Chapter 12

Le tour d'Europe

"Where are we going first?" Sarah asked excited.

"Paris, la ville de l'amour", Jareth whispered, raising his eyebrows and giving her his famous smirk as she held on to him.

"Then take me away oh mon amour", Sarah replied and laughed.

"As you wish", he replied and teleported them out of the castle and into the city of Paris. They rematerialized in a small deserted side street, down from the Hotel Elysees Union in downtown Paris. Jareth took Sarah by the hand and walked with her to the hotel's entrance.

"I got us a double room, babe, with view onto the Eiffel tower from our own little balcony. Five days of Paris, just you and I, or as the French would say: "juste toi et moi".

"Keep it up with that French, boy, and 'toi et moi' will be making 'l'amour notre chambre tout la nuit'." Sarah used her best French from high school, and now it was Jareth turn to be turned on. The promise of 'love all night long', he understood in any language.

They checked in under the name Jareth King, which made Sarah giggle.

"How ingenious, our last name is King", she busted out laughing when they were in their room. Jareth had picked that name for their marriage certificate before their Surface wedding, and Sarah had found it funny ever since. She fell into the big bed and stretched out her arms as she stared at the ceiling.

"Ah paradis", she sighed as Jareth joined her in bed, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling as well.

"J'attends depuis longtemps", he said softly and Sarah gave him a questioning look.

"You've been waiting a long time for what?"

"Being in Paris with you, babe", Jareth smiled and jumped up. "Let's unpack and discover the city. It is ours for the taking", he declared as Sarah rolled her eyes at his dramatic take on it.

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked her and juggled his crystal balls in front of her with his boyish smirk. Sarah laughed and gave him a kiss.

"Oh hun, you are adorable. Put those balls away, quit your magic on me, and let's go stroll down the Champs-Elysees."

"I'm putting them away for now, but they'll be coming back out at night", Jareth promised as Sarah doubled over laughing.

"Oh this is starting off good already. I may have to throw you into the Fontaine des Mers to cool you off."

"Only if you go in there with me, babe."

He had to have the last word. Sarah was still laughing in the elevator.

They spent the entire day exploring the shops and bistros along the Champs-Elysees, and when it got dark, Jareth took Sarah to the top of the Eiffel tower to see all of Paris at night. It was breathtaking.

"It feels like we are on top of the world", Sarah said in amazement. Jareth had his arm wrapped around her and smiled happily.

"I want to kiss you on top of the world", he whispered to her quietly, and Sarah turned her face to him and let him kiss her tenderly for a long time.

After the gorgeous view on top of the Eiffel tower and a kiss Sarah would not forget for the rest of her existence, Jareth took her to Le Jules Verne for dinner, which was located on the second floor of the Eiffel tower.

"You are such a romantic", Sarah cooed at him and took his hand gently into hers as they sat at small table by the window. Sarah ordered the Troncon de turbot aux coquillages, and Jareth had the Volaille fermiere rotie en cocotte. And for dessert they both chose L'ecrou croustillant au chocolat.

"What the hell did we just order?" Sarah asked with a concerned voice.

"I think you ordered some fish and I got some free ranging chicken. I hope it's not ranging anymore and they killed it by now. Dessert is chocolate that much I know."

Jareth gave her such a look of uncertainty it made Sarah giggle.

Dinner had actually been exceptionally good and they had a great time. Jareth wanted to hit a few nightclubs afterwards and check out the live music scene.

"I heard of this club called 'Le Caveau de Oubliettes'. Sounds like it could belong in the Labyrinth Kingdom", Jareth grinned. "Let's check it out."

Sarah was totally down with it.

The club was on the smaller side, but very cozy with its cave like look and dim lights. Jareth liked it immediately. A band was up on stage playing some rock tunes. They felt instantly at home as they ordered some wine. They stayed most the evening and danced to all the slower songs, as Jareth wanted to hold Sarah close.

They took a cab to get back to the hotel.

"Tomorrow we're going to the Moulin rouge in the evening. I have tickets for a show at nine." Jareth winked as they took the elevator to their room. "I thought we could hit up some museums and galleries during the day." He put his arms around Sarah and kissed her gently.

