Wishes,
By mikim
Chapter 9. Dancing in a Mines Field. A Bitter-sweet Present…
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Standard disclaimers apply: bla bla bla own next to nothing bla bla bla, we all know the song.
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Hey, you guys! It's been so long since I last posted something! But I have to tell you, I really enjoyed my time in London, it was more than great, more than wonderful it was!!!!!!!! Oh; I so want to live in that city! London is an extravagant city; full of derision and irony but in the meantime, so traditional and respectful! Oh; shoot if you let me ramble, you'll never be able to read the rest of this story.
By the way, I promised to work in London and I did work. The whole story is planned and I know exactly when and where to finish this baby and I hope you'll enjoy the ride along me! (By the way, I don't know the Castle in the Sky, but what had inspired me this castle was "The Twelve Kingdoms", in which I heavily pick my stuff, not for the storyline, mind you, but for the places described and the locations…)
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Sarah blindly watched the streets blur pass by her window. She never had enough coin to afford a car, but then her workplace was near and the bus stop wasn't far either. Therefore, to reach her parents' house, Sarah had but assailed a cab and given a little breathlessly her father's house address to the mildly surprised driver. Her parents' house was on the outside of the town and would take her at least half an hour to get there. Ever since the last clash with Karen, Sarah had never put her feet back in the house. She still communicated with Toby, mostly through emails and secretly arranged dates at the movies. Sarah knew Toby suffered harshly the rift between his mother and his beloved sister, but Sarah had refused to even tell him the reason of such reaction from Karen and his mother hadn't ever uttered her step-daughter's name for around 5 years and hardly ever mentioned her again and if she did, she made sure everyone understood who she was talking about without saying Sarah's name.
Sarah sighed. Karen would probably blame her if anything happened to Toby. And she wouldn't be too wrong, Sarah thought bitterly. The threat had scared the wits out of her. First how could they have found her name, the place she used to live in and where she worked! For pity's sake, Sarah thought angrily, as she tightened her fist, couldn't them just let her alone?
Frustrated, Sarah checked her watch one more time and took a good look outside: she was finally nearing her parents' house area.
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As he always did, Toby went out at seven sharp to feed Sarah's old dog. The old Lancelot was already waiting for him next to his plate, his tail waging faster and faster as Toby approached. Toby smiled down the dog and emptied the food dog can in the plate, on which Lancelot rushed as if he hadn't eaten for days.
Toby stayed with him a little longer, sitting on the grass, a hand caressing lazily the animal while the latter ate. Feeding Lancelot was like a ritual, an old habitude he had picked up from when Sarah still lived in the house. She used to be the one feeding Lancelot and as soon as Toby could walk on his own without mush supervision he had tagged along.
"Psst!"
Toby blinked. He could have sworn he had just heard someone or something hiss at him.
"Toby!" A low murmur reached his ears and as Toby, Lancelot looked up his plate and his tail waging again. The old dog sat down and his tongue rolled out of his mouth, like the dog was smiling. Toby stilled his hand over the dog's head and looked around.
The voice was familiar and Lancelot wasn't scarred and that was mush as his old dog was the biggest coward of the neighbourhood, even a bird could freak him out.
"Toby, here!" The voice hissed again at him and Toby slowly stood up, ready to bolt back in his house when he caught the familiar green eyes of his older sister.
"Sarah!" Toby exclaimed surprised: Sarah was on all fours in the bushes and smiling up at him. She quickly put her finger to her lips, indicating him to stay silent, looking around to see if anybody had heard Toby.
Surprised by her alert posture, Toby clasped instinctively his hands over his mouth. Upon this, Sarah rolled her eyes merrily. Lancelot's tail gained in rapidity in waging and the old dog stood up, intending of going to his mistress.
"No! Lancelot stay put, Toby catch him!" Sarah told him urgently and Toby quickly put his hand on the old worn out collar, stopping Lancelot firmly. The old dog shot him a sad look, then looked back sadly at Sarah. "Oh, Lancelot," she said, "don't look at me like that!" She pleaded her dog.
"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Toby finally asked her.
"Can you do me a favour, first?" She asked him back, her eyes hopeful.
"Sure, anything." Toby replied wearily. What was his older sister doing in the bushes?
