Author's note: Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. I did get the idea for "glorified goldfish" from another author on the Hellboy page. Thanks to Underwater Owl for planting that seed in my head. It's time for this story to earn the Romance subject that I gave it. So onto the ballroom scene that I know some of you have been waiting for. As always, enjoy and please review when you're done.
Abe continues to lean against the side of the pit as the last of the glitter settles to the ground. Knowing that the two need to be alone to sort out their feelings, he had to chase them away from him. At least now his headache will go away. Brushing some of the hay away, he places a webbed hand on the floor. After a few moments concentration, he senses them in another part of the castle.
He nods with satisfaction as he submerges once more. Curling back into a ball in the small pit, he focuses on relaxing his muscles and slowing his metabolism. As sleep starts to claim him, he hopes that the others will hurry up and get to him.
Sarah continues to stare in awe of the ballroom. They're standing at the base of the stairs that they once danced down. She was so sure it was nothing more than a dream. She was in the forest when she ate that stupid peach. So how did she end up here last time? Jareth is the obvious answer as she turns around and faces the Goblin King again who is standing way too close for comfort.
For a brief instant she sees a look on his face that she's never seen before. But the look is gone in an instant replaced with his typical haughty look. If she didn't know better, she could swear that the previous look was longing.
"Welcome back, my love," he says in a voice that makes silk seem like sandpaper. She can feel his warm breath on her cheek and it sends shivers down her spine. "I haven't changed a thing since your last visit. Though I did have to replace the mirror you broke."
Glancing around, Sarah sees the floor to ceiling mirror at the end of the room. Breaking something actually sounds like a good idea. In particular, a certain Goblin King's head comes to mind. Instead of giving into her impulses, she takes several steps away from him.
"Nice," she replies as she crosses her arms over chest.
"Nice?" he asks mockingly. "Is that all I get?"
"Ok, how about, why?" she counters.
"Why?" he responds. "Why what?"
"Why bring me here?" she asks. "Why bring me to this room? Heck, why even bring me to the Underground at all?
"I have my reasons," he answers vaguely.
"Well, why don't you enlighten me?" she queries.
"I'm the king," he replies smugly. "I don't have to explain anything, little girl."
"Of course you don't," she snarls. "Heaven forbid the great Goblin King has to explain anything. Especially to some 'little girl' who just happened to beat his precious Labyrinth the last time she was here. You know I think I just figured something out."
"And what would that be, my dear?" he asks darkly as he starts to circle her.
"You had no power over me after our last encounter, so you had to use Toby to get to me," she replies with a look of triumph on her face. "You had to use a little boy to get your revenge."
"And it worked too," he purrs in her ear as he passes behind her causing goose bumps this time. "And now, I have complete power over you."
"Why are you doing this to me?" she asks quietly as her shoulders and head feel the effect of gravity once more.
"You already know the answer," he answers a bit hotly as he starts to walk away from her.
"I do?" she questions, looking at him.
"You said it yourself," he responds spinning to face her on his heel.
"When?"
"When you were telling Toby a bed time story."
She stands and thinks back to that night nine years ago. Toby was crying inconsolably. She was angry and frustrated. She started to tell him a story to try and get him to quiet down. It was based part on her life, part on the book. Her breath suddenly catches in her throat.
But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl…
Oh god, that can't be right, she thinks.
He watches her with a guarded expression. Hoping and fearing that she'll remember the line. She glances at him briefly and decides that pursuing this conversation is too dangerous. She's not sure what she feels towards the king and the thought of him being in love with her scares her spitless.
"If Hellboy doesn't make it in time, what are you going to do with Abe?" she asks, trying to desperately change the subject.
Jareth scowls at her before he finally responds.
"I'm not sure," he answers languidly. "I suppose I'll have to have a pond or something built for him. I can't very well leave him in my throne room. The stupid goblins would constantly be falling into the water. And the only thing that smells worse than a wet goblin is the Bog."
"You're not going to change him into something else?" she inquires.
"I can't," he says. He continues before she asks the inevitable next question. "A human can only be changed once in his or her lifetime. The change is so stressful that to try and change someone a second time will kill them."
"Abe was human once?" she asks in a hushed voice.
"Yes, once," he replies. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say it was a very long time ago. Probably well over a hundred years."
"Who would do something like that?"
"Abe," he answers as she looks at him with confusion written on her beautiful features. "I believe that Abe did this to himself."
"He did that on purpose?"
"I didn't say he did it on purpose. I just said that he did it to himself."
"Wow," she whispers.
She sinks down to sit on one of the steps. Jareth comes and sits near her on the step. Feelings that Sarah isn't ready to face yet start running rampant through her again. She hunts for another subject to get her mind off of him and his possible feelings for her.
"What's going to happen to Toby?" she asks.
"When his time is up, I'll return him to your apartment," he answers.
"What about Hellboy and Liz?"
"The same."
"What are you going to turn me into?" she barely chokes out.
He leans over until his mouth is near her ear. She tries to lean away from him but is stopped by the wall.
"My queen," he whispers.
She stares at him with wide eyes. She's not sure if she should laugh or cry. He stares back at her. Fear and hope wage war within him. Hope that she'll accept him. Fear that she'll reject him again.
"What are you?" she finally asks.
"Excuse me?" he responds, sitting back.
Of all the things he expected her to say, this wasn't even in the running.
"What are you?" she repeats. "I know you're not human since no human could do the things you do. So, what are you?"
"I'm fey," he states proudly.
"What's the average life span of a fey?" she questions.
"A very, very long time," he answers vaguely.
"So, are we talking hundreds of years here?"
"More like thousands," he replies.
