Rating: T

Jareth/Sarah


Illusion

"Holy crap! Did you see that?"

"Don't say 'crap,' Tobes. Your mom would have a heart attack."

Toby Williams rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. "He didn't even use a curtain! Just poof," Toby threw his hands up, "and he was gone!"

"I take it you're having fun?"

"Oh my gosh, Sar, it's amazing. He's way better than that Angel guy! I can't wait to see what the finale is!"

Even Sarah Williams, usually skeptical about illusionists and all things "magical" in general, agreed with her brother; it was an amazing show. Especially for only thirteen bucks for two tickets. Granted, the location was in a less than savory part of town. If Sarah thought Karen, Toby's mom, would keel over hearing him say mild expletives, she could only imagine what the older woman would do if she found her son in such an…establishment. When Sarah first pulled up in front of the building, she'd nearly said screw it and taken Toby for ice cream instead. Dark blue paint peeled from old wooden boards, and the front door hung askew from its frame, banging against the building with every gust of wind. And strangely, none of the street lights worked around the building.

Inside wasn't any better. Even in the low lights, stains could be seen dotting and smearing the dark carpet leading from the front parlor into the main room at the back. The vinyl covered cushions on the chairs placed haphazardly around small tables were worn and tattered, and even the table tops were nicked and scratched.

But when the show started, Sarah forgot about the stench of stale cigarette smoke. The bright spotlight snapped onto threadbare red curtains, which promptly whooshed open to reveal a man wearing a tuxedo tailored to his lean form. Wild white-blond hair caught the lights and held it in a faint halo around his head, and his eyes shone above a thin nose and thin lips curled into a smile. He demanded attention silently as he moved, gracefully and purposefully while performing various hat tricks.

And that was another thing that was funny; his tricks didn't appear to be tricks at all. They were effortless actions taking little to no set up. A bouquet of flowers in his hand simply disappeared without any movement of his wrist. A dove flapped into existence in the empty space between his fingers. Sarah watched him carefully, trying to see where the slight of hand was, but even her skeptical eye couldn't find it, and she found herself almost…believing.

"For my last illusion, I require a volunteer from the audience."

Hands shot up around Sarah and Toby, mostly female. The magician's glittering eyes searched the darkness, then rested on Sarah.

"You, miss, in the green shirt."

A gleeful sound came from Toby, and he nudged Sarah when she didn't move. "Go."

"I didn't volunteer."

"Sarah," Toby hissed, beginning to look embarrassed.

"Oh, for cripe's sake. Only for you would I do this." With a frown at her brother, Sarah walked up to the stage, ignoring the hand proffered to assist her up the stairs. "You saw me in half and I'll sue," she told the magician under her breath.

His smile stretched a little wider, and his eyes held a glint of genuine amusement. Instead of replying, he ushered Sarah to a long board held up on either end by a folding chair. He motioned for her to sit on the board, then turned to face the audience. "The Incredible Floating Woman!" Moving to stand behind Sarah, he leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear. "You won't feel a thing."

"That's usually my luck with guys."

"Lucky for you, I never disappoint."

A hot flush spread over Sarah's face, and a cool chuckle stirred the hair around her ear. Sarah's jaw clenched, and she stared stonily toward the audience, only able to see vague outlines of people through the glaring lights. An idly curious thought flitted through her mind, wondering how the magician had seen her out there in the void, then vanished when a thin piece of black material appeared in front of her.

"In order for this to work, I'll need you to cover your eyes."

Screwing her mouth to the side, Sarah reluctantly took the blindfold. Her fingers touched his briefly, the lightest of brushes against his skin, but awareness jolted through Sarah so sharply she gasped and dropped the blindfold.

"No need to be frightened, my dear. I swear to return you intact to your loved ones." The illusionist's voice was loud and airy, producing chuckles from the audience as he knelt to retrieve the thin strip. When he looked up at her, though, when she met his eyes, there was a stark gravity in his gaze that caught Sarah's breath. For a moment, she felt like he'd seen something about her that saddened him.

Sarah didn't remember being levitated, what it entailed, or what happened. She stared at the darkness of the blindfold, only seeing the hazy melancholy in the magician's eyes. No one had ever looked at her that way, as though he knew her, knew her past, present, and worried about her future. When the blindfold was gently pulled from her face, when the crowd erupted with applause, Sarah stood woodenly, barely acknowledging the magician as he helped her from the stage. She answered Toby's excited questions vaguely and made noncommittal noises at his excited comments as she drove him home.

