Disclaimer: I do not own The Labyrinth, Sarah, Jareth, or any other piece of property belonging to Jim Henson Productions. I am not making money off this story, so please don't sue me. If you do, you will only get $1.28. Now tell me, is that much money worth taking?
This story is based on the song "Skin" by Rascal Flats, but due to the rules of this site I had to take out the lyrics. The are the places where the lyrics should be, so you can figure out which verses go with the paragraphs. Also just in case, I do not own the song "Skin" Rascal Flats does. I am not making money off this story.
Sarah Beth Williams just sat there in the doctor's waiting room. Her green eyes seemed to be staring at nothing. Her long chocolate brown hair fell over her shoulders onto the bruise that showed on her arm, her sleeveless tank top unable to hide it. 'I don't understand why it's still there,' she thought, 'it should have disappeared weeks ago.'
Sarah glanced over at her stepmother, Karen, and her dad, Richard. Karen seemed to be wondering if she should stop Richard as he sat there, unconsciously tearing a magazine to bits. Karen finally reached over and stalled his hands, just as the nurse walked. "Sarah?" the nurse asked. Sarah stood along with her parents. The woman looked at them and said, "Please, follow me."
Cancer. The word filled Sarah with dread. Karen and Richard listened to the doctor as he droned on about the test results, but Sarah could only sit there on the examining table in shock. 'I'm only seventeen, how can I have cancer?' Sarah finally looked up as her hands involuntarily reached out to grab her parents. Richard glanced at Sarah and gave a comforting smile. Karen kept her eyes on the doctor, but squeezed Sarah's hand in acknowledgment.
Two weeks later, Sarah sat in the waiting room outside the chemotherapy area, thinking about what the doctor had told her concerning the chances and side effects of the treatment. The doctor had said that the chances of recovery were high, but Sarah couldn't stop thinking about the ones who didn't recover. Sarah couldn't help but shiver at the thought of being one of them. 'This is getting ridiculous,' she thought, 'I won't know until it's over, so I should just stop already.' With that thought, she just stopped thinking all together, closed her eyes, and let her mind drift into her most special dream.
She was in the ballroom again; only this time there were no other people besides Sarah and him. He was walking down the stairs in the shining blue jacket and white tight fitting dress pants. His blond hair had blue highlights to match the jacket. His mismatched eyes were focused only on Sarah and his sweet smile showed how much he loved her. Sarah made her ways towards him in her strapless white ball gown. It was a tight fitting dress, designed to accentuate her figure, and the floor length hem gently fell against her legs as she walked. They reached the center of the room at the same time, and he extended his hand to her. She placed her hand in his and her hand rested gently on his shoulder. His arm slid around her waist and they began to dance. They stared into each other's eyes as they circled around and around the room. They moved closer together and he reached down to press his lips to hers. Sarah closed her eyes and when he pulled back, whispered, "Jareth, I-"
"Sarah, can you come with me now?" The doctor's voice breaks into her dream and Sarah's eyes eye open in confusion. She looks up at the doctor, her memory returning. Nodding she stands up and walks after him, neither she nor the doctor noticing the white barn owl perched outside the window of the waiting area.
A week later, Sarah stared at the hair in her hand, as Karen as next her, murmuring soothing words with her arm around Sarah's shoulders. Sarah looked at Karen and said, "Thomas was here a few minutes ago. He wanted to talk to me about the prom on Saturday."
Karen smiled gently and asked, "What did he say?"
Sarah went back to staring at her hand and replied, "He said he's the star of the football team, and he can't be seen at the prom with a bald-headed girl. He can't risk his reputation like that. After all, he wants to play for a professional team and he has to look just right." Sarah tried to bite back her sobs as she finished telling Karen about what Thomas had told her, but it was all too much and she just started crying and couldn't stop. Karen simply held her, not saying a word.
Sarah dreamed that night, as she lay wrapped up in her covers. She was in the ballroom and dancing with Jareth once more. As she stared into his eyes, Sarah found herself reaching up to softly rest her hand on Jareth's cheek. Jareth smiled and covered her hand with his own. Jareth leaned forward till their lips once again met. He kissed her slowly now, savoring the feeling of her in his arms. Sarah pressed back against his mouth, her head spinning with the love she could feel in that kiss. When Jareth pulled back, he whispered, "I love you Sarah." Sarah smiled as she answered, "Jareth I lo-"
RIIIIIIIIIIING! Sarah woke up with a shock. Hurriedly she slammed her hand down onto her alarm clock. "A dream, it was all just another dream," she whispered sadly, "just another dream on him." Sarah got out of her bed and walked to her window. "Jareth, I wished you were here," she whispered to the rising sun.
