Chapter Nine

The Date

Disclaimer: Yeah, I figured it'd be time for another one of these. So here I go. I don't own Jareth, Hoggle, Sarah or the Labyrinth. I DO own Leah and Nezwil though hugs them both and my little goblin friends! Goblins wave freakishly

Leah ate and went back to her room, still stunned. Jareth had done what she wished she could have done so many times before. He had taken her scars away. She tossed her wrist bands in her bag and sat on her bed. She was so overjoyed that, words couldn't describe it. A knock came to the door.

"Yes?" she asked and Nezwil poked his head in the room.

"My lady?" Nezwil asked.

"Oh," Leah said gladly "come in, please." Nezwil walked in and stood before Leah.

"Greetings my lady," he said giving a long bow "I was wondering if you'd like some company."

"Sure," Leah laughed "I've been alone for more that two minutes."

"Oh," Nezwil said looking disappointed "am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all," Leah said "what would you like to talk about."

"Well," he said shuffling his feet "perhaps I should introduce myself farther?"

"Sure," Leah said and picked him up and placed him on her bed.

"My name, as you know, is Nezwil," he said sitting on the bed "and I am a goblin."

"How'd you get your name?" Leah asked.

"Well," he said "all father's in the Underground name their children. But, mine wanted to please my mother so he named me Nezwil, since that's the name she wanted."

"My mom named me," Leah said "Rebecca, Leah, and Samantha."

"What's your whole name?" Nezwil asked.

"Leah Ann Marten," Leah muttered "I hate it." She made a face and Nezwil laughed.

"Anyways," he said once he'd stopped laughing "I work here at the castle as the stable keeper."

"Stable keeper?" Leah asked "you have horses?"

"Of course," he laughed "didn't you know that?"

"I suppose not," Leah said looking down "you like horses?"

"Yes," he chuckled "though I'm sure they don't like me much."

"I'm sure his goblinness will show you how to ride them," Nezwil stated and Leah struggled to keep Jareth out of her mind.

"I know how to ride horses," Leah said "my friend Kate showed me when I went with her to her aunt's house last summer."

"Ah," Nezwil said "then you DO have friends Aboveground."

"Yes," Leah said sadly "do you want to see what she gave me before I left?"

"Certainly my lady," he said looking over at the scrapbook Leah took out. Leah flipped through the pages and showed Nezwil all the things they had done together. Though, it was very difficult for Nezwil to understand what a movie was. An hour went by and a knock came to the door, a goblin opened it and sent an evil look.

"Nezwil!" it yelled "Tahw eht lleh? Uoy dluohs eb gnideef esoht nmad sesroh! Teg ot ti!"

"I have to go," he said quickly and Leah helped him off the bed "sorry my lady." With that he scurried out the door and Leah flipped a few pages. She opened it to a page that had them dancing freakishly and trying to play their keyboard and base. She laughed. She put the scrapbook away and wondered what the other goblin had said. She shrugged it off and moved broadly through her room.

Leah looked at the door. She'd been alone for a good two hours or so, it was time to do something. So Leah once again snuck out of her room. She really wasn't sure if Jareth would mind her going outside, but, from her window she'd seen a garden and she missed the outdoors. She walked down the stairs quickly and slipped out the front door.

"Piece of cake," she muttered to herself and she closed the door behind her. She walked around the castle until she found the garden. In the middle of it was a large fountain that squirted water up from the middle of it. Flowers, plants, trees, shrubs, and all kinds of other things littered the garden. The path was littered with little white rocks and by the fountain was a bench.

Leah didn't feel like sitting though, she wanted to walk. Here and there she'd see a flower that she'd never seen before and she'd stop and take a good look at it. Soon enough, she grew tired and laid under a large willow tree. The vines drooped down around her and she smiled, felt perfect.

Why hadn't she grown up there? She would have loved it. She used to climb trees and play in dirt and everything. She stopped and looked up. She could climb that tree. She stood to her feet and quickly pulled herself up onto the first branch. Then moved to the second. The third branch, now that was trickier. She had to grab it with both hands, let her feet drop and toss one leg up and around it to get on it. Finally she stopped and looked down.

She could see the whole garden. Which was saying something because, it was huge! She sat there for a moment and smiled to herself. She had done it again. Now... how was she going to get down?

.............................................

Jareth smiled in amusement. What was she doing? Climbing a tree? Why would she do something like that? Young ladies did NOT climb trees. They sat up straight and tanned and liked cute fuzzy animals. Jareth smiled, thank GOD she wasn't like that. He chuckled to himself seeing that Leah couldn't get down.

Damn girl was going to make him save her every two minutes! Good. He was hoping he'd have to do something exciting that day.

..............................................

Leah froze, she heard the clicking of boots. Maybe if she was quiet he wouldn't know she was-

"What are you doing?" Jareth asked. So much for that plan.

"Oh you know," Leah called back down "just hanging around." She started down the tree.

"Do you need help?" Jareth asked.

"I'm sure you don't want to bring any physiatrists down here," Leah mumbled as she hung from the third branch, trying to find the second one with her foot.

"You know what I mean," Jareth mumbled.

"I don't need your help," Leah breathed, loosing her grip "I can do it myself." Seeing she was dearly in need of help, Jareth raised his hand slightly, causing the tree branch to bend upwards. Leah found her footing and reached the second branch, then moved on to the first one. She landed on the ground and smiled.

"See?" she said "I told you I could do it."

"Indeed," Jareth said, quickly moving his hand so that the branch went back into place. Leah smiled.

"It's a beautiful garden," she said softly.

"Thank you," Jareth said stiffly "perhaps you should tell Hoggle that then, he's the gardener."

"Oh," Leah said and then waited a moment "thank you for the help."

"Help?" Jareth asked innocently "what help?"

"Out of the tree," she said walking away.

"I didn't do anything," he lied.

"I'm sure you didn't," she said "I'm sure the tree just magically moved up to my foot all its own, am I right?"

"You never know with trees," Jareth said walking beside Leah. She rolled her eyes. "No," he said "truly. Some trees here are very dangerous and magical."

"Some beings here are dangerous and magical," Leah said, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"Oh really?" Jareth asked "like?"

"Well I haven't met anything dangerous yet," Leah said "but I do know a good magician."

"Meh," he sighed "it's very easy."

"Who says I'm talking about you?" Leah teased.

"I do," Jareth said, pursuing her.

"Well who says your right?" Leah said again.

"I do," he said, getting closer.

"Well I say," she said turning to him but he was right in her face.

"What?" Jareth asked, eyes mocking her.

"I say you're wrong," she teased.

"Do you?" he asked, getter closer to her.

"Yes," she said, causing her eyes to laugh back at his pathetic attempt to make her feel imitated. He pulled away and started walking again, still not quiet ready to give up.

"I've come to understand that you know how to ride horses," Jareth said with a smirk.

"Wow," Leah said "you really are good at that spying aren't you?" Jareth shot a glance and Leah sighed. "Yeah I can ride," she mumbled "why?"

"Because tomorrow," he said "I want you to go with me."

"Riding?" Leah asked.

"Yes," he said "we have many places Underground to ride in."

"That'd be great," Leah said, following him back inside the castle.

"Good," he chuckled.

Author's note: Yeah, I know it wasn't the best chapter in the whole freaking world. But I'm leading up to it alright? Also! For those of my wonderful readers that actually check back and review often YOU ALL ROCK MY SOCKS! And my goblins too... if they had socks that it... or shoes for that matter... hey guys, come on, we're gonna buy you some shoes!