AN: Due to the length of this chapter…(it's pretty much 2 of them) it may be a bit longer before chapter 18 is out. I appreciate your patience. Thanks!
Special thanks to my amazing beta, Scattered Logic. What would my story be without her? Full of errors and missing commas! Also thanks to The Hooded Crow and Lady Jamie for their support.
Chapter 17: Fear of the Dark…
Where do we go to stop remembering?
Where do we go to start again?
It's a fear of the dark she's feeding, through her tears as her heart despairs
And it tears her apart revealing, every piece, every part is scared
It's a fear of the dark she's feeding, in her mind it's beyond compare
For there's no turning back, no leaving, while her fear of the dark is there
"Fear of the Dark" Bob Catley
Sarah wasn't all that surprised to hear rain tapping against her window the following morning. It had poured all night, aiding her thoughts in keeping her awake. She sighed and decided she should probably get moving to feed the animals. It wasn't going to be fun in the rain, but she knew it had to be done.
She dressed quickly in one of the only two clean dresses she had. The other needed mending as it was too small in a few places.
Jareth didn't make a surprise appearance this morning and she found herself slightly disappointed. Although Jareth still irritated her at times, she had hoped for his company.
She fed the animals alone. Working inside the barn wasn't so bad but the pigs, cows and some of the goats were outside, which meant that she had to lug heavy buckets through the mud in the pouring rain. She was shivering and dripping wet by the time she finished.
Jacob had been gathering firewood from the shed when he saw Sarah walking to the house.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" He smiled at her from under his wide brimmed gray hat. He looked as sopping wet as she was. The only thing that was fairly dry was the wood he carried which he had wrapped in some sort of burlap.
"It's just lovely. I hope this won't last long." She opened the door for him and he smiled his thanks as he carried the wood into the house.
"Never can tell at this time of the year. We had a fairly dry spring last year so-" Jacob stopped dead in his tracks as he and Sarah entered the back kitchen.
Mr. Charles stood there, one hand on his hip, the other drawn to his side, loosely holding a blanket. He glared angrily at Jacob.
"Mr. Charles," Jacob said tipping his hat in greeting.
Mrs. Henry and Elizabeth turned to watch the scene as they prepared breakfast. Ellie and Abby continued making biscuits as if nothing interesting was happening.
Jareth was well aware that he wasn't alone. "Jacob." He nodded.
Jareth turned to Sarah who stood dripping water all over the kitchen. "I've a blanket for you, and Mr. Henry has started a fire. Come warm yourself before you catch cold." He opened the blanket as best as he could with the use of only one arm and he draped it over Sarah's shivering form.
"Sarah, you should change from the dress, before you sit by the fire. Wet clothes won't help much," Mrs. Henry told her.
"The only other clean dress I have is too small in the arms and I'm afraid that I will rip it," Sarah told her.
"I'm afraid that the weather will keep me from washing and hanging laundry today," Mrs. Henry said. "Elizabeth can mend the dress for you after breakfast."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "But Mama, I'm working on my blue dress."
"You have plenty of dresses, you can wait to finish the blue one after you mend Sarah's dress," Mrs. Henry said firmly.
Elizabeth shot Sarah an angry glance.
"In the meantime, you'll come sit by the fire," Jareth told Sarah. He looked at Jacob as he put his arm around Sarah's shoulder and guided her from the room.
Jacob watched them go before he turned to his mother and sister. "I've brought more wood from the shed. This should be enough for breakfast as well as lunch. I'll fetch some more before dinner."
Mrs. Henry left Elizabeth to finish cooking the eggs and she went to her son. "Thank you, Jacob. The weather has turned nasty, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has. Hopefully, it will clear out by this afternoon or evening. I can't paint the window trims in the rain."
"No, you can't. Why don't you go upstairs and change before you catch cold as well? Breakfast will be ready in a short while."
Jacob nodded and placed the wood down in a crate not far from the stove.
Elizabeth could feel her blood boiling. Jareth had been standing in the kitchen for a while waiting for Sarah and he had not even looked at her or spoken to her as he waited. Oh, and the way he had put his arm around Sarah as he steered her out of the room. And her mother telling her she had to mend Sarah's dress!
Elizabeth could feel her face flushing with anger. She heard sizzling and glanced down to realize that the egg she was cooking was finished. She grinned, suddenly having a wicked idea. She glanced at her mother and realized that she was too busy unwrapping the wood that Jacob had brought in to notice her. Smiling, she put her plan into action.
* * *
Sarah lowered her face into the blanket that she clutched around her as she sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. Jareth surprised her as he sat beside her.
"Any drier?" he asked.
"A litttttle." Her teeth chattered as she spoke and Jareth frowned.
Sarah watched as he rose from the floor and walked up the stairs, disappearing.
He returned a short while later to find that she had lowered her chin to her chest as she shivered. Carefully, he draped another blanket over her shoulders.
Sarah jumped and then looked at the blanket that he had given her. She frowned. "Jareth, this is the quilt from your bed."
He grinned. " I know. But you need it far more than my bed does." He smiled and then sat in a chair nearby.
