Chapter 9

Jezebel paused to catch her breath. Then she grimaced in pain. They were getting worst and coming more rapidly. And her powers were fading quickly. She was so drained she just wanted to curl up and sleep. But she had to find her brother. He was the Labyrinth's only hope. She continued on only to find a clearing of Fierys. Gangly creatures covered in orange fur with long skinny tails, they always were looking for a good time, and could always be seen with a smile of their face. They were some of the most pleasant creatures of the Underground. At times they could be the most annoying as well, since they had no concept that not every one could do their most favorite thing to do. Disconnect their limbs and body parts and then simply reattach them in various fun ways. They giggled wildly but even more so when they saw Jezebel come into their clearing.

"Look! It's the Princess Lady!" said one with his eyes in his mouth. Oh course, this cause them to spill out and when they landed on the ground they all yelled,

"Snake eyes!" They laughed at their own joke before asking Jezebel.

"Hey Princess Lady! Would you like to play with us?" asked one with a mustache as he stood on his detached head.

"Not right now, boys." she said.

"Hey Lady, are you okay?" asked one genuinely concerned at her tired voice. She spun to look at him, surprised at his seriousness.

"I'm fine," she lied. "I just need to find my brother." she said.

"We can help you!" volunteered one.

"Yeah! We can move around the forest quick as lightning!" said another. She looked at the five creatures and nodded,

"Thank you!" They cheered and then bolted into the woods whooping and hollering loudly. She walked in their direction when she heard a noise in the trees. On guard immediately, she looked in all directions as she called out,

"Hello? Fireys? Jareth? Hoggle?...Marin?" Then she felt something snap at her shoulder. She turned and saw Captain Jack Sparrow up in a tree fling a vine down that caught at her wrist. He flung down a second that caught at her other wrist and pulled her back unto the tree trunk.

"AAHHH!" she cried. Then Jack jumped down and said,

"Good afternoon, Milady!"

"Jack! What are you doing!" she yelled pulling at the vines.

"A little payback for that stunt you pulled on me back at the grove." he said tucking his thumbs in his belt.

"What? I haven't been to the grove today!" she said.

"Yeah right. And I suppose you didn't just arrange for me to take a ten minute joyride dragged on me back throughout the forest?" he said bitterly.

"No! The vines are just like that when something's wrong with the Labyrinth!" she explained.

"You know Jezebel, making me admit I love you is one thing, but still playing these games is another! Do you realize I could have been killed?" he said his voice rising.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"I could have been killed Jezebel." he said seriously leaning on his hand on the tree trunk.

"No, before that. You...love me?" she said in wonder.

"I thought I did. I thought I was at least in love with the girl who tried to make goblin children smile when she was feeling miserable herself. Now I don't know what to believe. The selfish princess in the sexy brown gown who played me a fool in the Enchanted Gardens, or the kind woman who sang like an angel." he said with only a hint of sadness.

"Jack, I don't know much about love but, ...if you do love me...even a little...you have to believe me when I tell you I was nowhere near the gardens today!" she pleaded. Jack wanted to believe her, but he asked bitterly before taking out the peach in his pocket,

"If that wasn't you, then who was it then?" But she looked at the peach in horror and said,

"Where did you get that peach?" He eyed her.

"YOU gave it to me! And if you don't mind, I think I'll eat it while I think of what to do with you! If you remember, I skipped lunch!" he said lifting it to his lips to take a bite.

"NO!" she cried leaning forward to take a bite out of the peach first.

"Hey!" he protested. Then she saw her disgusted face chew and say,

"Man! I forgot how bitter these magic peaches taste!"

"Magic?" he said looking at the peach. To his amazement, it was already moldy and rotten with a maggot crawling around. He flung the peach away from himself before looking back to Jezebel. But he saw her eyes losing focus and her body going limp.

"Everything's dancing!" she cried weakly as the vines loosened and she fell into Jack's arms.

"Jezebel?" he asked before shaking her unconscious form.

"Jezebel!"

