This chapter is rated R for mature situations. Young readers please play elsewhere. Thank you.
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As always, eternal gratitude to my wonderful friend and beta, Scattered Logic.
Chapter 24: Restrictions and the ways around them
Sarah slowly stepped back, though Jareth refused to let her go completely. He smiled down at her and looked like a different man than the one who had entered her parent's bedroom to take Toby so many years ago. He looked as if he had found peace.
Sarah smiled shyly in return. Jareth's gaze was intense and suddenly she felt as if she were back in high school and she'd finally made some kind of connection with a boy she was crushing on. She had to remember that Jareth wasn't a boy. He was a man, a Fae who was 500 years old and he had just admitted that he was in love with her.
Jareth frowned when he saw her brows furrow. "You're not having second thoughts about this are you?" he asked quietly.
She looked into his eyes, her eyes widening. She shook her head vigorously. "Of course not…I just…"
"You just what?"
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Oh, Sarah. Not this again." He nearly groaned. He lowered his head and kissed her nose and then her lips. "I meant what I said. Why can't you seem to understand that?"
She frowned. "I…I don't know. Maybe because of the past, my parents, Brian--"
Jareth lifted her chin with his bare fingers and tilted it up so that he could look into her eyes. "I am not your parents, or your friends or a past lover."
"I know that," Sarah told him, trying to pull away. But Jareth wouldn't release her.
"Do you?" he asked. "You are already starting to judge me by what damage others have done. You seem ready to end this before it's even begun."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, no, not at all! I just…" She bit her lip. "I'm frightened." She looked deep into his mismatched eyes and did something she didn't think she would ever do. "I love you so much and I don't know how that happened." She reached over and stroked his silky blond hair. "I don't think that I've ever loved someone as much as I love you and that…that frightens me."
He released her chin. "Why does that frighten you? Tell me what you fear so that I will make sure that it never happens."
Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. "I'm afraid of losing you."
Jareth smiled. "You hardly stand a chance of losing me."
"But I still could," Sarah insisted and Jareth frowned.
"I'm 18 years old and you're 500," she continued. "What's to say that if we ever got back to the Labyrinth that you wouldn't dump me for someone else once you lost interest? I mean what if some pretty older Fae woman flaunts herself in front of you?"
Jareth moved forward and kissed Sarah's trembling lips. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "She would be foolish and would be wasting her time. I have eyes for one woman only and she's standing in front of me."
"But what if that changes?"
"Sarah, it's not going to change. You are a beautiful and desirable woman. I am not going to leave you for another."
Sarah ducked her head. "You probably say that to all the pretty girls," she retorted. She hated that she doubted him but she couldn't help it. Fear and doubt had become part of who she was.
Jareth had to struggle from to keep his jaw from dropping. "Sarah, what is this about? It's almost as if you do not want me to love you."
"Of course I want you to love me, but I want a guarantee that you won't leave me like everyone else in my life has left me."
Jareth sighed and realized that she was afraid of the past repeating itself. "Oh, Sarah." A tear slid down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb.
"If something happens and you leave me, I don't think I'll be able to cope with the loss," she told him honestly. "This may have just started, but I'm already in too deep."
Jareth took her hand in his and gently smoothed over her fingers. "You told me that you trusted me."
"I do trust you."
"If that is true, then let it go. Let your fears about me and about us vanish."
Sarah's jaw lowered in shock at what he was asking. "That's not so easy to do."
Jareth tilted his head and gave her a small grin. "I did it. Otherwise, you and I would not be standing here like this." He looked down at his arms wrapped around her.
Sarah followed his glance and then looked deep into his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Jareth chuckled. "Do you think it was any easier for a Fae King to fall in love with a mortal? A mortal that had defeated him at his own game and then destroyed his kingdom no less?"
Sarah looked away at his words but slowly returned her gaze to him when she realized he didn't sound so bitter about his kingdom any longer.
"While many tales of my people might have us falling in love with mortals, it rarely happens. I am an exception among the Fae." He leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the lips. He didn't waste any time showing her his feelings were true and he thrust his tongue into her unsuspecting mouth. He was delighted when she responded, stroking his tongue with hers. He kissed her until he felt a familiar warmth stirring in his groin. Regretfully, he ended the kiss, pulling back slowly.