Sarah watched him for a moment before returning her gaze to the flames that swirled in the brick fireplace in front of her. She would never understand him.
* * *
By the time breakfast was ready, Sarah was feeling a little better. While she still needed time to dry, her dress was not quite as saturated as it was earlier. Jareth escorted her to the table and they both sat as Mrs. Henry and Elizabeth brought out breakfast.
As usual, Thomas was already sitting at the table, napkin folded over his lap and a fork and a butter knife in each hand as he eagerly awaited eating.
Sarah smiled at him as Jareth helped her take a seat. "You really do love breakfast, don't you?"
Thomas nodded. "It's one of my favorite times of the day. My other favorite times are lunch and dinner."
Sarah laughed.
After a few moments, everyone filed into the room and sat at the table.
Sarah realized that she was starving and she piled her plate with biscuits, bacon and sausage.
"Are you feeding an army there, Sarah?" Jareth teased.
"I'm starving." She frowned and glanced around. "I didn't take too much, did I?"
Mrs. Henry shook her head. "You take as much as you want, child. You ate like a bird last week."
Sarah smiled and using her knife, cut into her egg and took a bite. She suddenly began to choke and cough. Her eyes watered and she pounded her chest as she began to gag.
Jareth and Jacob both stood up in alarm. Jareth poured her a glass of water and looked very concerned.
She took it from him and drained it quickly.
Elizabeth lowered her head and grinned.
Sarah coughed a few more times and sank back into her chair. She wiped the tears that streamed down her face and let out a heaving sigh.
Jareth took his seat, as did Jacob when they realized that she was all right.
"Sarah, what happened?" Mrs. Henry asked in concern.
"There was…too much pepper."
"You'll have to be careful next time you put it on," Mrs. Henry warned. "You could have choked to death."
"But I don't remember putting pepper on my food. I rarely use it." She coughed again, her throat dry and irritated.
"Perhaps you didn't remember because you were too busy piling food on your plate," Thomas told her, mouth stuffed with food.
The sound of silverware hitting porcelain filled the air as Mrs. Henry lowered her fork harshly onto her plate. "Thomas Edgar Henry, how many times have you been told not to talk with your mouth full?"
"Sorry, Mama," he told her, his mouth still filled with food.
Mrs. Henry groaned.
Sarah felt a hand gently slide over her own. It was warm and comforting. She realized that it belonged to Jareth when she recognized the soft leather of his gloves.
"Are you all right?" he whispered softly.
She nodded. "I think so." She felt his hand give hers a squeeze before he withdrew it. Sarah pushed the egg aside and settled for trying the biscuit.
Jareth watched her to make sure that the episode wouldn't recur and when it didn't he turned his attention to his own food. He ate in silence and listened as other people talked. Mr. Henry spoke of news of the British trying to secure more land in Boston. Mrs. Henry told him not to talk politics at the table. They commented on the weather and other nonsense that Jareth drowned out as he lost himself in his thoughts. He gazed at Elizabeth who was delicately cutting her egg and lifting it to her mouth. She smiled sweetly when she caught Jareth staring at her.
He glanced at Sarah who suddenly seemed to have lost her appetite and was pushing the remainder of her food around her plate. She had barely eaten a thing. A few bites of a biscuit and half of a sausage. Then something hit him. Elizabeth had been the one to give Sarah her egg earlier and she'd been quite adamant that Sarah have a particular one. He felt anger well up inside of him.
* * *
Jacob and Sarah played a game of chess for a short while to fight boredom. The rain still had not stopped and there was not much that could be done inside or out due to the weather. Mrs. Henry was driving everyone crazy, making them move a hand or foot as she dusted and mopped the floors.
After the game was done, Sarah went to sit by the fire that was roaring up the chimney. Jareth was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper and Sarah knew that he was not happy with her for spending time with Jacob. There was still a tension between the two men and Sarah wished that they would get over whatever it was that was going on.
Elizabeth came down the stairs a short while later. She tossed a piece of clothing at Sarah.
"I finished your stupid dress," she told Sarah and she left the room without another word.
Sarah frowned and picked up the dress. She glanced over at Jareth who had one leg draped over the arm of the chair. He lowered the newspaper he was reading and looked at her.
"I'm going to put this on. The dress I'm wearing is still damp," she told him.
He nodded slowly and watched as she moved off the chair and then went back to reading his paper.
After a while, Jareth folded the paper and put it down on the wooden table beside him. Then he glanced at the grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs. It felt as if Sarah had been gone an awfully long time. He arose from the chair and made his way slowly up the stairs. He raised his hand to Sarah's door and tapped it gently.
"Sarah, are you in there? You've been gone a long time. Is everything all right?"
An angry, upset voice spoke back to him. "No, everything is not all right. I'm not coming out of this room."
Jareth frowned. "What's wrong?"
The door flew open and Jareth jumped back slightly in surprise. Sarah's face was flushed with anger, but other than that, he didn't see anything wrong.
"I don't see what you're upset about."
"That's because I covered it up," she huffed. She clutched at a piece of fabric and it was then that Jareth noticed the cream colored knit shawl that she had draped over her shoulders and was clutching to herself for dear life.