"Thanks again, Sarah," Toby said as he opened the car door. The wipers squeaked over the windshield, cleaning away a lazy mist as Sarah nodded. "Hey…what happened to your necklace?"

Sarah's attention snapped to Toby, then her hand went to her throat. The silver chain she always wore was gone…a necklace she had on before she stepped onto that stage…

"Well, see ya later, sis."

The car door slammed shut. Sara swore as she turned the vehicle around, heading back to the rundown building. Rationally, she knew it could have fallen off at any point during the day; ridiculous logical insisted that damned magician had taken it.

As she drove, the rain fell harder, turning into a downpour by the time she reached her destination. She stormed through the theater, wet and angry, not bothering to note the place really did look awful with the lights on as she made her way to the dressing rooms. The door there sported piece of white paper taped over a faded gold star with the name Jareth hastily scrawled on it. Sarah paused, then decided she had every right to barge in, and flung the door open.

"Hey! You have some nerve!"

The magician met her gaze in the mirror, then turned with a sly smile. "I could say the same. Entering a dressing room without knocking is hardly polite. We don't know each other that well." His smile took a suggestive tilt. "Unless you'd like to."

Lechery was never a turn on for Sarah, but his voice held darkness promising delight and a touch of sinister passion, which all tangled with unexpected hotness inside of her. She couldn't stop herself from flushing, but she could ignore it.

"I walked onto your stage with a necklace," she said, hoping ire would extinguish the slow burn in her veins. "Would you care to explain how I walked off without it?"

Jareth held up his hand, and a silver chain—her silver chain—slid between his fingers. Sarah crossed the room and made a grab for it, but he held it out of reach. "My apologies. I needed to make sure I'd see you again," he said.

"Stealing women's jewelry isn't the way to get a date, buddy. It just makes you a thief and a creeper."

"Actually, I'm neither." He deftly undid the clasp and held out either end of the necklace, offering to put it on Sarah. "No tricks, I promise."

Sarah eyed him warily before holding up her hair and stepping forward. When the necklace was secured around her again, she moved away…only to have Jareth move with her.

"Personal space," she said. "We don't know each other that well."

Jareth's chuckle was deep and swirled warmly around her.

"Well, thanks…I think."

"Wait, don't go." Sarah ignored the plea and turned to leave. "I've spent so much time searching for you, Sarah Williams."

She sucked in a sharp breath and whirled around. No matter how much his charm had dampened her outrage, it couldn't erase the zing of danger now racing toward her heart. "How do you know my name?"

"I told you, I've been searching for you. You've been terribly hard to find."

"What do you want? Who are you?"

"I am what I appear to be…in a manner of speaking."

"A stalker?"

Jareth laughed and shook his head. His amusement only made the fear pound more fiercely through her. "I've never been called that."

Sarah started backing slowly to the door, and relief swept through her when her fingers curled around the knob. "I'm leaving," she said, grateful her voice was hard and not trembling. "If I ever see you again, I'm calling the cops." When Jareth moved toward her with shake of his head and an outstretched hand, Sarah frantically twisted the doorknob. "Stay away from me!"

The knob wouldn't turn. Sarah shook and twisted it desperately.

"Sarah."

She pounded a fist on the door. "Help! Someone help me!"

"Sarah."

She faced him again, flattening herself against the door, fearfully watching as he closed the distance.

"Sarah, I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's what all the good murderers say, I bet."

"Please, listen to me." Jareth stopped in front of her, wearing an earnest expression she refused to acknowledge was genuine. "I'm here to usher you back."

Confusion flickered through the fear, and Sarah's brow crinkled. "Usher me…? To where?"

"Your reality." He placed a warm finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I need you to try very hard to remember what happened when you left the theater."

Sarah's frown deepened.

"You drove your brother home, then headed for your apartment…but you never made it. What happened, Sarah?"

Never made it? Of course not. Because after pulling up in front of the old Victorian she'd grown up in, after waving goodbye to Toby, she'd turned around to come back to the theater…and the rain had started to come down so hard she could barely see—

A terrible weight crushed Sarah's chest. When she stumbled forward, strong arms caught her.

"I…can't breathe."

"The water filled your lungs."