"It may not have been an easy decision to let go of hundreds of years of confusion and misjudgment, but I have done so and I would go through the struggle again and again if each time I knew that we would end up like this..." Jareth buried his fingers in Sarah's soft dark hair. He stroked her hair while he gazed into her eyes.
"When I returned to find you dying in bed, I understood all the strange things that I had been feeling." Jareth took a deep breath. He had never been this honest with anyone.
"I knew that I loved you and to be without you would be similar to having no air to fill my lungs." He rested his forehead against hers for a moment. "I had to tell you what I felt…even if you didn't feel the same," he whispered and then pulling back, he continued to look into her eyes.
"I cannot guarantee that everything will be fine between us. We are both stubborn and we will often disagree. The road before us still has many twists and unexpected turns. But I can guarantee you that I will care for you to the best of my ability until the end of our days and I would expect the same from you."
"I promise to do the same and I'll try to let it go…I'll really try," she whispered, leaning against him.
Jareth kissed her hair.
Sarah pressed her cheek against his chest. The fabric of his shirt was still damp and she shivered slightly as she felt a breeze blow off the pond.
"Jareth, how did this happen?"
"Hmmm?"
"How did you and I fall in love? We were enemies."
Jareth stroked her hair. "I don't know and I've stopped questioning the reason. Everything has a reason and a purpose. Fate and magic make that so. The hardships we have been through had a purpose. It's clear to me now that you were meant to destroy my kingdom so that we would reunite and put our differences behind us."
"I didn't mean to destroy the Labyrinth. I'll do whatever it takes to fix it. I promise you…"
Jareth kissed her hair again. "We will fix it when we return together." He moved his hand up and down her back to soothe her. It amazed him even now how he could forgive her so completely, but he guessed that forgiveness was part of loving someone.
"You realize that we can't tell anyone about this. Us," Sarah said softly.
"What do you mean?"
Sarah stepped back to look into Jareth's eyes. "The moment the Henry's find out we are together, we'll have a chaperone."
Jareth snorted. "What? You can't be serious?"
Sarah nodded. "I'm serious. If Mrs. Henry learns that you and I are interested in being more than friends, she's going to become a different person, or at least, I think she will. I don't have parents here and Mrs. Henry has tried to act motherly to me before. She might insist that we not be allowed to be alone together."
"But she's been trying to get us together. In fact she stressed the word alone just the other day. She was trying to play matchmaker."
"I know that she was."
Jareth's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"I may be naïve, but I'm not stupid. I noticed what she was trying to pull. But she did that before she saw us admit what we felt and before we…uh, well, you know…kissed." Sarah blushed and Jareth grinned.
Sarah cleared her throat and continued. "They were strict about courting in this era. And Mrs. Henry wouldn't try to get us together unless she approves of you or she wants Jacob to forget about me."
"Why do you say that? What does Jacob have to do with whether or not I am worthy to court you?" His tone went from warm to bitter cold.
Sarah could sense Jareth's temper surfacing so she was careful how she worded things. "Jacob wanted to be my friend and I know Mrs. Henry tried to discourage that. You and I lied to her family. She might think that putting us together would solve the problem of Jacob wanting to be friends and it has so far. Jacob is suddenly interested in only the war."
"So I'm apparently only worthy because she doesn't want her son to be interested in you. Isn't that just delightful," Jareth growled.
Sarah reached forward and smoothed the creases appearing on Jareth's brow. "Jareth, who cares what anyone else thinks. I find you worthy and if you find me worthy that is all that matters."
Jareth sighed. "You are right." He was well aware of his jealousy even though he knew that Jacob didn't wish to pursue Sarah. Jareth had hoped he could have told the world that Sarah was his and now his plans would have to change. "Would a chaperone be the only complication?"
Sarah shook her head. "In this time, if a couple who were courting wanted to stay in the same room together they did something called…damn…I can't remember what they called it. Oh, I know, bundling."