"Act like I'm not here, please Toby." She fixed her on him her best puppy eyes and Toby shook his head and slumped back on the grass, still holding Lancelot's collar.
"Sarah, what's going on? You swore to never come back within a ten miles range of the house!" Toby whispered, looking over his shoulder to check if anybody was in the kitchen.
Sarah hesitated. She had rushed here without thinking and not knowing what she would tell or do. "Look, Toby, can I trust you not to repeat all this to the parents?" Toby rolled his eyes at this and sighed.
"Did I ever betray our secret?" He asked her, a bit hurt.
"Sorry, Toby." Sarah said sheepishly. She then paused and took a deep breathe. "I met a guy a couple of days ago, who I used to know in the past and to make a long story short, we hooked up but apparently one of his…" Sarah hesitated once more. She didn't know what Toby knew about the make-out session on the streets. "former girlfriend isn't happy with that and she… She threatened to do something to you."
Bewildered, Toby looked at her. "So you rushed here?"
Sarah shrugged. "Yeah, looks like so."
"Jeez, Sarah I can take care of some girl, you know." Her little brother drawled and Sarah had to recognize he could have certainly handle that crazy fan quite well alone. Indeed, Toby could charm anybody: with his angelic blond hair and cerulean blue eyes, his baby skin still giving him a peach-feel like cheeks and the honey tongue he had inherited from escaping his teachers' threats.
"Well, she's a real goner! What if she tries anything funny on you!" Sarah pointed out, but Toby only smiled back and shrugged.
"Chill out, sis, if anybody approached me, I'd know because Lancelot here is the biggest coward ever, if he smells something funny he'll run in the house and I'll run right next to him." Toby patted with affection the old dog.
But Sarah glared at him, from her bush. "Is it suppose to comfort me?"
Toby looked almost sincerely stricken. "It doesn't?"
"Toby!" Sarah snapped irritably.
Toby chuckled a little, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Relax, Sarah, crazy chick is not going after me, she just sent you that threat to scare you and get you off that guy…" A smirk played on his lips and Sarah scowled.
"You've seen the papers Sunday." She accused him.
Toby shrugged, smiling broadly. "They were quite hard to avoid, since a paperboy comes every morning to deliver it to dad."
Sarah looked horrified. She had secretly hoped her parents hadn't seen the compromising photos. "Oh, my god!"
Toby nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly what dad said."
Sarah didn't hear him and shaking, she wondered aloud. "What must he thinking?"
Toby shivered at the memory of his dad opening this paper and seeing his daughter on the front page. "Don't know, but mom… Well you know mom." Toby sighed. He loved his mother, but he did also love his sister. But the rift between them was as old as he was and probably as deep as the ocean.
He understood however that what had caused the rift between the two women was probable something too painful for Sarah to talk about it, but then, he didn't understand either his mother's anger for Sarah.
He knew, from the disputes he had often eavesdropped upon that Sarah had done something, but for the life of his, Toby couldn't picture something big enough to create such anger in his mother for his sister.
Sarah rolled her eyes and drawled sarcastically. "Yeah, I know Karen…"
"So, it's really true? You're really dating a singer!" Toby exclaimed, amazed.
"Toby, not so loud!" Sarah hissed, quickly looking around to see if anybody had heard him.
"Sorry." Sheepishly, he apologized.
"Not a word or I'll wring your neck and tell dad about who really smashed his car and ran over the roses!" Sarah threatened him urgently, watching colour flee like the plague her little brother's cheeks.
Horrified, he looked at his sister, like she had struck him. "You wouldn't!"
"Then, not a word." She marked her words with a violent shake of her finger at him.
Toby put his right hand on his heart and solemnly said. "Promise. So, who's after me, anyway?"
Sarah sighed and wondered if she hadn't somehow overreacted. She could have just rung the house and demanded to talk to Toby. "Don't know, one of his crazier fan I guess." She told him, suddenly feeling drained. Now, that the tension was over, her nerves were relaxing, leaving her completely drain of any energy or willpower.
Toby smiled at her gently. "Hmm, well, don't worry, I can take care of myself." He assured her, Sarah had always been overprotective of him. It used to bother him, when she still lived in the house, but since she had gone, he actually missed the usual fussing she use to put him under. "And if I'm not in school, I'm either home, at Jake's or Ami's."
Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Ami? I thought her name was Harriet?"
Toby rolled him eyes once more. His sister had no memory for his girlfriends' names. "Nope, broke up with her weeks ago! I told you!" He shook his head at her. "You know, Ami, the long black-haired girl, with the most beautiful chestnut eyes I've ever seen."
Sarah's brow wrinkled for a while, then she remembered Toby's long email about that girl. "Oh, yes, sorry, got them mixed up."
Toby smiled and Sarah shivered. Her little brother really was a lady-killer. "Anyway, what are you doing in the bushes?" His eyes were shining with mirth and a teasing flame was dancing in them.
Annoyed, Sarah just snapped. "Look, would you just get in the house and call me a cab?" But it only made him laugh and Toby had to put his hands on his mouth to stifle his laughter, much to Sarah's annoyance.
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Jareth was waiting in the harbour. His yacht, his black jewel, made of fine black wood, the Obsidian, gently rocked the to the rising tide and Jareth sighed, checking his watch for the hundredth time, already. Sarah was over an hour late.
The sun had sunk below the horizon a long time ago and his yacht was still in the harbour, while it should have been proudly fending the waves. The Obsidian was his pride, his solace to get escape that crazy world Sarah lived in, which always seemed to pulse too fast for him to fully grasp it.
Oh, he had been a student here, when he was younger, but he now realized how protected was the world of students, full of hope and dreams, for when they leave their schools they were to be so quickly crushed by the outside world.
Jareth was lounging on one of the couches, on the main deck, the soft wind playing softly with his hair. He had earlier laid on the small table a foot from him, little candles and some wine was cooling in the special drawer, made just for that purpose, right under the table. Jareth focused his bored gaze on the dying flames.
The wind picked up and finally won against the flickering candles. Watching the candles being blown away snapped something in Jareth and he reached, quick as an attacking snake, his cell phone and dialled without looking his home number.
Fortunately, or unfortunately for Iome, she was the one to pick up the receiver, the very person Jareth wanted to reach. Barking quickly at Iome, in his best commanding and dark tone, he ordered her to locate Sarah and hung up.
Iome blinked, receiver in hand, when the whole situation finally dawned on her: Jareth and Sarah had something planned together and Jareth had been stood up.
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Mark Jones grumbled as he strolled inside the living room, after having annoying his wife in the kitchen, where she was cooking their dinner.
It wasn't really his fault if he couldn't tell the difference between a chicken and a turkey. Hell, they were just two big frozen corpses, with no feathers on, in the fridge.
Ok, he almost burnt his hand too, but he was just trying to help. Right, he also burnt the potatoes, but she really didn't have to literally attempt to kick him out of the kitchen. He had just tried to help.
As he sat, grumpy, in their soft yellow couch, he caught the sight of a black bag he didn't recognize. Mentally checking his wife's bags, he was persuaded this one wasn't hers. Or that he may have never seen it before. But, the bag looked old, therefore, she couldn't have just bought it. "Leigh!" He called and when he wife peeked from the doorframe, he pointed at the bag, with the remote control in hand. "What's this?" He asked.
"Huh?" Leigh followed the direction he was pointing at with her eyes and found Sarah's bag. "Oh, Sarah's bag, she forgot it at school." Leigh shrugged and walked back in the kitchen. "Remind me to bring it to her, tomorrow."
Mark stood up and walked to the bag, saying. "Sure, hon." He picked up the bag and carried it next to his, in the hallway. Knowing Leigh, she would probably forget it, even if he told her, therefore, he would be the one bringing it back to the airhead named Sarah. Really, forgetting her bag where she put all her stuff as a teacher and… A paper fluttered out of the bag, as he dropped in next to his. Curious, Mark reached down to it and opened it. As, his eyes followed the lines, they grew larger in alarm and he yelled, whirling around. "Leigh!"
Really annoyed by now, his beloved snapped back. "What?"
"Damn it!" Mark swore as he shoved the paper in Leigh's ones. "Look at that!" Then, he rushed to the phone, next to the couch and flipped his address book open, at Sarah's name.
