I have been cruel uptil now, but I can be generous... so... are you ready for the M-rating now? If not, please do not read the last third of this chapter... ;-) Hope it doesn't exceed the M-rating #worried frown# - if anyone is truly offended please tell me first and I promise I'll tone it down even more.
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When Sarah slowly awoke, she was enveloped in darkness and pain, and her body was numb with cold. She was sprawled on the floor of the cellar, and for a long time she couldn't move at all. Slowly she became aware of what had roused her – a dull hammering sound seemingly coming from far away. She tried to focus and get up, but her body would not respond. When she tried to just lift her head, sparks of light danced in front of her eyes, and she felt so nauseated, she had to lie very still not to be sick.
The hammering continued for a long while, but suddenly it stopped with a thud and splintering. She flinched and shielded her eyes as a ray of bright light suddenly poured into the chamber.
"Sarah!" If she had ever had doubts of the Goblin King's feelings for her, the tone of his voice swept these away. She started to sob with relief although this made the pain even worse.
"I swear I'll kill him this time!" Jareth cursed and then she was lifted gently into his arms and his warmth and spicy smell surrounded her and soothed her. She could not speak, but registered as in a daze that she was carried out of the room and then suddenly they were in the Queens chambers. Jareth gently put her down on the bed and she whimpered as he left her.
"Is she going to be all right, Your Majesty?" a small voice asked with concern - a voice she thought sounded familiar.
"She will be just fine," the goblin king assured and returned to the bed, and as Sarah felt his hands on her forehead, the pain slowly started to leave, being replaced by drowsiness and calm. "You did well, Felix, we wouldn't have found her nearly as quickly without your help."
Sarah wanted to speak and move, but as the calm reached every part of her body, she fell into a dark oblivion again.
The room was bathed in silvery moonlight when she awoke next. She felt rested and warm and wonderful, and at first she hardly even remembered what had happened. Then it slowly came back to her, and she marvelled at the quick healing Jareth must have performed on her. Even the gash on her head where she had hit it against the wall was gone – as she carefully touched the place there were no trace of blood or a scar. Her hair was combed and hung loose around her face, and she was wearing a long white nightgown.
A soft snore drew her attention to the large chair beside her bed. A tired haggard-looking Jareth was slumped in the chair, sleeping in his clothes with a deep frown etched on his forehead. Seeing him again made her heart beat wildly and without thinking about anything but being close to him again, she threw the bed covers aside and jumped out, walking the three steps to the chair.
"Jareth," she called softly and as he opened his eyes, she let herself fall into his arms. He hesitated a moment, but then crushed her in a tight embrace and buried his face at her neck. She moved closer and slipped her arms around his shoulders, and for the longest time they simply stayed there, clinging to each other as if the world would fall down the moment they let go.
Finally he lifted his head and looked at her with such a tender gaze in his beautiful mismatched eyes that she felt like crying with joy. "You came back to me," he whispered brokenly. "I thought you never wanted to see me again."
"I couldn't stay away," she breathed and touched his cheek with her hand. "I love you, Jareth!"
His eyes grew even wider and his hands crept around her neck, sending shivers though her whole body. "Oh, Sarah… If you only knew how much I've longed to hear you say that. I love you, too; you know that, don't you?"
And then his mouth claimed hers and the world disappeared as they kissed fervently, losing themselves in each other. Her body was pressed tightly against him and though the chair was much too small for the both of them, none of them minded the cramped space and that she was forced to wiggle even closer to him. His hands were buried in her hair and she let her fingers run over his face and shoulders, making him tremble with suppressed passion. When they at last broke apart, he gasped for breath and rested his forehead against hers, but without loosening his grip on her.
"I'm so glad you found me," Sarah whispered. "I was so scared."
"I will never forgive him for laying a hand on you," Jareth hissed. "He's gone too far this time, even though he is my brother and that has stayed my hand before. But now… I have to end it!"
Sarah suddenly remembered that her time in the Labyrinth was limited. "Jareth, how long has it been? I must go back before the Labyrinth reacts to my presence again."
He laughed softly. "Too late, my love. You have been here for two days already, and the Bog is getting out of control again, much to the annoyance of your furry little friend, the knight."
"Shouldn't I go back then?" she murmured and snuggled closer to him. "I knew the time was limited, but I just had to see you again."
"No, you can't," he said firmly. "That would ruin my plan. Corran must not know that his plans have been thwarted. He will come again tomorrow night, and there I will deal with him once and for all."
"Oh, Jareth, please be careful," Sarah begged and shivered at the thought of any harm coming to her goblin king. "He's dangerous!"
Jareth rose and carried her to the bed, tucking her under the covers again and stretching out beside her, so they were both more comfortable. His arms held her possessively against him, as he pulled her close so her back rested against his chest. Even though both the covers and their clothes were between them, Sarah trembled at the thought of being in bed with him and pressed herself closer to him; half wishing that nothing was between them.
"He came back yesterday," Jareth started in a suppressed voice that clearly showed his fury. "After prancing around, he produced a crystal and showed me the Bog, which was just beginning to grow again. He laughed and told me that he'd found a juicy little mortal that I might know, and then presented me with the lock of your hair. We had been searching everywhere for you after Hoggle confessed to me he had brought you, but you seemed to have vanished into thin air. My worst fears were realised when he confirmed that it was he who had taken you, but then at least I knew you were in the Labyrinth somewhere and not back above."
He began stroking her hair and playing with it. "He had taken you deep down below to the ancient oubliettes that I didn't even know existed anymore. If it hadn't been for little Felix…" His voice trailed off.
"Felix found me?" Sarah asked surprised. "But he has only been in your kingdom for a little while, he cannot possibly have known about any oubliettes."