"She off to the Crystal Ballroom!" said a high pitched voice above him. He looked up to see five gangly creatures covered in orange fur staring down at him in silence. Jack gently lay Jezebel on the ground saying,

"What's wrong with her?"

"The magic peaches make people go to the Crystal Ballroom." said one.

"It's a dream world!" said another.

"If she says too long, she'll get lost in her dreams forever!" said a third.

"How do I wake her up?" asked Jack. At this they laughed at him.

"It ain't that kind of sleep!" said the first.

"Yeah! A crystal bubble will come by in a minute to carry her whole body away to the Ballroom! There's no stopping her from going neither!" said a fourth.

"But how do I get her out?" he said.

"They say if you hold onto someone going into the Ballroom, you'll get pulled along with them." said a fifth.

"Yeah but you'd have to hurry up and shatter the Ballroom before you get lost in the dream yourself!" said the second. Nodding and brushing the hair out of Jezebel's closed eyes, Jack said solemnly,

"Don't have much choice don't I?"

"Looky look! Here's the bubble now!" said the third pointing into the woods. Jack looked up to see a small glass ball floating towards them. Grabbing onto Jezebel's shoulders tightly, he said,

"Here goes nothing!" He shut his eyes and wrapped his arms tightly around Jezebel. She opened her eyes slightly to see herself in the bubble in a long flowing gown covered in diamonds. Jack saw what looked like silver glitter cover his line of vision. The Fireys saw Jack and Jezebel disappear together. They looked into the glass bubble floating by and saw the Ballroom and the various people in fine gowns and goblin masks dancing and twirling and having a grand time in the white ballroom with crystal chandeliers everywhere.

When Jack opened his eyes again, he saw the party goers laughing and carrying on. It reminded him of Tortuga. Only everyone was wearing a mask that resembled a goblin and dressed in black and white. He looked down at himself and found himself in fine black satin knickers and fresh new black boots and crisp white shirt. He looked to his right to a mirror and saw his hands and his face were the cleanest it had ever been. Even his fingernails were perfect. Then a familiar voice began to sing.

'If I caught the world in a bottle
And everything was still beneath the moon
Without your love would it shine for me?'

Jack searched the crowd and he saw Jezebel waltzing with another man before she disappeared again. He pushed through the crowd edger to reach her.

'If I was smart as Aristotle
And understood the rings around the moon
What would it all matter if you loved me?'

He saw her across the room in the middle of a group of women talking before someone got in his way and she was gone again. He chased her all over the room as she continued to sing,

'Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends
Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing would I fear
Except when this moment comes near the dancing's end'

Jack shook his head and paused for a second. What was he looking for? Jenny? Giselle? Jezebel! That's the one! He continued on as half a dozen women brushed up against him trying to seduce him.

'If I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon so we could ride
Until the stars grew dim, Until...'

He stopped and looked behind him and saw Jezebel, looking stunning with her hair swept up and silver glitter covering her face and white and black diamonds decorating her bosom.

'One day you'll meet a stranger
And all the noise is silenced in the room
You'll feel that you're close to some mystery' she sang as she stepped towards him. He took her in his arms and began to waltz her around the dance floor only caring about how beautiful she looked.

'In the moonlight and everything shatters
You feel as if you've known her all your life
The world's oldest lesson in history

Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends
Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing do I fear
Except when this moment comes near the dancing's end

Oh, if I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon and we would ride
Until the stars grew dim
Until the time that time stands still, Until...' When the song ended, Jack leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips. She returned the kiss with an equal amount of passion and fire.

'I've forgotten something...blimey she smells like cherries and she tastes like wine!...What is it that I'm forgetting? I knew it a second ago...' thought Jack as he kissed her. When they broke the kiss, Jezebel smiled up at him her eyes sparkling. He smiled down at her and then looked over her shoulder and frowned. Everyone was staring at them and laughing. He looked all around and saw they only laughed more. Jezebel just ignored them and snuggled up on his shoulder saying in a voice that echoed in his ears,

"I love you Jack!" He looked around the room straining to remember, when he saw the clock. The clock had struck the hour before the thirteenth hour. Wait. Since when does a clock have thirteen hours? Then as quick as a hail storm, the memories of the last twelve hours rushed back to him. Sarah. Jareth. The Labyrinth. The Oubliette. The grove. The bog. The ride through the forest. Jezebel. Her smile. Her dance. Her voice.