"Oh, my god!" Leigh's face palled and she gulped down nervously. Shaking, she turned to her husband, and whispered. "It's a threat!"
"Bloody hell!" Mark swore, as Sarah's answering machine picked up. He angrily slammed down the receiver, growling. "She's not home!"
Leigh had her hands on her mouth, her eyes wide and she remembered. Quickly, she approached Mark. "No, she's with her boyfriend, they were supposed to meet…" She suddenly remembered that Jareth had given his number, when he had called. "Wait! He gave me his number if she needed to call him back…" Leigh ran to her bag. She had been on the verge of leaving for lunch when Jareth had called. She had therefore, hastily written his number on a piece of paper to give it to Sarah and put it in her bag, on her way out. "Where did I write it?" Leigh grumbled, as she tossed the content of her bag on the table, where her black leather bag had been.
"Leigh, come on!" Mark said impatiently, worry coursing his veins. After all that Sarah had been through, she really needn't another stalker!
"Here!" Leigh exclaimed triumphantly as she showed him a small piece of yellow paper, on which a hastily written number was.
Leigh dialled the number quickly and waited until a smooth voice, with a crisp English accent answered dryly. "Bane."
Worried as the threat letter was still in her hand, Leigh blurted out. "Is Sarah with you?"
Leigh heard a sharp inhale of breath, before a tightly controlled voice asked her, but the fury underneath frightened her. "Who are you?" Jareth demanded.
Leigh answered nervously. "It's Leigh Jones, from Sarah's school, listen, is Sarah with you?" She asked again bravely.
The voice calmed down somehow and answered, slowly. "I take it you don't know either where she is."
Leigh's eyes widened again and she turned her fearful ones on her husband. "Oh, my god, Mark, she's not with him!"
Mark gritted his teeth in frustration and grabbed his wife by the shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. "Leigh, don't freak out on me, now, give me the phone."
"But…" Leigh's eyes were starting to fill with tears. Mark thought to himself she had been too emotional over the tiniest things lately. He carefully stored this information in his mind to deal with it later. He gently nudged his wife towards his office and told her softly.
"Look for Sarah's parents number, will you?" On the other side, Mark could hear the sound of an engine turned down and someone opening a car door. Then he heard Jareth yell for someone. "Iome!"
"Hello, Mark Jones here." He said in the phone, as Leigh ran into his office. "Listen, we're worried because we found something, next to Sarah's bag."
"Hold on." Jareth told him and Mark heard him bark to somebody. "Did you find her?" Then mark heard an outraged female voice but apparently Jareth ignored her, as he told Mark. "Go on." Jareth told him coldly.
Mark shrugged mentally but his voice was tight. "It's like a threat on Sarah for going out with you." Mark's eyes narrowed and his control was slowly slipping. "Now listen, pal, Sarah's been through much already, she doesn't need you and your crazy…" But a triumphant feminine yell was heard in the background and Jareth cut him sharply, shortly after.
"I found her," He told him quickly, as if not hearing a word of what Mark had said. "Can we meet somewhere for me to get her bag?"
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Outraged, Mark only yelled back in the phone, just as Leigh came back in the room. "I found her parents' number!"
But it was Jareth who answered. "No need to call them, Sarah just left them." He told Mark, as he climbed back in his car.
"How do you know that?" Mark demanded, his temper on the verge of breaking. Oh, he would give that dumb singer his piece of mind when he would come over to get Sarah's bag.
Mark heard the engine roar to life, when Jareth answered a bit dryly. "I do, that's all, and yes I heard you. Where can we meet?"
Speechless by the man's arrogance, Mark bordered on telling to go to hell. "F…"
But Jareth didn't give him the chance, with his dry voice, devoid of any feelings, he bluntly ordered. "Just give me your address. I'll be over in a minute." And Mark gave in. The temptation of having that arrogant ass at arms' length winning over the current fury.
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"You got a lot of people worrying about you, Sarah dear." He snarled in her ear as soon as Sarah crossed the door.
Sarah jumped, shrieking in surprise, and whirled around in horror and panic to meet the blaring eyes of a very angered Jareth. All of his body language, from the way his upper body was lightly bent forward so that he could loom over her like a menacing tower, to the way he stood, his two feet firmly planted on the ground, as if he wasn't backing from his position.
