Chapter Nine

Rain Drops on Roses

This chapter is dedicated to (drum roll please) LadyAniviel cause she keeps sayin' bloody. :laughs:

Sam went back to bed soon after that, her legs hurt, but then so would yours if you'd just walked for thirteen hours straight in the snow. She opened her door and Conner sat up and looked at her attentively.

"You scared me," he said "I didn't know where you went." She shook off the feeling like she was married to him and yawned.

"I talked to Jareth," she said finally.

"And?" he asked, his gray eyes shinning in the darkened room.

"And," she mused "nothing. He likes history though…" Conner sighed as she climbed back into bed with another yawn, which made Conner yawn and he poked her in the forehead, something he hadn't done since she was maybe eight.

"You are a silly girl," he muttered and lied back down. "I wonder…"

"Hum?" she muttered turning over.

"I wonder if he and Sarah…" Conner paused.

"No," Sam said, too sure of herself "Sarah wouldn't have kissed him, or anything else for that matter."

"Are you sure?" Conner asked. He moved so Sam could see his eyes, they now gleamed in the dark.

"What's with your eyes?" she almost whispered and he blinked a few times. It was almost horrific how they gleamed, but then… lovely too.

"Its this place," he said finally "the magick. It… I don't know, enhances whatever I had before."

"Goody," Sam muttered and he grinned.

"Don't worry, Sammy," he teased "tomorrow you stay in bed."

"Huh?" she asked.

"You heard me," he smirked "tomorrow you will stay RIGHT HERE." He tapped the bed. "I don't want you getting sick after walking ALL that way, in the snow… then I'll get sick." He paused. "Besides, your probably tired anyways."

"I will not get sick," she muttered.

The Next Morning…

"I can't believe I got sick," she grumbled and coughed again.

"You never listen to me," Conner grumbled as she sniffed again. "Here, Jareth said this'll make you feel better."

"NO!" she ducked under the covers upon seeing cough syrup.

"Sam," he growled and set the bottle aside trying to move the covers "Sam would you… just… argh." He sat back a moment and glared at the lump of human that was sneezing under the blanket. "Sammy?" Sam peaked out from under the covers to see Conner use his 'please I'm so cute pity me' face.

"Don't even-" she started but he pouted his lower lip. "No I'm not gonna-"

"PLEASE," he batted his eyelashes and folded his hands. She shook her head and he sighed. "Ok, let's try it the hard way then. Sam, I order you to-"

"OK!" she growled "geez, don't get hostile on me. Gonna start ordering me around," she kept talking as she untangled herself from the covers and Conner forced a spoonful of peppermint cough syrup down her throat. "ACK," she coughed and grabbed her throat. Conner held out her juice in front of her but pulled it away.

"Next time," he said "I'll ask you once, and if you refuse you can take it without the juice. So you can keep that wonderful taste in your mouth until I see fit."

"Conner," she narrowed her eyes at him but he pulled the cup away.

"One more spoonful," he offered "then I'll give it to you. Deal?" Reluctantly she nodded, but gladly, he didn't give her as much this time and gladly handed her the cup afterwards. She narrowed her eyes at him after the taste had left her mouth and he almost looked sorry. "Don't look at me that way," he said in defense "I asked you nicely, and it'll make you feel better. And you know it." She didn't say anything and covered up again. "Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm NOT!" she growled "I just find it annoying to be controlled, TIS ALL."

"Welcome to MY world," he muttered and leaned back against the bed.

"What?" she turned around "I never-"

"I know you never ordered me," he said "but for the most part, I have to obey."

"Why?" she whispered.

"You haven't released me!" he snapped. She looked at him, a bit confused and he sighed. "When you have a muse, we are bound to you unless the human gives us the freedom to come and go as we like. Humans won't DO this though, because we may up and leave them, and they'll dry up into boring old turds, like that boyfriend of yours."

"Would you leave?" she asked.

"Right now," he shrugged "probably."

"How would someone go about DOING this releasing thing then?" she asked and he looked at her blankly.

"You just say it," he shrugged.

"Ok then," she said "I release you." Conner paused a moment and looked at her, almost angrily.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, almost spitting the words at her.

"I don't want you to have to obey me," she said "thought it'd be a nice change." He glared at her mockingly. "You're my friend Conner, if you like it or not. And if you leave, well, that's up to you. And me and my turdy old boyfriend can be mundane together, or at least until her breaks up with me."

"I wouldn't do that to you," he said quietly. "Its funny though… humans think they own us, and we think we own them. I think we believe that because we are so much older than them. But I don't think either of us belongs to anyone… I think… I think we're supposed to help you to create, and your supposed to give us something in return."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Friendship," he whispered and she smiled at him.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sarah yawned and sat up in a quick haste to find she was being watched. Jareth smirked at her.

