*******
"People seldom refuse help, if one offers it in the right way."
-A. C. Benson
*******
It was early afternoon when Sarah next awoke. Someone was pounding on her bedroom door. She rolled over and covered her head with her pillow, willing the person to leave her be. But they were persistent. Heaving a sigh of annoyance, Sarah climbed out of bed, pulled on her robe and padded over to the door. She was not at all surprised to find Alex standing there, fist poised to knock on the door again.
"Jeez, Sarah! What are you, a log?" Alex bustled past her and jumped onto her bed, flopping down onto her stomach, legs raised behind her. Sarah turned around and leaned back against the doorframe.
"I didn't get much sleep last night. You didn't have to come in here and wake me up!"
Alex grinned and bounced on the bed. "Oh believe me, I know you didn't." Sarah looked at her, frowning, and Alex giggled. "Jared! Oh, yes, Jared!" She breathed, voice shallow with over exaggerated lust. "Please, Jared, please!"
Sarah felt a blush rise from her chest to her cheeks and she moved to sit on the bed next to her friend. She placed a hand over her eyes and shook her head. "It's Jareth and you have got to be kidding me."
"I'm doing anything but! And who's this Jareth guy anyway? You've never mentioned him before! Some hottie from your past? A mysterious ex that I know nothing about?"
"Something like that, I guess." Lying back on her bed next to Alex, Sarah grimaced. "Could we forget about this please? It's not like I haven't heard you at 2AM with some guy you picked up at school and I certainly don't bother you about it the next morning."
Alex only giggled and rose up on her elbows. "No way! You're not getting out of this one that easily. It's not every day I hear my best friend calling some guys name in her sleep. I want details. What was the dream about, who is he, where is he, I'm sure you're getting the picture here."
Sarah began to giggle, face turning bright red as she remembered what she'd done the night before. She'd masturbated for the Goblin King. Giggles turned to laughter and she clutched her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. The whole thing seemed absurd now. She'd wanted him to watch it. He would never have seen. He probably didn't give a damn about her. A sudden ache formed in her stomach at the though and she stopped laughing, now aware that Alex was watching her, a confused look in her eyes. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sarah got to her feet and walked over to her dresser, pulling clothes from the drawers. She quickly walked into the bathroom, leaving Alex on her bed, wondering what had just happened.
Later that afternoon Sarah was sitting in the local park reading under the shade of an oak tree. The shadows of the leaves flitted over her in the breeze, light dancing with dark as the sun shone through the gaps and onto her skin. She watched them move, fascinated at the patterns she found. They played games on her blanket; the sun chasing the shadows onto a purple square, then the shadows fighting back and forcing the light to retreat to orange where it stayed, momentarily, until the breeze picked up once more.
Sarah put her bookmark in place and lay the book on the grass. The last few hours had been spent reading, trying desperately to rid herself of the coil of hurt in her stomach. It made no sense that she would be upset over him. She had cried in the shower, tears mixing with the water as she let it cascade over her body, warming her flesh. But she had still shivered.
Why should this hurt her? She felt the sadness rise in her again and she fought to keep it at bay, swallowing the tears before they could make their escape once more. He was just her childhood fantasy, the man who had changed her world from one of magic and wonder, to a life of hope and fear. She feared that he would return, and hoped that one day he would.
Turning over to lay on her stomach, she toyed with the frayed edges of the blanket. If only her life were simple. She wished that she could be like Alex. She was fearless and charming, nothing stood in her way. When Alex wanted something all she had to do was ask for it and it was given to her, silver platter included. She, however, was shy. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she picked a clover from the grass and began plucking the leaves from it, letting them flutter to the ground. She had never been one for demands, at least not since her trip to the Underground. She had become quiet and reserved, letting few people into her heart. She guessed that was why she hadn't had a boyfriend since she was 17.
There was tickle on one of her toes and Sarah rubbed it on the grass, easing the feeling. But it came again a moment later and she sat up and turned around to find what was causing it. What she found before her took her breath away.
A woman sat cross-legged on the ground, a mischievous smirk on her lips. In her hand, she held a blade of grass, which, Sarah guessed, she had been using to tickle her foot. Her black hair, delicately curled, shined in the sunlight and brushed the grass she sat on. Her eyes gleamed with humour, watching her with curiosity. Sarah suddenly felt uneasy in the strangers' presence and scooted away, leaning her back against the tree.
