Chapter Thirteen

Forgive Me?

Author's note:laughs: this chapter is dedicated to Tezza cause she made me kiss my muse. :pouts:

Conner: all's fair, love.

:rolls eyes: anyways, on with the chapter!

Sarah had gone to her room, Sam the same but Sam was more worried than she'd ever been in her life. Conner, her muse, kissed her. Wasn't there something wrong with that? He was handsome and all, but… he was her muse. Weren't there rules or something?

"Should there be?" Jareth asked, appearing on her bed.

"Go away," she snapped.

"Oh," he gave a fake hurt look "don't be that way." Sam's eyes burnt red and she stomped her foot on the ground.

"GET LOST!" she snapped. Jareth gave a bored look and sighed. He started messing with his glove and finally looked at her.

"How come you don't like your muse?" he asked and she started for the door which abruptly locked. "Answer my question."

"Why don't YOU like him?" she snapped angrily.

"I could give you three good reasons," Jareth muttered dryly. Sam closed her mouth and sat against the wall across the room from Jareth. "Samantha-" he started.

"No," she snapped "you and your little accomplice go trick somebody else because I'm not playing your stupid game! I'm NOT your Labyrinth Jareth, I'm not something you can toy with. I'm alive, though I know it doesn't always SEEM that way, and I'm not fond of being tricked into things." He was quiet for a moment and sat up and got off her bed. Her walked across the stone floor and knelt down to her.

"First of all," he said grabbing her chin in his hand "don't ever, I mean ever tell me what I can and cannot do. Second, I'm not TRYING to play anything with you, my dear, I'm TRYING to open your blind little eyes."

"Oh YEAH," she snapped pulling away "don't do me any favors."

"Samantha," he began but she but him off.

"Look," she said "if your going to argue with me, DON'T call me Samantha. Call me Sam, alright? Second, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop TOUCHING me. Third, would you PLEASE chill out for a second and fourth… what's your deal with Sarah?"

"Stop getting off topic," he snapped.

"No I'm serious," she said "do you seriously think she's going to talk to you after you tricked her like that? I don't think so." Jareth didn't say anything. "Do you love her?" He looked at her. "Well?"

"I don't think that concerns you," he said roughly.

"So you DO love her," she mused and Jareth gave a dry sigh.

"Yes," he muttered.

"Why don't you tell her so?" she asked.

"What do you expect me to say?" Jareth snapped "oh, by the way Sarah, I love you? No."

"It'd be better than kissing her," Sam muttered.

"What about you?" Jareth snapped "your muse loves you. And personally, I wonder why. But I suppose you live with someone for sixteen years and you end up falling in love with them." Sam didn't speak, just looked at him, dumbfounded. "Oh?" Jareth hissed "didn't you know? Are you so oblivious to the world that you can't TELL when someone loves you?"

"I'd ask you the same thing," she snapped.

"Me?" Jareth laughed "Sarah doesn't love me. If anything she hates me with every fiber of her being. Love is far from it."

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

"Have you seen the way she looks at me?" he snapped.

"Have you?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Jareth sighed "apparently."

"No," Sam corrected "you see how she looks at you when your looking at her. Look at her when she's not paying attention to your eyes, when she's looking at you… elsewhere. Her gaze isn't exactly hateful." Jareth didn't say anything. "She cares about you, she LOVES you, but she doesn't trust you. And if you'd back off a little, not try and scare the living shit outta her, maybe she would."

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because," Sam said, her voice growling less tense "you make her happy. She's my best friend. If I don't get you two together, nothing is going to happen and she's going to stay single for the rest of her life."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because she fucking loves you!" Sam snapped "and you say I'M blind?" Jareth was quiet. "Go to her room, knock on the door and say sorry. Tell her…" Sam thought a moment "tell her you didn't mean to disrespect her."

"That's stupid," Jareth muttered.

"It'll work," Sam said raising her eyebrows "believe me. With her its about respect and trust. Then everything else."

"What about you and the muse?" he asked.