"Sounds like a perfect plan", she whispered back.

Jareth got his wish of 'l'amour notre chambre tout la nuit'. They nearly overslept the next day due to their nightly activities and barely made the time to grab a continental breakfast.

For the next four days they visited nearly all the famous sites from the Louvres, which really impressed Jareth, to the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Montmartre. He was especially impressed by the Palace of Versailles and got a few ideas for his own castle.

"I love all these mirrors. Quite ingenious", he told Sarah.

"Too much cleaning", Sarah disagreed and laughed. "You still need to get the volcano fountains from Vegas too remember?"

"I'm making a list", he declared with a serious face, which made Sarah laugh even more.

Their stay in Paris went by way too fast for Sarah and she already missed it before they had even left.

"We can come back any time. Next time we only visit Paris and stay longer", Jareth promised with a kiss and they teleported to the Babuino 181 Hotel in Rome.


Within an hour after arrival Sarah had forgotten about Paris. Rome was epic in her view. She loved the hotel being so close to the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps. The hotel was located in the best location in Rome, the heart of the upscale Spanish Steps Quarter. It had a rooftop terrace with a bar for viewing Rome from atop, and the suite had a beautiful spacious marble bath.

Jareth really liked the bath as it easily held two people.

"Facciamo l'amore nella vasca da bagno", Jareth whispered seductively and held Sarah tight as he kissed her neck.

"Oh my god, you speak Italian too? I'm not sure what you just said but I heard 'amore' and that means love, so I have a pretty good idea", she laughed and got free from his embrace.

"Do you ever think about anything else? Like gladiators, colosseum, basilicas? We are in Rome after all", she laughed.

"Babe, I waited three hundred and twenty nine years to make love to you, and now I can't get enough of it. I have a lot of catching up to do."

He found that to be an adequate explanation and gave her his best pout.

Sarah kissed him on his forehead and walked out of the bathroom.

"Let's go, I want to see those Spanish Steps and make a wish at the Trevi Fountain."

Jareth sighed and followed her.

They enjoyed a lovely afternoon on the Spanish Steps, and Sarah had made her wish at the fountain. Jareth also had made a wish, but Sarah was sure it was of a complete different nature than hers.

"Don't tell me, I already know", she laughed, put her hands up and tossed her own coin in.

"What did you wish for, babe?" Jareth inquired.

"For you to quit being a horny hound dog", she laughed out loud and left him standing with a disappointed face.

They had lunch at Il Gabriello, and this time Sarah knew what she was ordering, since the menu looked very familiar to the Italian Restaurant in her home town, except it was so much better.

"Oh my god this is so good. No comparison to the Italian food we get at home. That, right here, is what you need to bring back to the Underground", Sarah declared. Jareth laughed, but he agreed, it was delicious.

They took in the sights of the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, as Sarah wanted to see those sites first. She was fascinated with the old architecture and had a hard time believing how such structures could have been built without power tools.

"Everything in the kingdom is built without power tools too", Jareth remarked.

"Yeah but you use magic and that doesn't count", she countered with a smile and a smirk. Once again Jareth had a pouting face and Sarah laughed.

They had skipped over the catacombs, as Sarah thought it reminded her too much of the Labyrinth, and Jareth had agreed. They hadn't come to Rome to be reminded of the Underground. The whole point of their vacation was to get Sarah's mind off her miscarriage and back to living life.

Since the Italian nightlife didn't start until nine in the evening, and Jareth knew they would not be coming home before dawn, he made sure to get his 'amore' in the marble bathtub early. Sarah did not object this time, especially after Jareth had convinced her that you cannot visit Rome without making amore in a spacious marble tub.

"Fate come i romani", he had laughed. "Do as the Romans do", and Sarah found out that the Roman way was actually quite entertaining and satisfying. With this most important activity out of the way he could concentrate on the actual nightlife.

"Where are we going?" Sarah inquired as she put on her shoes. She had slipped into a sexy little black cocktail dress which Jareth had highly approved of.

"Alcazar. It's an old cinema converted into a cultural concept space. They have a jazz band playing tonight. We can eat at the hostaria and view the entire stage from above." Sarah was excited as this sounded like a lot of fun, and it was.