Talia grinned as she watched the girl before her. Funny, she thought to herself, how Jareth always goes for the ones with the dark hair. She giggled and brushed a raven strand from her face. But she is quite striking, she realised. It was no wonder he was so taken with her. She watched Sarah for a few more moments, then decided to put the girl out of her misery.
"You're Sarah." It was a statement, not a question, and Sarah's eyes grew wider. She nodded. "You are quite beautiful. It's no wonder he speaks so highly of you."
"Who are you?" The words finally found, Sarah stuttered them out, still afraid of the woman before her.
Talia rolled her eyes. "I'm Talia. You don't know me, obviously, but I've heard a great deal about you."
Sarah bit at the inside of her cheek, wondering what the hell this woman was talking about. Who the hell would have been talking about her?
"I have a question for you. He was too scared to come up here and ask you himself, you know. I think he's afraid of you in a way. I don't know why, though. You look fairly harmless." She laughed out loud, finding her own joke amusing. Sarah just looked at her, confused.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Talia stopped giggling and her face became deadly serious. Sarah gasped at the sudden change, her fear rising even more. She stood, pressing her back against the tree trunk, hands coming to rest at her hips.
"Do you want him?" The girl in front of her looked alarmed and Talia sighed. "It's a simple question!"
Sarah raised an eyebrow and crinkled her nose. Now she was really confused. This woman, Talia whoever she was, had appeared here out of nowhere and began asking her questions she had no understanding of. Somewhere in the back of her mind Sarah wondered if she might have been an escaped mental patient, thinking she was someone from long ago, dressed in a gown of silk and lace. She dismissed the thought. She looked fairly sane to her. Maybe she was an actress who had just found someone to tease.
Talia sighed in frustration. This girl was in denial. She pouted and stood up, her dress falling around her. "Come on, Sarah! Do you want him? It's easy! Yes or no. Of course, I will be rather disappointed with a 'no' and might be inclined to try to persuade you towards a 'yes'."
"Want who, for God's sake?!"
Talia huffed in disbelief. "Jareth, of course!"
"Jareth.?"
"Ah! So you do know who I'm talking about! Finally, we are getting somewhere." Talia sat down again, triumph showing on her face.
"You're from the Underground?"
"Of course, silly!"
"And Jareth sent you?"
"No, I sent myself." At Sarah's questioning look, she continued. "He's too afraid to ask you himself how you feel about him. He sent you that dream, you know."
A flush spread over her and Sarah closed her eyes. She should have been angry with him. How could he manipulate her like that? But instead her heart soared.
"He did that?" Sarah sat down again on her blanket, her fear forgotten.
"Yes, he did. And you might like to know that he saw your little, uh," She fumbled to find the right word. "Display. I think he quite enjoyed it." She watched as the girl hid her face in her hands, embarrassed. Reaching out, she tilted Sarah's head up, their eyes meeting. "Now, you have yet to answer my question."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
Sarah nodded and suddenly found herself pulled into a tight hug.
"Oh, I'm so very glad you said that, Sarah! You don't know what he's like when he mopes. By the God's you just want to give him a big hug and kiss and make it all go away. He's like a little child!" Sarah looked at her, alarmed, and Talia instinctively knew what she was thinking. "Oh, no! You can't be serious! Jareth and I?" She giggled. "No we stopped that decades ago!" She stopped and laughed, placing a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "No, Sarah, let me explain a little something to you. Jareth and I used to be lovers. We actually grew up together. He was such a terror as a child, as I'm sure you can guess. But I matched him. We were wonderful friends and as we grew, nothing really changed. But after a while, it just seemed natural to progress to something more. Needless to say it didn't work out. Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic lover." She winked and Sarah blushed again. "We just weren't really compatible in that area. I prefer a man who is a little wilder than Jareth. He's a little calmer in the bedroom than I like. But I'm sure you've figured that one out by now, haven't you?
"Now, since we have cleared all of this mess up, I need to find a way to reunite the two of you. Have you any ideas?"
Sarah shook her head. She was still overwhelmed by it all. Talia looked around, thoughtfully.
"I shall have to think about this, Sarah. Will you give me a few days to come up with a plan? I'll have the two of you together yet!" Without waiting for an answer, Talia faded from view, leaving Sarah sitting under the tree alone.
Sarah sat still for a moment, then excitement flooded her veins. She was going to see him again, in person. The man of her dreams. She picked up her book and blanket and ran home.