"It can't be as bad as you are making it out to be. Let me see."
"No way!"
"Sarah…," he purred softly. He stepped closer to her. "What is it that you feel the need to cover up?"
"She ruined it…totally ruined it and I know that she did it on purpose," Sarah told him.
Jareth frowned remembering how Elizabeth had thrown the dress at Sarah. "Did Elizabeth do something to your dress?"
Sarah opened the shawl angrily. "Gee, well, what do you think?"
Jareth's eyes immediately lowered to where Sarah knew that they would and she blushed. She quickly pulled the shawl back over her.
"It doesn't look bad," he told her trying to suppress a grin.
"Pfft, yeah right! She was supposed to mend my dress for me and make it a little bigger, instead she added extra pieces of fabric so that it's about 4 sizes too big. I can now fit a whale with me in this dress! It's huge! I can't walk around in this!"
Jareth's eyes fell upon the shawl. The dress had given him a lovely view of the swell of her breasts and he felt disappointed that he could no longer gaze upon them. "While it is larger in a few less than desirable places, I'd say that one place in general fits just right."
Sarah blushed bright red and bit back the urge to smack him. He still had not taken his eyes off of her chest. Staring at the shawl as if he could still see what was concealed beneath it. "Ugh, you're such a typical man!" Sarah told him and she pulled the shawl closer to herself.
Jareth chuckled softly and finally lifted his eyes to meet hers. "I am a male, Sarah, and it's not always easy to resist looking at a beautiful woman when she's standing in front of you." Jareth watched Sarah's blush deepen and he wondered where the comment had come from. He cleared his throat. "Perhaps a change in scenery is in order. I'll see if I can get us each a coat so that we may head to the barn without getting drenched."
"Why the barn?" she asked, looking confused.
"We could use the time to fuss over Dannarra. Give him a good brushing and also perhaps get to know each other a little better." His eyes dipped to the shawl for a moment and then returned to her eyes.
Sarah looked at him hesitantly. She wasn't certain if she liked the idea of her and Jareth alone in the barn. What if he attempted to manipulate her? What if he hurt her and she couldn't handle it? Or what if she actually grew to like him? "How do I know that you won't take advantage of me?" she asked cautiously.
"You really do think highly of yourself, don't you?"
Sarah's jaw dropped. "Well, you just said…"
"You still do not trust me." For a moment he looked hurt and then a mask of cool indifference appeared.
"You haven't given me reason to," she shot back.
"Perhaps this could be a chance for me to prove myself. I give you my word that I will not take advantage of you. I merely seek your company and a chance to work on our friendship, nothing more."
Sarah stood in silence for a moment. Could she trust him after all that had happened between them? Yet, if she didn't give him a chance to prove himself, they would never get anywhere. She bit her lip. "All right. Just let me see if I can find a belt or something for this dress."
Jareth smiled slightly. Even if she would not allow him to look at her, having her all to himself would keep other prying male eyes from looking at what was his.
* * *
The rain continued to beat down on the wooden roof of the barn as Sarah and Jareth each worked on a different side of Dan. The gelding stood patiently and munched happily on hay that Jareth had given him.
"He likes being fussed over." Sarah smiled as she worked the tangles out of Dan's mane with a comb.
"He undoubtedly has not had a good brushing in a while. Not with the amount of dirt that keeps coming from his coat," Jareth told her with a grin.
"Jacob said that for the first few days he wouldn't let anyone near him. I find that strange with how well behaved he was with us. He was stubborn but he wasn't violent. And he's behaving just fine now. "
Jareth stopped brushing for a moment and frowned at the name Sarah had mentioned.
She noticed that he stopped and she looked up at him. "What?" she asked.
He shook his head and returned to brushing Dan. "Nothing."
Sarah sighed. "It's going to take me forever to get these tangles out. I might have to cut his mane."
Dan snorted into his hay and gave a little shake of his head.
"I don't think he likes that idea," Jareth told her.
"Well, Dan, maybe you should have been a little more cooperative and we wouldn't be in this situation," Sarah told the horse. Dan snorted again.
Silence filled the barn except for the sounds of the brush on Dan's coat, the comb trying to make its way through his mane and an occasional snort, whinny or other animal noises.
"So, do you have, like, a favorite color or anything?"
Jareth raised his head and looked at Sarah. "I beg your pardon?"
"A favorite color."
"Favorite color what?" He looked puzzled.
Sarah sighed. "Do you always have to make everything so difficult?"
"I'm sorry that I don't understand what it is that you are asking me."
"I'm attempting to make small talk with you. When people meet and are trying to become friends, they usually ask each other their likes and dislikes. Favorite color, favorite song, favorite food. Things like that."
"Ah, I see. You wish to learn more about me."
"Yeah."
"Am I allowed to ask questions as well?" Jareth asked, one brow arched higher than the other.
Sarah shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"My favorite color…" Jareth placed the brush on Dan's back and thought carefully. "I don't think I ever thought about this before."
