Chapter Thirteen

Hide and Go Seek

"Here's an idea," Jareth mused "let's play a game." Piper covered her face with her hands and moaned.

"Not another game," she muttered.

"Oh come on," he laughed "it'll keep you away from your aunt…" Well Piper couldn't refuse an offer like that so she nodded. "I'll go find your aunt, you hide and if she finds you, well… you know what happens if she finds you."

"We're playing hide and go seek?" Piper asked, cocking her eyebrow at a peculiar angle.

"Sorta," he shrugged and disappeared. Piper dashed in the opposite direction of her aunt and fled into the first open room she could find. Too bad it was Sonya's room.

"WHAT are you doing in here?" she asked in an annoyed voice.

"Shh!" Piper whispered "I'm hiding."

"From what?" she asked.

"My aunt," Piper muttered climbing into the laundry bin. "Don't tell her I'm in here, ok?"

"Of course not," Sonya smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her. Piper thought a moment, this wasn't right. There was no way on God's green earth that Sonya could keep her mouth shut about anything. Piper climbed out of the bin and slipped into the laundry shoot. She went down a long silver shoot and tumbled out into a vat of dirty clothing.

"What are you doing, Piper?" Boon's voice was comical.

"Hiding," she breathed "if I hide down here, will you promise not to tell my aunt?" Boon nodded gratefully and Piper smiled and she burrowed into the clothes. "Thank you Boon, I owe you one." Moments later, Piper heard the door open.

"This is the only other way out of my room," Piper heard Sonya say. "She has to be in here some place." Boon scurried out of the way but Sonya pulled him up by the collar. "Where's the girl?" Jareth followed down the stairs and seemed to scan the room.

"Girl?" Boon asked "what girl?" Jareth sighed and looked around, wondering where Piper could be hiding.

"What girl indeed," Sonya spat "she's in here you little twit. You tell me where she is or-"

"Leave him alone!" Piper let her voice echo in the room and everyone got quiet. "We have your surrounded, please put the goblin down and put your hands on your head!" Piper could hear Jareth laugh and Boon's foot steps, so she was sure he'd been released.

"Piper," Sarah growled.

"I'm not Piper," she said loudly "I'm-" she stopped as Sarah pulled the clothing off of her. "I'm so busted…" Sarah grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged Piper out of the laundry bin. "HEY!" she struggled "I'm not FIVE you know, I can walk!" Sarah held a bar of soap up and Piper closed her mouth tightly.

"Piper," she growled and she shook her head. Jareth took the soap from Sarah's hand and she glared at him. "Jareth she is MY niece, and she needs to learn not-"

"I understand that," he said "but she is mine and I will deal with her accordingly." He looked at the three girls staring at him oddly. Oh no, he thought to himself. He'd said what he'd been trying so hard not to say. She is mine. Even Sonya looked shocked, which, wasn't surprising but either way he didn't like it. Sarah looked terribly afraid, her eyes wide, her lips firmly pressed together. Piper looked from Sarah to Jareth, over and over watching him look at her worriedly.

"She is NOT yours," Sarah breathed. Jareth's ego kicked in right then.

"I saved her," he snapped "she is mine."

"She's MY family," Sarah yelled "she's mine to take care of!" This went on for a while and finally, Piper had had enough.

"HEY!" she shouted "how about I belong to no one?" They both looked at her. "Since when have I become property? I AM a living being… aren't I? I don't believe I GAVE myself to anyone, I don't think anyone WON me. And, no body asked if I wanted to be owned by anyone either so why don't you just go out and buy me a collar?" Her eyes raged now. "I can understand a slip of the tongue," she said looking at Jareth "if you would have stopped there I would've understood. I may work for you, I may owe you my time for the next year but I don't recall being YOURS, your highness." Sarah smirked. "And you," Piper pointed "just because there is blood relation doesn't give you any more right than he does. It amazes me that you couldn't tell that my brother and I was being abused. THAT house should have been your first clue. And now you step right in, lets be parental to the girl now that someone I don't like is taking care of her. I don't care HOW old you are, I don't care if you're my aunt or great aunt or even my mother, you do not own me and you will NOT tell me what to do just because you have a problem with Jareth." Piper ran down the hall after that and locked herself in her room, and leaned up against the door.

"I hate this," she murmured.

Author's note: Here ya go guys! Hope you like it. Anyways, it's a week from V-day so go check out my info page, I may have something there for you.

RilkaGreenRider: Your very welcome, so glad you like it. Actually, Conner (amazingly enough) has been getting a lot of attention (its because he wines so much I think)

Conner: I do not!

Anyways- thank you so much and I hope you like the rest of the story.

LadyAniviel: Glad you like her - and I can't wait to see who Jareth gets either! Conner won't tell me! That sly pain in the ass him.

Hippie99: Aright, I've been asked a few time so I shall tell you what my muse looks like. Conner has honey brown hair (which is about shoulder length, its kinda wavy) and gray eyes, though they aren't like my eyes they're like a two year old's eyes, all clear and bright. And, he's probably 5'7 or 5'8 and is pretty skinny, though he does have a few muscles here and there. And I always see him with his brown jacket on, though every once and a while he'll take that off and leave it on my bed. And MAYBE, maybe I'll kiss him, just a tiny almost not there kiss ON THE CHEEK for Valentine's Day. Piper, I think she might be scared of a few things:giggles: great cousins.

Acantha Mardivey: I did update, and I DID get better.

Conner: Well, I've been told I'm a tad childish :smirks: And you already hugged me (I didn't even ask you -) And I DID take care of her:coughs: though now I've got HER cold and :sighs: oh:smirks:; I know what's gonna happen to you on Valentine's Day. - Will has a very open muse, she talks far to often, but I'm not allowed to tell, sorry.

Sightlessmuse: Poor Sarah, she's not a prick (your using my muse's favorite word) but I agree, the soap was a little much.

Conner: You know, I could really get used to this whole being loved thing… it isn't that my authoress doesn't love me (I know she does) but she never tells me so.

Rosakara13: He's a tattletale

LadyAniviel: Bloody, I still can't get over that word :smirks: anyways, I know, Jareth's a pain but he's SO cute.

Conner:rolls eyes:

I wish I could to handstands!