Rites of Passage by Betty Bokor
Jareth/Sarah. When Sarah is called to save the King, her life takes a whole new course, again.
Spoilers: The movie, the book, and some of the Return series.
Disclaimer: The Labyrinth original characters belong to The Jim Henson Company and Lucasfilms Ltd. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

A.N. The last day.

Warning: this chapter talks about sex. If you have any objections, please skip it. You will understand the rest of the story just fine.

Rites of Passage

Chapter 21

"You don't want to talk anymore, eh?" Sarah said looking at Jareth from her refuge.

"I think I've said enough," he was serious again. He closed his eyes and tried something different. "If I'm not mistaken, I was promised just dinner, no talking included," he said more lightheartedly.

She smiled. "Okay, I'll start unbuttoning then," she deadpanned, but she did not move.

"Is that the best scenario you came up with –all those now and then times– or is there anything a little more exciting?" he asked, making an effort to lighten the mood.

"Ah… You're intrigued."

"Somewhat," he replied casually, hiding a small smile.

"Well, they all more or less start somewhere close to those buttons under the jabot," she raised her hand and softly caressed him right below the jaw, but did not go any further.

"Come on," he said, suddenly breaking the embrace and moving up the bed with a grace that awed her. He reclined against the pillows at the headboard and offered a hand to her. "Join me. Let's lie down for a while," he proposed.

She agreed quietly and lay down by his side. He immediately pulled her closer with his arm around her and they remained like that for a moment or two, until Sarah, very gently, said, "I don't want you to go."

She felt his chest rise in a deep breath. He took a few seconds and then said, "Thank you."

She would have preferred that he argued with her, that he tried to explain why there was no other solution, or why he had to be the one who sacrificed himself, but she understood his reluctance.

"You knew," she said a couple of minutes later. As he did not reply, she continued. "When you offered me my dreams, right at the end, you knew."

"Sarah," he began with a tone that told her that he was not ready to go there.

"No; you don't need to tell me. I understand it's too late. I wasn't listening to you that day; I just want you to know that. I was scared to death about not getting Toby back. There was nothing that could have been worse than that at that moment. I could only imagine my dad's face when he got home and he found out Toby was gone… and Karen… worse. I couldn't think about anything else."

"Toby was already home by the time we had that talk," he felt compelled to say.

She was surprised. "I didn't know that; I didn't get that. I was so single-mindedly trying to get him home, I couldn't see anything else. But later, when I calmed down, after the goblins left, I realized something important had happened right before you sent me back. I tried to recall what I had heard you say, but I hadn't paid enough attention… and then, slowly, it all started to come back, word by word, as if it were a recording in my head. And I knew what my dreams were… You didn't say it in those terms, but you offered me a chance to stay here in the Underground." She was not asking him; she was certain. "Because you knew or you felt something about me." She passed her arm over his chest and hugged him tighter.

He remained silent, but there was no need to say a word.

Sarah felt like crying, but instead of doing that, she got closer to him and began softly kissing his neck around the collar while her hand wondered under the jabot and began unbuttoning the shirt.

"Sarah… What are you doing?" he asked, truly surprised.

"I still want this… I still want you. If this is the last time we'll be together, then I don't want to waste a minute." She carefully climbed on top of him and looked at his face. He was not smiling, but his eyes looked happier than a few minutes before. "What do you say? Can I keep on going? And remember, if you say no, I can wiggle and waggle a little above here and change your mind…" she said trying to sound cheerful.

He looked at her for a moment, wondering if she really wanted what she was asking for, and then, deftly and swiftly, put his arms around her and turned them so that he landed on top of her. "Oh, precious, I can make you squirm…" he whispered before kissing her.

Their lovemaking was very different than before. There was a lot less talking and exploring and a lot more searching for a purely physical response. Sarah would later think about their second night together as a time filled with love and nurturing, just as their first, but also an overbearing anguish, almost desperation. More than once she felt on the verge of revealing her feelings to him, but every time she stopped herself right in time. She knew how many other concerns were consuming him at the time and she did not want to add another. He did not need to know she loved him. It would only weight down on him when he did what he had to do. Now she was sure that when he had asked her all those things –to fear him, to love him, to do as he said, or, in one phrase, to let him rule her– he had offered her to be one of his subjects, to remain in the labyrinth with him as her king. That was probably not going to be possible anymore, but she had to be thankful for what he was giving her. He had been very gracious at accommodating all her wishes during those two days.

