Chapter Twelve

He opened his eyes and then looked away again. "Don't show me," he said again annoyed. She hid them again and he looked back at her.

"Then I'll tell you," she insisted.

"Very first memory," he said quietly.

"Going to work with my mom," Leah said, feeling a little less uneasy "she worked at Red Lobster and I was about two. I was so entranced with the lobsters in the tank." Jareth laughed.

"I think I was about three," Jareth said "and my father had brought home a dog. My brother had let it into the Escher room. So we spend the good part of two days chasing it around until we finally got him."

"Biggest fear," he asked and Leah paused.

"Besides my new phobia of spiders," she joked "I've always been afraid of vacuum cleaners."

'That's a BIGGEST fear?" Jareth asked.

"Well yeah," Leah laughed "I've never really been afraid of anything."

"Not dying?" he asked. Jareth knew humans feared death, because it was so unknown about.

"Nope," she said "if you die, then you die."

"Worst day," he said.

"Wait a second," Leah said "you have to tell me your biggest fear."

"I don't think-" Jareth started but Leah cut him off.

"Oh come on," she pleaded "please." She faked a pout and Jareth sighed.

"Being alone," he grumbled. The hard fact struck Leah like a lightning bolt. She never thought about Jareth feeling alone before. She gave him a warm smile.

"That's what I'm here for," she said in a joking tone and he smiled. Leah's stomach grumbled but she tried to ignore it. Jareth heard it too. He summoned a peach and held it out to her. She eyed it wearily. He sighed and took a bite out of it and held it out to her again. She looked down at it and smiled, then took it out of his hand and took a bite. She hadn't eaten in such a long time. But she kept handing it back to him and he'd take another bite then hand it back to her. Soon they'd gone through three peaches and about twenty four questions.

"Are you going to be lazy and stay in bed all day?" Leah asked.

"How is it that you always want to DO something?" he asked "you have forever."

"But that's only forever," Leah laughed "its not long at all."

"Believe me," he said "it's long enough."

"So says you," Leah mumbled "I, unlike you, don't live till kingdom come."

"As long as your Underground you do," he said and Leah gave him a strange look.

"Are you kidding?" she asked.

"Nope," he said "you can not die of old age down here. Giant spiders on the other hand-"

"Jareth," Leah said worriedly "why did you need one of us? Either me or Becka or Sam?"

"Well," Jareth sighed "you all had a different part. It I got Sam, she'd be the next heir to the throne. If I got Becka, she'd provide me with an heir to the throne. And you, well, you I'd give the choice between the two."

"Ha-ha," Leah laughed "you thought Becka would marry you."

"Why?!" Jareth asked, annoyed "what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Leah said "not to me anyways. But to Becka, well, she'd find something wrong. The way you breathe maybe?" Jareth laughed.

"So YOU don't think there's anything wrong with me?" Jareth asked.

"Nope," she said simply sitting back "not really. Except maybe you should buy new pants. Because no one has worn pants THAT tight since... maybe the 1800? And that's guessing someone like Robin Hood, though I was never sure why he wore such tight pants either."

"So glad you've noticed," he teased and she pushed him backwards, him landing his bed on his back.

"I'm just pointing it out," she muttered "its not like I'm fixated or anything. I'm just saying, and it's not like you make it unnoticeable."

"Uh huh," he teased more and she tossed a pillow at him.

"Well if you didn't want my opinion then why'd you ask?" Leah asked, taking the pillow and holding it to her chest.

"Just curious," he chuckled "what you opinion on me is."

"Well I'll tell you," she said, giving a slight smirk "you're a pain."

"Is that all?" he asked.

"You're a rescuing, attractive, pain?" she teased and he raised an eyebrow.

"Am I now?" he asked and Leah bit her lip. Yeah, it was a good time to shut up.

"Just stating the obvious," she said, trying to act as if she hadn't meant to say how handsome he was.

"Yeah you're pretty obvious all right," he sighed and Leah looked annoyed. Nezwil knocked on Leah's bedroom door.

"Oh great," she sighed "if I'm not in bed he's going to get back to that 'you need rest now my lady' thing again. I've been sleeping all day for God's sake!"

"Don't worry about him," Jareth muttered, but Leah was kind of tired again. Jareth caught on quickly and transported her back to her room. He quickly kissed her on the forehead and disappeared, back to his own room.

Leah sighed. Kissed her forehead? What was she, his daughter? For some bold, brave, cruel Goblin King, he was turning out to be somewhat of a wet blanket. She sighed and shook her head, laying in her bed, she'd figure it out later.