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I've been accused of being addicted to board games before. What can I say, my family is big on games. But anyways, hope you like this latest installment; I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has been reviewing this story. . . it has started to haunt me, so I must be getting addicted to it. I've been on a reading spree as well; man, I wish some guy would treat me as well as we all have Jareth treating Sarah. Ah well, for now we'll just have to stick with writing about the perfect guy. ;-)
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A few minutes later, laughter filled the room.
"You're cheating!" Sarah shrieked, poking Jareth in the arm as he tried to peek at her answers.
"I wouldn't THINK of doing anything so. . .cruel," Jareth smirked deviously. Trying to look shocked, Sarah scribbled furiously at her notepad, giggling. The timer stopped abruptly, causing them both to jump.
"OK, you first," Sarah insisted. "Something in your refrigerator that starts with L." Jareth grinned arrogantly.
"Labyrinth." Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"Something tells me that you wouldn't have one in your REFRIGERATOR…" He looked at her sheepishly.
"Well. . . I wasn't exactly sure what a refrigerator WAS. . .but since the labyrinth covers all that I own, I figured I was safe?" After looking confused for a moment, Sarah couldn't help laughing. The goblin king tried to look angry, but only succeeded in making Sarah laugh harder. Changing her position on the couch, she brought her feet up and sat with her knees bent. She rested her feet next to Jareth, examining her notepad. Smiling quirkily, Jareth watched Sarah with interest.
"Well, that beats my answer, lettuce," she noted. "What about number two… a four letter word?" She looked up into his laughing eyes. Something other than laughter passed through them briefly, and she wondered what it was.
"Love," he answered softly, not breaking eye contact. Sarah swallowed, fidgeting nervously with her pencil. She drew a hitching breath.
"Are you hungry? I'm a little hungry." She jumped up and dashed to the kitchen, rummaging around in the cupboards. Her frantic search yielded a box of crackers and some Christmas candy. Popping a chocolate into her mouth, she took a breath and tried to steady her nerves. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around quickly. Jareth's amazing eyes looked into hers; hurt washing across them as he tried to fathom her reaction. "I'm just. . . a little confused," Sarah admitted. "It's not you. . . really. This has been a lot of fun, and I'm glad our friendship is developing." She tried to force a smile and stop her hands from shaking. Her memories and present perceptions each tried to force dominance in her mind. Jareth spotted the internal battle, and gently grasped her hand as she faced him.
"Sarah," he breathed. She looked up at him, trying to come to a consensus in her mind. Could her perceptions of him all those years ago have been so off the mark? Was she only seeing what she had wanted to see, a twisted king instead of a benevolent monarch who had fallen in love with her? Again, she looked in his eyes. There was pride there, yes; and wisdom, and a devious streak. But his eyes were so honest. . . he didn't break eye contact with her once. "Sarah." He repeated. Sarah let out a breath, accepting the conclusion. He was real, and things would be different from now on. No more running. She met his gaze and slowly smiled.
As soon as she gave up her internal struggle, she was aware of how close Jareth was. His hand brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, before cradling her head in his hand. And just like that, he bent and brought her to him for a highly anticipated first kiss. Gentle, oh so gentle. He ran his thumb across her face, caressing her cheek, as his other arm brought her closer to him. And Sarah surrendered, giving herself up to the kiss. Kissing him was like watching fireworks or watching a sunset. She hadn't known how much she had wanted this to happen until she was in his arms, breathing his name through a kiss. His lips tasted like the wind and the sun, and a little bit of chocolate from the candy she had consumed earlier. Finally pulling away from each other, Sarah rested her head on Jareth's chest, trying to regain her breath as well as her thoughts. She could hear her heart racing at the same speed that Jareth's was, underneath her ear. His arms wrapped around her and he held her tight.
"Don't think I'll just let you win because of that," Sarah smirked. "You may be the best guy at kissing that I've ever met in my life, but I still win the game." She winked up at him and pulled away, leaving him gaping and fishing for a retort at her kitchen sink. Smirking to herself, Sarah went back into the living room and put away the pieces to the game.
"Best at kissing, huh?" Since she was facing away from him, it was safe for Sarah to grin. She figured she might as well stroke his ego a little bit in return for being a scared little child earlier. She stretched, unwilling to answer him.
"Wow, it must be late. I don't feel tired yet, though. Maybe I'll just read something until I get sleepy. How bout you? Are you tired?" Jareth raised an eyebrow, ogling the girl who had so much power over him without even knowing it. Well, two could play at that game. And oh, how he loved games.
"Why don't I read to you until you fall asleep?" he suggested. "I have just the book." Jareth raised a hand into the air, turned it around, and magically brought a familiar red leather bound book from midair.
"Labyrinth!" Sarah gasped. "So you DID take it from me." Jareth smiled. Then Sarah remembered the ring that had been under the tree in the wooden box. She ran to retrieve it. "Where did you find this? I gave it up in return for information when I was looking for Toby," she explained. Jareth tilted his head, watching her excitement.
"I found it being sold by a creature in my labyrinth. I wanted to return it to its rightful owner." He sat on the couch, still holding the leather volume. "Come," he called to her, extending a hand. Sarah approached, placing her hand in his. He pulled her down to the couch. He sat on one end of the couch and motioned for her to rest her head on his lap. When they were situated, he opened the book and began to read, while running his fingers through Sarah's hair.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl, whose stepmother always made her take care of the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, who wanted everything for himself, and the girl was practically a slave. . . but what no one knew, was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers. . . " It wasn't long before his soft, accented speech gently lulled Sarah to sleep.