At that moment, in the Underground, The Goblin King heard Sarah's wish. Jareth leaned back on his throne in the circular room, and smiled as he thought about the way he could grant Sarah's wish. Conjuring a crystal, Jareth stood up and walked over to a window overlooking the Labyrinth. Holding up the crystal, Jareth gently blew on the clear crystal. Carried on the wind created by Jareth's breath, the crystal sailed off to deliver the surprise contained within.
Back at Sarah's home, Richard opened the front door in order to get the paper. Looking down at the porch, he was surprised to see a large square box with a red bow tied on top. Richard picked the box up, and noticed a card tucked just under the bow. Turing the card over, he noticed the name written on the front. Richard, smilingly, went back inside the house calling, "Sarah, I have a surprise for you." He never even noticed that the paper was left lying on the porch.
Sarah looked at herself in the mirror, while Karen arranged a white hat on Sarah's head. Sarah still couldn't believe the white strapless dress of her dreams had been just lying there in the box her father had found. Picking up the card, Sarah once again reread the message written on the inside.
Dearest Sarah,
I fear that this present will never be worthy of the queen that you are. But should you find it admirable, please wear Saturday. I also ask that you find me worthy of escorting you to the prom.
Sincerely, Jareth.
"Karen do you think that he, that is to say, will he come," Sarah wondered, "It's been so long since he's seen me. What if, what if he-"
"Sarah, stop if he is as wonderful as you say he is, he will love no matter how you look," Karen told her, "Otherwise, he is not worth your time, okay"
"Okay," Sarah replied. Sarah's eyes glanced towards the door, as she heard the doorbell ring. He was here. Walking to the stairs, Sarah was just in time to see, her father open the door to let Jareth in. Sarah stifled a gasp at the site of him. Jareth was almost exactly the same in the blue jacket and white pants. The only differences were the matching top hat he wore, and the fact that he looked like a teenager. Seeing Sarah standing at the top of the stairs, Jareth smiled. As Sarah descended the stairs, Jareth reached for her hand, and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Sarah smiled at his actions, and whispered a hello to him. Seeing his hat, Sarah frowned in puzzlement at why he was wearing it.
"Oh, you're wondering about the hat. Well, I thought we should match. As you can see we're both wearing blue and white," Jareth explain as he pinned a blue corsage to Sarah's dress, "Neither of us have hair, we both have hats, and-"
"Wait, what did you just say," Sarah asked.
"We both have hats," Jareth repeated.
"Just before that," Sarah clarified.
"Ah, well like I said," Jareth started, removing his hat to show where his blond hair used to be, "I thought we should match."
"Oh, Jareth," Sarah said, throwing her arms around him. Jareth returned her hug, and then stepping back from Sarah, offered her his arm. Sarah held onto his arm as he led her outside to a white and silver carriage, which was hitched to four horses.
At the prom, Sarah and Jareth danced to together all night long. When the DJ announced that it was the final song of the night, Jareth held Sarah closed as they slow danced around the room. Sarah laid her head on Jareth's shoulder, and whispered, "Is this a dream?"
"No Sarah, this is real and can be real for a very long time if you but say yes," Jareth answered.
"What will I be saying yes to," Sarah murmured into his shoulder.
"Marriage," was the reply.
Sarah raised her head and looked at Jareth. "Say you'll marry me, Sarah, please, " Jareth continued, "Give me my only dream, please, and I swear, I'll give you all of yours and more."
"Jareth, you are every dream I ever had and more," Sarah whispered as she laid her hand upon his cheek, "Of course I say yes. I love you." Jareth didn't say anything as he picked Sarah up and spun her around, their smiles lighting up the room. Jareth at last set Sarah back on her feet, and then he leaned down and kissed her. And at that moment, Sarah knew that she would never have to be afraid again.
The End
(I would just like to say to everyone, DO NOT kill me for shaving Jareth's head. He is a Fae after all, and his hair can grow back in the blink of an eye. So you can put away the pitchforks, knives, ropes, and all those other weapons. Hey, you with the rifle, put it down. All right, okay, thank you. Bye for now. Hey, I said put that rifle down.)