Underneath the Crystal Moon
A/N: I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own the words to "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Also, I know my last author's note said I would not be updating for a week, but that was because I uploaded the chapter on Friday, but then realized ffnet had banned me from posting until yesterday. So, you get a chapter tonight….and maybe another one tomorrow.
Part Three: Eamon
Chapter 7
Sarah and Jareth were awakened by a sharp knock on their bedroom door. Jareth got out of bed and padded over to the door, after flicking his hand so some pajamas appeared for he and Sarah. Sarah looked down and was pleased to find a lovely pair of red pajamas. She was not so pleased, however, to see her son-in-law stride hurriedly into the room. She sat up straight, alert to whatever news he had to share.
"Eamon is back. Or rather, something like Eamon is back. It looks like him, but his eyes are different. He speaks different. He told me to mind my station!" Aidan began to pace. Sarah looked at her husband, who was scowling. Then she sunk down into herself and felt for the sense of her triplets. Damien was somewhat Northwest, Phoenix was not far to the right, in her bedchambers. And Eamon? She could find any trace of him.
"It's not him. It may be something that cloned him, or something that altered him. We will not know for sure until Damien reports back to us. He is still a week away from Carla," Sarah pointed out.
"Ah, but we have the advantage dear Sarah. We know he is not who he says he is. He does not know that we know. I could make him spend the next week in an oubliette, but I think that we should act like nothing has changed. We need to keep our eyes and ears open. We need to buy some time," Jareth explained.
"I agree. I do not think this is good. We wait until he tries something, and then we can imprison him. I do not know who he is, or how strong he is, but with all five of us, we should be able to trap him. If necessary, we will imprison him in one of the iron cells," Sarah said indifferently.
Aidan shuddered. The cells were designed not to kill a Fae, but to weaken them to the point where they had no more power than an ordinary mortal. Whoever this was that was pretending to be the Crown Prince, he would find no sympathy in the dungeons, "So, what do we do now?"
"Double the guard on all the babes. Sarah and Phoenix can hold their own. No one is to leave the castle unsupervised however, as we do not want anyone cornered outside the walls. Avoid the Labyrinth until this all blows over," Jareth commanded. Aidan bowed, recognizing the king talking, and not his father-in-law.
"I do not know how or why this happened. I do not know what happened exactly, but we can only hope the real Eamon is safe somewhere, and that Damien can find out exactly what happened," Sarah said.
Aidan bowed, and went to go see to the plans. He had his own children to worry about after all.
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They had been there an hour now. Eamon bounced his foot in time to the light beat and the even lighter vocals.
"And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight…"
Eamon looked over at Rhiannon, as she swayed in her seat. She had imbibed many drinks, and had taken to saying things like, "I'll take potent potables for a thousand, Alex!"
He shook his head ruefully at his date, and watched as she mouthed the words to the song currently playing. Then he watched her eyes brighten and widen. She stood up, and waved her hands frantically at an approaching couple. She threw her arms around the girl, and then briefly hugged the girl's date.
"Eamon, this is Renee!" Rhiannon yelled over the music. Renee smiled at Eamon and held out her hand. Eamon shook it, as was custom.
"It is nice to see you with your eyes open Eamon!" Renee shouted, "This is my boyfriend, Mark. Mark, this is Eamon Prince!"
Mark held out his hand, and Eamon shook it confidently. They took seats on the red couch, and watched the men and women dance. After a moment, Mark got up and walked to the bar. Another song came over the speakers, and Renee grabbed Rhiannon's hand.
"Come dance with me!" Renee yelled, and Rhiannon followed her obediently to the dance floor, where Eamon could see them easily. It certainly did not look like anything he had ever seen before, with shiny poles and cages dotting the large dance area. Eamon watched as Renee began to dance with Rhiannon, both of them moving in time with the heavy beat. A man in leather approached Rhiannon from behind, and she waved him off. Renee leaned over and said something into Rhiannon's ear. Rhiannon laughed and nodded. They moved closer together until they were synchronized, huddled closely while the music played.
Eamon arched his eyebrows at the sight. Two women, dancing so closely, moving their hips together? It seemed something different from what he was used to. But for some reason, it was erotic, and desirable. But the men on the dance floor stayed away, sensing something else. Renee wrapped her arms around Rhiannon's waist as they danced, making it seem like they were a couple. Just then Eamon was startled by Mark, who sat down next to him.
