Title: Birthday Presents
Author: Kathea
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sarah/Jareth, of course
Summary: Every year Sarah has gotten an extra present on her birthday. Now it's her 21st, what will this year bring? And who is the mysterious sender?
A/N: This is my first Lab fic. I loved the movie and just found the fan fiction for it. Now I'm obsessed.
A/N: This story has been edited to correct typos and formatting. 2/28/08
Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth either the book or movie or any of the characters there in. I would like to own David Bowie in tight leather pants, if he's for sale. Oh and that white ball gown from the movie.
On with the show
It had all started on my sixteenth birthday. On my dresser, in between my polishes and paints, it flashed at me. A crystal that was so faceted it caught the light on every cranny. It sent rainbows streaming around my room. It fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, warm and snug. At first, I thought it was a gift from Hoggle or Sir Didymus. But it wasn't. They showed up later that day with their own gifts. I didn't mention the crystal to them and kept it hidden while they visited. They back of my mind niggled with the fear of just who the gift giver was and why it was given. The crystal was too beautiful to be a trap, I hoped. Even at night, my bedroom had a faint glow. So, I just dismissed it and went about my business being a teenager.
My seventeenth birthday was supposed to be uneventful. I wanted everything to be low-key. I was too mature for a party. The gifts from my Underground friends appeared as usual on my dresser. Coming home from school, I noticed an addition to my gifts. A pair of earrings rested on a bed of silver cloth. A crystal teardrop hung from a short silver chain. They swayed seductively a half-inch below my ear when I put them on. Almost as quickly as I put them on, I took them back off and hid them away.
The next year I waited expectantly for my gift from him. Even though I know who was sending the presents, I still couldn't call him by name. My fears of three years ago still warred with my newfound womanhood. I opened my locker in the middle of the day and a sparkle of gold caught my eye. A locket hung from a slender gold chain. I flicked it open and saw my own face staring back at me. It was an intricately carved likeness. Instead of two pictures, it had four wafer thin leaves bearing the pictures of Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosias. The back of the locket also was engraved; sometimes it was an owl and other the faint outline of another face. I lifted it out and settled it over my head. It was warm and solid against my heart.
My nineteenth birthday was a bracelet. Heavy silver links connected in an intricate circle. There are five stones on the bracelet. A dark red ruby, a glittering emerald, a deep star sapphire, and a shinning blue topaz. In the middle was a crystal. It was not clear but neither was it clouded. I caressed it briefly. The crystal seemed to pulse with energy whenever I touched it.
My twentieth birthday was quiet until Hoggle showed up in my mirror. I was surprised since he and the rest of my Underground friends had shown up earlier. I felt my excitement build as my mind quickly comprehended the meaning of his visit. "What is it, Hoggle?" I asked.
"Erm. I's ave somethin fer ya."
"What is it? Who's it from?" Hoggle shrugged and handed me a heavy wooden box. I looked at Hoggle before opening the box. He shifted uncomfortably on his stubby legs. I raised the lid and gasped at what lay inside. A tiara encrusted with countless different jewels. Reverently, I lifted from its satin bed. I placed it on my head and turned to Hoggle. He looked so shocked. And fumbled for his words.
"Himself says 'Happy Birthday'." Hoggle mumbled.
"Tell him I say thank you." I responded. Hoggle sketched a regal bow before disappearing. I found that slightly odd. Still wearing the crown, I looked into the mirror directly and said quietly, "Thank you Jareth." And the crystal on my dresser pulsed brightly once.
I've waited all day today for my gift. I've spent almost the entire day in my room pacing and watching the mirror. I don't know what I'm expecting. Maybe he forgot. Maybe he doesn't care anymore. Sighing resignedly, I decided to shower. After showering, I sat in my blue silk robe brushing my hair. I don't know what compelled me to pull out all the gifts from the past years. The crystal gleams in front of me on the dresser. I hook the earring one by one into my lobes. I slip the locket over my head and nestled it between my breasts. I slid my arm through the bracelet and it contracts around my wrist. I carefully place the crown on my head and look up into the mirror. He's here. Standing behind me. I watch him place his hands on my shoulders. I can feel his skin through the thin silk. It almost burns. "My how you've grown, Sarah." Jareth said. I smile self-consciously and start to blush. And then something comes over me. I rise gracefully from the vanity bench and turn under his hands to face him. I can see him differently now. He isn't the evil king who stole my baby brother. He is very much a man, a handsome, excruciatingly gorgeous man. I am finally a woman. I'm old enough to understand all the feelings that I have. A rush of courage makes me bolder than I usually am.
"You know Jareth, I've yet to properly thank you for the presents you've given me." I slide my hands along the silk of his shirt around his neck and gingerly press his lips to mine. I can feel the sudden exhalation of breath along my cheek as I back off. His hands are gripping my hips, holding me close to him. There is an almost feral light in his eyes. It gives a woman great pleasure to know that she can torment a man with just a look and so I slowly run my tongue across my lips. Jareth jerks me forward. His tongue is thoroughly exploring my mouth as his hands fumble with my knotted belt. He growls his frustration into my mouth. I pull away and laugh. My hair has been tumbled by his questing hands and my lips feel puffy. I don't know what has gotten into me. I shake my head and try to clear the fogginess in my brain. I look up into his mismatched eyes and wonder how I could ever hate this man. He is the other half of my soul. I love everything about him. There were his looks, his power, his mind, and something else about him that I can't pin down. I look away sheepishly.
"Sarah, I have another present for you."
"Oh really?"
"But this one has conditions."
"Is that supposed to be surprising?"
"Well," he smiles "I guess not."
"What is it?" He has that devilish look on his face. He's up to something I know.
"Don't you want to know the conditions?"
"No," I answer honestly. "I trust you." And I really do. That shocks him into silence. Flicking his wrist, a small round box appears in his hand. I try to reach for it but he pulls his hand away. He opens the box himself and withdraws what is inside.
"I offered your dreams to you once before. You refused me then. Will you refuse me now?" He held forth a ring, but it wasn't a diamond. It was some other jewel. All of the colors of the rainbows were reflected in its facets and none at all.
"What's the condition?" I ask, too confused to say anything else.
"You must love me."
"Did you think that would be hard for me to do?"
"I wasn't sure." Jareth responded and looked more the man than the Goblin King.
"Jareth, I love you. More than I should, considering." From somewhere, words appeared in my head and started tumbling out. "This is my oath and pledge, from now till eternity I bind myself to you." He is so startled by my declaration that he almost drops the ring, it drops lightly into my palm and I look up at him questioningly. In a quiet voice unlike any I've every heard him use he says,
"This is my oath and pledge, from now till eternity I bind myself to you."
"Don't you think that just for posterity's sake you could ask me?"
"Certainly. Sarah, will you marry me?"
"Yes, Jareth I will." He slipped the ring onto my finger and before I could kiss him, he spun me around to face the mirror. I saw our reflection first. I was no longer in my robe but in a gown that made me look positively regal. Then I saw past our reflection and saw all the inhabitants of the Underground cheering and shouting.
"All hail the King and Queen! All hail the King and Queen!" Jareth leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Are you ready to go home?" I smiled knowing this was the last time I would say these words,
"I wish the Goblin King would take me away, right now!" And he smiled at me in the mirror before we disappeared.
The End