"What is that?" Jareth's brows drew together at the word.
"It could be a few different things. During winter months, a man courting a woman might have to stay at the house for a few nights due to bad weather. He was allowed to stay with the woman in the same room and bed but he was sewn up in a burlap or fabric sack so he couldn't touch the woman. If that didn't happen, a board was placed between them on the bed. It could be one of those or a combination of the two."
"You have to be joking." Jareth's eyes widened. "I want to court you but I will be damned if I am to be sewn in a sack so I cannot touch you!" Jareth told her, his voice rising. "And I will not have a guardian watching our every movement."
"If we don't want those things to happen then we have to keep our relationship a secret." Sarah frowned. "We'll have to lie again."
"It won't be lying. It would just be omitting the entire truth," Jareth told her.
"That's still lying."
"This is absurd!" Jareth told her and he began to pace. "We've managed to fall in love and they expect me not to touch you or look at you without being tied up or having someone watch us. I detest this time greatly," he spat.
"I'm not disagreeing," she grinned.
Jareth stopped pacing and pulled Sarah into his arms. "We will have to pretend that this never happened between us and I dislike that. But I will do what is necessary so that we may proceed as we see fit." Jareth stroked her hair.
"We can sneak away each night." He leaned forward and tipped his head, kissing her throat. "They'll never know we left," he murmured against her skin. He kissed her throat again, his lips moving to the place where her pulse could be felt.
Sarah closed her eyes at the sensation. She could feel her heartbeat quicken.
"Winter will freeze my kingdom over before I allow people to dictate how I am to court a woman." He brushed his lips over her skin, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath.
He felt her tremble and at first it pleased him to know he was already having such an effect on her. But the joy didn't last long as she trembled repeatedly.
It was then that he felt the air had grown colder and realized that Sarah was not trembling. She was shivering.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were cold?" he asked, pulling back.
"I'm not that cold," she told him as she pressed her cheek against his chest.
"Your shivering seems to say otherwise. It's getting late. We should head back to the house before someone notices that we are gone."
Before Sarah could protest, Jareth leaned forward and scooped her up into his arms.
"We've been out here long enough for one evening. You need more rest."
* * *
For the next week, Jareth and Sarah snuck out of the house each night. The weather had been fairly cooperative and there had only been once night where they had to return early due to rain.
By day they acted as if they were nothing more than friends. They politely ignored Mrs. Henry's various attempts at making them see each other in a different light. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Henry, they had already seen the light and they had found it on their own.
By night, they snuck out of the house, Jareth carrying Sarah so that there was only one set of footsteps being heard and if anyone was to hear them, they'd probably think it was just someone getting a glass of water.
The two of them always sat by the pond, sometimes talking, other times kissing and touching, but never going too far. Jareth was serious when he wanted to go slowly. It was something he had never done in a relationship before and he found that other than the sometimes painful urge to pull Sarah to the ground and make love to her, the experience left him appreciating what they had even more.
Jareth found that he enjoyed learning about her life through stories and the two of them had begun to open up even more to each other. He learned things such as her love of music and nature and being held and her dislike of being without physical contact for too long as well as being thought of as a child. She learned small things about him as well, such as his dislike of the cold and winter and some of his abilities when he did have his magic.
His magic was another step in the right direction. It was slowly but steadily returning to him. Even though he couldn't do anything fantastic with it, being able to produce a coat if Sarah needed one or a blanket to sit on put him in good spirits.
Jareth didn't think it was possible, but he continued to fall for Sarah, rather contently, his only fear being that he might never be able to stand again.
For the first few days, Jareth was careful to remain close to Sarah, but not too close. He wanted to curb her fears that he would leave her. With his heart so full of love for her, the notion of leaving her was the farthest thing from his mind. But Sarah had been damaged by past experiences. Fools who had not appreciated her and had treated her as if she was worthless. Jareth intended to correct their mistakes and while he helped her to trust him completely, he knew his own emotional scars were healing and disappearing with the love she showed him in return.