"They always do this! It makes the men stay away!" Mark yelled over the music.
"Why do they stay away?" Eamon asked loudly.
"Because they think they are together. It is the same as if you were dancing with her, no other men would try to dance with her since it would seem you were together!" Mark yelled, and then he settled back in his seat to wait.
Not long after that, Rhiannon and Renee came back to the couch, and Mark left to go get them some water.
"Have fun?" Eamon asked Rhiannon dryly.
"Why not?" Rhiannon said slyly.
"Yeah, Mr. Prince, why not?" Renee asked him.
"I was just asking!" Eamon defended.
"No such luck. You need to learn how to dance," Renee told him. She and Rhiannon rose, water forgotten, and dragged Eamon out onto the packed dance floor.
"Now, dancing is easy if you can keep a beat," Rhiannon told him.
"You know I can keep a beat," Eamon said darkly. Then he realized that between Renee and Rhiannon, this was going to be a very long night.
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It was some hours later when Eamon carried a drunk Rhiannon through her front door, hanging over his shoulder.
"Lightweight," Eamon muttered.
"Where's my car?" Rhiannon slurred.
"For the hundreth time, at the club. I had to call one of those taxis," Eamon said as he sat her down on the couch. Her shoes came off, and then Eamon kicked off his. Then he picked her up again.
"You smell so nice, even after dancing all night," Rhiannon murmured against his back, as he had her tossed over his shoulder. He climbed the stairs and headed for her bedroom. He walked in and laid her down on her bed. Then he turned to leave. He was stopped by her words, "Stay with me?"
Eamon turned around and looked at her, earnest as always.
"If I stay we may end doing something we would both regret. You are very drunk, and not of sound mind right now. In the morning you could hate yourself, and I do not want that to happen," he said. Rhiannon snorted.
"Sugar, just because I am drunk does not mean I am not of sound mind. Drunkeness allows inhibitions to drop. It allows you to say things you would not say if you were sober because of fear. As for hating myself? Sweetheart, I have wanted you since you appeared on that street," Rhiannon got up and walked towards him, weaving a little. She stopped in front of him, "And I know you want me. You have kissed me. You look at me different. Why won't you stay with me?"
"All my life, people have wanted me for one reason or another. When I was young everything revolved around me being the Crown Prince. Now that I am adult, everyone wants me for my bloodline. The girl I was running from wanted my child. I am not going to give in after all this time. The woman I sleep with is going to be the woman that loves me for me," Eamon said hotly. He turned around and left the room. Rhiannon heard the front door close, and she was surprised to find that a tear had escaped her eye. She hardly had time to think about it though before the nausea that comes with being drunk overtook her and she had to race for the bathroom.
Eamon sat down on the bench in the middle of the park. He was so homesick. He missed the Underground. He missed the Labyrinth. Heck, he even missed the bog. He just could not wait for the full moon to come. The only things he would miss about this world would be pizza, soda, ice cream and Rhiannon. How he would miss her. It was almost worth staying, just for her. But he had a home and kingdom to tend to, and there was no telling what the ambiguous Erebus would do to everything he held dear in the Underground.
What about everything I hold dear here, Eamon thought to himself, What about Rhiannon?
The girl had a way about her, she had wormed her way in. Actually, it was more like she had come bursting in. From the moment he had seen her she had started to make herself at home in his mind. He dreamt about her. There were sometimes, when they were alone and everything was quiet and peaceful, that Eamon began to think that staying with her was a viable option.
Option my ass. It was never an option. But, why don't I ask her what she wants? We only have such a short time here, would it be so bad? There is more to her than just those looks. And I know, somewhere deep down, that everything she has said to be has been the truth. And the truth on your part Eamon? You care about her, and it scares you. Because you know you will have to leave. You know she cannot come with you. Let her make the choice. Let her decide.
It was nearly dawn before Eamon left the bench and made his way back to the house. Silence greeted him, and he fell onto the bed in exhaustion, without even removing his clothing.
a/n: I wrote a one shot song fic entitled "Sara". Ffnet removed it because of it being a songfic. I plan on making it available through a link on my profile soon.