"How are we getting there? Teleport?" Sarah asked as she put her earrings on.

"Nope, remember, fate come i romani; we take a Vespa", Jareth grinned at her and tilted his head. Sarah looked at him stunned.

"Hun, look at my dress. Do I look like I can ride a Vespa?"

"No problem, pull it up, because, fate come i romani". He replied with a laugh.

"How do you say 'shut the f... up' in Italian?" Sarah inquired rolling her eyes. Jareth only laughed harder.

"Chiudi quella cazzo di bocca", he replied laughing so hard he had tears rolling down his cheeks. Sarah threw her shoe at him but missed.

Jareth had been right. It was nearly six in the morning before they had returned to their hotel. He thought he would have to carry Sarah back to the room, she was that tired. By this time she had taken her shoes off and held them in her hand.

"Remind me tomorrow to wear my converse sneakers. High heels in Rome look great but are definitely overrated for your feet", she whispered as she slipped under the covers of their bed. He only grinned and turned off the light.

The next few day were one big party after another and by day five Sarah thought she was going to die.

They had hit all the major tourist attractions in the afternoons and then went barhopping until dawn. This 'fate come i romani' was really having a toll on her.

"I'm getting too old for this", she complained groggily. Jareth agreed to take it easy on their last day.

"There's always the marble bathtub", he winked with a smirk. This earned him another shoe to his head and luckily Sarah missed again.

After their last day in Rome Sarah had recuperated enough to be ready for their last stop, Vienna. Vienna was not as much of a party town as a cultural center. She was looking forward to something a little less wild, less 'romani', and more 'Kultur'.

"Ready, babe?" Jareth asked and they teleported to Vienna.


"Where are we staying in Vienna?" Sarah asked as they rematerialized in a small deserted side street.

"The best of the best, Hotel Sacher", he replied and gave her a gentle smile. Sarah's mouth fell open.

"Are you serious? That's a five start hotel", she was dumbstruck. Jareth took her hand and walked into the lobby with her.

Jareth had reserved a small double room with a view onto the Vienna State Opera, or the 'Staatsopernhaus' as they would say in Vienna. Sarah loved the décor, the bed, everything. It screamed five stars and luxury. She fell into bed again like she had done in Paris, with Jareth joining her.

"I wonder how to say 'I want to make love to you right now' in German?" Jareth mumbled to himself.

"Ich will jetzt sofort Liebe mit dir machen", Sarah said with a smirk and looked at Jareth with mischievous eyes. He only stared at her.

"How do you know that?" He wondered and sat up as it was his turn to be dumbstruck.

"My mom's parents were German immigrants from Bavaria. She taught me a lot of German when I was little, and then I also took it in High School." Sarah looked at Jareth victoriously.

"Ok, so you are saying you want to make love to me", he had recuperated from his initial shock and tried to turn this into his advantage. Sarah laughed and pushed him off the bed.

"Vieleicht spaeter, und vieleicht auch nicht", she said seductively and walked into the bathroom.

"Vieleicht what now?" Jareth stammered confused.

"Look it up", Sarah called through the bathroom door and followed it up with a loud laugh. Jareth sat on the bed pouting, again.

The Hotel Sacher was gorgeous. It looked like a romantic era baroque palace. Sarah couldn't get over the furniture, carpets, paintings, and the architecture.

"It is stunning", she said as they strolled through the hotel, which was huge. It had several restaurants inside, The Green Bar, Red Bar, and Blue Bar, the Sacher Eck, the Salon Sacher, as well as the Café Sacher. It was definitely a hotel fit for emperors and kings.

"I know why you wanted to save this one for last", Sarah whispered at Jareth as they sat inside Café Sacher waiting on the cake and coffee. She looked at him with eyes full of love and took his hand into hers.

"Have I told you lately I love you?"

Her eyes shimmered in their intense greenish brown color and her hair changed to a beautiful Bordeaux red. Jareth took a deep breath and tilted his head.

"Now easy, precious. Don't make me take you back upstairs and forget about this 'vieleicht' stuff. And by the way you said 'maybe later and maybe not'. I looked it up, but I decided to disregard the second part and stick with the maybe later part. I love you too."

