AN: Hello everyone! Thank you again for all the comments and support from my readers. The last few chapters have been difficult to write and support from my readers has definitely helped. So thank you all! I hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday.

Special thanks to my incredible beta, Scattered Logic for her editing skills and her comments and suggestions. I'd be lost without her! Also, thanks to The Hooded Crow and Lady Jamie for their comments and enthusiasm.

Chapter 13: Unexpected Refuge

Sarah was sick to her stomach when morning came. During the night, Jareth's condition had grown worse and she had no idea what to do. While for the most part Jareth didn't move or make a sound, there were occasional moments when he'd cry out or mumble or toss uncomfortably. Sarah had spent the night huddled close to him, shaking with fear.

Dawn was breaking and in the distance she could hear the thundering of hooves. Sarah panicked. Her heart pounded so hard she felt that it was going to leap right out of her chest. There was nowhere to hide Jareth and she wasn't certain that she would be able to drag him to any hiding place she might find.

Fear shot through her as 3 riders galloped through the woods and into view. A young boy, an older man, and Sarah wanted to cry when she saw the third person was one of the colonists from the group that had captured Jareth.

The riders looked very surprised at finding people by the falls and they pulled their horses to a stop only a few yards from Sarah and Jareth.

The young man that Sarah recognized paled when he saw Sarah. She was on her knees beside Jareth. There was blood all over her dress and her hair was a matted disaster of dark locks.

"Good Lord." He jumped down from his horse and made his way to Sarah.

Sarah's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Who's done this?" he asked her. "Was this Colonel Davis' doing? Did he find you after you escaped us?" he asked. Concern marred the man's handsome features and anger was in his tone.

Tears began to stream down Sarah's face at his words. He recognized she and Jareth. It was all over for them both. He would bring them straight to the Colonel and that would surely be the end.

The man kneeled down very slowly in front of Sarah and he glanced quickly at Jareth. "He's been shot." Sarah nodded, the tears continuing to stream down her face. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you." Jacob glanced at the man and then at the girl. "He needs help. Is he your father?"

Sarah said nothing and shook with fear.

"I assume he's your father. He looks a bit older than you. Or an uncle, a cousin? Some family member?"

Sarah didn't say a word.

Jacob sighed, "Right..." He glanced around, noticing the scattered supplies, the hoof prints that took off in one direction and then gazed back at the sobbing woman. "You seem to have been though a lot. We're going to take you back to our farm and see what we can do for your…father?" He raised his brows and gazed carefully at Sarah.

She nodded numbly, still trembling with fright.

"It would waste too much time to ride back to the house and hitch up the wagon. I should be able to carry your father. He doesn't look too heavy. You can ride with my father." The man nodded to the older man who sat on a sorrel horse.

Sarah didn't move as the man reached for Jareth. "My name is Jacob. What is yours?" He gently slid his hands beneath Jareth and lifted him into his arms as if Jareth weighed nothing more than a feather.

Jacob noted where the man was injured and carefully balanced him in his arms to avoid touching it. Then he looked at the woman.

"Sa-Sarah," she choked out.

Jacob gave her a kind smile. "Well, Sarah, let's get your father to the house and see what we can do for him."

She nodded and watched as Jacob carefully climbed into the saddle while balancing Jareth's weight. After she was certain that Jareth would be all right, she made her way to Jacob's father. Her eyes widened as she glanced up from the ground and to the man she would be riding with. The stirrup of the saddle was empty and Sarah realized that Jacob's father was missing part of his leg and he had no left foot.

"It's all right," he said softly at her bewildered expression.

Sarah bit her lip and gazed at him. He was an older gentleman, a bit on the bulky side with gray hair and a gray beard. He had bushy gray eyebrows that arched over kind brown eyes.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare," she told him.

He smiled warmly. "Ain't no harm done. C'mon now. Up you go." He reached for her hand and leaned over in the saddle to grasp her by the waist and pull her behind him. "Hold on tight."

Sarah did as he suggested and put her arms around his waist. As she did so, she felt someone staring at her and looked over to see the young boy gazing at her curiously. He could not have been more than 8 years old with light brown hair and blue eyes like Jacob. He smiled warmly at Sarah who attempted to return a smile.