"Can't go two minutes, can you?" she growled.

"I came to ask you, Miss. Williams," he spat in a joyful tone "if you were hungry, for Miss. Samantha is ill because of her… walk the other day. Conner, presently, is taking care of her."

"I don't think its safe to EAT in this place," she murmured and Jareth gave a fake boy scout honor solute.

"I give you my word nothings tainted," he said "let me remind you Sarah, I may have tricked you before but I've never lied…" She paused, that was true…

"On one condition," she said simply.

"What's that?" his eyes glared with amusement.

"No peaches," she sighed "ok?" He let out a good natured laugh and smiled at her.

"Alright," he sighed, as if he was planning on giving her one. A wicked smile gleamed in his eye as he finished "if that is your ONLY condition…"

Author's Note:laughs: I'm SO evil! Thank you Terri for the cough syrup idea. Actually, you see, the whole cough syrup thing it true… only its cherry :gags, coughs AND sputters: So yesterday was V-day (thank to all that sent me cards) AND get this… I got a rose. To bad the guy harassed me all 7th period, spit food on me at lunch and :gags: anyways, Conner :glares: wasn't helpful until Terri helped me out a bit (thank you SOOO much). And I suppose I owe you something now, don't I Conner?

Conner: Actually, I have something for you. But you have to swear not to be mad.

…uh, ok…

Conner:kisses authoress' cheek and backs out of hitting range:

:pauses a moment: come here muse…

Conner: no way.

Come here.

Conner:shakes head:

Would you JUST come here?

Conner:slowly walks back to authoress:

:puts arm around muse and watched as muse cringes: I'm not gonna hit you.

Conner:opens an eye:

:kisses muse on the cheek: ok, there you all go. You all saw it, now we can move on with our lives and you :points at muse: can stop harassing me about it.

Conner: you kissed me :laughs and runs away:

Never going to hear the end of this…

Rosakara: Thank you. -

ItsACrystalNothingMore: First, I reviewed your so awesome story. And two, lay off the :tips hand back in drinking motion: would ya:laughs: I'm just teasing.

Conner:swoons: I'm still a happy muse :laughs: finally got my kiss form her too.

Acantha Mardivey- glad you liked it. And of course Sam is going to talk to Sarah… she's just going to take her sweet time about it. But then who's gonna walk up to someone:taps on shoulded: yo, you need to marry this goblin king over there. Personally, I'd be all over it, but Sarah… its best we keep it slow.

Conner: …. …. …. Sorry, love, still in shock from yesterday :grins teasingly: now even more from today…

Theshadowcat: here's a nice long chapter for you. :laughs: one day. Yeah, he'd probably miss me after a while, but then, it works the other way around too. Thank you! We love you too!

Charlie Quill:claps: YAY! I love getting reviews from you, they make me laugh. It seems your having issues with your muse :giggles some: and what's this I hear about duct tape- Oh, the thing with Sam and Conner, well I agree with you (that's why I did it) I'd go insane if it was with me and Conner probably since I'd be doing handstands and watching Drop Dead Fred over and over (he likes that movie). Yeah, darn the opposite sex, oh no offence, I admit, there are a few good ones such as yourself and my muse -. Eludes, humm. I learned brash from Conner, funny, I never used it before now I do. :shrugs: Anyways, yes yes, you got a whole chapter :smiles: good job Jasper, you keep him in line :laughs jokingly:

Top of Form

Hippie99- Sam is smart, aint she? Aww, you hurt your leg:kisses leg: feel better.

NuPreacher: Conner: … who says she OWNS me:sighs: here's how it works. A muse CHOSES who they want to inspire. If they like you, then they stay. If they pick someone rotten, and they're a prick, then we leave. So I suggest you pick that handbook back up kiddo and skim though it again and get all your facts straight.

… you two both like to argue don't you? Is that some odd male territorial thing or are you both bonding:laughs: besides, even if Conner couldn't give me away, he probably would anyways knowing him and his 'rule breaking' self. - He's very nice though, and NuPreacher seems like a very nice person so you'd BOTH better be nice to each other or I'm calling my boss, and Jareth won't be to happy with EITHER of you. :thinks a moment: I have four good ways I could get him to agree on to make you two get along (and one of them ends with both of you in an oubliette together until your nice!), SO, lets be good little boys and play nice, ok:smiles:

LadyAniviel- Your bloody wonderful yourself :claps hands happily:

Conner:smirks: aw Tanya, you want kisses too:gently kisses Tanya on the cheek: there, maybe you won't roll your eyes so often now. -