A/N:  Ok, this one's a biggie.  Comes out to ten pages on my thingy here.  But trust me; the ending is well worth it.  Enjoy, and please, PLEASE, I BEG YOU ON MY KNEES, please tell me what you think of this chapter.  It's terribly important to me.  THANKS!

The Cruelest One of All

"What do you mean?" Stutz asked his brow creasing.  "You know who this is?"

Shab nodded.  "I am very familiar with him, because of my parents… but I never believed…"  She took a breath.  "Ariman is the Persian god of Death and destruction.  He is the master trickster, the worshipper of sin.  And he would be more commonly known as Satan to you."

"What?" Stutz asked in total shock.  Suddenly he laughed in disbelief.  "You mean to tell me the Devil winked at me?  And what happened to the horns and towering flames?  I mean, he looked nothing like the Lord of Darkness in the movie Legend."

"He takes whatever form he is wishes, and it's not always as a goat looking man," she argued.  "As for him winking at you… that could mean a lot of things."

"Like he likes me?"

"Like he sees you as dessert," Shab replied evenly.  "Or as a game piece on his chess board of manipulation."

Stutz scoffed at her as he regained his feet.  "I'm really sorry, Shab, because with all your top notch instincts, I know that you're reliable.  But the Devil?  That's too farfetched for me."

"So explain Sarah's sudden disappearance!" Shab snapped, rising swiftly as well.  "You said you watched her vanish, and he did the same.  Explain the names!  Do you really believe this is all coincidence?"

The room became quiet save their shallow breaths.  Both stared at each other, silently analyzing the others thoughts, and Stutz realized he couldn't argue her points.  So what now?  "Ok.  If he is who you say, and he has taken Sarah somewhere… what are we supposed to do?  How do you fight the ultimate evil?"

Shab's lips pursed while she digested his question, and with a slightly perceptible nod, she answered, "With ultimate good, I would think."  Another nod and she was heading for the door.  "Let's go."

Oppressive.  Searing. 

So much pain. 

Stop.

Make it stop, God, it burns!

I can't breathe; the world is turning black, like my skin, black like coals, burned in the engulfing flames.

I'm dying…

"Where are we going?"

"Aren't you Christian?"

"Catholic."

"Same difference."

"Well, not really-"

"Regardless, who would be darkness' greatest enemy?"

"Light."

"And who lives in the light?"

"…God?"

"And the vessels for God?"

"… uh, priests?"

"Wow, that didn't take long at all, did it?  Must be those brilliant deduction skills you're so famous for."

"We're going to get a priest?"

"Didn't you ever see The Exorcist?"

"Well, yeah, but we don't have a possessed person spewing pea soup, do we?"

"No, but we have a point of entry and departure.  Perhaps Sarah's apartment, being a place of contact between good and evil, will have something that can be beneficial."

"… this is a reach, isn't it?"

"You've got a better idea?"

Silence.

"I figured as much."

A frustrated sigh.  "I don't understand why he would choose us.  I mean, what brought this about?  And why is he going specifically after Sarah?  I mean, I though he only did like demon possessions and tried to seduce man into temptation, and if he was doing that to Sarah…. Just what would be so tempting to her?  She doesn't trust easily, she's not eas-Whoa!  Taxi!  Taxi coming fast!  ... that was a little close, wouldn't you say- but she's not easily pushed, and no bullshit ever gets by her… so why- I don't understand!"

"Like you, she is a protector of the innocent.  Innocence and purity are what separate the good from the bad.  And maybe Sarah's just too good for his tastes."

"But she isn't innocent; we've both seen her kill before.  Thou shalt not kill, that's in the bible, right?  So doesn't that make her a sinner just like the rest of us?"

"And lead us not into temptation, right?  But all of us are prone to temptation as we are human, so maybe he proposed something she couldn't resist."

"Like finding the children?"

"Perhaps.  Or maybe it's just one child she's after… and the man that took him away from her."

"Oh, God."

"My sentiments exactly."

"And if she gives in?"

