Ah, such a long hiatus. But I have good reason. My file got deleted somehow on my computer this past Sunday so I had to rewrite the damned thing again. I really hate technology. It messes with me so bad. I only hope that I can write another chapter in less than two weeks. Something always interferes with my writing. But, here it is for you. It's rated PG-13.. yes, my plans have changed yet again. Hope you enjoy nevertheless. Please review afterwards.

- Monica, blackmajick7

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson. Everyone else is my creation.

Numb

CHAPTER SIX

The Goblin King sat in silence at the unusually long dining room table, awaiting the mortal's arrival. His eyes were focused on anything in particular; they gazed off with a sort of nebulous vision. As there had been nothing that needed his attention (as mentioned before, the Underground didn't experience much action), Jareth had been helplessly permitted to let his thoughts become dominated by Sarah.

The candlelight of the large dining hall flickered as Jareth lifted his eyes to a high, rich wood-paneled wall where an archaic grandfather clock was placed against. It was a quarter till seven. With this new realization, he found himself greatly looking forward to Sarah's appearance. He did not quite have the knowledge of what she would be wearing, though he did choose the specific kind of fine material of which was to be used for the gown. Whatever it was that she should have on, Jareth only hoped that it wouldn't arouse him too badly as he wanted to capture the mortal's affections in a less superficial sense. Having sexual relations would perhaps do more confusing than wooing. After all, he couldn't find it the correct decision to just traipse her off to his bed chambers. It wasn't all too honorable.

Jareth, himself, was again looking quite handsome. He was not adorned in his usual breeches and painter's shirt, however. In its stead, he was wearing black, loose dress pants, a scarlet, button-up dress shirt and a well-tailored black jacket. The first few shiny buttons of the shirt were left undone down to where the met the hem of a tight, black vest that hugged nicely at his lean torso. He wore no gloves and was not boot-clad, but wore fine dress shoes. Still, his hair was styled in its natural, spiky fashion and the majestic medallion that he always wore hung at its place about his neck, catching every fraction of light possible. The inhuman and regal allure was yet still conveyed in the king, impossibly attractive in every sense.

With his right hand straightening out the sleeve of his jacket, Jareth let his eyes roam about the great room. It was inconceivably large and perhaps it had not been the good idea to use candles as the source of light yet there were so many that the area was well lit, at least in the half of the room. The walls towered above, decorative hunter green draping and paintings embellishing the wood paneling. Behind the King's head of the table, a magnificent window of stained glass gleamed dimly in the light, its designs consisting of old landscapes of the Underground. Opposite from where Jareth sat leaning back in his imperial chair was a grand, light marble fireplace covered in fae markings and symbols.

Jareth slightly averted his mismatched eyes towards the main wide entryway into the room and he saw Sarah standing there, in all of her dark, celestial effulgence. From where he could see, she was staring back at him, her hands clasped in front of her. She began to step nearer, and Jareth promptly stood up and advanced to her with a casual gait with a sly grin on his lips as he achieved better sight of her.

It would be an understatement to say that the Goblin King was very much taken aback by the mortal's visage once he was standing face to face with her. Unfortunately for his previous oath of celibacy, the midnight blue dress fit excellently and quite provocatively on her beautiful frame. The bodice clung about her waist and breasts, exposing just enough cleavage. He noted how pleasingly the hem scooped low to meet at the point of her shoulders, revealing the creamy skin above her breasts. The profuse number of skirts flowed out from beneath the fine blue silk, only lengthening her height while the shoes that were hidden were probably adding even more to that aspect as Jareth could see that she was nearly as tall as he. Her raven hair was woven in a most elaborate style, held in place by ebony jeweled combs while a couple stray, soft strands hung loosely by her cheek. Glowing green eyes looked tenderly and somewhat shyly back at his own.

"Good evening, Sarah," rolled from Jareth's tongue smoothly as he slightly bent down, holding his hand to her.