"Jareth!" Sarah exclaimed, startled. "How did you get in there?" Sarah closed her door, without looking and tiredly rubbed her face. Exhausted, she trailed inside her living room, a seething monarch right behind her.
"There was a key in your bag." He hissed, when she simply walked past him, as in a daze. How weird, Sarah thought, oddly clinical, he can turn so simple words into the most vile insult just by his tone of voice.
"Really?" She asked, surprised, and Sarah let her body fall in the sofa, while she explained, with a tired wave of her hand. "I lose all my keys and once I found one in my freezer, god only knows how long…"
Jareth cut her abruptly, his anger reaching new high. He wasn't totally angry at Sarah, it wasn't her whole fault, even if she was a good part of it. "Sarah, what is the meaning of this?" He seethed, his long limbs trembling under the rage storming inside of him. He shook the letter in his right hand, in front of her face.
He had read the letter over and over again, not believing what he saw there. He nearly had torn the paper in thousands of shards, but as a cool rain had suddenly fallen over him, his fingers had halted at the very last minute and he had folded the paper to place it in his pocket.
Sarah shrugged almost nonchalantly. Of course, he had to get his hands onto that. She thought to herself dryly. "As you can see it's just a menace letter."
Jareth's roar surprised her and made her jump once more. "Sarah!" He yelled her name in frustration. "Damn it, woman, it's not just a menace letter! Fuck, I bet what's written here is true!" Sarah turned her eyes away at that, a small smile climbing to her lips.
"Yeah, Toby has always been extremely punctual." She nodded, it wasn't his problem, it was hers to deal with, if only he could understand that. Besides, as Toby pointed it out, there were only words on paper and now that they knew what to look for, it was pointless to be angry at nothing and mostly at an unknown face.
She looked up back at Jareth and the latter grabbed her arms and harshly hurled her on her feet, not caring of her sudden shriek of pure outrage and the coming anger behind her green eyes. "Sarah!" He bellowed and he shook her once so violently that she felt her brain do a somersault.
When her brain finally found its normal position, Sarah wiggled in his hold, trying to free herself from him. "Look, it's no big deal, everything's fine and…" She said quickly, but Jareth cut her by rudely shaking her once again.
"What do you mean, it's no big deal!" He yelled, punctuating each of his words by shaking Sarah. Sarah cried out in outrage "Sarah, someone just threatened you and…"
"Damn it, let me go! I'm not some kind of dumb apple tree!" She yelled at him and tried to shake his hold off her, but Jareth didn't let her go. Sarah took this opportunity of him stopping shaking her to make her point clear to him.
She started firmly. "I can take care of myself, mister." Watching his scowl grew deeper, Sarah honed herself for the battle she knew to come and squared her shoulders, her voice raising in volume. "And don't you dare to go all macho-man on me? I can take care of myself!"
Jareth tightened his hands on her once more and he growled, low in his throat, like a wolf ready to attack. "That person threatened you, Sarah! Doesn't that even ring a bell?"
Sarah squirmed and he loosened his hold, while she yelled at him. "So what, you want me to stay put in my place forever?" Sarah finally managed to break free and she looked up at him, expecting him to reach for her again, but he didn't.
Jareth stood, transfixed by her fury and her total lack of brains. She was crazy, she was mad, she even had her own madman on her heels and she still fought him toes and nails while she didn't seem to care for psycho-man out there. "Fat chance!" Sarah was yelling and she turned her back at him, her long hair slapping her back and his chest, while she threw at him, over her shoulder. "Besides, we're Aboveground here, your Highness, therefore, my rules!" On this, Sarah stomped inside her bedroom and slammed the door close to have it open a mere second after, by a livid King.
"You…" He started but he stopped, startled, as Sarah threw her arms around his neck and buried her nose in the hollow of his shoulder. Surprised, Jareth instinctively closed his arms around her form and even had stumbled backwards when her weight had added to his. But what troubled him more, was that Sarah was trembling.
Shaking like a leaf, she had known he was to follow. Jareth, she had noticed, was the one to leave, not the way around and he probably didn't even allow it to happen. She had been about to send him to Hells and lower.