Silty liquid gushed into her mouth. The room darkened. The light wavered in weak beams around her.

"I can't see."

The temperature dropped severely. A cold, wet tremor seized her. A horrific scream grew louder until it deafened her. Terror scraped up her raw throat. Her fists hurt from pounding against the window. The steering wheel, shoved into her lap from the impact, pinned her to the seat. The water reached her chest…shoulders…chin…

"Oh, God, no!"

"You're very near death, Sarah," a sad voice whispered.

She choked, gasped, and opened her eyes. Her fingers clutched a silky shirt. Jareth held her tightly against his chest, his smile full of sorrow.

"What's happening? Where am I?"

"This is a sort of liminal state, neither in the real world, nor the netherworld. The events you remember after walking out of the theater have happened here. In the real world, you are trapped in your car underwater. They are working furiously to save you."

"How did I end up here?"

"I have some small amount of magic that extends beyond paltry illusions. I brought you here because I can give you a choice."

"To live?" When Jareth nodded, Sarah's brow furrowed. "Why do I get a choice?"

Jareth's mouth pulled into a melancholy smile again. "You're very special to me, in another time, another place."

"Why should I believe any of this? Why shouldn't I just believe you're tricking me somehow? That is your job, after all."

Sarah received no reply. Instead, Jareth raised his hands and gently cradled her face, giving her nowhere to look but him. "You're right. You have no reason to believe me. So, I'll show you."

"Wha—?"

The tulle of her dress whispers pleasantly as he guides her around the room. Their hands are gloved, and the waltz and her skirts are such that they cannot dance close. They don't speak, but the sheer delight of simply looking into each other's eyes, watching each other smile, enjoying this simple moment of being together, is more powerful than any words. She looks forward to this almost more than any intimate time she spends with him. He adores her, loves her more than she can explain or quantify. It radiates from him, and it still takes her breath away after all these years

"You said…" Sarah paused to regain her equilibrium. "You said you're here to give me a choice." Jareth nodded. "So if I don't go back…?"

"I wish I could give you reassurance of the mortal afterlife. But…in this time line, I can give you no guarantees on what will happen."

"And you? Will what you showed me ever come true?"

Jareth shook his head. "If you fail to return, you'll simply cease to exist. All the hopes and dreams you have will be unrealized." When he said it that way, it sounded terribly frightening. "Knowing that, I do hope you'll decide to live your life, enjoy your family and friends, and make memories."

With a deep breath and a brief squeeze of his hand, Sarah nodded and looked up at Jareth. "Sounds like the obvious choice is to go back. I would hate to miss seeing the sort of person Toby grows into. And I'm curious about where my own life will lead me. You showed me something…magical. But being human is just as much of an adventure."

Jareth's smile was winsome and proud all at once. "Indeed it is, Sarah Williams." He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on the corner of her lips. "And I've never known anyone with a more adventurous spirit." He grasped her other hand in his and held them up between them. "And who knows. Maybe after you've done all you can, you can come back to me. Now, you are wavering under the doctor's ministrations. Let's give everyone a bit of relief, shall we?"

Sarah nodded, then thought of something. "Wait—"

ooOOOoo

Sarah Williams eyed the dilapidated building with misgiving. "You know…I heard there was this new ice cream place on the other side of town," she said, looking at her brother.

Toby nodded, pulling his doubtful gaze away from the same building. "Mom hardly ever lets me have ice cream."

Sarah laughed as she pressed the gas and steered them down the street. "And it's right next to the game store," she added.

"And you'd love to buy a brand new game for your favorite brother, right?"

"You're my only brother."

"So I'm automatically your favorite," Toby said with a teasing grin. "Winning by default is still winning."

Sarah laughed again. The windows in the car were down, the air was warm and full of earth scents from the recent spring weather. Toby turned on the radio, and they sang, "I'm afraid of Americans…" as they drove through town. Sarah glanced at her brother, scarfing down a peanut butter parfait as though it were the last one he'd ever have, and smiled. She didn't have much, no fancy job or fancy house, but she had her brother and times like these. Sometimes, she felt as though there was something grandiose just out of her reach, a furiously beautiful story she'd missed out on, involving love and wild adventures.

Right now, though, these little adventures were exactly what she lived for.


A/N: I don't have much to say about this except...well, I'm trying to get back into the groove again :)