A/N: Okay, a bunch of people guessed the movie correctly, from several chapters ago. Several of you even drew some clever parallels between "The Wizard of Oz" and the "Labyrinth" that I hadn't even thought of! But no one guessed the exact connection I was looking for (where does this movie show up in "Labyrinth"), which was that Sarah had a copy of "The Wizard of Oz" in her room at the beginning of the movie.
Chapter 30: The Mating Habits of Bipeds
Jareth burst into uncontrollable laughter. When he could speak again, he said, "No, no, my love -- it would be magical, not physical. Unicorns do not reproduce except by magic. And as for compatible, all the Underground species are compatible with one another, but the offspring takes after only one parent or the other. We have no half-breeds. Were I to take Arien to wife, our child would either be fully fae or fully unicorn." He chuckled again, imagining Arien's response to the question.
"Well, I didn't know!" Sarah was defensive, but starting to giggle.
"Quite so; you didn't," Jareth soothed. "I would, of course, vastly prefer a wife with whom I had more things in common, such as love, passion," and here Jareth's eyes took on a mischievous gleam as he continued deadpan, "being bipedal, housetrained..."
Sarah laughed guiltily. "Oh, stop it! If she could only hear you now!"
"Not to mention the fact that it would be difficult to share a meal with her as I have with you. I've never had much fondness for hay..."
Sarah put an end to his talking by the simple expedient of stopping his mouth with her own. "There now," she said when the kiss ended. "Don't be naughty!"
His eyes were very bright. "How can I help it, with such a reward?" he murmured, kissing her again. And again. And several minutes later he pulled himself away from Sarah with a groan. "I must go," he panted. Sarah, body aflame, tried to hold him closer, but he shook his head. "If I stay with you any longer I can't promise to remain a gentleman," he warned.
"What if I told you I don't mind?" Sarah said softly.
He sat up, moving to the other end of the couch. "Then, as you've not yet said you love me, I would be forced to assume that, like most humans, your body is ruling your heart at the moment." He shook his head decisively. "No, Sarah--unless or until you accept my proposal, there shall be no more than this between us physically."
Sarah looked downcast. She had gotten a bit carried away with the sensations his kisses evoked--and now he probably thought she was no better than Paris. "You're right. I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.
Jareth put one finger on her chin, tilting her face up to look into her eyes. "You must understand," he said gently, "This is the first time I've fallen in love in three thousand years. I just want to make sure I do it right!"
Sarah smiled ruefully. "I guess I don't blame you," she said. "For me it's only been twenty-seven years, but I don't want to screw it up either."
Jareth nodded and rose, pulling her to her feet. He kissed each of her hands and suggested, "Then let's each go find our respective beds and start fresh in the morning." Sarah nodded, and he produced a crystal and presented it to her with a flourish. As soon as she touched it, her surroundings changed and she found herself in her room. In a nightgown. Lying on her bed. Looking around at the rich furnishings and tapestries, she yawned. "I could get used to this," she muttered as her eyes fluttered closed.
A/N: I know a couple of these chapters are super-short, and I apologize--but look on the bright side: there are four chapters in this batch instead of the usual three, and possibly more to come if I get bored later on this evening!