"Jack?" questioned Jezebel content as a kitten. Much to her surprise, Jack took her by the hand and dragged her off the dance floor pushing them through the crowd that was trying to keep them back.

"Jack! Where are we going?" she questioned.

"We're leaving Luv!" answered Jack as the crowd around him protested.

"No! I want to stay, Jack!" she protested trying to pull away. But he only held his grip until they were out of the crowd. Jack saw no exit, but a glass wall shaped like the inside of a crystal reflecting his image back at him. Looking around, he saw a chair and using his free hand threw it at the wall. The glass shattered and the party goes yelled and disappeared. Jack and Jezebel floated downwards as remnants of the ballroom floated up pass them. Finally they landed on the ground roughly and fell unconscious.

&&&

Jareth and Sarah stopped running through the forest and caught their breaths.

"This would be so much easier if I could turn into an owl right now!" Jareth said panting.

"It's hopeless! We lost him a half hour ago!" said Sarah in despair.

"Don't worry. People have a strange way of popping up in the Labyrinth." said Jareth.

"Your Majesty!" called a distant voice.

"Sarah!" called another.

"Hoggle?" whispered Sarah in wonder.

"Hoggle!" yelled Jareth to the direction of the voices.

"They're over here!" yelled Hoggle's voice. Soon they saw the dwarf waddle out of the woods followed by Sir Didymus and Ambrosius and Ludo.

"Sarah!" cried Ludo.

"Hoggle! Ludo! Didymus!" said Sarah rushing forward to hug each of her friends.

"Sarah back!" said Ludo.

"Fair Maiden! I'm so glad you're safe!" said Didymus.

"Wait! Why aren't you at the castle being Jezebel's captives?" questioned Sarah. They fell silent and looked down guiltily.

"Jezebel didn't really take my throne did she? She only used her position as Fae Enchantress to take it for thirteen hours?" said Jareth calmly.

"Oh Majesty forgive us! Princess Jezebel and ourselves only had your best interests at heart! We did not want to commit treason!" pleaded Didymus.

"I forgive you." said Jareth. They all stared wide eyed at him before Hoggle said,

"You do?"

"Why would Jezebel take the throne for only a day?" asked Sarah.

"Knowing Jez, to get me caring about the kingdom again and us back together." explained Jareth.

"Oh." said Sarah.

"Well, I should have known. This is just like Jez. I suppose she sent you three here because she could no longer handle the kingdom am I right?" asked Jareth.

"No Majesty! Jezebel sent us to retrieve you for the kingdom is under attack! Gurnocks have taken the Goblin City!" said Didymus as Jareth looked within himself and hissed,

"Marin!"

"Your friend?" asked Sarah. They all stared at her before Jareth asked,

"What?"

"I met him in the grove. He had tried to pass himself off as you, but then he said he was your friend. But there was something about him I didn't like..." said Sarah.

"That would be his slimy, traitorous black heart. I banished him from the kingdom for an attempted assassination plot against me." he explained.

"Yeah that would do it!" she said in shock.

"We must find Captain Sparrow and get to the city!" said Jareth. Hoggle rushed after him and said,

"Wait Jareth! Jez wanted you to have this!" Jareth turned to see the crystal ball in Hoggle's long fingers.

"My powers." he said quietly. He reached to take it when he recoiled and said,

"No."

"Why not? You need them if we are going to save the kingdom!" said Sarah.

"Marin will detect another Fae with magic stepping into the city in five seconds. If I wait until we're inside we have the element of surprise." said Jareth.

"Well come on! Let's find Jack!" said Sarah moving forward. As they all followed, Didymus protested,

"Wait a minute! Since when did the pirate become our ally?"

"Ah shut up and come on!" said Hoggle ahead of him.