"People seldom refuse help, if one offers it in the right way."
-A. C. Benson
*******
It was early afternoon when Sarah next awoke. Someone was pounding on her bedroom door. She rolled over and covered her head with her pillow, willing the person to leave her be. But they were persistent. Heaving a sigh of annoyance, Sarah climbed out of bed, pulled on her robe and padded over to the door. She was not at all surprised to find Alex standing there, fist poised to knock on the door again.
"Jeez, Sarah! What are you, a log?" Alex bustled past her and jumped onto her bed, flopping down onto her stomach, legs raised behind her. Sarah turned around and leaned back against the doorframe.
"I didn't get much sleep last night. You didn't have to come in here and wake me up!"
Alex grinned and bounced on the bed. "Oh believe me, I know you didn't." Sarah looked at her, frowning, and Alex giggled. "Jared! Oh, yes, Jared!" She breathed, voice shallow with over exaggerated lust. "Please, Jared, please!"
Sarah felt a blush rise from her chest to her cheeks and she moved to sit on the bed next to her friend. She placed a hand over her eyes and shook her head. "It's Jareth and you have got to be kidding me."
"I'm doing anything but! And who's this Jareth guy anyway? You've never mentioned him before! Some hottie from your past? A mysterious ex that I know nothing about?"
"Something like that, I guess." Lying back on her bed next to Alex, Sarah grimaced. "Could we forget about this please? It's not like I haven't heard you at 2AM with some guy you picked up at school and I certainly don't bother you about it the next morning."
Alex only giggled and rose up on her elbows. "No way! You're not getting out of this one that easily. It's not every day I hear my best friend calling some guys name in her sleep. I want details. What was the dream about, who is he, where is he, I'm sure you're getting the picture here."
Sarah began to giggle, face turning bright red as she remembered what she'd done the night before. She'd masturbated for the Goblin King. Giggles turned to laughter and she clutched her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. The whole thing seemed absurd now. She'd wanted him to watch it. He would never have seen. He probably didn't give a damn about her. A sudden ache formed in her stomach at the though and she stopped laughing, now aware that Alex was watching her, a confused look in her eyes. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sarah got to her feet and walked over to her dresser, pulling clothes from the drawers. She quickly walked into the bathroom, leaving Alex on her bed, wondering what had just happened.
Later that afternoon Sarah was sitting in the local park reading under the shade of an oak tree. The shadows of the leaves flitted over her in the breeze, light dancing with dark as the sun shone through the gaps and onto her skin. She watched them move, fascinated at the patterns she found. They played games on her blanket; the sun chasing the shadows onto a purple square, then the shadows fighting back and forcing the light to retreat to orange where it stayed, momentarily, until the breeze picked up once more.
Sarah put her bookmark in place and lay the book on the grass. The last few hours had been spent reading, trying desperately to rid herself of the coil of hurt in her stomach. It made no sense that she would be upset over him. She had cried in the shower, tears mixing with the water as she let it cascade over her body, warming her flesh. But she had still shivered.
Why should this hurt her? She felt the sadness rise in her again and she fought to keep it at bay, swallowing the tears before they could make their escape once more. He was just her childhood fantasy, the man who had changed her world from one of magic and wonder, to a life of hope and fear. She feared that he would return, and hoped that one day he would.
Turning over to lay on her stomach, she toyed with the frayed edges of the blanket. If only her life were simple. She wished that she could be like Alex. She was fearless and charming, nothing stood in her way. When Alex wanted something all she had to do was ask for it and it was given to her, silver platter included. She, however, was shy. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she picked a clover from the grass and began plucking the leaves from it, letting them flutter to the ground. She had never been one for demands, at least not since her trip to the Underground. She had become quiet and reserved, letting few people into her heart. She guessed that was why she hadn't had a boyfriend since she was 17.
There was tickle on one of her toes and Sarah rubbed it on the grass, easing the feeling. But it came again a moment later and she sat up and turned around to find what was causing it. What she found before her took her breath away.
A woman sat cross-legged on the ground, a mischievous smirk on her lips. In her hand, she held a blade of grass, which, Sarah guessed, she had been using to tickle her foot. Her black hair, delicately curled, shined in the sunlight and brushed the grass she sat on. Her eyes gleamed with humour, watching her with curiosity. Sarah suddenly felt uneasy in the strangers' presence and scooted away, leaning her back against the tree.