"Oh, come on. Everyone has a favorite color! Are there certain color clothes that you prefer to wear over another? Do you like to decorate with a certain color?"
"Well, I've always been fond of dressing in dark colors. Usually black. And I like the color red."
Sarah continued to work on Dan's snarled mane as she asked, "Why the color red?"
"The color of blood." Jareth grinned. He threw his head back and laughed at Sarah's expression. "Not what you expected to hear?" Jareth asked. "I was only jesting." He leaned back slowly against the stall wall. "I like red for a different reason. When I was a child, I got lost within the Labyrinth. I see that grin on your face and you can wipe it off," Jareth teased.
Sarah giggled. "I'm sorry, just the idea of you lost in the Labyrinth…It doesn't seem possible."
"Well, it happened. Once. I strayed from the castle and got very lost. I discovered something I had not anticipated. Buried deep within the Labyrinth was a garden."
"What kind of garden?"
"A rose garden, stretching out almost as far as the eye could see. The interesting thing was that you couldn't see it from the castle."
"Why not?"
"I'm about to tell you, Miss Impatient." He smiled playfully. "It was hidden by magic and I had stumbled upon its enchanted entrance by pure luck. I was very excited about it because it was an incredible find for me."
Jareth's gaze became far away and a slight smile curled his lips." When I was a child, I heard a tale about my grandmother's love for roses. My grandfather gave her a large garden full of them as an anniversary present. My grandmother was said to tend them everyday and they flourished under her care. To find this lost garden was a wonderful thing for me because she had died before I was born." Jareth sighed and the smile faded. "But like the foolish child I was, I told my father about it and he immediately destroyed it."
Sarah's eyes widened. "Oh, no! But why? Wasn't he happy to know that you had discovered your grandmother's lost garden?"
Jareth shook his head sadly. "That made him want to destroy it all the more. That and the fact that my father hates anything of beauty, other than women." Jareth cleared his throat and felt he had said more than enough. "But I like red because of the roses. What is your favorite color?"
Sarah found it hard to remember her own favorite color after hearing Jareth's short story. She wondered if she had been too hard on Jareth in the past. It seemed that he may have had a difficult past as well if his father disliked his own mother and if he had destroyed something that Jareth had apparently loved. It was upsetting to picture Jareth as a child and his father destroying something he loved. As curious as she was to learn about it, Sarah would save the curiosity for another day.
"I have three favorite colors. Blue, green and purple."
"Why three?" Jareth asked.
"I don't know. I think I just like those colors because they have to do with fantasy. Dragons, mythical creatures, and they are just cool, comforting colors. Pleasing to the eye."
Jareth nodded and moved forward to pick up the brush.
"You sing, don't you?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, I do. Occasionally," Jareth told her.
"Who taught you to sing?"
"No one taught me. I was born with the talent."
"Well, pardon me," Sarah said, one brow raised.
Jareth purposely ignored her sarcasm. "Do you sing?"
Sarah shook her head. "Oh, god, no."
"Why not? You have a lovely speaking voice, surely your singing voice is pleasing as well."
"Heh, pleasing to a deaf person perhaps," she joked. "I love music, but I can't sing."
"What a pity."
"Do you have a favorite food?"
"I'm very fond of a stew from the Elfin kingdom. I forget the name of it. It's difficult to pronounce. What about you?"
"I like the typical things that a teenager my age would eat. Junk food, pizza, hamburgers, chicken."
"I'm afraid I don't know what any of those things are, other than chicken."
"That's all right. I don't know about the stew you mentioned."
"If we do not know what the other speaks about, what is the purpose of asking such questions?"
"Because when you are getting to know someone, it's good to know their likes and dislikes. Some of the things that have made them who they are."
"Is it wrong of me to ask if you have a suitor back in the mortal world…in your time?" Jareth asked stilling the brush.
Sarah looked away for a moment.
"If I have offended you…"
"No." Sarah shook her head. "You haven't offended me. But no. I don't have a suitor waiting for me back home. He…a…He dumped me."
"Dumped you?" Jareth frowned at the expression.
"Yeah, he chose another girl over me."
"I'm sorry," Jareth told her, though he didn't look the least bit sympathetic.
Sarah shook her head. "Don't be. He was a jerk that I cared too much about. Story of my life, you know? I care about someone and they hurt me." She turned her attention to Dan's mane. 'I don't know why I even bother," she let out softly.
She looked up at Jareth and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
"What about you? Do you have a girlfriend back home?"
Jareth shook his head.
"No?"
"There have been a few in the past, but nothing ever worked out."
"A few as in how many? If you're Fae then you're probably immortal. There must have been a bit more than a few," Sarah laughed shakily.
"I fail to see how telling you the number of women I've slept with will help our friendship."
Sarah lowered her head. "I'm sorry. It was really inappropriate of me to ask. I was curious."
"It is all right. There really were only a few. Just 3. My life has not permitted me to take many lovers," Jareth told her softly.
"Oh…" She sighed, half-relieved by his answer. "I'm probably going to hit myself for asking this question, but how old are you?"
Jareth smiled. "My kind do not use the system of years that mortals do, but I am in my sixth century."
