thick with emotion.
"Yes…" she said weakly.
"They're fine… Hoggle has been working for me, helping me to run things, and Ludo and Didymus have been guarding the castle against intruders." Sarah sighed with relief. "They all miss you, of course. They wonder the same, if you think about them at all."
"Of course I do," Sarah said, softly. "I think about them all the time."
"And… me?" Jareth asked carefully. Sarah's head lifted; she wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. The look in his eyes assured her that she had.
"Of course I do," she repeated. "Of course. You changed my life." Jareth grinned, a little half grin. This was enough for him, for now.
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Just a funny little side note: right after I wrote that last section about the piles of snow, a real live blizzard hit my little town and the university is all but closed… This of course gives me lots of extra time to write for you all. ;-)
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