Sarah licked her bottom lip unconsciously and lifted her own small hand to his. The mere contact of his skin on hers made her shiver. He looked astoundingly attractive, although not in his usual flamboyant garb. Admiringly, she couldn't help but to gaze at how nice the whole stylish and dark-toned ensemble fit on his svelte body. The crimson tone of the shirt looked fabulous on his fair skin and a smile began to form its way to her lips when she saw how he had left a good part of it unbuttoned. The golden glint of the enigmatic amulet caught her eye from his bare chest and a sudden thought striked her. What exactly did that symbol mean? Was it some sort of emblem that all fae kings bore or was it just a simple ornament to coordinate with his ostentatious apparel? Whatever it was, Sarah didn't realize that her hand was still in Jareth's until she finally pulled her vision back to his face, which was very bewitching indeed. His fair locks hung over his eyes, shadowing his face slightly though the smirk placed on his lips was unmistakable.

"You are simply stunning," he offered, bringing her hand to his lips. There he left a warm kiss at her knuckles, electrifying her susceptive senses.

Sarah fought madly with the inevitable hot blush that crept onto her cheeks with no avail. Inside, she reviled herself for she was inclined to at least feint the guise of a mature woman. As Jareth slowly lowered her hand down, she let her eyes remain on his. She faintly felt him let go of her hand and he offered his arm for her to join him. Before she knew it, they both were walking to the far end of the lengthy, well-carved table. There must have been thirty cushioned chairs lined up that could be filled but only two place settings were there - one for the Goblin King and one for the mortal.

Upon finally making it to the table, Jareth stepped over to the pretty chair at her place and pulled it out for her, which was only a natural gesture. Yet Sarah felt herself become giddy at the thought of a king pulling out a chair for her. A chuckle escaped her throat as Jareth stood there, waiting for her.

"What's funny?" he asked, puzzled. His ignorance and the expression on his face only made the girl laugh harder as she covered her mouth and turned away in an effort to calm herself. Jareth looked at her stupidly and let go of the chair, crossing his arms with agitation. Just what in the Underground did she find so amusing?

Once Sarah's laughs died down, she faced him again, her cheeks still flushed and eyes filled with mirth. One could not help from smiling in return at this and Jareth was no exception. For a minute, the two stood where they were, smiling at each other and forgetting what they had been doing. Then Jareth tore his eyes away reluctantly and shook his head, setting his hands on the head of the chair again.

"Are you going to join me or are you going to just stand there the whole evening?" he teased mildly, raising an eye brow.

Sarah raised her chin a bit and stood in front of the pulled out chair, then allowing Jareth to gently push it in as she smoothed the seat of the gown and sat down. She watched as the king settled down into his own somewhat lordlier chair (similar to the looks of a throne) but quickly pulled her eyes away to the table when he glanced at her. She began to examine the valuable, fragile crystal wine and water glasses and the polished silverware. No plates were set as of yet and an opaline cloth napkin lay in its place in a clean fold.

"These are very beautiful," the mortal commented, bringing her fingers over to touch the unique gold-inlayed crystal. "Where do they come from?"

Just as soon as she asked her question, a nicely dressed fae woman glided in seemingly out of nowhere with a couple of salad plates and set them before the two. As she smiled, curtseyed and began to leave, a striking male fae stepped forward with an ewer of water. Carefully, the water glasses were filled and the fae bowed before leaving. Sarah let her eyes fall on the unusually delicious-looking mixture of greens on the fine crystal-like plate and after stealing a glimpse at Jareth's actions, she slowly placed her napkin properly over her lap and picked up what she believed to be a salad fork.

"The crystal comes from the elves of the Western Hills," the king said while they ate. "They tend to specialize in creating and designing exquisite fabrics, jewelry, and dinnerware among other things. Much of the furniture in my castle was carved by the skillful hands of the elves. Their skills are phenomenal."