"I don't know.  I'm not the expert.  But if it's anything like the stories from Persia… then she becomes his slave, and a soldier for the dark, forever."

"…"

"Yeah."

Don't let me die, not like this. 

Don't let me go, please, God, someone help me, please!

And then the air cooled and Sarah could breath again.  But something was still wrong, and she didn't realize she had levitated until she landed hard on her back, the sweet breath of life suddenly expelled from her lungs with incredible force.  Everything was dancing, the walls were turning upside down, and she was running through the Escher room again, trying desperately to catch him, while he sang to her so forcefully, with that undertone of mourning-

But he never screamed at her… why was he screaming?  No, that wasn't right…

Snapping out of her hazy dream of stairs climbing in impossible directions, everything settled back into the shape of the throne room, with a white figure approaching her, the hair about him rippling in a breeze she couldn't feel.

Sarah, beware…

He had warned her he could be cruel.

"Sarah!"

But it wasn't Jareth approaching her with a threat to be cruel.  No, he had never induced such a paralyzing feeling of fear as the creature before her, and she was frozen to the floor, her eyes wide, breath short, and sweat dripping coldly down her back to soak into her shirt.  She stared up at him, and was drowning in his storm filled eyes.

… she was drowning in a sea of pure insanity, flooding her veins with rage and torment…

And now those eyes filled her with the insanity of pure fear, and Sarah had never before so desperately wished for death, for surely dying was the only escape from such overwhelming evil, such pure unadulterated evil.  Pushed to the edge, needing release from the insanity of his eyes, she watched him smile, revealing fangs she hadn't noticed before; watched the fireball that grew in his hand, meant to send her into a oblivion, and she didn't object… anything for the release…

"Sarah, move!"

But she couldn't.  Her power had left her, and she could only watch as oblivion came at her with horrifying speed.  Suddenly, the hypnotic gaze locking her to the floor lifted away with the demon as he was tackled to the floor by an incredible force of wind and lightning.  Then she was lifted to her feet with ease, strong arms keeping her steady while the dizziness passed. 

"Oh, what a cute couple you two make," a voice commented with dripping sarcasm.

"Whatever it is you seek, demon, you won't find it here.  Leave now."

Sarah's awareness suddenly returned, and she took notice of Ariman standing a few feet from her, his eyes dead and full of hate.  Everything about the man radiated evil, making her shiver inside with the cold feeling of absolute dread.  Then she felt the hands that had held her move away, and she was stunned to watch Jareth step forward and stand before her, in a gesture she could only describe as protective.  It also didn't pass her sharp eyes that he looked paler than before, and the slightest tremble ran through him.  He looked weakened…

"But you already know what it is I seek," the other man retaliated lightly, "and therefore you know that I won't leave without it.  So, what shall it be first?  Do I take your powers and kill you first, or do I make you watch her die and then feed off your torment until I end your pathetic little life?"

"Leave her out of this.  It's me you've come for, not her."

Ariman chuckled.  "Ah, but she's already apart of it, didn't you realize?  Stupid Fae, I thought with all those years behind you, you'd have some amount of intelligence.  What a disappointment.  No, I will have you both before the night is through.  And perhaps in more ways than just death," he added, eyes leering over Sarah's form with obvious intent.

"I am warning you-" Jareth growled.

"You're warning me?" Ariman questioned in disbelief.  Laughing, he said, "How foolish you've become.  You don't stand a chance against a god."

Sarah's body tensed.  "A god?"

"Sweet Sarah, allow me to properly introduce myself.  I am Death and Destruction in its most potent form, and I am here for my latest feast.  Thanks to you, I've been given the most delicious course on the menu," he replied, gesturing grandly to the Goblin King."  He chuckled.

 "You look confused.  Let me explain.  You see, after your victory, you became his weakness and his torment.  All those jealous, angry, lonely and despondent feelings welled up into an incredible source of power that could be highly destructive when used correctly.  And all that delicious violent power is just too enticing to pass up."

"Then you must not be much of a god," Sarah responded flatly, smiling as Ariman's body tensed in anger.  "Gods are supposed to be omnipotent, after all.  So why else do you need his power unless you're too weak and helpless on you own?"