"Is this your idea of a sick joke?" she asks angrily. "A human lives at best a hundred years. I have twenty, maybe thirty years before I start looking old enough to be your mother. Another twenty years after that I'll look like your grandmother. Is this how you intend to get your revenge? By parading me around when I'm old and gray and saying 'Look at the human I made fall in love with me. Isn't she funny?'"
"Do you love me?" he asks.
"I don't know," she retorts on the verge of tears. "You're definitely beautiful and god knows I haven't so much as looked at another male since I defea…was last here. You should be happy with that revenge, you know. The fact that I'll die never having been kissed and it would have been your entire fault. Why couldn't you have been satisfied with that?"
At this point, she can no longer fight the tears. So, she stands and goes up the stairs that they danced down so many years ago. She keeps going until she's at the top and finds herself staring at a wall. She just stands there, leaning her head against the cool marble of the wall, hugging herself and wishing she was anywhere else but right there.
She can hear the clicking of his boots as he walks up behind her. She pretends she doesn't notice him in hopes that he'll just go away and leave her to her misery. He stops directly behind her but he doesn't touch her.
"Do you think you could love me?" he asks quietly.
"I don't know anything about you," she replies without looking up. "How can I love someone I don't know? And even if I knew every little detail about your life, how could I let myself knowing that I'll grow old and die and you won't change a bit."
"There is a way," he informs her as he leans against the wall, "to extend your life."
"How?" she asks while looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"There is a ritual we can perform," he answers. "It starts with us declaring our love to each other openly, then we feed each other food and drink off of the same plate and out of the same cup, and then we consummate our love."
"And then suddenly, poof, I'll live as long as you?" she inquires. "How can that be?"
"It's a little bit too complicated to describe exactly what happens, but what essentially happens is that our life spans merge and become one," he replies
"Huh?" she asks so intelligently.
"You'll live nearly as long as a regular fey," he answers.
"But still not as long as you," she points out.
"Actually, yes you will," he corrects.
"Excuse me?"
"By merging our life spans I will lengthen your life," he states.
"But I'll shorten yours," she says as things start to click into place. Shaking her head, she starts to walk away. "I can't do that to you."
"So you'd rather leave me to live a normal life span alone and desolate?" he asks. She stops and turns. He walks up to her until they're standing toe to toe. "You've ruined me for anyone else. I would rather live a few centuries less with you than to live a full life without you."
They stand there staring at each other for several minutes, neither one knowing what to do next. Sarah is too stunned by his admission to even think, while Jareth can feel his stomach tying itself into knots with fear that she'll reject him again. Finally, the silence is broken.
"Why couldn't you have told me this without making Toby wish me away?" she asks.
"Because I really didn't have any power over you," he answers. "And since you defeated me, my powers to go Aboveground have weakened. I can now only go when someone has been wished away."
"You were the owl that I would see in the park, weren't you?" she inquires as another piece of the puzzle falls into place.
"Yes," he breathes. "I used to love to watch you act out your fantasies. It was your incredibly strong belief in magic that attracted me to you in the first place."
"Some people would call that stalking, you know," she says with a smirk.
A brief image of Abe passes through Jareth's mind before he can respond.
"I guess some people would," he concedes. "But we're not some people."
"You're right," she responds sadly. "You're the Goblin King and I'm your prisoner."
Sarah turns and starts to head back down the stairs. As she gets down to the first landing, she feels something lightly touch her back. Before she can turn around, she feels a strange tingling sensation pass over her entire body. Looking down, she sees she's wearing the dress from her dream again. She doesn't have to touch her hair to know that it's been done up as it was nine years ago.
She turns back to Jareth as the music starts. He's wearing the blue sequined waist coat with the floor length tails, a white lacy high necked shirt like he was in her dream, and blue streaks run through his hair. Before she can open her mouth, he starts to sing as he descends the stairs.
There's such a sad love
Deep in your eyes.
A kind of pale jewel
Open and closed
Within your eyes.
I'll place the sky
Within your eyes.
He takes her into his arms and they start to dance.
There's such a fooled heart
Beating so fast
In search of new dreams.
A love that will last
Within your heart.
I'll place the moon
Within your heart.
Once again, they dance down the stairs, and then twirl around the empty floor.
As the pain sweeps through,
Makes no sense for you.
Every thrill is gone.
Wasn't too much fun at all,
But I'll be there for you-ou-ou
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling down.
Falling in love.
I'll paint you mornings of gold.
I'll spin you Valentine evenings.
Though we're strangers 'til now,
We're choosing the path
Between the stars.
I'll lay my love
Between the stars.
As the pain sweeps through,
Makes no sense for you.
Every thrill is gone.
Wasn't too much fun at all,
But I'll be there for you-ou-ou
As the world falls down.
Falling
As the world falls down.
Falling
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
Makes no sense at all.
Makes no sense to fall.
Falling
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
As the song ends, so does the dance with a flourish. They stand there, slightly out of breath gazing into each others eyes. He starts to lean down in search of her lips. She turns and steps away. As soon as the contact between them is broken, they're both back to wearing the clothes they had on before the dance.
"I still don't know anything about you," she reminds him.
Reclaiming her hand, he leads her over to an area that's filled with cushions next to the staircase.
"Sit," he orders.
She gives him an all too familiar stubborn look.
"Please, sit," he amends.
She quietly complies and sinks down into the soft pillows. He sits near her. He's close enough to touch her but not so close that she feels threatened.
"What do you want to know about me?" he asks.
She looks at him searchingly for a moment and then gives in to her curiosity. The next few hours are spent with her getting to know her Goblin King.
Disclaimer: I don't own "As The World Falls Down."
