AN: I went ahead and revised some stuff, tried to make the story
streamline better. Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed.
Here's a short, but new chapter for everyone so patiently, or not
so patiently, waiting!
And PeachDreamer, great catch with the Peter Pan line. I always
loved that idea, though its not entirely applicable to this particular
story... LOL
**************** Take Me Away: Chapter Six ******************
"Who was the man you loved? The man who abused you and fathered your
dead child?" Jareth asked the question cooly, as if it mattered
nothing to him, but his mismatched gaze was intent as he studied
the grown woman before him. They were in the nursery, playing with
babies, hours after he had left her, to think for himself, to let her
regroup.
Answers were never easy when it came to Sarah Williams. The key
often rested in asking the right questions.
She tensed slightly before relaxing and shrugging with a careless
ease that belied the emotional strain she was under. "No one
special," Sarah answered softly as she kept her attention on the
babe in her arms who cooed and gurgled with infant delight.
"You loved him though."
It wasn't a question but she answered anyway, though she almost
didn't. "I love easily. Its one of my greatest faults."
His severe brows furrowed. "You might have named that your greatest
attribute once."
Sarah smiled and reached over to pat the Goblin King on the cheek.
"I wasn't a mourning mother until recently. I've found that it
changes my perception of the world."
Jareth's lips curled into a frown as he regarded her measuredly.
"I liked the girl who believed in love better."
Sarah's laugh was bitter and dark. "So did I Jareth, so did I."
She rose and placed the baby boy in his crib while Jareth, bouncing
his own infant, watched lazily. She spoke with her back to him.
"Do you realize that there's not a name for someone's who's lost a
child? You can be a widow, a widower, a single mother, a divorcee,
but childless mothers... We have no name for our tears. We have
to tell our stories again and again. We have no stereotype to hide
behind. We can't offer a single pain filled word for explanation
to the countless probing of others. Isn't that cruel?"
She glanced over her shoulder and taunted him boldly with her eyes.
"Have you grown fearless in your pain Sarah?" he asked gravely. "Do
you seek to punish yourself? Or are you simply numb? You play with
fire when you play with me. I do not deal in trifles."
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed as trembling hands drew a warm
blanket to the contented baby's chin as he drifted off to an innocent
sleep. "But you deal Jareth. You can offer me more than anything I
have left. Even your punishments are release."
"And why, dear Sarah," he asked dryly, "do you dare to presume that
I will offer you anything at all?"
Her laugh was hollow and real. "Because you are justice and I have
been sorely dealt with."
"Justice can be cruel Sarah, remember that?" he said mildly, warning
clear in the hard, fixed features of his face and the flatness of his
strange, strange eyes.
She shrugged and turned to face him, brown eyes wide and liquid and
unreadable all at once. "Everything is cruel Jareth. Maybe I simply
decided that I prefer your cruelty. Its best suites my own after all."
He was startled into laughter that continued until he lay the babe in
his arms down in the crib to rest as well.
*****************************************************************
"What will you do with me?"
They were walking through the halls of the castle of the Goblin King.
Jareth was a presence of warmth at her side, dressed in lace and leather
and silk. He was beautiful in that remote, untoucbale way of his.
Sarah was still dressed in pajamas but was barefoot. She was beautiful
in a different kind of untouchable.
"I don't know." The truthful admission startled Sarah and she glanced
at him. He ignored her but his mouth was tight. "You are ever full of
surprises. I did not expect this turn of events. I will decide shortly.
Until then..."
"Show me the Labyrinth."
Jareth's laughter was chilling. "You order me around so well Sarah
Williams. You are daring..."
"And stupid," she replied with a chill laugh of her own. "You may dunk
me in the Bog if you wish but, I want to see the Labyrinth. I've missed
it."
He stopped and turned to stare at her, as if she was a creature never
before seen and not the grown version of the child who had defied and
triumphed over him in so many ways. She was more humble now. But she
was not broken.
"You missed a place that caused so much pain and doubt?"
Sarah reached up boldly and touched finger tips to Jareth's startled cheek.
"Life is ugly Jareth; you miss everything that's beautiful."
He sucked in a sharp breath and Sarah colored as her hand, curled into a
fist, returned to her side. The silence between them was deafening.
Jareth broke it. "Let us go see the Labyrinth."
Sarah nodded and offered her hand so that Jareth could transport them.