"Because people don't hold their religious beliefs as highly anymore," Jareth cut in and answered before Ariman could, his voice low and cold.  "The power of belief is amazing when it comes in great numbers, and since the people of the Aboveground don't regard religion with such revere as they once did; his powers continue to lessen each day, until he will one day disappear like the gods of old."  The King's voice went bitter with resentment.  "So he steals the powers of those in those in the Underground, where magic still lives in spades, in an attempt to rebuild himself to his former glory.  But it's always temporary.  He'll keep coming back for more, until there is no one left, and he will be forced to fade away, just like the rest of us."

Ariman shook his head.  "Yes, one day the Underground might cease to exist, swallowed up by the nothing from the lack of human dreams and beliefs.  But I'll never fade.  Not while sinners continue to walk the earth.  Not while there are people that continue to worship me and follow me, and do my biddings."  His grin went wolfish.  "Not while there are people like your precious Sarah, who's imagination is bright enough to draw any creature of myth, and who is able to kill so easily."

Beside her, Jareth stiffened slightly, though his face showed no change in expression.  He said nothing, yet somehow she knew Ariman's words affected him, and for once, she was ashamed of the decisions she made.  It came to her suddenly that his opinion of her was so important… and that bothered her to no end.

Apparently, the Dark God caught Jareth's reaction as well, and he pressed on.  "I'm afraid it's true, Jareth.  She's no longer the innocent you once thought… though it surprises me to find you believing such.  After all, I did plant that Sarah look a like here to drive you to madness with her cruelty, to break you down to your weakest state, so she would have no trouble killing you.  I guess I underestimated you.  And I overestimated her... sadly.

"But make no mistake of this," he threatened, voice having gone deadly serious.  "As much as you want to believe in her goodness, she is slowly drawing herself closer to me.  It is inevitable that she will one day be mine.  So I guess you've lost a lot more than you think."

"I will never belong to you," Sarah retaliated with heated eyes, stepping forward to challenge him.  But Jareth's arm came up, stopping her advancement, and again pushing her to stand behind him.

"Oh, but I think you will," Ariman argued.  He stepped closer, hypnotically gazing into her eyes, holding her with their power.  "The darkness is in you; it always has been.  Jareth can agree, he's the one who said you were cruel.  And he was so right.  Admit it, Sarah," he persuaded, his voice now barely a whispered breath.  "Admit how good it felt to kill those men, those criminals that took your brother away.  That was how you saw it, right?  You were never looking for those individual children; you were looking for your brother.  The various kidnappers were all the same person in your mind, and killing them was a brief respite from your guilt.  But once wasn't enough; it never completed you like you'd hoped, and so you searched out another, and another, until you were trapped in your own cycle of guilt and death. 

"Now look at you.  Vicious, heartless, a bitch in the truest sense of the word.  And after I killed those six little kids that reminded me of you, well, then you were beyond help.  The paranoia from the loss was begging you to find a culprit to blame, anyone to blame but yourself, and you were developing just the way I wanted you.  Of course, I had to give you time to grow, to let the seed blossom into a deadly flower of guilt, of vengeance, and sweet hatred.  And just like a prerecorded drama, you took the bait with that crystal, and so willingly fell into the embrace of my lies.  You truly thought you would bring yourself peace with his death.  What a fool."

The extent of his lies hit her with numbing force, as things began to fall into place around her.  "The voices in the hallway, the bodies outside... that was all you.  You've played me all along..."

"Ah, now she's catching on.  Yes, my dear sweet avenging angel, you were a pawn.  You see, the clever Fae knew of my devastating trips to the Underground, so they managed to place a permanent binding spell on me, keeping me outside the realm of the Underground. I just couldn't get through… unless I had a gate.  And you, my dear, were the gate I needed between the Aboveground and here.  Because of your past adventure, and the trust you had put into me, I was able to come here through you, and I am going to use you for all your worth.