But when the darkness of her room had happed her, when the sudden eerie silence had taken place, when her nerves had finally let go, she had known nothing but how to throw her arms around him. The ride home had been uneventful, she had been thinking of Toby and his easy smile and she had feared something, anything, may happened to him and that she may lost him. But, inside her dark room, this very thought she had managed to push aside came back, in full force, and trampled the small reassurances she had taken by meeting Toby, leaving her shaking like she had never before. For once, she craved for one of those cigarettes Sariel seemed to always have on him.
"Let's not fight over this, ok?" She whispered and Jareth looked down at her dark head. "My mind's all fuzzy and all I want to do is to crawl inside my bed and sleep." His warm body against hers, Sarah felt the angry knot inside of her loosen and let her escape. She felt suddenly safe, like the world had stopped somehow and Sarah didn't want to let go easily of this safe haven. Her arms around his neck tightened lightly, but Jareth didn't pay attention. His scent calmed her and soothed her nerves, lulling her sleep. Her head felt foggy and she felt sleep coming to overtake her.
Jareth bent a little over and placing his arms under her perk bottom, he lifted her, holding her against him. Her face was still buried in his shirt and she had brought her body closer to his, maybe fearing he would soon go. Instinctively, Sarah had closed her long legs around him and Jareth breathed in her scent. If, they hadn't promise not to get intimate again, until they were both comfortable and if she hadn't been on the verge of a mental breakdown, he would have probably try to seduce her.
Honing himself from such thoughts, Jareth carried her to her bed, where he laid her gently on it, her long hair spilling on her white sheets and he quickly climbed on the bed, to lie next to her on it. Sarah had never let go of his neck and as he closed his arms around her once more, she whispered a smile coming up her lips, returning to her old self. "Besides, I bet I'm going to have bruises all over my arms because of you!" Jareth looked down at her, his face blank of emotion.
In fact, he didn't really know what to do of Sarah. He knew she had been on the verge of a mental breakdown and if he hadn't followed her in her room, she probably would have been hyperventilating, due to the sudden retreat of the support her nerves had been given her.
He actually felt weird having her in his arms, where she obviously needed to be, by the way she was clutching at him. A warm feeling was raising from his chest, erupting from the thought of her needing him, him, the man, not the King, just the man to protect her, to shield her, to hold her.
But, as quickly as the warm feeling rose, he tried to squash it away. He didn't need that satisfaction, he wouldn't have it, it was complicated enough as it already stood. Why had he agreed on that dating affair, he didn't know, but he had given in, tasting the waters. What Sarah didn't know, couldn't hurt her. What he really wanted. Wanted to know what power she still held over him and how he could break her hold on him.
He waited until her shaking completely stopped before talking again, asking her softly. "Don't you have a cell phone?" He shifted her lightly, so that they were both lying on their sides, facing one another, her head resting on his outstretched left arm, his right arms curled around her waist. Her right arm was between them, the open palm touching his neck, while her left arm was flung around his neck once more.
Surprised, Sarah looked up. Her green eyes had lost the lost look in them. "No, I…"
Jareth rolled his eyes and cut her, detangling one of his arms to reach his pocket. "Well, now you do." He told her, as he slammed in her open hand, resting between them, the small red and black cell phone he always had on him.
"Jareth, it's yours!" Sarah exclaimed, surprised.
Once more, Jareth rolled his eyes at her. "I'll get myself another one tomorrow." He closed his fist around her hand, the small cell phone digging in her flesh by the force of his hold, while he bore holes in her eyes with his. "And you are keeping this one and if anything like that happened again, you are to call me first!" Slowly, he released her hand, but the power of his eyes told her there was no way she could talk him out of this one.
"Jareth…" Sarah whispered, shaking her head a little at him. But when she looked up at him, she was smiling warmly. If you are worried just say so, idiot. She thought to herself. "Thanks for worrying about me." Jareth only looked away, grumbling, erupting a laugh from his small companion.
"What's so funny?" He demanded.
"The first gift I received from you, as my boyfriend, is a cell phone!" Sarah giggled. "Don't you think it's a bit… funny."
Jareth smiled dryly and drawled. "Actually, the first gift was supposed to be flowers, but you kind of took me by surprise." Sarah hugged him and when she retreated a little, she asked him, curious.