"You're 500 years old?" Sarah's jaw dropped.
Jareth nodded. "Yes."
"You're 500 years old and you aren't married with a bunch of kids?" Sarah looked shocked for asking the question. "I'm sorry. I don't know where my manners are today. That was really rude of me to ask that."
"I am not offended. I have not found the right woman to settle down with, just as you have not found the right man."
"Yes, but I'm only 17. You're 500."
'I'm immortal, Sarah. Age and time mean nothing to me. You're 17?"
Sarah nodded. "I'll be 18 on June 4th."
"It's so interesting that mortals remember and keep track of the day that they were born."
"Don't you have a birthday?" She looked surprised.
"I'm sure that I do, I was born after all. But it was not kept track of. Tell me, what are mortal birthdays like?"
'Well, it depends on the person. Some people don't like to celebrate their birthday because it only serves as a reminder that they're another year older. Other people throw a party or go out for lunch or dinner. There are usually presents given or at least a card. There's usually a birthday song, too."
"A birthday song?" He looked confused.
"Yeah. Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you." Sarah cleared her throat. "Uh, never mind."
Jareth smiled. Her voice was not as bad as she made it out to be. "Interesting."
Sarah grinned.
"What are you smiling about?" Jareth asked.
"I just can't believe that you are 500 years old. It blows my mind because even though I know that you haven't changed a bit in the last 3 years, you still look like you're in your early 30s."
Jareth smiled, but then it faded. "I will always look like this. I've reached full maturity and other than my hair growing longer or my dietary habits, I will not change. While you…" His voice trailed off.
"While I what? I'm going to grow ugly and die eventually. You'll be beautiful forever."
Jareth grinned wickedly at her words. "You find me attractive?" He leaned closer to Dan and looked at Sarah over the horse's back.
"I didn't say that," Sarah told him. She hated that she could feel her cheeks burning.
"Ah, but it was implied," he smiled.
"And you are really awful about changing the subject and thinking that you can get away with it. What were you going to say about me?"
He smiled a knowing smile and then caught her chin with his gloved fingers. "You have changed since we last met." He looked her over. "You've grown taller, thinner and I suppose a little more mature," he teased gently. He looked into her eyes, his expression suddenly serious. "But you have more worries, more concerns. I see them in your eyes."
She pulled back and out of his grasp. "That happens when you get older. I'm not a child anymore."
He looked her over carefully. "No, you are not a child. What is it that you worry about? What concerns you, Sarah?" Jareth wondered.
She suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Look, can we please change the subject?" She fidgeted nervously and got the comb stuck in Dan's mane.
"Is it your mother or me? Is it something that happened here? Is that what you dream about at night?" he pushed.
Jareth's eyes widened as Sarah pushed past Dan and quickly fled the stall. He watched her run off further into the barn, clutching the large dress she wore to herself as she disappeared. He let out a heavy sigh.
* * *
She watched the rain as it continued to fall. At this rate, they would need to build a boat so they would not float away. Sarah was so busy watching the rain fall that she did not notice Jareth leaning against a stall, studying her. She was sitting on a wooden barrel, oblivious to everything but the rain. Finally she lowered her head, and noticed something in the corner of her eyes. She turned and looked at Jareth.
"How long have you been standing there?"
He walked toward her slowly, his voice very low. "Long enough." He could see the tears in her eyes. He cursed himself for hurting her again.
He moved to stand beside her, one hand buried in his pocket, the other held loosely at his side as he gazed out at the rain. "I came to apologize."
Sarah's jaw dropped. "What?"
Jareth looked at her slowly. "Apologize, ask forgiveness, say that I am sorry."
"I know what an apology means."
"Then do you accept mine or not?" he asked coldly.
"It depends on what you are apologizing for," she told him, lifting her chin.
"My inquisitive behavior. It was not my intention to trouble you." His voice lowered as he looked into her eyes. "You have my apologies."
Sarah stared at Jareth curiously for a moment. He seemed sincere and he had kept his word. Other than their last conversation where he had pushed her too far, her afternoon with him had been enjoyable. "Well, then I accept your apology."
Jareth nodded. "Good." He looked out at the rain for a short while and then gazed at Sarah again. "We probably have missed lunch and unless we want to miss dinner as well, we should feed the animals and go to the house."
Sarah nodded.
* * *
"There you two are," Mrs. Henry said when she saw Jareth and Sarah enter the back kitchen.
"We were brushing Dan and I fed the animals. Mmmm, something smells good." Sarah smiled.
"We're having lamb chops for dinner. Should be ready in 15 minutes or so."
Sarah nodded and she and Jareth started toward the living room and nearly collided with Elizabeth. Sarah frowned when she saw the large bruise above Elizabeth's eye. "Elizabeth, what happened?"
"Someone tied my shoe laces together and I took a nice tumble!" she cried out.
"No one tied your shoes together, Elizabeth, don't go making up stories. If you tripped down the stairs then just admit it." Mrs. Henry called. "We all have embarrassing moments."