Sarah also found herself falling more deeply in love with Jareth. He was always protecting her, but not smothering her. He always waited patiently until she was comfortable before he touched her or suggested they move up a level.
The tension of the war lingered around them like a foul smell, but neither allowed themselves to be bothered by it. They were too involved with discovering each other to concern themselves with a war they shouldn't be witnessing. While the major fighting seemed to cease for the time being, small battles broke out periodically all over the colonies.
Jacob and his father began to remain at the farm less and less which meant that Jareth had to start taking on heavier chores. With his shoulder feeling better, he knew it was to be expected and although he hated doing these new chores that took him away from Sarah, he did them to please the Henry's. He realized that they were feeding him and Sarah, and giving them a roof over their heads. They gave friendship and although they occasionally were annoying, they had done wonderful things for two strangers.
* * *
Jacob sighed and threw the sheets off of himself. He was thinking too much to settle comfortably and he knew with his mind on the war, sleep tonight would be hard to come by. He dressed and went to the shed.
There was a cool breeze by the pond and as he was just about to cast his line into the water, he heard voices. He froze, wishing that he had brought a revolver with him. He feared that some British soldiers might be near the farm. It was his worst fear and he knew that it was his father's as well.
He placed his fishing pole carefully on the ground. He crouched as he walked and remained hidden by the brush. He was nearing the voices, they were soft and he couldn't make out what was being said. Hiding behind a tree, Jacob peered out toward the sound of the voices. His eyes grew wide as saucers and his jaw dropped. His heart began to pound in his chest and breathing heavily, he made sure he was concealed well behind the tree.
Jacob knew that they were close, they'd become friends rather than acquaintances but he had not expected this. Being caught off guard hurt him far more than he thought possible. He felt slightly jealous, but she had obviously chosen.
He peered carefully around the large oak tree and saw that Jareth and Sarah were still kissing each other. Their hunger for each other was obvious though their actions were innocent kisses. Jacob realized that he was witnessing an intimate moment and he quietly moved away, retrieved his fishing pole and walked back toward the house as quickly as possible. As he made his way to the shed to put the fishing pole back, he leaned against one wall and sighed heavily. Why was he always the last to know everything?
As usual, once Jareth and Sarah started kissing, the intensity grew as time passed. Still stroking Jareth's tongue forcefully with her own, Sarah reached down and removed his hand from her waist. Jareth continued to kiss her, hardly aware of what she was doing. It wasn't until she had positioned his hand on her breast that Jareth jerked back with a start.
Jareth looked down at his hand on her breast. He could feel that the nipple had hardened beneath his palm.
Sarah positioned her hand over his and carefully squeezed it so that he took her breast into his hand completely.
Jareth's brows drew together at the movement. He looked at Sarah and realized that her eyes were closed. Slowly, Jareth began to knead the flesh through the fabric of her dress. Sarah moaned softly as he kneaded harder. It was all the incentive that Jareth needed. He lowered his mouth to hers and began to kiss her roughly, his fingers continuing to touch her.
Sarah moaned softly as sensations of warmth shot through her. She slid her hand down between them and, feeling brave, she cupped him between his legs. Jareth jerked at the movement, but didn't pull away.
For a moment they stood still, foreheads leaning against each other, lips just out of reach, breathing heavily.
Sarah felt him harden in her hand and slowly she began to stroke his erection through the fabric of his breeches.
Jareth groaned low in his throat as her thumb began to caress the tip. Her movements were slow and gentle and before he could stop himself, Jareth was pushing his hips toward her, thrusting himself into her hand.
Sarah continued to caress him and her touches became harder and faster.
Jareth gave a cry of alarm and pushed her hand away. He gave a shaky laugh. "I think that's enough for one night."
Sarah frowned. "But I like pleasing you. Let me touch you."
"I think it would be best if we stopped, otherwise there is going to be quite a mess."
She smiled sweetly as she moved closer to him. "I don't mind."
One of Jareth's brows rose at her response. His eyes widened slightly as she raised her hands and began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Sarah…" If she didn't stop now, he knew he would not be able to stop himself.