After some minutes of silence, Sarah rested down her fork and lifted her water glass to her lips, looking at Jareth as she spoke, "It seems to be all very peaceful here. You do not have any enemies?" It was a quite logical observation to the mortal that the Goblin King must have some foes. He appeared to be a bit of a tyrant.

"No, but it would be pleasant to have some excitement here," Jareth replied dryly as he set down his own fork and wiped off his mouth with his napkin. Then he looked at her with a faint hint of a growing curl at his lips. "I believe you'll aid me in that issue, however."

The remark was not so much suggestive as it was merely just teasing. Sarah scoffed at it nevertheless and retaliated, "How do you suppose I will bring excitement to the Underground? I'm only one person." After it escaped her lips, she shortly became aware that what she said was fully ironic. Her eyes instinctively averted to her plate.

Jareth cocked an eye brow as if to say, 'Are you kidding?' But he kept his mouth closed and slightly set, knowing that voicing the past would not be for the better. Thankfully, the fae woman from earlier came into the dining hall to collect the salad plates. While she was leaving, like before, the male fae appeared with two bone china plates in his hands that held the main course. Sarah's eyes widened at the meticulously-prepared seasoned fillet of beef and baby potatoes. Decorative small flowers were placed prettily upon the rim of the dish along with some sort of unusual sprig of vegetable that Sarah wasn't sure was edible.

As she looked upon the food, the servant evidently produced a silver flagon out of nowhere and poured a deep purple liquid into the wine glasses. She nearly mistook it for grape juice, of which she regarded with a terrible dislike. Her mind also began to come upon the thought that the king perhaps didn't wish to intoxicate her with real wine so therefore, she turned her eyes to him on reflex.

Undoubtedly reading her thoughts as he caught her eyes, Jareth informed her. "It is a type of wine, here from the Underground. Very rare and very sweet. It's nothing at all like your world's wine."

And indeed, it wasn't. As Sarah let the cool liquid run down her throat with the saporous beef, she could distinctly tell it apart from the little wine that she had sampled (and not liked) in the past. There was an intense nectarous flavor interlaced with berries and something else exotic. It was very light, which she appreciated greatly, and found herself accepting more when the fae servant came back with the flagon.

"I would be mindful not to consume too much of the wine," Jareth advised, knowing very well that she would drink herself into a stupor if she drank over three glasses. The seemingly mild wine could actually be a bit potent and, like other alcohol, especially on those who weren't used to its effects. This type of situation could be an advantage, in a perverted sense anyhow, but as the king thought about it, he didn't feel that to be appropriate.

The mortal sighed with obvious exasperation, pressing her napkin down beside the dinner plate. For a moment, she had thought getting herself intoxicated had been Jareth's plan. Was that not what the king wanted? She drew her eyes to him, seeing that he was not eating as well, eyeing her instead. What did he want? Did he want more than sex? Or was there really some sort of revenge plot schemed out against her? These questions infested her mind mercilessly and it did not matter how much she gazed at the Goblin King's ghostly, ethereal countenance. Its features were veiled with a practiced calmness and held no answers for her.

Increasingly angered as there was a sort of battle of who could stare the longest without blinking, Sarah was unable to contain her words. "What exactly do you want with me, Jareth? I know that I've asked you this before but you just cannot give me a straight answer. I've been confused all day. I just can't figure you out."

At first, Jareth did not seem like he was going to reply, his face still static. Then he straightened in his seat. "I brought you here because you wanted to be here. You did not prefer your life before and you disliked your stepmother. I took you from all of that. What more do you want of me?" In his heart, as much as he did not want it, he felt an aching pang of guilt. There could be no proper revenge with love involved and that was exactly what he was feeling for this mortal. And, little did she know, he was as confused about her as she was of him.