* * *

Sarah didn't know how long they rode, but the ride felt like forever to her. She couldn't stop worrying about Jareth and she wouldn't let him out of her sight. She kept a close watch on Jacob who was pushing his horse to the limit in order to get a dying stranger back to his home.

Finally, a white house with black shutters and a porch attached to the front surrounded by fields and woods came into view. They galloped up a dirt driveway and directly toward the house. Sarah noticed that there were fields surrounded by white fences that had apple, cherry and pear trees growing in them. She also noticed that other fields looked to be newly planted. It was too early for the plants to have sprouted. She would have to ask Jacob later what type of food they grew.

The horses were pulled to a stop in front of the house. A plump woman stepped from the house, broom in hand out onto the porch.

"Back so soon? I hope that you managed to find a turkey this time," she said with a smile. The smile faded when she saw Jacob dismount his horse with an unconscious man in his arms. "Dear Lord, what's happened?"

"He was shot. He and his daughter were alone in the woods." Jacob nodded in Sarah's direction and the woman's brows furrowed as she saw Sarah's appearance.

"Bring him upstairs to the guestroom," the woman told Jacob. "I'll fetch a pan of water and have Abby gather the rest. Elizabeth!" she called resting her broom against a chair on the porch.

Jacob did as she asked and disappeared into the house.

"Yes, Ma-ma?" A tall thin girl about Sarah's age with blond hair tied back rushed onto the porch.

"Ask Ellie if she could boil some water so this poor girl can have a bath." She nodded in Sarah's direction and Sarah watched as the blond girl made a disgusted face. "Now, Elizabeth," the woman ordered.

"No, it's all right. I want to stay with…my father," Sarah told them. She noticed that Elizabeth looked relieved.

The woman nodded. "Come inside then."

Jacob's father helped Sarah down from the horse and she rushed up the stairs of the house. Jacob had already laid Jareth stomach down onto the bed in a small room on the second floor.

"It's only a shoulder wound. Why is he unconscious?" Jacob looked puzzled.

Sarah opened her mouth to say that Jareth was allergic to iron but she was saved from answering.

"He's probably lost a good deal of blood." It was Jacob's father that answered. He had made his way slowly up the stairs behind the rest of the group, using a cane to balance himself. Jacob nodded.

"What is this? A gathering around the poor man's bed? Out, all of you. Abby and I will take care of things from here, all of you out except for his daughter." The woman from the porch entered the room. She held a steaming bowl of water and she placed it down on a small oak table. She put her hands on her hips. "I mean it. Out!" She pointed to the door.

Jacob and his father looked at each other and then left the room.

"That includes you, Thomas Edgar Henry. I see you hiding behind the door. Out!"

The young boy poked his head from around the door, his eyes wide with fear at being caught. The woman shushed him out and then closed the door.

"Oh, that boy. Just like his father, he is." She shook her head.

Sarah felt a small smile tug at her lips, but it quickly faded as she watched the woman and a dark skinned woman take off Jareth's tattered shirt and unwrap the bandaging. Sarah moved away, unable to look at the wound. She shuddered just thinking about what Jareth had forced her to do, taking the bullet out. She never wanted to go through something like that ever again.

While the two women took care of Jareth, Sarah wandered around the room, glancing at some of the things unfamiliar to her everyday life. Candles and oil lamps instead of electrical lights, a quill and a bottle of ink on the desk, beige painted walls instead of colorfully decorated wallpaper. Everything else was fairly normal, the desk and chair, a rocking chair by the window, a dresser, and a bookshelf filled with books. She glanced at the titles and was unfamiliar with the authors. She noticed that most of the books were religious hymns. 'Great.' mused. She hadn't been to church since she was 8 and now she was a guest in a home that had a vast collection of religious reading material.

"Your doing?"

Sarah was pulled from her thoughts by the voice and turned her attention back to the woman. The older woman was holding up Jareth's bloody bandages. Sarah nodded slowly.

"Not bad, you've managed to stop the bleeding, but the bandaging was too loose. Watch how it's done."