"But don't be upset about this, dearest.  Think of it more as the acting you so once enjoyed.  How does the phrase go now?  'Life is but a stage and all the people merely players?'  And you played your part so well; I simply must applaud you on your performance.  Becoming such a heroine for the lost children, and taking such guilt at the six you just didn't save; the drama was marvelous.  I enjoyed killing them, by the way.  And you know it."

She remembered the rush of strange emotions when she first entered the Underground.  It was his thoughts, his memories of the children-

"And of course, the new babes were just as pleasurable," he added for good measure.  "In fact, the best part of it was that their screams, their crying and bitter wails of agony were just like Toby's."  He laughed when she paled.  "I had told you, Sarah that I knew where he was.  He's with the rest of them.  Dead."

Sarah's common sense burned up in the rage that engulfed her.  Tearing past the Goblin King, she attacked him with her fist, crying out savagely and putting all her weight into her attack.

"Don't Sarah!" Jareth was too slow to stop her, the wild beast in her heart raging for blood with hurricane force.

Ariman blocked her punch and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his muscled chest.  With a ball of fire formed by the flick of a wrist, he threw Jareth back against his throne, putting distance between him and the girl.  Refocusing his attention on her, Ariman seized her upper arms and began to feed.

"Yes, give me your wild anger, your murderous intentions!  Join me!" Ariman cried in triumph as he continued draining her emotions that beat so furiously like the wings of an angered butterfly.  There was so much to draw in, and his powers were beginning to double-he had no idea a mortal could hold such power on its own- and then a searing pain went through his arms, breaking his concentration.  A strange sight to greet his eyes, it was, to see his forearms and hands missing, cleanly severed by the sword that Jareth now carried.  Yet he was amused to find the lost limbs still clinging to Sarah's, whilst Jareth tried to pry them from her.  Sarah, being too weak to notice, simply lolled in and out of reality.

"You're as foolish as she, Goblin King, if you think a sword, and one made of iron no less, will kill me."  To prove his point, he waves his arms in a graceful gesture, the full limbs now regenerated.

Rising up above her, Jareth stepped ahead of her prone form, eyes cold and unmerciful, and sword at the ready.  "You have been here before, Demon, and it is known that you have killed many Fae to rejuvenate your powers when your powers weakened.  Their magic and their minds still flow through you, leaving you prone to the affects of iron just as we.  Otherwise, you wouldn't have lost your limbs previously."

"It makes no difference.  I am too powerful to be killed outright, while you are already weakened by Sarah's little love bite," he snipped, gesturing to the gash on the King's arm.  "The iron is sinking in, slowly spreading like worms of infection through your veins.  Give in to me now, Goblin King, and I will spare her life and a great deal of pain for you," he enticed.  "We both know you are no match for me."

"Say that to me again, when I've run you through."  With those words, Jareth created a crystal, threw it into the demon's face where it exploded into shrapnel, cutting deep into Ariman's face.  With the momentary distraction, the King charged, and the final battle began.

            "This is where you saw it happen?"

"Yes, it was right there, by the couch."

"There is residue here, I can feel it.  A great evil set foot in this room.'

"Can you do anything, Father?"

"Its thought that the devil walks the earth like the Lord does, in shadows and whispers to those willing to see and hear.  He can only take shape through unity with another, through a bond.  Usually by temptations."

"And that's how he could have taken the children!"

"Yes, quite possibly.  The same with your friend, and he could be using her to take form somewhere else.  This place holds a gate, connecting him to her.  The only thing I can do is purge his presence from this place, disconnecting the link between them."

"What will happen to Sarah?"

"I don't know.  I've never experienced anything of this nature before.  Exorcisms are rare to say the least, and even though that's not what took place here, it's the closest I can come to in speculation.  But, I believe that in the act of casting him from here, he will release your friend and she will return when the ritual is complete.  However, this is only through speculation.  I can make no guarantees."

"It sounds good to me."

"What can we do to help?"

"Pray."