"How did you where I was?" She whispered. It didn't feel right to speak out loud, she knew there was no one else to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it was theirs.
Jareth slowly brought one of his large palms to rest on her cheeks. "I had Iome track you down. It took her some time, because she has only been physically once in your presence." He explained slowly.
Sarah opened wide eyes. "She can do that?" She asked, surprised.
Jareth narrowed his eyes slowly as he nodded. "Yes, that's her natural talent." So, the little minx was trying to talk him around the threat letter. Well, he would let it lie for the rest of the night, but she would get his piece of mind tomorrow, first thing in the morning, when he would be sure she wouldn't break down.
"What's yours?" Sarah asked, but she wasn't looking at him as she spoke. Rather, she was fixed on some point over his right shoulder.
Absentmindedly, he answered, as he brushed away black strands of silk hair from falling in her eyes. "Morphing." And it dawned on him. She was so easy to read.
"What?"
Looking down at her, he explained softly. "I can change shapes." She was stalling. He could see it. She was just doing some small talk. She wasn't really interested in his answers. Stalling for what, however, he wasn't entirely sure. Oh, he had a faint idea, but…
"Cool." She said at last and the silence grew between them. Jareth was waiting for her. She had run out of things to say and was finding herself in front of a wall. Therefore, she only had two options left. The first, she stayed silent, till the thing she didn't want to tell him eat her away, or she actually confided in him.
Her voice came low. So low, in fact, he had to lean to hear her. "I was so scared, I couldn't stop myself from running, I had to get to Toby, I had to make sure he was fine." Jareth tightened his hold on her waist. He remembered the panicked look in her eyes, when she had realized she had wished Toby away. And he could only imagine too well, what she had felt when someone had threatened her brother. Just like 14 years ago, she had met up this challenge and tried to rescue her brother. Only, this time, the opponent had no face and the walls of the labyrinth were invisible. "And the next thing I knew I was crawling inside the bushes behind my house to avoid my parents seeing me."
Jareth sighed inwardly and decided to be merciful. Therefore, he changed the subject. "Why would you avoid your parents?"
Sarah rolled her eyes, but he couldn't see it, as she had rested her forehead against his chest. "They kicked me out of the house years ago, précising me to never come back." She confessed dryly.
Frowning, Jareth tried to remember her parents. He remembered she had a strained relationship with her stepmother, but she had been very fond of her father. "Why?"
Sarah sighed heavily. "I don't want to talk about that, ok? It's rather…" She hesitated for a while, at loss of words. "Painful for me."
Jareth shook his head inwardly. Looked like he hadn't exactly picked the best subject to divert her attention. "Hmm… Anyway, you stood me up."
Sarah looked up suddenly and at the cross look on his face, she broke into giggles. "Oh, Jareth." She rose a pale hand to his cheek.
Jareth shook his head a little. "I've never been stood up."
Sarah laughed, almost heartedly this time and wrinkled her nose at him. "So, how does it feel like?"
"Little minx." Jareth growled without real emotions behind and Sarah laughed once more, her spirits lifting.
"I'm sorry," She finally said, when her laughter died down. "I didn't actually plan to spoil the evening, but…" Jareth rolled his eyes and cut her.
"It's okay. But first, lend me your phone, I have to call Iome and Sariel to tell them what's going on." He said, as he extended his hand. "We also need to call that Mark Jones guy and his wife."
Sarah put the small device in his big hand and watched him as he dialled quickly a number. "Why?"
"They helped looking for you, you know. And it was Mark who rang me in the first place to ask where the fuck you were." He said, placing the phone to his ear. "They're all probably waiting next to the phone to know what the hell got into you." He grumbled, as the phone connected him to his house.
"Very funny." Sarah drawled, as she sat up on the bed, resting her back on the headboard. Jareth looked up at her and following an impulse, he placed his head on her lap, the phone still ringing at the mansion, as no one had picked it up yet.
"Hush, I'm on the phone."
But Sarah didn't mind his last remark. "Jareth?"
"What?"
"I'm hungry." And her stomach grumbled. Jareth was laughing at her sudden flushed face, when Sariel finally reached the phone.
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Wow, it's been a while.
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