"We do, " Elizabeth said lowering her voice and looking Sarah straight in the eyes. "At least my moment wasn't spent sprawled in the mud on my stomach in the pig pen." Elizabeth flicked her blond hair back and walked away.
"What do you think that was all about?" Sarah asked Jareth as he led her out of the kitchen. Then she noticed the look in his eyes. "You were the one who tied her shoes together, weren't you?"
"I didn't expect for her to fall and hurt herself, but I do not tolerate people offending those that I ca- …" He ended the sentence abruptly and started a new one. "She put pepper in your egg and made you choke. You could have been hurt. I had to retaliate," he told her.
"How do you know she did that?"
"Because she was quite insistent that you have a particular egg and she looked just a little too smug as she sat at the table."
"I appreciate you looking out for me, but I can take care of myself. I don't want to stoop to her level. She obviously liked you and you used her. Can you blame her for being upset?" Sarah asked him.
"What happened between her and I does not include you. She has no right to play games with you. I will not allow it."
Sarah shook her head. He had obviously made up his mind and there was no changing it.
* * *
Dinner dragged by slowly for Sarah. She had a lot on her mind and eating was not one of them. Jareth fussed over her and she could tell from the look on Jacob's face that he wasn't pleased with her lack of an appetite either.
She took a few small bites of her potatoes and then taking her plate and her glass, rose from the table. "Thank you for dinner," she told Mrs. Henry.
"Did you not like the lamb chops?" the older woman asked.
Sarah shook her head. "They were delicious…I…I'm just not very hungry. If you'll excuse me." She took her plate and glass into the kitchen and put the vegetables in one bucket for the pigs and the meat in another bucket for the dogs. She put her dishes in the wash basin and without making eye contact with anyone, made her way past the table and up the stairs.
Jareth wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushing out his chair, stood. "If you'll excuse me," he said. "Mrs. Henry, the dinner was excellent."
Everyone at the table watched as Jareth walked up the stairs. Mrs. Henry and Jacob glanced at each other. Mr. Henry started speaking as if nothing had happened.
* * *
"Sarah, are you all right?" Jareth tapped on her door. She seemed fine when they had returned from the barn yet she had not said a word at dinner and had not eaten very much. "Sarah?"
The door opened slowly to reveal Sarah and she had already changed from her dress to a nightgown. She leaned against the door with a sigh.
"Are you all right?" he asked again.
She honestly didn't know how to answer him. She merely moved aside for him to enter.
Jareth entered cautiously and closed the door behind him. He watched as Sarah paced the room like a caged animal.
Sarah took a deep breath as she paced. She had to know the truth and Jareth would most likely tell her, even if the knowledge hurt her. "If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?"
Jareth looked a little surprised by her question. "Of course I will."
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked softly.
Jareth's brows drew together in confusion. "Sarah, you've confused me. I should be asking that question. You were the one who was quiet and didn't eat."
"There must have been something that I did wrong…," she said softly as she paced.
Jareth watched her. "Sarah, I don't know what you're talking about."
She stopped and looked at him. "Was there anything that they said about me?"
"Who? Who are you talking about, Sarah?"
"Evan…the soldiers."
Jareth's brows furrowed. Why was she thinking about this? It had been 2 weeks or so since they had been at the British camp.
"Were they talking about me? There must have been something that I did wrong."
"Sarah, you have to be joking." Jareth's mouth opened slightly at her expression. She was serious.
"Why else would Evan want to rape me unless I did something wrong?"
"Sarah, how can you even suggest that it was your doing?" Jareth looked horrified. "It was not your fault."
There were tears in her eyes as she looked up at him. "But it has to be…why else would he have wanted to hurt me in such a way unless I did something wrong? Did I offend him somehow?" She sat down at the end of the bed.
Jareth noticed that she was trembling. Her hands were shaking in her lap. Without thinking, he sat beside her and covered her hands with his own.
"Sarah, Evan was a sick and twisted man who attempted to violate you for the sole purpose of trying to move up in the ranking of the British army." Jareth leaned over and looked into her eyes. "Colonel Rochester ordered him to rape you and Evan was all too eager. There are some men who enjoy hurting women given the opportunity. Evan was one of them."
"All you ever want to do is hurt me! I HATE you!"
Sarah's angry words suddenly echoed through Jareth's mind. While he had not hurt Sarah physically, he had still hurt her, and numerous times. He wasn't much better than Evan was. He lowered his head for a moment, feeling guilty for his behavior. Sarah's voice broke his thoughts and he raised his head to look at her.
"He was ordered?"
Jareth nodded. "Yes, don't you remember Colonel Rochester mentioning that the morning we escaped?"
Sarah shook her head. "I don't remember much that morning…I was so numb. All I remember was you getting shot." A tear slipped down her cheek.
Jareth felt his heart ache.
"It was not your fault, Sarah. Colonel Rochester used you to get to me. He wanted to flush our deception out into the open, because he wanted to be the boss. He wanted to sit in the big chair, as you say."
"Then it was my fault that our cover was blown…" Another tear slipped down her face.
Jareth shook his head. "No, Sarah, it was NOT your fault. There is no one to blame."