She paused in her movements and then reached up, kissing him firmly on the lips. "I'm not going to shatter like a crystal if you touch me…" she whispered against his mouth. She bowed her head and moving part of his shirt aside, she kissed his chest and then traced her tongue over his nipple. She felt Jareth tremble.
"Sarah…" he tried again.
She reached for his mouth again, but didn't kiss him. "I'm ready…"
Jareth could feel his entire body shaking with need. "You're sure?" He didn't want her to regret her decisions. One part of him could hardly believe that the shy young woman who had been so feeble with her kisses a week ago was attempting to seduce him.
Sarah's lips hovered over his. "If I wasn't sure, I would not have said it." And then she kissed him.
Jareth didn't hold back as he pressed his mouth against hers and in a matter of moments they were both gasping for breath.
Sarah's hands had returned to the buttons on his shirt, but he pushed them away. She looked at him in confusion. Was he rejecting her?
"Not here…" he whispered breathlessly. He took her hand into his and led her away.
They walked along the edge of the pond and Jareth stopped at the place where the pond emptied into a brook. There was a small waterfall that cascaded down the rocks and into the brook. The water sparkled in the moonlight. Beside the pond was a small glade of grass that was virtually hidden on all sides except for the pond and the small path they had traveled to get there.
"Oh, Jareth, it's beautiful," Sarah told him.
He smiled. "I know how you feel about waterfalls, but this one is different." He lowered his lips, brushing them teasingly against hers. "Much different." He pressed his mouth against hers and their frantic kisses started all over again.
Jareth felt himself growing weak in the knees and he used the little magic he had to create a blanket on the ground. He pulled Sarah down with him, still kissing her.
Jareth's hands sought the clasps on the back of her dress and, eagerly, he began to undo them. He was having difficulty and he moved to sit behind her so he could see what he was doing. With each clasp that he undid, he was rewarded with the view of more and more creamy skin. He leaned forward and, moving her hair over her shoulder, he kissed her back. He undid the clasps to her waist and then began to untie the corset she wore. Once it was loose enough, he slid his hands around her sides beneath the fabric. His hands moved up and he positioned them on her breasts.
Sarah moaned as his fingers rolled over the skin. Her nipples hardened against his fingers and he gently began to pluck at them. Sarah let her head fall back and Jareth kissed her neck, nipping playfully at her skin.
He was eager to see more of her and he slipped the dress off her shoulders and off her arms until it pooled at her waist. He untied the rest of the corset and discarded it on the grass beside them. He crawled to sit in front of her and he lowered his mouth to one of her breasts, taking it eagerly into his mouth.
Sarah felt her body begin to burn as he suckled her gently and then more forcefully. Her hands reached blindly for his shirt and she managed to undo the buttons, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. Jareth sat back after a few moments and Sarah leaned toward him. She kissed his lips and then his neck and kissed down his chest.
He urged her to lie down and she fell onto her back with him looming over her. He took off her shoes and then reached for her dress and began to tug it down her hips and legs. He removed the corset and then began to tug the rest of her undergarments off of her.
Sarah blushed bright red when he sat back and stared at her naked form.
He smiled warmly. "Don't be so shy. You're beautiful." His eyes were dark as he looked her over from head to toe. He bent forward and kissed her lips briefly before he kissed down her body, between her breasts. His hand smoothed over her flat stomach, his fingers moving closer to the dark hair between her legs.
He could feel Sarah trembling beneath him and he urged himself to take things slowly. His hand slid lower and he heard Sarah take a sharp intake of breath as his fingers contacted with the sensitive flesh. He moved his hand away and caressed the inside of her thighs, building the pressure and need within her.
The warmth Sarah had felt earlier continued to build along with an aching desire. "Jareth, please…" she whimpered.
He smiled and returned his hand to the delicate folds. He was pleased to find that she was already slick with desire. He slid his fingers through the wetness and carefully slipped a finger inside of her, stopping at the barrier.
Sarah gasped at the sensation and began to rock her hips as his finger moved in and out of her. She felt Jareth's thumb begin to caress the same place repeatedly and she began to pant as the things she was feeling began to build even more intensely.