He stared at it for a long moment before shrugging carelessly. "Let's
walk." So they did.
streamline better. Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed.
Here's a short, but new chapter for everyone so patiently, or not
so patiently, waiting!
And PeachDreamer, great catch with the Peter Pan line. I always
loved that idea, though its not entirely applicable to this particular
story... LOL
**************** Take Me Away: Chapter Six ******************
"Who was the man you loved? The man who abused you and fathered your
dead child?" Jareth asked the question cooly, as if it mattered
nothing to him, but his mismatched gaze was intent as he studied
the grown woman before him. They were in the nursery, playing with
babies, hours after he had left her, to think for himself, to let her
regroup.
Answers were never easy when it came to Sarah Williams. The key
often rested in asking the right questions.
She tensed slightly before relaxing and shrugging with a careless
ease that belied the emotional strain she was under. "No one
special," Sarah answered softly as she kept her attention on the
babe in her arms who cooed and gurgled with infant delight.
"You loved him though."
It wasn't a question but she answered anyway, though she almost
didn't. "I love easily. Its one of my greatest faults."
His severe brows furrowed. "You might have named that your greatest
attribute once."
Sarah smiled and reached over to pat the Goblin King on the cheek.
"I wasn't a mourning mother until recently. I've found that it
changes my perception of the world."
Jareth's lips curled into a frown as he regarded her measuredly.
"I liked the girl who believed in love better."
Sarah's laugh was bitter and dark. "So did I Jareth, so did I."
She rose and placed the baby boy in his crib while Jareth, bouncing
his own infant, watched lazily. She spoke with her back to him.
"Do you realize that there's not a name for someone's who's lost a
child? You can be a widow, a widower, a single mother, a divorcee,
but childless mothers... We have no name for our tears. We have
to tell our stories again and again. We have no stereotype to hide
behind. We can't offer a single pain filled word for explanation
to the countless probing of others. Isn't that cruel?"
She glanced over her shoulder and taunted him boldly with her eyes.
"Have you grown fearless in your pain Sarah?" he asked gravely. "Do
you seek to punish yourself? Or are you simply numb? You play with
fire when you play with me. I do not deal in trifles."
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed as trembling hands drew a warm
blanket to the contented baby's chin as he drifted off to an innocent
sleep. "But you deal Jareth. You can offer me more than anything I
have left. Even your punishments are release."
"And why, dear Sarah," he asked dryly, "do you dare to presume that
I will offer you anything at all?"
Her laugh was hollow and real. "Because you are justice and I have
been sorely dealt with."
"Justice can be cruel Sarah, remember that?" he said mildly, warning
clear in the hard, fixed features of his face and the flatness of his
strange, strange eyes.
She shrugged and turned to face him, brown eyes wide and liquid and
unreadable all at once. "Everything is cruel Jareth. Maybe I simply
decided that I prefer your cruelty. Its best suites my own after all."
He was startled into laughter that continued until he lay the babe in
his arms down in the crib to rest as well.
*****************************************************************
"What will you do with me?"
They were walking through the halls of the castle of the Goblin King.
Jareth was a presence of warmth at her side, dressed in lace and leather
and silk. He was beautiful in that remote, untoucbale way of his.
Sarah was still dressed in pajamas but was barefoot. She was beautiful
in a different kind of untouchable.
"I don't know." The truthful admission startled Sarah and she glanced
at him. He ignored her but his mouth was tight. "You are ever full of
surprises. I did not expect this turn of events. I will decide shortly.
Until then..."
"Show me the Labyrinth."
Jareth's laughter was chilling. "You order me around so well Sarah
Williams. You are daring..."
"And stupid," she replied with a chill laugh of her own. "You may dunk
me in the Bog if you wish but, I want to see the Labyrinth. I've missed
it."
He stopped and turned to stare at her, as if she was a creature never
before seen and not the grown version of the child who had defied and
triumphed over him in so many ways. She was more humble now. But she
was not broken.
"You missed a place that caused so much pain and doubt?"
Sarah reached up boldly and touched finger tips to Jareth's startled cheek.
"Life is ugly Jareth; you miss everything that's beautiful."
He sucked in a sharp breath and Sarah colored as her hand, curled into a
fist, returned to her side. The silence between them was deafening.
Jareth broke it. "Let us go see the Labyrinth."
Sarah nodded and offered her hand so that Jareth could transport them.
He stared at it for a long moment before shrugging carelessly. "Let's
walk." So they did.