"It's my fault that you were shot…if I hadn't revealed our deception…you wouldn't be like this…" She glanced at his shoulder and another tear trailed down her cheek.
"Have you not listened to a word that I've said?" He tried hard to keep the anger and aggravation out of his voice. "You wanted the truth and I'm telling it to you and yet you deny it. This was not your doing." He reached for her, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm and shoulder as he gripped her with both hands and shook her gently.
The movement was all it took for her to lose control and the tears fell at will. Jareth watched her for a moment, unsure of what to do. He hesitantly put one hand on her back and pulled her to him. He felt her bury her face into him and lowering his injured arm away from her, he wrapped his other arm around her.
Guilt stabbed him as he held her. He had mentioned her nightmares again this afternoon and had pushed her beyond what she was comfortable speaking about. Once again had he hurt her? He closed his eyes and shifting, pulled her closer.
Slowly, her sobs subsided and she rested wearily against him. He helped her lay back on the bed.
"You're tired and confused," he told her softly. " Sleep and you will feel better in the morning. Everything will be clearer then."
She nodded and hiccupped as he pulled the blankets over her. She drew her hand to her chest and rested her tear stained cheek on the pillow. Exhaustion took over and in a matter of moments she was asleep.
Jareth ran a hand through his hair. The sight of her looking so vulnerable bothered him. Sarah was a strong mortal. The strongest he had ever known. To see her fall apart was disconcerting.
Sitting just beside her, he leaned back carefully against the wooden headboard and prepared for a long night.
* * *
The rain was still pouring down when Sarah awakened the following morning. She could see the water running down the window and it made her think of crying. Maybe the earth was in mourning… Blood stained fields….rows upon rows of crosses…
She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled over, nearly colliding with something…or rather…someone.
Her eyes shot open as her cheek brushed against something warm and she looked up to see Jareth sitting beside her on the bed. He was staring down at her.
"Good morning. I trust you slept well," he greeted.
Sarah looked at him curiously. "You…stayed the night?"
He nodded and licked his lips, which had gone dry.
"Why?"
Jareth regarded her. Why had he stayed?
"Jareth?"
"You were upset, I didn't want you to be alone." He coughed and cleared his throat. "How do you feel this morning?"
"A little better." Her brows furrowed. "It's just…"
He sighed. He knew what she was thinking about. "You have to stop thinking about the rape. Evan thankfully did not accomplish his mission and the reason behind it was not your fault. As frightening as it was, you have to let it go." He let out a heavy sigh. "Otherwise, it will consume you." He regarded her sadly for a moment as if he knew exactly what she was feeling.
Jareth reached forward and brushed a small bit of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her ponytail during the night. He tilted his head and looked at her with a guarded stare. "Why do you wear your hair like this?" he asked.
Sarah was surprised by the question. "It's how the other women wear their hair. I wanted to fit in."
He slowly combed his gloved fingers through her ponytail a few times, before bringing his hand back to his side. "That's been our problem. We're trying too hard to fit in here and we are slowly losing a sense of who we are. We're different than they are, Sarah. We always will be and it's foolish to hide it. We can't be ourselves completely, but it's wrong to hide away." His voice became so soft that Sarah had to struggle to hear his words. "You always wore it down…" He was looking at her hair again.
She sighed.
Jareth watched her for a moment before he spoke. "The animals need to be fed. I will leave so that you can change. I'll be waiting for you downstairs and we'll feed them together. All right?"
Sarah nodded slowly.
Jareth moved off the bed and walked to the door, giving Sarah one final glance before he opened the door and disappeared into the hall.
She let out a shuddering sigh.
* * *
Jareth was staring at something on the mantle over the fireplace when Sarah descended the stairs. He heard the wooden steps creek and he turned. A smile curled on his lips. Sarah had changed into the dress she had worn the day before yesterday and her long dark hair was cascading down her shoulders.
Jareth moved to her and smiled. "Now that's the Sarah I remember," he told her. Unable to help himself, he gave into the temptation to look her over. Realizing that it had grown silent, he cleared his throat. "Shall we?"
Sarah nodded slowly and together they made their way to the barn.
* * *
AN: Due to the growing number of reviews being left, I may have to do this every so often and not every chapter. I will try to mention everyone who has reviewed, but due to time, I may not be able to comment. Thanks.
From ff.net
Queen Bonnie: Oh, yes. It's getting complicated and it will only get worse.
Romm: I'm afraid that I can't answer that just yet about Jareth's magic. All will be revealed. It's been hard to try to keep everything correct with the history. It's definitely been a challenge but well worth all the hard work!
Blue Angel Samui : I'm glad that you are enjoying the story! Thank you so much for your kind words!
terrie Thanks! Ah, you'll soon see what happens!
LadySorrow That's all right. You reviewed now and that's what counts, right? : ) FF.net has been a pain lately. It kept going down and then there were other problems. My story is also available at my website on it's own page and there is a guest book to review there if ff.net is ever giving you problems. I update the chapters there the same day that I post them here. http://www.geocities.com/jareth_sarah/uc/unexpected.html . And reading them at JSF is great too. I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story and that it's made your day brighter. That's so kind of you to say. Thank you about my characterizations of Jareth and Sarah. It's a struggle to keep them somewhat in character! I agree that Jareth isn't fun all that time. He can be a real pain at times when he wants to be. ;) Thank you again for all your kind words.