"Sir Hoggle, please let us not start this..." But he was cut off when a large Gurnock jumped down from the trees and roared at them.

"AHH!" they all yelled. The Gurnock swung his large, crooked blade towards their heads.

"SARAH WATCH OUT!" yelled Jareth pushing her down.

"Have at thee, Villain!" yelled Didymus before charging and beating on the Gurnock's ankle with his staff and growling.

"Didymus!" cried Sarah.

"Ludo call the rocks!" commanded Jareth. The large beast bent his head back and howled,

"AAAARRRRROOOO!" as Hoggle ducked and dodged the blade while Didymus made war with the Gurnock's foot. Soon three large boulders came towards the Gurnock out of the trees. Hoggle pulled Didymus and Ambrosius out of the way as the rocks barreled into the Gurnock, leaving him unconscious and quite flat.

"Come! We must find Captain Sparrow! If anyone can help us sneak into a Goblin City overrun with Gurnocks, he can!" said Jareth pulling Sarah up. Then the ground shook violently.

"What was that?" asked Sarah.

"The Labyrinth is self destructing. We haven't much time!" said Jareth leading them all quickly out of the clearing.

&&&

Jack awoke to find a sky at dusk above him and a pile of garbage below him. He got up and groaned,

"Bloody...my head!" Then he realized he was holding someone's hand. He looked down and saw Jezebel's unconscious form laying beside him. Noticing they were once more in their own clothes, he leaned over and patted her face saying,

"Jez? Jezebel Luv, wake up!" Slowly she fluttered her eyes opened and saw Jack's dark brown eyes staring back at her.

"Who are you?" she asked innocently.

"What?" he said.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked. He began to help her up as he said,

"Don't you remember anything?"

"I remember my name is Jezebel."

"Anything else?" She searched within herself.

"No." He sighed and took her hand saying,

"Come on. Best let you remember in your own time." They began to walk through the miles of garbage when Jezebel asked,

"What's your name?" He looked back at her and said,

"Jack."

"I like that name."

"Thanks." he said. A few more minutes passed when Jack climbed over a garbage hill and released her hand.

"Look! It's the edge of the city! We're almost there!" he exclaimed as Jezebel took off her gloves. Then she said cautiously,

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" he said eyeing the tall guard. She walked up towards him and said,

"I think I remember something." He looked down to her face and said,

"What?" she put a hand to his cheek and caressed it leaving him to shut his eyes and revile in her touch.

"I think I'm in love with you." With her hand still on his face, she stood on her tiptoes to touch his lips with hers. They began to kiss hungrily, when a series of images flashed in Jezebel's mind. Her childhood. Her parents. Jareth. Living with Aunt Minerva. Exploring the Aboveground. Meeting Jack. The Labyrinth. Sarah. Marin. The ballroom. Kissing Jack. She broke the kiss with a gasp and backed away,

"Jezebel what's wrong?" asked Jack.

"We didn't! But we did! And now that means...oh Man!" she said backing up covering her mouth with her hands .

"You remember everything?" asked Jack.

"Oh yeah! But...but I need to be alone right now!"

"What? Wait! Why?" asked Jack.

"When I started this I never expected this! Aw Man!" she said running away. Jack chased after her, yelling,

"Jezebel! Jeze..." Then he stepped on a long big rope. Only it wasn't a long big rope. It was the tail of a dog like creature as big as an elephant with four fangs, a pig snout, and garbage and grime in it's Multi-colored fur that appeared to be big garbage heaps a moment before. It yelped and then turned it's head to Jack and growled blocking his path.

"Ah cripes! This just ain't me bloody day!" Then the creature gave a great roar as it began to chase after Jack in the Junkyard.

Meanwhile, Jezebel heard the creature and started to turn back yelling,

"Jack!" Then, a group of Gurnocks stepped from behind the piles of trash surrounding her.

"Hello Princess!" grinned one. A second grabbed Jezebel by the waist and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"JAAACCCCKKKKK!" she screamed as they carried her towards the city.