The two stood back, silent and hopeful, as the priest began chanting in Latin, reading from the Bible in his left hand, while casting holy water from his right.  The air changed about them, it became oppressive and threatening, recoiling from the holy light that was penetrating the darkness.  Feelings of fear, hate, guilt, and madness crept into their bodies and leaked into their souls, making them restless, tense, and ready to run.  But they stood their ground, determined to make sure good overcame evil this night; and al the while, they prayed for Sarah's safety, and the safe return of the children that were undoubtedly in the devil's care.

It was a losing battle.  Jareth was already weakened by the iron that touched his blood, and Ariman had just feasted on Sarah's energy, putting him in better shape than before.  While the demon had no weapon to block the sword's rapid descent, his own magic deflected each blow, keeping the iron from touching his skin and weakening him.  And at each open opportunity, Ariman sent jolts of jarring pain into Jareth's body, making him cry out, loose focus, become less aggressive.  Finally, the King had to retreat to catch his breath, his body trembling with the exertion to stay upright.

"What a shame," Ariman clucked.  "You weren't half the threat I once thought.  All those powers, and you're weaker than a child.  I know now that Sarah is the greater opponent.  After all, she was the one who brought you down."

From the floor, Sarah flinched when she realized he was right.  She had wanted to get up and fight him, to help Jareth who was weakening rapidly-even through her blurred vision she could see him struggling.  He was so pale, his shirt soaked with blood from the wound she inflicted, and his breathing was ragged.  But Ariman had drained her so fully, that it was hard enough to keep her eyes open.  If only she hadn't believed him, if she hadn't rushed Jareth in such a rage, if she hadn't foolishly charged Ariman for the loss of her brother…  This was all her fault…

"And you know what's so great about her?  Her flame for insight, for creativity, for the spontaneous.  She has such an active imagination, wouldn't you agree?  And it could be put to such exquisite use in murders and torture and indulgences of the flesh."  Ariman, in his haughtiness, actually turned his back on his opponent to send Sarah a chilling smile.  "And we will indulge tonight, my Bittersweet.  And I do look forward to it."

The blow to his back was as expected as it was clumsy.  Jareth charged when he let his anger control his common sense, and Ariman had planted the King from the start.  Side stepping the attack, he grabbed Jareth's arm right over the wound and squeezed, causing the Fae to cry out.  His other hand came down to Jareth's stomach, palm open and crackling with energy as he let go with a bolt of energy, sending the King flying into the far wall, cracking the stone with the force.  He crumbled to the floor, groaning softly.

The sword that had been in his hand spun across the floor, landing a few feet from Sarah's barely breathing form. 

"Yes, what a disappointment this day has been."  Ariman brushed his hands together and then adjusted his shirt.  "Really, I wasn't supposed to make an appearance until much later, but you, my dear, just couldn't play by the rules.  But that's ok… you can make up for that right now."  His eyes now feral and his grin hinting at the devilish deeds to come to play, he walked toward Sarah, agonizingly slow.  "At last, Lady, we shall become one."

            "No… no!" Jareth called out, his face become distressed at just how weak his voice sounded. 

"I'm afraid you're in no position to stop me.  So just sit back and enjoy her transformation to the darker side," Ariman taunted.  "Then I will finish you off."  A deep rumble of laughter rolled from his throat, the air in the room chilling as if the warmth had been scared away. 

His breath caught.  Something stung him deep in the center of his chest, and his body felt like it was being pulled.  'No,' he cried silently.  'No, not now!'  The Dark One reached out his mind and witnessed the ritual in Sarah's apartment.  "No!" he bellowed, his eyes darkening with rage while he gripped at his head.

"Damn your friends, those foul humans!" he screeched.  They couldn't do this, not now!  Purging him from his only solid connection in the Aboveground would severe him from Sarah.  It would leave him powerless here, trapped beneath the Fae's binding spell- and leave him at the Goblin King's mercy. 

But if he killed her now, and devoured her dying emotions, he would no longer be tied to the bond they shared when she gave him her complete trust, and he would have just enough power to finish off Jareth before he once again melted into the shadows and the night.  White hot pain ripped through his body-the casting was taking affect quicker than he imagined- making him collapse to his knees in sudden agony, the pain only fueling his anger and his madness.