Sarah watched from a distance as the woman cleaned Jareth's wound with warm water, covered it with ointment and then wrapped large cotton bandages tightly over the flesh.

"See, it must be tight, but not too tight. Tight will keep it from bleeding and will keep the ointment on the injury. You understand?"

Sarah nodded.

"You'll have to do this twice a day. I won't have time to do this and neither will Abby. Abby, I left the stew over the fire, kindly check on it please."

"Yes, Mrs. Henry." The dark skinned woman who was probably only 5 or so years older than Sarah quickly left the room.

Sarah frowned and watched as the woman left.

"I see that expression on your face, but it isn't how it seems. Abby is not a slave. We've done away with that here. Only the southern colonies keep slaves. Abby is a free woman. She and her family work the land with us. They come and go as they please and have their own small house near the north creek."

Sarah nodded.

The woman sighed. "I'll go to the attic and fetch some of Elizabeth's dresses from last year. They should fit you just right and if not, I'll have Elizabeth tailor them for you."

"Thank you."

"What's your name, dear? And what happened to you and your father?"

"My name is Sarah."

"No last name?" Mrs. Henry asked, hands on her hips.

Sarah panicked. She had not thought of a last name and she didn't want to use her own for fear of damaging the future. She glanced quickly around the room, searching for a name she could use. Her eyes fell upon the bookshelf and something she remembered.

"Charles," she answered smoothly. "Sarah Charles."

Mrs. Henry smiled and nodded. "And what happened to your father, Sarah?"

A masculine groan filled the air and Sarah and Mrs. Henry turned to face Jareth.

"Oh, he's waking up." Mrs. Henry called out.

"Sarah…" Jareth whispered feverishly. He tossed his head from side to side on the pillow. His eyes shot open as he awakened and then he clamped them shut. Everything was hazy and bright around him. He rolled from his stomach and weakly fell onto his back. He groaned as his shoulder hit the thin feather mattress and pain shot through his entire body. He attempted to open his eyes again and the world began to spin around him. He groaned and shook as chills rattled his body. His shoulder was throbbing and it felt as if hundreds of sharp objects were stabbing him.

"Sarah…?" he called again. His voice was strained and his tone held fear. Everything was still bright and spinning but he reached out one hand searching for Sarah. Where was she? Had Evan hurt her? Why in the Underground did he hurt so much?

Sarah moved to the bed and hesitated before gently touching Jareth's face. She brushed his cheek with the back of her fingers and he seemed to calm slightly. His skin was hot to the touch and sweat was beginning to line his brows. "I'm here…" She felt Mrs. Henry's eyes on her back, "father," she added softly.

Jareth didn't reply and Sarah felt him tremble beneath her touch. His eyes had slipped closed the moment he had felt her touch him and he began shaking uncontrollably.

Sarah realized that Mrs. Henry and Abby had taken his shirt off to bandage him and had not covered him up with anything when they had finished. She reached for the blankets of the bed but was slow to pull them over him. Her eyes fell upon Jareth's bare chest and she realized that she had never seen it before. He had always covered himself up so well while she was in the Labyrinth and here had been the same.

Sarah's movements halted as she took in the sight before her. The pale skin of Jareth's chest was covered with a thin layer of sweat making it shine like porcelain. He was thin, but not bony and he was muscular but not overly muscular. She tilted her head, continuing to gaze at him. He seemed vulnerable like this, without all his eccentric clothes.

Sarah was returned to reality as she felt the blankets being tugged out of her hands.

"What's gotten into you? Your poor father is shivering; he's got a fever. Cover the man up!" Mrs. Henry scolded. She draped the blankets over Jareth's form and shook her head. "He's passed out again. You'll have to keep a close watch on him tonight. I best check on the stew as well as the rest of dinner. I'll be back to check on you both a bit later."

Sarah didn't have a chance to respond as Mrs. Henry gathered her skirt and left the room, closing the door loudly behind her.

Sarah let out a shuddering sigh and dragged the chair from the desk to Jareth's bedside. She could see him shaking beneath the blankets and she frowned.

She reached for the bowl of water that Mrs. Henry had brought in earlier and dipping a finger in, found that it had already cooled. Taking a piece of clean bandage, she dipped it in the water and gently rested the damp cloth on Jareth's forehead. He didn't respond.