Talia grinned as she watched the girl before her. Funny, she thought to herself, how Jareth always goes for the ones with the dark hair. She giggled and brushed a raven strand from her face. But she is quite striking, she realised. It was no wonder he was so taken with her. She watched Sarah for a few more moments, then decided to put the girl out of her misery.
"You're Sarah." It was a statement, not a question, and Sarah's eyes grew wider. She nodded. "You are quite beautiful. It's no wonder he speaks so highly of you."
"Who are you?" The words finally found, Sarah stuttered them out, still afraid of the woman before her.
Talia rolled her eyes. "I'm Talia. You don't know me, obviously, but I've heard a great deal about you."
Sarah bit at the inside of her cheek, wondering what the hell this woman was talking about. Who the hell would have been talking about her?
"I have a question for you. He was too scared to come up here and ask you himself, you know. I think he's afraid of you in a way. I don't know why, though. You look fairly harmless." She laughed out loud, finding her own joke amusing. Sarah just looked at her, confused.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Talia stopped giggling and her face became deadly serious. Sarah gasped at the sudden change, her fear rising even more. She stood, pressing her back against the tree trunk, hands coming to rest at her hips.
"Do you want him?" The girl in front of her looked alarmed and Talia sighed. "It's a simple question!"
Sarah raised an eyebrow and crinkled her nose. Now she was really confused. This woman, Talia whoever she was, had appeared here out of nowhere and began asking her questions she had no understanding of. Somewhere in the back of her mind Sarah wondered if she might have been an escaped mental patient, thinking she was someone from long ago, dressed in a gown of silk and lace. She dismissed the thought. She looked fairly sane to her. Maybe she was an actress who had just found someone to tease.
Talia sighed in frustration. This girl was in denial. She pouted and stood up, her dress falling around her. "Come on, Sarah! Do you want him? It's easy! Yes or no. Of course, I will be rather disappointed with a 'no' and might be inclined to try to persuade you towards a 'yes'."
"Want who, for God's sake?!"
Talia huffed in disbelief. "Jareth, of course!"
"Jareth.?"
"Ah! So you do know who I'm talking about! Finally, we are getting somewhere." Talia sat down again, triumph showing on her face.
"You're from the Underground?"
"Of course, silly!"
"And Jareth sent you?"
"No, I sent myself." At Sarah's questioning look, she continued. "He's too afraid to ask you himself how you feel about him. He sent you that dream, you know."
A flush spread over her and Sarah closed her eyes. She should have been angry with him. How could he manipulate her like that? But instead her heart soared.
"He did that?" Sarah sat down again on her blanket, her fear forgotten.
"Yes, he did. And you might like to know that he saw your little, uh," She fumbled to find the right word. "Display. I think he quite enjoyed it." She watched as the girl hid her face in her hands, embarrassed. Reaching out, she tilted Sarah's head up, their eyes meeting. "Now, you have yet to answer my question."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
Sarah nodded and suddenly found herself pulled into a tight hug.
"Oh, I'm so very glad you said that, Sarah! You don't know what he's like when he mopes. By the God's you just want to give him a big hug and kiss and make it all go away. He's like a little child!" Sarah looked at her, alarmed, and Talia instinctively knew what she was thinking. "Oh, no! You can't be serious! Jareth and I?" She giggled. "No we stopped that decades ago!" She stopped and laughed, placing a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "No, Sarah, let me explain a little something to you. Jareth and I used to be lovers. We actually grew up together. He was such a terror as a child, as I'm sure you can guess. But I matched him. We were wonderful friends and as we grew, nothing really changed. But after a while, it just seemed natural to progress to something more. Needless to say it didn't work out. Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic lover." She winked and Sarah blushed again. "We just weren't really compatible in that area. I prefer a man who is a little wilder than Jareth. He's a little calmer in the bedroom than I like. But I'm sure you've figured that one out by now, haven't you?
"Now, since we have cleared all of this mess up, I need to find a way to reunite the two of you. Have you any ideas?"
Sarah shook her head. She was still overwhelmed by it all. Talia looked around, thoughtfully.
"I shall have to think about this, Sarah. Will you give me a few days to come up with a plan? I'll have the two of you together yet!" Without waiting for an answer, Talia faded from view, leaving Sarah sitting under the tree alone.
Sarah sat still for a moment, then excitement flooded her veins. She was going to see him again, in person. The man of her dreams. She picked up her book and blanket and ran home.