Yes, he whispered to himself as his wild eyes set upon hers.  Kill her.

And the knife he had given her before, now laying right near his foot would do just the trick.

From the floor, Sarah watched him, and her heart beat a little faster when she heard his infuriated cry.  Somehow Stutz figured a way to affect him, and it appeared to be the only opportunity she had to fight back.  Yet her body still remained powerless to the mind that screamed at her.  'Move, damn it!  Get up!  Fight him!'  But she couldn't.  She was just so tired… and then she saw Jareth, struggling with every last cell of his being to rise again, his face wrought in torment for his injuries and for her approaching demise.  'I'm so sorry.  I shouldn't have fallen so easily… why can't I do anything right…'  And then something in her exploded when she realized she pitied herself.  She was accepting defeat with out a fight.  She never once gave up so easily.

This was not the time to start. 

'I'll make things right,' her pride whispered fiercely.

'But you can't defeat a god,' her mind whispered back.

Yet something was happening to him now- something that brought him to his knees in intense pain.  Perhaps he was weakening, and this was her only opportunity.  Closing her eyes, she focused all her energy, all her anger and hatred for the beast of the night, into moving her body, to roll it over to her stomach…

And somehow she did move, her body had obeyed her command, and the sword was right there, not more than two feet away.  But she felt so weak… her body was lead, her eyes blackening at the edges.  'No, no!  Don't black out now!'  Digging her nails into the stone, she began to drag herself to the sword, so slow, too slow, and her body was screaming at her in protest.  All it wanted to do was rest, just let it rest…

Her fingertips grazed the handle.  Hope dwelled inside her soul that was beginning to burn out... and then the world grew darker, darker…

Ariman screamed from across the room, promising her death, the final adventure of man, and she knew it was over.

A roar left him when the pulling overwhelmed him again, tearing him apart from the inside.  Never before had he known such pain, and it was driving him into the deepest insanity.  He had to kill her now!  His control and care tossed to the wind he grabbed the knife by his feet and charged the weakened female, knowing full well that with her death, Jareth's powers would reach their peak in anger, and he could finally feast.  "Now you die!"

"Sarah… no!"

She could hear him charge, could feel his anger and the heat of his powers, and she knew she was about to die.  Then Toby flashed in her mind, his smile dazzling her with brilliance, encouraging her to do her best.  For him.

She wouldn't let him down again. 

Ariman had said earlier, she didn't play by the rules.  This time was no different.  Using the last of her strength, belting a cry of defiance that came from the very depths of her being, she seized the sword and spun, thrusting the iron weapon up to the hilt, right through his heart.  Mere moments after impact, a rush of power encircled the demon, he gave a great howl of agony as he felt his spell being expelled from her home, his connection with her now completely severed, and he was left to the binding spell of the Fae.  An intense flash filled the room, followed by a despaired wail, and then the demon was no more.

The apartment shook with the creature's defeated roar, and the darkness that clung to the walls broke up and disintegrated into the air, followed by a great surge of energy that flowed through the room, knocking the priest and two agents to the floor as it crashed out the door and into the night storm.  The few moments of silence passed before muffled sobs invaded the room's peace. 

Stutz and Shab shared a look of surprise and pure joy as they peered around the couch to find the source of such desperate tears.

The children had been found.

The world around her stopped.  Silence dominated over sound, and the air itself ceased to breathe.  Time had placed everything at a standstill when she thrust her sword out, had sunk it with amazing ease into the demon's chest.  Now after the bright flash, time froze everything, except for the trembling hand that reached for her face.

She had defeated Ariman.  She had saved her life in the moment that the sword pierced him.  But she never saw the demon's face wrought in agony, she didn't hear his cry of defeat, or feel the warmth of his blood flow over her hand.  For it was two mismatched eyes that filled her vision, eyes expressing compassion, sorrow, and something else she was afraid to acknowledge.  It was his shallow breathing that reached her ears, his warmth that spread over her.

And by her hand, it was his sword that had run him through.

Now how about them apples…