His fingers began to pick up the pace and Sarah felt herself get light headed. The pressure was building to the point where she wasn't sure if she could deal with it.
"Ja…Jare…" she choked out. He didn't say a word and continued to quicken the pace. Sarah let out a cry as her hips bucked and the world became fuzzy around her.
Jareth groaned as he felt her muscles tighten around his finger. He waited until a few moments had passed before he removed his hand.
Sarah panted and the world slowly came back into focus around her. Jareth was sitting up patiently, waiting for her to compose herself. "Oh, god…" she choked out.
Jareth smiled and leaned over to kiss her. As he loomed over her, Sarah began to undo his breeches and started to tug them down his hips.
Jareth used one hand to steady himself, while the other helped her lower his pants. He broke their kiss to pull his boots from his feet and he pulled the breeches off and threw them on the ground.
Sarah looked him over for a moment. His skin was pale and smooth like porcelain. His body was lean but he had some muscle tone. Her eyes widened at the sight of his arousal and suddenly, the throbbing that had been present between her legs was back in full force. She sat up and reached to touch him, but Jareth pushed her hand away. He urged her back and began to kiss her.
Her back touched the blanket and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She felt his erection press against her stomach and she groaned at the contact.
Her hands moved down his shoulders and his chest and she slid one hand between them, so that she could touch him.
Jareth groaned as she cupped him, giving him the same exquisite torture she had through his breeches. He thrust himself into her hand, his lips moving frantically over her neck and lower to her breasts as she touched him.
Sarah caressed him gently, running her thumb repeatedly over the smooth rounded tip. She felt a wetness appear the more she touched him and all too soon, Jareth was pulling his hips away from her.
Sarah frowned openly. "Why won't you let me please you?"
"You have pleased me," Jareth told her, kissing her brow. "But unlike you, I have only one chance and I intend to make it a lasting one." He carefully positioned himself over her and Sarah suddenly understood what he meant.
She felt the tip of him pressing between her legs and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Jareth kissed her lips gently. "This will hurt a bit, but I promise you it will pass quickly."
Sarah opened her eyes and looked deep into his. She raised one hand and brushed back the blond hair that was hanging in his face. She brushed it behind his lean shoulders. "I trust you."
Jareth smiled and slowly began to apply pressure. He felt Sarah stiffen beneath him and, carefully, he pushed harder.
A tear streamed down her face and she let out a cry as he breached the barrier between them.
He smoothed the tear away with his thumb. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.
The pain was already receding and Sarah slowly began to move beneath him. Jareth pushed himself into her further, reveling in the feeling for a moment. He pulled back gently so he wouldn't hurt her and then began to thrust in and out.
It was uncomfortable for just a moment and then all Sarah felt was the warmth and throbbing again. The feeling of Jareth inside of her was incredible and wanting to feel more, she began to move her hips in time with his. She could hear a low humming in Jareth's throat and she moved her hips a little faster. He responded and soon was thrusting harder.
He moved his hand to rest between them, and the unexpected contact of his fingers at the junction of their joining caused Sarah to find her release. She cried out his name, her body arching beneath him.
Jareth felt her muscles tighten around him and his hips jerked in response. He gave one final thrust, pushing himself as deeply as he could go. He let out a guttural cry as he emptied himself within her. Panting heavily, he lowered himself and rolled to his side, pulling Sarah along with him. For a moment, they lay joined, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Sarah brushed back the damp strands of hair that hung in his face. She smiled at him, feeling more content than she had ever felt before in her life. She could tell by the look on Jareth's face that he was feeling the same.
He kissed her forehead and ran his thumb over her face. "I love you, Sarah," he whispered.
She smiled brightly and kissed his lips. "I love you, too," she told him when she pulled back.
He lowered his head and rested it beneath her chin. He could hear the beating of her heart beneath his ear. "You just proved that…"
Sarah frowned for a moment. "But sex isn't always love."
Jareth kissed her collarbone. "No, but trust is."
Sarah smiled and leaned her chin against his unruly hair. Beneath the moonlight, with the waterfall flowing beside them, they rested contently in each other's arms.