Sarah remained quiet for a long moment, reminded of an earlier time when he had said something vaguely similar. She knew he was right; she couldn't stand living in that house, even after feeling closer to Toby. Her step-mother was a living hell. She had in fact missed out on having any parents at all because her father may have just as well not existed; he was always away at either work or with that bitch. Arguments were a natural occurrence and she had only herself to defend because, somehow, she was never right. As these memories flooded back, a frown creased her forehead. Her eyes had long averted from Jareth, especially when she began to ponder how she felt about him.

What did she want from him? Refuge, protection, support, trust, affection... love?

Sarah closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, as if attempting to clear her mind. "Let's just drop it," she spoke feebly, grasping her frail wine glass tightly as she brought it to her lips.

Jareth had simply studied her, feeling a sudden unmistakable connection with her. He could see that she harbored the same angst as he and that, basically, the two had a sort of parallel past dealing with their families. It was merely the way of their social backgrounds that set them apart. He had been hateful of his mother for leaving (and still had a deep resentment) and he had been angry that his father had died before he could ever know him. Sarah's mother had abandoned her when was old enough to remember and her father became a different man upon meeting a different woman who happened not to be pleasant.

If Sarah had been looking, she would have seen Jareth's facial features give him away while he was immersed in his thoughts. However, she was staring at the table in a reverie. The dim candlelight of the hall and the wine was beginning to make her eyelids heavy and now, though she didn't want to sleep. Not just yet. She searched the room for a source of time and found from the ornate grandfather clock that it was half past ten.

"That was a delicious dinner," she complimented, trying to make conversation.

Jareth focused his eyes on the girl and nodded in agreement. "It was." He then glanced at the clock as well. "I should retire now. I have some engagements to take care of in the morning. Would you like for me to escort you back to your chambers?" All of this was said is a distant manner, carefully masked because of fear for disclosing the truth. What he had said was not a complete lie as he did have a meeting scheduled with someone of nobility, although it really was rather minor and insignificant. He had to keep a certain distance from this girl before he made a fool out of himself.

Sarah felt a disappointment flow through her and hoped it did not show. "Yes, of course..." she nearly whispered in hidden reluctance.

Slowly, the mortal stood up from her chair as did the king and in silence, they walked out of the spacious dining hall. There were no words during all the long journey to her door, but it was not an awkward situation; nothing needed to be said.

Sarah's hand loosely gripped the onyx doorknob as she faced the fae with a sad look about her. "Thank you for tonight," she said while she smiled lightly up at Jareth, who in turn took her hand that had been on the doorknob in his and inadvertently kissed it tenderly as he had done before. Involuntarily, she drifted towards him as he lowered her hand down. They were now slight inches away from their bodies touching one another and as Sarah's eyes were captured by the king's piercing mismatched pair, she could faintly feel his warm breath at her cheek. Instinctively, her eyes closed and immediately Jareth's lips pressed against her own in an innocent yet yearning kiss. She sighed into the kiss and leaned into his body, feeling his arms loop around her waist.

Without much thought, Jareth pushed Sarah into the door and after fumbling with the doorknob, they were in her chambers, desperately trying to find her large bed in the pitch darkness. The kiss had made a sharp twist to being heated with hunger, tongues battling for dominance. It did not take too much time to slip the king's jacket and vest off. The mortal's senses churned madly as she felt the fae's fingers at the small buttons at the back of her gown.

Then, just as quick as it began, it ended as Jareth overcame his desire and his morals came back into play. There was something wrong in all of this. He let his hands drop from her suddenly and pulled away, backing up. The light from the door to the hallway shone in so he could make out her form. At first, she stood with confusion but then trudged over to the bed and sat, slumped over with her hands covering her face. She wanted to ask him what was the matter but she kept still and said nothing.

Jareth shook his head, frustrated with himself. He turned away towards the open door and walked out, sensing the emotion overwhelming him. He couldn't keep playing this game with himself. Everything had become so difficult and it had only been just a single day.

Aren't you mad at me? Sorry, but sex can mess with the plot... review and tell me what you think.