She sighed and, reaching out, hesitantly touched Jareth's cheek. He looked so vulnerable and she hated to see him like this. "Please be ok….please," she whispered softly.

* * *

Jareth's condition changed little as dinner approached. Mrs. Henry helped Sarah bandage his injury again and then the older woman tried to offer Sarah some stew. Sarah declined, claiming that she was too sick to her stomach with worry to touch it. The entire family, except for Elizabeth, made a last check on Sarah and Jareth before they turned in for the night.

Sarah learned that Mrs. Henry was the busybody of the family. She had brought the stew for Sarah and suddenly became a whirlwind of never ending questions. Sarah had to be quick to come up with a history for herself and Jareth that was believable.

Mr. Henry bid a quiet good night from the hallway, looking very tired, and Thomas, not wanting to go to bed, also began asking questions. Sarah was thankful when Jacob shushed him out of the room.

"Don't mind my younger brother. He's quite intrigued about the world and it's people. We don't get many visitors at the house these days. I hope that you don't find him troublesome and if you do, please don't hesitate to mention it. I'll take care of the situation straight away."

Sarah smiled at Jacob. He'd been kind to her throughout the afternoon. Offering food and drink, occasionally checking on her and Jareth to make sure they were both as comfortable as possible.

"Oh, I don't mind him. He's really sweet."

"They all say that at first," Jacob teased and Sarah laughed softly. Then Jacob grew serious. "I'm truly sorry that your father and yourself have been placed in such a situation. I couldn't help but hear that your mother was lost to you when you were younger and that your father raised you. I'm certain that this is all very difficult for you. Your father being shot and such."

Sarah sighed. Her past had not been a complete lie, just a slight one. And although Jareth wasn't her father, the fact that he had been shot and could die certainly had not been easy for her to deal with.

"Thank you for your concern."

Jacob nodded. "Well, it's growing late. I'm sure that you want to rest and look after your father. If you need me for anything, don't hesitate to ask, even if it's in the middle of the night. My room is the third to the end of the hall. I'm a light sleeper so just knock and I'll come." He turned and slowly moved to the door.

"Jacob?" Sarah called softly.

He turned.

"Thank you for everything. Bringing two strangers into your home was very kind of you."

Jacob smiled. "Not two strangers, just two friends that I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet." He winked and left the room closing the door softly behind him.

Sarah smiled to herself. She wondered how Jacob had managed to get mixed up with the men they had seen out on the road weeks ago. She would have to ask him when Jareth was well again. If he got well again.

She let out a shuddering breath and turned her attention to Jareth. He was still lying beneath the covers, shivering and unconscious.

Sarah moved to the chair beside Jareth's bed and sat trembling in the dim candlelight. She pulled her knees to her chin and drew her arms around her legs. Her eyelids grew heavy as the events of the last two days began to weigh upon her. She fought to keep them open so she could watch over Jareth, but it quickly became a losing battle. Her eyes closed and she began to doze off.

A groan startled her and quickly she opened her eyes, dropping her feet back to the floor.

"Jareth?"

She heard the bed creak as Jareth moved, mumbling words in a language she didn't know. But then he became silent again.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself.

She heard the bed creak again and she watched in the faint light as Jareth began to toss slightly. The tossing continued this time and Sarah reached for the candle to see what was wrong.

"Jareth? What is it? Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked. She set the candle on the table by Jareth's bed and watched as he shifted back and forth across the mattress. He began mumbling incoherent phrases. His breathing grew labored and raspy. He began to shake and Sarah noticed the sweat dripping down his pale face. In the dim candlelight, he looked ghostly white.

"Jareth?" she cried, beginning to tremble with fear. She moved to touch him, her fingers grazing hot, clammy flesh. "Oh, god. Please, Jareth. Answer me. Please…" Tears began to stream down her face. What if he died and left her all alone?

The tossing and turning continued and Sarah could only watch while tears continually streamed down her face. Jareth's tossing grew worse and his speech slurred as he tried to speak. One of his hands clutched at the bed, the knuckles turning white as he gasped for air.