Silmarien forever: Oh a fellow lotr fan! Yay! I love the books and the movie. Thanks so much for giving my story a try and for taking the time to review.
Skyfire: We're definitely in agreement about that! With Jareth and Sarah's personalities, I just don't see them jumping right into a relationship. They need time to learn what each other is truly like. And J and S are really similar in personality, though I sure they would NEVER admit it. Thanks for the review!
EBS: Aw, thanks! I'm just letting my readers know how much I appreciate them! You're more than welcome to send your work to me. I'd love to read it. And thanks for all the reviews that you left for my stories. You're very kind.
Anyastazya: You guys are silly. I don't really want to say anything about what will happen left. I don't like to leave spoilers for people. Just rest assured that I have everything planned out.
kaoru_koishii: You can say that anytime that you wish! I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story. Reading everyone's reviews makes me so happy. I'm glad that I did my job of keeping things unexpected…not only for my characters but my readers too. : )
JouChan13: *wipes brow* phew…I updated quick enough ;) It's hard to balance writing quick enough to please the readers and also not writing too fast so that I don't forget anything! Thanks so much for your kind words. I hope you enjoyed 17!
draegon_fire: It's true. Sarah did start to trust Jareth, before she even realized it, by telling him about her mother. She can't help but be worried that if she trusts him again that she could be tossed aside, feeling more miserable than she felt before. Jacob is a pretty smart guy, and his mom is pretty smart too. They have the feeling that something is going on. They just don't know if those feelings are correct. Thanks for your review. I always look forward to them!
Dark Mage Mistress: I appreciate the reviews! I really do!
Winter: Yeah, our buddy Jacob is starting to put two and two together and he might have four but he's not so sure. He thinks that something is going on, but he can't be certain. Thanks for your review!
Purely Wicked: Thanks for the kind words and you're right, Sarah is lucky!
Cutiechelsey: Wow, that was such an incredibly nice review that you left me. Thank you for your kind words. I'm really trying with each story that I do to improve. I'm also trying to take my time. I wrote too quickly at first and didn't take enough time to think or plan things out. "One" was the first story that I ever outlined before I wrote it and I'm doing that even more so with "UC" I've done a lot more research than I had in the past and I'm really glad that it's showing through. I'm glad that my dialog is sounding better too. It's hard to write for Jareth because he was so limited in the movie. I run his voice through my mind when I write and try to think, "Would Jareth say something like that?" Thank you again for your kind words and for taking the time to let me know your opinions. It's greatly appreciated. I hope that I can keep up to the same level of writing that I'm at now, if not continue to improve. Thanks again!
Iden's Garden: Well, I don't know if Jacob is thinking that! And in this chapter you saw a bit of what Elizabeth is capable of. She's jealous of Sarah because she feels that she has taken Jareth away from her. The girl doesn't have a clue!
Anne-Marie: I like Jacob myself, but unfortunately he and Sarah might not be in the cards. I'm glad that you liked Dan. He's a cool horse and for some reason, he's very loyal to Jareth. I don't think that Jareth or Sarah can bring anything with them back to their own time, IF they make it back. :D They would risk changing history. I don't think anyone really important will be making an appearance. It depends on what else happens in history and who's in the area. I don't want to just add people if they weren't even close to Massachusetts. As for Elizabeth, there is usually one in every family.
Pussycat: I know! Just didn't want to disappoint!
Insane Dragoness: That's a little hard to do! Writing this story takes time and I seriously don't have enough time in one day to write each chapter! I can't say anything about the Labyrinth because I don't give out spoilers. I like to surprise the readers.
Aisuru: I don't think Jareth ever considered being 'fatherly' to Sarah. It wasn't exactly his idea and he doesn't know anything about being a father. So, he hasn't even thought about bossing her around. I don't see Sarah allowing it to happen either! But if he had decided to act like that, he most likely would have irked her to no end!
Jester: Thank you! Poor Jacob is getting much more than he bargained for. Oh a lover of scandal are you. ;)
BatBLady. Thank you! Waking Dreams might be finished after UC is done. It depends on if I can get back into the story or not!
General Mevneriel. I'm so pleased that you are enjoying it! I hope that continues!
From the guest book at the Unexpected Consequences home page:
Morwenna Caddy: Nope, no kissing going on yet. It's still a little too early for that. Thank you! It's so hard to pace a story. Sometimes I feel as if I am going to slow and other times I feel as if I am going too fast! Thanks for your kind words! And no, no one has really noticed Jareth's strange markings. If he was in full Goblin King attire, someone might notice. But dressing like a colonist (or a British General), it tones down his otherworldly features slightly.
Serenity: Thanks! The Patriot characters came to mind well after I came up with the concept for the story. After remembering the movie, I thought the pictures would be perfect. And Tavington is almost a perfect Rochester. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story!