"What about us?" she mused.

"What are you going to do?" he insisted.

"Hell like I know," Sam flicked a pebble across the flooring "I don't even know why he likes me. I don't know… since when does he like me?"

"This is what he told me," Jareth said crossing his arms "he's loved you since you were twelve. And now, well… now he figures since he has power over you he should probably let you know now because he KNEW you'd push him away. And if you had power over him you could send him away, literally. He just loves you Sam, I know I make it sound like its nothing, but he's always loved you, he just couldn't show you because you wouldn't let him. Now he's free and can do as he likes. Now he can show you."

"I think I'd rather be unloved," she muttered and Jareth chuckled.

"Now he's stopped being how you want him to be," he said "how you shaped him in your mind. Now he's himself, and, your going to have to deal with it since you don't have power over him any longer. So get to know him. Seldom does someone fall in true love with someone that won't love them back."

"Go talk to Sarah," Sam said quietly "just be nice to her, don't try to scare her and oh." Sam gave a smile "if she tells you to get out of her room, tell her 'I'm knocking, open the door'."

"What will that do?" he asked frowning.

"It's a long story," Sam sighed "in a nut shell, I got in a fight with her and we didn't talk for months. I wouldn't talk to her and she came over to my house and kept knocking on my door. She kept saying 'I'm knocking, open the door'. So now its this thing, we only use it in desperate situations when we fight to get the other to talk but… if she's screaming it'll shut her up." Slowly Jareth nodded.

"I'll send your muse over," Jareth said "he's talking to Sarah."

"Speaking of that," Sam said "you two really need to stop ganging up on us. We're not magick you know. Give us a sporting chance would ya?" Jareth paused a moment then grinned.

"I'll talk to him about that," he smirked "good luck."

"Oh yeah," Sam rolled her eyes.

"You'll need it."

……………………………………………………………………..

"Sarah," Jareth ducked again "would you please," duck "stop" dart left "throwing things?" BAM. Direct hit between the eyes. Jareth stumbled backwards and fell on the floor. Sarah paused a moment, then when she noticed him not getting up she knelt beside him. "Ow," he muttered rubbing his forehead "I suppose I deserved that."

"Your about to get a lot more," she snapped slapping him across the face.

"Ow," he ducked and moved back some trying to get away from her hitting. "Open the door, Sarah." She paused, mid-slap and looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh damn," he muttered "what was that again? Open the door… uh…"

"Knocking?" she suggested. Slowly Jareth nodded, and readied himself to get hit again. Sarah paused and lowered her eyes a moment. "Are you alright?" He shook his head.

"I got a lump," he muttered feeling his forehead "right there."

"Sorry," she muttered "but you shouldn't just pop into my room like that I mean I-"

"Sarah," he cut her off "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset, I mean, I did but… not so much."

"Been talkin' to Sam, haven't you?" she muttered.

"Yeah but," he started but she walked away. "Sarah I'm not saying this just because she said it'd make you listen. I really am sorry, but I won't tell you again."

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"That I love you," he said quietly and she sat down, dumbfounded.

……………………………………………………..

"Sam," Conner growled pinning her to the floor.

"LET GO YOU INSANE EXCUSE FOR A MUSE!" she yelped "LET ME GO!"

"Would you listen to me!" he snapped but she tried to get away. "Sam!"

"NO!" she snapped.

"SAM?" he tried again but she kept pulling. "Stop running away from me."

"NO!" she snapped again, wriggling out of his grasp. He quickly grabbed her like a child, forced her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She froze.

"Don't like this position, now do we?" he mocked and she didn't move but nodded. "Well your going to have to chill because I'm not letting you go until you listen." She shook her head. "What?"

"No," she said quietly.

"No what?" he asked.

"No I don't wanna hear it," she said.

"Why not?" he asked quietly, she didn't answer. "Sam? Why not?"

"I don't even know you," she said quietly "I know what you were in my mind. Your free now though, your different. Your yourself." He didn't say anything for a moment.

