The Daydreamer and the King

By Danika Lareyna

Chapter Three – A Star

Sarah's hands moved as if of their own accord, spinning the crystal exactly as the Goblin King had shown her. It did not even occur to her to wonder how she did it; she felt the magic flowing out of the crystal and into her before twisting back into the crystal in and endless spiral. It glowed from within, irresistibly drawing the young woman's gaze. As the crystal spun, the world spun. Sarah lost herself in the dream.

xXx

Strange, the things a mind picks up on. Sarah would never forget the pale barn owl, which had watched her as she flitted about the park that day. She had been practicing, acting out her favorite stories as usual. The chiming of the clock tower had reminded her of forgotten duties, tolled its condemnation of her tardiness. She had turned to run home to another night of babysitting, but a figure stood in the center of the bridge, blocking her path. His manner was confident, bordering on arrogant. He was tall, well dressed, and incredibly handsome. With a slightly predatory look, he had asked her whether she had ever considered acting professionally. All thoughts of childcare had dashed from her mind.

When Sarah had glanced over, the owl was gone.

xXx

Sarah's first major role had been exactly suited to her, just as the man, now her manager, had promised it would be. She played a fairytale princess who had faced down nearly impossible odds to win her happiness. The movie had done relatively well but Sarah had been a hit. Her charming personality, her innocent beauty and her uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time (sparked entirely by her talented manager) had rocketed her to stardom overnight.

As Sarah happily signed autographs for a seemingly endless line of teenage girls, girls who up until recently would not have given Sarah the time of day, she glanced up and saw Jareth hovering protectively near her. His wild blond hair, which would have looked almost ridiculous anywhere but here, in the heart of Hollywood, twisted in the breeze. His dark, reflective shades sat low enough on his nose to reveal his curious, mismatched eyes, always watching her. She smiled up at her manager and turned back to sign another in the long line of shiny black and white photographs of her smiling face.

Her life, she realized, was perfect.

xXx

The door to her trailer slammed open violently, but Sarah continued serenely applying eyeliner, well used to it by now. "No she will not appear in your magazine. How many times do I have to tell you vultures? I don't care if she is of age now, Sarah Williams does not do nudity!" Jareth snapped his cell phone shut decisively and slid it into his pocket before throwing himself onto the small couch with a snarl.

Sarah watched him in her mirror, her lips quirking in a small smile. After three years together, she was quite comfortable with Jareth's temper, provided it was not aimed at her. When he had first taken her under his wing he had alternately mesmerized her and terrified her. Now... well, now he alternately mesmerized her and exasperated her, but she supposed that was some kind of improvement.

"And what exactly does Sarah Williams do?" she asked, carefully tucking away her makeup, each item in its proper place. She did not normally need much in the way of makeup, but this role had been an exception. She turned on her rotating stool to face him, sprawled casually across her couch with his hand over his eyes, massaging his temples.

"Your choice, love," he replied in a weary voice, "I've got an offer for a naive but good-natured hairdresser in a romantic comedy, an ugly-duckling with a heart of gold in another teenage movie, or a plucky heroine in another of those fantasy stories you like so much. None of them are wonderful. The best part about whichever you choose will be your presence in it."

Sarah made a face, "I'm so sick of roles like that. Doesn't anyone write anything fun anymore?"

Jareth lowered his hand and smirked at her. "Well I got you this role, didn't I?" he drawled, waving a hand to indicate her apparel. Her dark hair was spiked and streaked with green, her makeup heavy and otherworldly. She wore a dress of sparkling midnight sequins, a high-collared cloak around her shoulders. She looked, if she did say so herself, dangerous and sexy. "A Goblin Queen," he continued, "How strangely appropriate."

She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him but could not hide the hint of a smile that tugged at her silver-tinted lips. "You're just jealous," she replied, dropping her voice into the low, throaty purr she used for the Goblin Queen she was playing. A voice, she would never admit aloud, she had worked up by imitating Jareth.

His look told her that he was quite aware of the inspiration and he did not find it at all amusing. "Jealous, pet?"