The next morning, when Sarah woke up, she knew Jareth was already awake. They talked about unimportant matters for a while, enjoying their moment together. Later on the day, while seating in the bathtub, Sarah said, "You know, yesterday, when we were here, I told you that I had pain everywhere in my body. It felt like I had run a marathon without having even trained for it."

"I remember," he replied.

"But when we got out of the water, I had no more pain. You did something to me, didn't you?"

He smiled. "Just a little touch… to make your day more comfortable."

"I knew it!" she smiled, too. She had not felt any more pain since then. "Thanks. It helped a lot."

"Good."

She noticed his mood was not very cheerful. "How long?" she asked in a whisper.

"After lunch."

"May I ask again?" she shyly inquired.

"Pardon?"

"I asked you yesterday to not only fight to end the war, but to fight to get out of there alive. I just wanted to ask you again… Maybe you'll listen if I keep asking," she finished with a smile.

He made an effort to smile back. "It's very kind of you, but there are priorities I have to focus on and coming back isn't one of the top ones."

"But now at least it made the list," she replied with hope.

"You have to understand, Sarah, that that one is very low in the list. Actually, it's the last one."

"But it's there… Before, I was sure there was no chance; you didn't even consider it."

"Alright, yes, it's there. If there's a chance, I'll take it."

"You'll fight for it…" she pushed a little more.

He sighed. "After all that needs to be done is done, I promise I'll fight to come back."

She got closer to him. "Thanks."

"Ready to get out?"

"Will I find yesterday's dress?"

"What about a new one?"

"I'm not a doll, you know," she joked.

He did not understand. "A doll?"

"Don't worry. It's something silly. I used to like to change the dresses of my dolls," she tried to explain.

"I see. If that's the problem, then I'll leave some dresses on the bed and you can choose one and dress yourself," he granted.

"Okay," she agreed and, laughing like a child, run to the bed to choose one before he got there. There were several dresses similar to the one she had worn the day before. She chose a burgundy one that looked fresh and comfortable. As she picked it up from the bed, she realized it was laced at the back, just like the first one and the same as all the others on the bed. She got into the dress and called him. "Okay, now I need help," she told him as he approached, already fully dressed.

"Really? I thought you did not want me to dress you," he teased her.

"All these dresses have the same laces in the back; you put no buttons on purpose. What about a zipper? It's not going to cramp your style, is it?"

"I should let you sew your own dresses," he said with his customary smirk. He had just started fastening the laces, when Sarah started contorting and laughing. He stopped. "Are you alright?"

"You're tickling me, right there in the cow spot."

"The cow spot?" he repeated.

"Yeah, right there, in the back, above the tailbone."

"Above the coccyx? And you call that the cow spot because…?"

"I don't know. My parents called it that way."

He smiled. He liked that. There was always something to discover when he was with her, even if it was just a little thing. "Alright; let's do this the right way then," he said before flicking his wrist and getting her dress laced up with magic.

"Oh, that's disappointing…" Sarah complained.

"It is?" Jareth asked, surprised.

"I liked the tickling."

He simply hugged her and they stayed in each other's arms for a while. Later on, they had some brunch and they went for a walk on the beach, but a short while before two in the afternoon, he told her it was time to go back. When they returned to the house, Sarah saw an ornate wooden chest close to the bed.

Jareth pointed at the heavy object. "This is for you. Here are your dresses, the shoes, and the necklace. All your own things are there, too. I'll take it to your apartment when I take you back."

"Thank you," was all she could say. She was sad again. For a while, she had almost forgotten that they would have to separate soon, but now she had to face it. She gave one last look at the room. "I'm ready, whenever you want to go."

He extended his hand and she grabbed it. A few seconds later they were standing in her living-room and the chest had been placed close to the back wall.