"I'll go back to how I used to be," he whispered "if that's what you want. You can own me again. I can be whatever you want me to be again."

"No," she said again and he sighed.

"That's all you ever say," he teased.

"Just," she moved so she could see him "let me get to know you, alright? Let me get to know Conner without me trying to make him something else. And then," she paused "then maybe I'll hear it."

"I'll make you a deal," he said "I won't kiss you, until you ask me but you've got to be a bit more open to this whole thing between us, ok?"

"What about stuff like this?" she asked looking at their current position.

"Your gonna have to deal with it," he said.

"Alright," she rolled her eyes "but you've got to take it easy, ok? Don't be pinning me all the time, you ARE stronger than me you know." He nodded. "And I'll be nicer."

"To Jareth too," he said.

"Ok, ok," she muttered "Jareth too. But get him to lay off Sarah a little too, ok?" Conner nodded.

"One last thing," he said "Sarah told me you told her what happened last year at summer camp." Sam grinned. "You remember, I was having that funny dream and you promised not to tell anyone what happened?" She grinned again. "And she said she thought it was so cute, and funny."

"Oh?" she gave a sly smile and he nodded. "I don't suppose we could forget about that?" He paused a moment, seemed to think and then shook his head. "Didn't think so." Conner paused a moment, he got the worst most embarrassing story he'd ever known about Sam in his mind and raced off out the door. Sam must have known what he was thinking because she went after him. "Conner that's not funny!" she snapped but he just laughed and ran down the hall. She tackled him to the ground and he turned over and tickled her sides. "Stop it!"

"You told her," he smirked "so now you've gotta pay." She was almost in tears from laughing when they heard a very loud WHAMPH. He paused a moment, so did Sam who'd calmed her laughing.

"What was that?" she asked.

"It was from Sarah's room," he smirked and they both looked at the other. "Sounds like something got slammed against the door."

"She's either telling us to shut up," Sam said "throwing something at him or…" Sam paused. "You think he-?"

"I don't know" Conner shrugged "let me take a look." He simply vanished.

……………………………………………

"Please don't say that," Sarah said quietly.

"What?" he asked.

"It's a lie," she breathed.

"No its not," he snapped "you just want it to be a lie so you keep telling yourself that." Sarah stood to her feet and stormed towards him. She pointed her finger at him, slowly he backed up, all the way against the door.

"Don't ever say that," she snapped "if anything I'd-" her voice trailed off.

"You'd?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"If anything I'd WANT you to," she said quietly "but I can't trust you." She paused again taking a deep breath. "You control everything, I can't be sure if your tricking me or not."

"Then by all means," he smirked "take over." She paused a moment, not sure what to say or do. She took a step closer, put her hand against the door and another on his chest and pushed him back, against the wall. He looked shocked, more or less scared even. She pushed him father and laid her lips against his, slowly, gently. Jareth couldn't function, it was like his whole body went into natural mode were he worked off of reaction, of instinct. Her hands moved to the back of his neck, wrapped around desperately, moved to his hair to push him closer to her. What is she doing! It was the only thing that passed through his mind, what was she doing? They were so forcefully kissing that neither of them noticed the muse pop in, give a terrified look, smirk and then disappear again.

"Is she killing him? Sam asked when Conner got back.

"Uh," he paused "no." Sam tilted her head a bit.

"What then?" she asked.

"I'll tell you when your older," he teased.

"They are not… doing that in there!" she snapped.

"Their kissing," he said "deeply might I add. Do you want to see?" Sam shook her head.

"I don't think they'd like it if we watched," she said quietly "besides, I don't need to warp my mind anymore than it already is." Conner nodded and they walked on down the hall.

Author's note:giggles: Ok, this is what Conner taught me :dances: see? He's MAKING me learn stuff, be more outgoing (which is hard for me). And that camp this is so true but it wasn't at camp, it was at home and you see what happened was-

Conner:covers authoress's mouth: Lets not get into that. ok?

:muffled remark: Anyways! I'd better go, I'll try to update more later! Much love!