Sarah didn't know what to do. Jareth was surely suffering. As she quivered with alarm, she wondered if she should get Jacob. Maybe he would know what to do. She attempted to move, but her legs were shaking so badly that all she managed to do was fall upon her knees by the bed. She began to sob softly as she watched Jareth. She couldn't lose him…she couldn't…

After a few terrifying moments, Jareth's movements stopped, just like that. The creaking of the bed ceased and silence filled the room. Sarah quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Jareth?"

She didn't receive a reply and began to panic.

"Oh, god, no… No…please, no…" He was deathly still and so pale.

She shakily got to her feet and nearly cried out. Jareth was drenched in sweat. His usually platinum blond hair looked light brown, it was so damp with sweat and it was matted to the sides of his pale face. The blankets had lowered from Jareth's movements and his chest was exposed and lathered in sweat like he'd just run a 25-mile race.

Sarah shook her head as tears slipped endlessly down her face. No… He couldn't be dead. And then her breath caught in her throat. She saw the rising and falling of Jareth's chest. He was breathing! She brushed her fingers over his cheeks and then rested her palm on his forehead to find the skin still warm, but cooler than it had been. She began to cry, but they were relieved tears this time.

Jareth's fever had broken.

She watched as he groaned and shifted slightly. His breathing slowed and he slipped easily into sleep. Sarah sighed with relief, but her body still shook with pent up anxiety.

She continued to run her fingers over his face. She noticed him tremble slightly and realized that she should wipe the sweat from his body before he caught cold. Using some of the bandages, she slowly began to run the cloth over him. Jareth didn't stir as she did this. He was probably too exhausted from trying to fight a fever without magic. As Sarah carefully brushed the cloth over him, she found herself once again drawn to his features. She gazed at his wild hair, his sculptured facial features. Her eyes fell lower to the smooth well-defined muscles of his chest…

He's so beautiful…

She almost jumped at the sudden thought, wondering where on earth it had come from. She felt her cheeks burn with a blush as she gazed over his lithe body. He was incredibly handsome and she was surprised that she had never noticed before. She realized that they had always been too busy arguing for her to ever stop and notice.

She nearly groaned aloud. It was a good thing that Jareth was asleep. If he knew that she was checking him out, she'd die. She had to remind herself that he wasn't some naive high school boy. He was the Goblin King, sometimes dangerous and cruel. He had taken her brother and forced her to go through his Labyrinth to reclaim him. He was also a very attractive full grown Fae who probably knew more about sex and seduction than a mere mortal like her could ever hope to learn.

She flushed bright red and let out a deep shuddering breath. Where had that come from? Shaking her head of such nonsense, she finished her task of cleaning the sweat from Jareth's body. With a deep sigh, she reached for the blankets and pulled them gently over his body.

She yawned, consciously realizing how tired she was. She was still afraid that something might happen to Jareth and feared that he wasn't out of danger, but for the time being he seemed all right. His fever had broken and he was resting peacefully.

Once again she brushed her fingers over his face. His skin felt cool to the touch and the softness of it intrigued Sarah. She yawned once again and gazed at the bed. Jareth had rolled to the far side of it and the half-empty mattress was quite tempting. It had been far too long since she had slept in a real bed.

She wondered if she should risk it and decided she had nothing to lose but some decent sleep if she refused what was in front of her.

Slowly, she crawled onto the bed, careful not to awaken Jareth. She curled herself along his side, mindful to keep a bit of distance between them. She rested her body on top of the blankets of the bed and curled into a fetal position to keep warm. She hiccupped softly, closed her eyes and sleep came quickly.

* * *

Sarah felt warm and content as she awakened. Something moved beside her and she startled, quickly sitting up.

Jareth was propped against a pillow, looking at her suspiciously.

She smiled brightly. "You're awake!" she laughed. Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him.

Jareth's brows rose in surprise and he reached for her arms, pulling her away from him.

Sarah sat back on the bed and frowned when she saw the look of annoyance on his face. Wasn't he the least bit happy to know that he had survived?

"Where are we?" His voice lacked any emotion.

The happiness fled Sarah completely and left her feeling confused. "We're at a farm."

"Why are we here?"