Sarah nodded, tugging at her long, black gloves. "You are jealous that, in this get-up, I look even more intimidating than you." She smirked as he snorted laughter.

He glanced up at her, towering over his reclining figure. High, pale eyebrows drew down and he said, "Well you certainly look different. Are you certain they insisted the cleavage be quite that low? I thought this was supposed to be a children's show."

Sarah squirmed a little and tried to look innocent. "Of course, all the costume designer's fault. Don't look at me."

Jareth rolled his eyes, "How is it that one of the top actresses in the business can't even lie with a straight face?" He shifted over, hooking his legs over the back of the couch and waving a wordless invitation to join him. Sarah stuck her tongue at the infuriating man, but perched on the couch, leaning back against his legs. A little thrill ran through her at his proximity, but she ruthlessly quashed it. She had harbored a crush on her manager almost from day one, but he had never given indication of wanting anything more than a business relationship with her. Besides, she thought morosely, he probably still viewed her as a child, Playboy offers or no.

Sarah shot him a guilty glance; he was staring at the ceiling, massaging his temples again. He was not getting enough sleep, as usual. One of these days, she would find him, asleep where he sat, cell phone held to his ear and someone yelling at him ineffectually on the other end. Then she would have to order him to take a vacation again. He hated that; he was just not the type to sit still that long. She smiled to herself, maybe after this film. She could use a little break herself.

Twisting gloved fingers together in her lap, Sarah berated herself for acting the self-conscious little girl. She was a sophisticated star and she most certainly would not be put off balance by one man- intelligent, strong, intense and sexy as he may be. She took a deep breath, straightening her back with resolve and then immediately deflated when he shifted, sending another course of tingles down her spine.

She peeked at him again, out of the corner of her eyes and was surprised to discover him staring back at her. Sarah watched him looking at her, her gaze hidden by the mass of spiked, near-black hair. His mismatched eyes traveled up and down her body, a look of undeniable appreciation within. Sarah felt a blush of pleasure rise in her cheeks. In a soft voice, never turning to face him, she said, "The outfit is not that bad, is it?"

Jareth cleared his throat, obviously not happy to be caught staring at her in such a way. Carefully extracting his long legs from behind her, Jareth stood, not meeting her gaze. A wave of disappointment threatened to engulf her and Sarah lowered her eyes to her gloved hands. She felt more than saw him, standing next to her. Always next to her, just close enough to protect her should anything go wrong. Never closer.

Her breath caught in her throat when a pale finger gently ran down her cheek and an elegantly accented voice whispered, "You're always beautiful, Sarah."

They both jumped when someone tapped hesitantly on the trailer door. "Um, Miss Williams?" a nervous voice called, "The director would like to talk to you about the scene you'll be shooting today?" Sarah sighed and shot a resigned look at Jareth that he deemed to ignore, walking towards the back of the small space so that his back was to her. She stood and carefully arranged her hair, dress and cloak before stepping out to follow the young aide to the director.

Sarah felt a prickle on the back of her neck and turned to see Jareth, leaning against one side of the trailer doorway with his foot up and braced against the other. His arms were crossed and he watched her go with his usual protective glare. However, there was something else, too. Sarah, who knew Jareth's face better than she knew her own, saw something there that she had never seen before, something that sparked in her a boldness she could not even begin to fathom.

Without a thought, Sarah spun on her heel and ran back to the trailer. Jareth watched her approach, curiosity obvious in his gaze, until she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and was amazed to find herself kissing him.

Sarah had kissed many men in the course of her short career. In fact she had kissed and been kissed by some of the most desirable young actors in Hollywood. But always those had been the cold, emotionless kiss of the stage. After getting over the initial embarrassment early on, she had felt no more kissing in front of the camera than she did speaking.

When she kissed Jareth, it burned all the way down to her toes.

And when his arms came around her, crushing her to him, when he began to kiss her back with equal, if not more, passion and desire... Well, the director would just have to wait.

xXx

Author's Note:

Much thanks to MartiOwlsten, without whom this chapter would probably never have been written. Now go read her "The Goblin King and I" and leave lots of complimentary reviews. n