Before letting her hand go, he kissed it. "It's been a pleasure, Sarah Williams. I just want to express my gratitude to you for having granted me the joy of your company these two days. This time has allowed me to put aside my worries and enjoy a respite in this war that has taken over my life. I leave better prepared to face it."

Instead of answering, she got very close to him and grabbed his arm to support herself as she stood on her tiptoes and stretched to whisper in his ear. "Just remember, we want you to come back. I want you to come back." She let go of his arm and walked a few steps backward. "And there's nothing to thank me for. You have indulged every one of my wishes and some that I didn't know I had before you granted them. I asked you to guide me through a rite of passage and you held my hand the whole time along the way. I won't forget your kindness. I could not haven chosen anyone better than you."

He did not reply either. He walked to her and kissed her as passionately as he had that first time in his castle. When the kiss ended, Sarah grabbed his arm and kept him close to her.

"Did you just do that because nothing else can come out of it?" she asked with an impish smile.

"Yes," he said firmly. "I have very little time left. I need to go back to my people."

"But we could hurry up… As you know, I'm not wearing any of my own things under this," she suggested.

He closed his eyes for a second and then he was kissing her again, lifting her, pinning her against the wall while her legs wrapped around his hips. She was pretty sure there would be no foreplay or waiting.

And she was right.

There would be lots of things she would later remember about him making love to her during that weekend; the subtle movements of his shoulder muscles as he held himself in his arms and hovered above her; the light caress of his hair on her naked skin; his characteristic –unique– scent; the mesmerizing taste of his mouth; the softness of his skin… Oh, there were hundreds of things to remember, but nothing would affect her as much as the look in his eyes and they joined their bodies. Just like the first time, just like right now. He looked at her, eye to eye, and transmitted so much love and care in that one look that it was almost overwhelming. He may not love her like she loved him, but he obviously cared about her more than he was willing to admit to her.

Soon, they were both in her bed, entangled in a tight embrace, and she could feel her whole body tingling as she pressed herself against his. She tried to even her breath, calm down from the high making love to him gave her. She knew it had been their last time –at least for a long while– but she did not want to let him go yet. She hugged him tighter.

"I do have to leave, precious," he said in a whisper.

"I know… I understand."

"I want to give you one more thing before I go away."

"What?"

He pulled a hand from under the covers, flicked it, and produced a crystal.

"My dreams?" she asked with a playful smile.

"No. I think you're completely capable of achieving those on your own. Keep this and it will take you to the glass house anytime you want."

"Anytime? What happens if I decide to go and you're already there?"

"There's very little chance of that, but, if it ever happened, you'd be a welcome sight for my eyes."

She kissed him softly. "Thanks."

"Now, all there's left is to say good-bye."

"Oh, no. I don't like that word. It makes me think that it's something definite, forever," she argued.

"Farewell, then? Vale? Actually, you should know that good-bye used to be godbwye, which meant 'God be with ye' and I wouldn't mind to have the gods on my side in my next journey."

"As long as it isn't adiós… I remember from school that that one means 'to God' and I don't want you to go that way anytime soon."

"Many Romance languages have the same idea… Adiós, addio, adieu, adeus…"

"No; let's not use those. Maybe hasta la vista," she proposed.

He seemed to think about it. "Many cultures in your world say something like that. Au revoir, arrivederci, auf Wiedersehen, they all mean the same," he added. "Sounds good. Or we could say hasta pronto or hasta luego."

"Yes! I want to see you soon!" she said enthusiastically.

"So, à bientôt… bis dann. What about До Свидания, 'until we meet again' in Russian?"

"The sooner the better." She smiled. It was nice to be silly with him, to forget all the ugly stuff coming his way. "I remember one more, chau."

"Better Ciao or aloha that can be used for both hello and good-bye," he went along. He thought for a short while and added, "Sayōnara would be more like amen than farewell, so-"

"I got it!" Sarah interrupted. "I have the perfect one. Shalom. It's also peace, right?"

"Yes, it also means peace. And you're correct; that's the right one. I hope that, if I ever see you again, there will be peace in my world. Shalom." He kissed her one more time and he was gone.