"No, but he is apparently your goblin, Sarah," Jareth replied and she could hear his smile. She turned around in his arms, so she came face to face with him, and he quickly stole a kiss before he continued. "You welcomed him, you named him, and by doing so, a bond was created between you. I have this bond with most of the other goblins, which is why I can never hide from them, but Felix is yours. As long as you are in the Labyrinth, he will always be able to find you."
"Really?" Sarah thought of the electrical currant she'd felt when she first touched the goblin.
"Well, I hadn't thought it was possible at first," Jareth admitted, "but after Corran had left, Fanny and Fenella came to me, dragging little Felix after them. They said he'd claimed that he knew where you were. Usually only the King of the Goblins creates the bond, so I didn't know it could happen to anyone else, least of all a mortal, but he seemed very insistent. He led me straight to you although I had to break down a few doors to reach the oubliette."
"I'm so glad you came," Sarah repeated, but then grew serious. "Jareth, love, what do we do once this business with Corran is taken care of? I can't live without you, but apparently the Labyrinth won't let me live with you."
His face darkened and she could feel his body stiffen. "We'll have to find a way, Sarah. I'm not giving you up again!"
He kissed her violently and possessively, as if he wanted to make certain she was his, now and forever, and she yielded to him and answered with all the passion and longing she felt. The recent events had been too much for her, and the thought of the confrontation between Jareth and his brother tomorrow and the uncertainty concerning their future together made her cling to him in realization that this night could be their last together.
"I have to leave you," Jareth said in a hoarse voice and reluctantly drew away, getting off the bed. "I cannot guarantee your safety with me right now, love, and I will not betray your trust."
Sarah's whole being screamed for him, and she sat up and reached out for him pleadingly. "Jareth, don't leave me! I want to be with you every second of the time we have left together."
"Sarah, you don't understand what you're doing to me!" he growled and retreated further away. "I want to rip that nightgown off you and bury myself in you, feel your body become mine and hear you cry out beneath me! I cannot control myself if I stay."
The naked desire in his eyes and his voice dissolved the last fraction of fear or reluctance that Sarah might have had, and she knew at that moment that she wanted the last barriers between them to fall. Taking a deep breath, she slowly took hold of the nightgown and pulled it over her head, leaving her completely nude and exposed, except for the covers on her lower body.
"Get back here, Your Majesty," she said and tossed her hair in a manner she hoped was seductive. "Or I swear I'll never forgive you."
He remained completely still for a moment as if in shock, but then slowly approached the bed again, and his eyes were gleaming. "As my Queen commands," he whispered roughly, and then he was beside her, pinning her down and kissing her again, with a craze that matched the flames burning in Sarah.
His hands traced her body, every inch of it, and she let herself go and surrendered to him, whimpering under him as he kissed and licked her tender skin. This time there was no turning back. She tore at his shirt to feel him, too, and he drew away for a moment, quickly removing his own clothes, before he turned back to her. His naked body was pale in the moonlight, but glowing with heat, and she hesitatingly let her hands wander over it, exploring his lean muscles and smooth skin.
"You are so beautiful," he breathed in her ear and sent little shivers through her whole body. He let his hands cup her delicate forms and grazed her nipples with his nails, and she gasped at the unexpected surge of warmth this provoked in her. As his caresses became more insistent, she moaned and arched up against him, wanting more, wanting all of him. Pressing herself closer, she felt again his hard member against her hip, but this time she wasn't scared, but rather curious. She let her hand glide down his side, until she reached it, and letting her fingers trace it, she heard his sharp intake of breath. She hadn't known exactly what to expect, but as she gently explored it, caressing and stroking it, she was rewarded with the sight of Jareth writhing beside her, gasping for breath under her exquisite torture. When she at last touched the tip of it and felt a sticky wetness, he gave a strangled cry and gently pushed her hand away. "No more, please… my love."
He held her close for a moment to get his breathing under control, and then with just as wicked a smile as hers had just been, he rolled on top of her and pinned her down gently. "Well, dear innocent Sarah!" he whispered with a gleam in his eyes, "I believe I must let you in on the rules of this game!"
"You are my prey," he started and catching her wrists with one hand, he held them fast above her head. The other hand glided down her shoulders and side, leaving a burning trail on her skin. He lowered his head and sucked gently on her nipples, making her gasp and shiver. "You are my prize, and I can do anything I want with you…"
As he spoke, his hand caressed her back and buttocks and then slipped in between her legs and slowly up her inner thighs towards the burning throbbing ache in her most private parts. She meowed and moved under him, wanting him to touch her fully, but not before she was almost sobbing, did he lift his head and smile roughly down at her.
"Remember you are mine!" he hissed, and then his gentle hand finally found her wetness and caressed the small centre of her pleasure with sure and deliberate circling movements. Sarah was swept away and the pleasure exploded and was spread to every little part of her body. She stiffened, could not breathe or scream, but only arched against him for the longest time, until the wave passed and she fell back whimpering. His mouth covered hers in a gentle kiss, and when she finally opened her eyes, she looked into his dark intense gaze and kissed him back.
She reached out for him, a wordless plea in her eyes, and then he was on top of her, his manhood hard and ready, and as he entered her in a single stroke, she cried out against the sudden pain. He held her close and murmured sweet words in her ears, and as he moved in her, the pain abated and was replaced by a deep ancient feeling of satisfaction. His breathing became troubled, and very quickly he cried out and thrust a single time, before collapsing on top of her. She relished in the feeling of his weight upon her and snuck her arms around his neck, sighing contentedly.
Tomorrow did not matter; the duel between the brothers seemed far away as did their inevitable parting to save the Labyrinth. This night belonged to them, Jareth was hers, and come what may, they would have this night as a sweet memory of how it should be, if the world around them for once decided to be fair.