"Jareth, I can answer all that later. You're alive…" She smiled and reached to brush stray hair from his face. She didn't understand why he batted her hand away.

"I want to know now."

Sarah sat back and frowned. She pulled her hands into her lap. "We're here because we were discovered in the woods by two men and a little boy out hunting. They offered to help."

"We would have been fine without help."

"Jareth, no, we would have not. For god sakes, you were shot with iron or have you forgotten?"

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "I have not forgotten," he said coldly. "Who are these people?"

"The Henry's. Mr. Henry, who's missing part of his leg. Mrs. Henry said he lost it in the French and Indian war. Mrs. Henry likes to talk a lot and ask lots of questions. There's Thomas, their youngest son. He's very curious about everything. There's Elizabeth, I don't know her too well. There's Abby and her family who work on the farm and there's Jacob, the eldest son."

"We're leaving as soon as I am strong enough."

Sarah shook her head. "No, no, we're not. You're not going to be well to travel for weeks." Concern filled her face.

"Don't presume to tell me what I can and can not do," Jareth let out coldly.

Tears pricked behind Sarah's eyes, but she forced them away. "Why are you acting like this? Are you still ill?" She leaned over to brush her hands over his forehead but Jareth grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. She cried out softly from the pressure and only then did he release her.

"Tell me what else these people know."

Sarah rubbed her wrist and hid it from Jareth. It was still raw and sensitive from what had happened at the camp. "They don't know much."

"Do they believe that I am British?"

Sarah bit her lip and nodded. Hesitantly, she added. "I should warn you…They believe that you are my father."

"Your father?" Jareth's face paled and he nearly laughed at the information. "You must be jesting."

Sarah shook her head. "Jacob thought that is what you were and I was so afraid that I agreed. I only went along with it so that I could protect you."

"I don't need protecting!" Jareth roared.

"Jareth, the last time we ran into the colonists they were going to hang you. I was afraid of what would happen this time around so I-"

"They would never have found us if you had not alerted them to our presence!"

Sarah realized that he was angry and upset though she was very unsure why. But she pushed on deciding that she should tell him all that she could so he would be prepared. "Our last name is Charles. I picked up the name from the author Charles Wesley. The Henry's have a book of his called "Hymns and Sacred Poems" on their book shelf. We're British, but we don't want anything to do with the war. My mother, your wife, died when I was younger and you've been raising me."

"Have you enjoyed creating all these lies, Sarah? If they find out that we've deceived them, I doubt we will be fortunate enough to escape this time!"

"Do you honestly think that I wanted to deceive these people? They've been so kind. But I had to do this, there was no other way to insure your safety." Tears filled her eyes. "I was afraid that they were going to hurt you or turn us over to someone who could. I had to make sure that you would be all right." She choked on her words. "Jareth, you nearly…died."

Jareth shuddered at the thought. Immortals did not die protecting mortals. It just wasn't done. Yet he had foolishly risked his life for her and why had that been? He couldn't control his fury at knowing she'd seen him at his most vulnerable. "I nearly died because of you! If I had not risked my life for you, we wouldn't be in this situation, would we?"

Sarah lowered her head. He was angry, he didn't know what he was saying. When she looked at him, there were tears streaming slowly down her cheeks. His cold expression didn't waver at the sight of her tears.

"Jareth, we are trapped in a time and place that is not our own. We need each other to survive. I thought you would have realized that," she told him softly.

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "You're wrong, Sarah. I don't need you. I never have and I never will." His eyes bored into hers, their depths burning with anger.

The words cut into Sarah like a razor sharp knife. For a moment she made no reaction except for the slight trembling of her form. Indecision flickered in her eyes and then, instead of sobbing as Jareth expected her to, her expression grew frighteningly cold.

"You don't need me? Fine. You won't need me to change your bandages or bring you food. Get an infection and starve for all I care!" Her eyes narrowed with anger and she left the room without glancing back.

She nearly collided with Jacob as she did so.

"Good morning, Sarah." He smiled warmly, not noticing her angered expression. "How is your father?"

Sarah flashed him a fake smile. "He's back to normal…" she told him and she continued walking.

Jacob raised a brow and watched her go.