He smirked at her and then leaned over and gave her an ardent kiss.

"Pardon, mein Herr", the waiter made Jareth interrupt his kiss. "Here's your cake and coffee. If you need anything else, please call", he bowed and left.

"We'll finish this later, and no 'vieleicht'", Jareth mouthed to her and started eating his cake. Sarah chuckled.

Since it was still early they decided to make a visit to the Hofburg which was not far from the hotel. Jareth was very impressed by the former residency of past Austrian kings and emperors, and made mental notes to improve his castle.

They also visited the Stefan's Dom, the biggest and most famous cathedral in Vienna, before they headed back to Hotel Sacher for dinner.

Sarah ordered a Rindsgulasch with Serviettenknoedeln, as Jareth played it safe with a Wienerschnitzel. For desert they both had the original Sacher Chocolate Parfait with strawberries. Sarah had tried to help Jareth out with the menu, but the Austrian names were a tad hard for her to translate. A breaded steak seemed a safe bet for him.

"Where do you want to go this evening?" He asked her while they ate their dessert.

"You mean you don't have a wild night planned with nightclubs?" Sarah asked astound.

"Nope, babe. This is Vienna, a sophisticated town of castles, museums, classic music, and waltzes. I want to make this special. I have tickets for the opera for tomorrow night by the way. Johann Strauss' 'Die Fledermaus'". He waved the tickets in front of her. Sarah's eyes lit up.

"Oh hun, that is awesome. I love that operetta. And I know exactly what to wear too", she smirked with a mysterious look.

They decided to spend the rest of the evening at the Red Bar. It was a beautiful place decked out in baroque furniture and the entire place was red. Red wallpaper, red table clothes, red upholstered chairs, and red carpets. A pianist played classical tunes on the grand piano.

Sarah enjoyed this quiet evening with Jareth. For once, it was not going wild from loud place to loud place, this was very relaxing and chic. Plus she could have a nice quiet conversation with Jareth.

"How did you like the trip so far, precious?" Jareth looked at her with soft eyes and his finger stroked her cheek. Instead of words, Sarah answered with a passionate kiss.

"I take you approve of it then", he smiled and took a sip of his Chardonnay.

"Very much so, sweetheart", Sarah replied and kissed him again. "Thank you so much for this. It's absolutely wonderful. Like a..." she had to chuckle at her next few words, "...like a fairy tale come true."

"Let's dance a little. I want to hold you close to me", he tenderly took her hand and let her onto the floor. This night they did not come back too late for their love making.

"Yep, Vienna is the city for lovers", he sighed.

The days flew by way too fast for Sarah. They had gone to the operetta, and Sarah had worn the color changing dress Jareth had bought her for Christmas in 1992. She had garnered a lot of attention, especially from the men. Jareth was beaming with pride. They had visited Schloss Schoenbrunn and the Belvedere Museum.

On the last day of the trip Jareth had signed up for a twelve hour tour to nearby Salzburg. They took the tour through the salt mines and had to wear those funny clothes and shoes. Jareth had gotten a kick out of it and contemplated to bring those back as uniforms for his castle employees. Luckily Sarah managed to talk him out of it.

They also visited Mozart's birth house. Jareth nearly had tears in his eyes seeing it and taking a tour through it. For him, Mozart was one of the greatest classical composers of all times.

That evening, Jareth made sure to dance the waltz he had promised Sarah before they had gone on the trip

"I'm going to dance the waltz with you in Vienna", he had promised her and he was about to deliver. He gave the pianist at the Red Bar a nice tip and he played 'An der schoenen blauen Donau', 'Wiener Blut', and the 'Kaiser Walzer'.

Sarah was in heaven, and rewarded Jareth with a long passionate kiss afterwards, much to the delight of the other patrons who had applauded them on their dancing skills.

Sarah sighed the next day as they were packing up to return to the Labyrinth Kingdom. It seemed like these last fifteen days had flown by in a blink of an eye.

"Can't you alter time or something so we can stay longer?" Sarah asked Jareth, but he had only smiled and shaken his head.

"Sorry, babe no can do, but we can come back again. We only have forever to visit in the future."

He gave her a gentle kiss. Sarah sighed and looked around the room one more time.

"Farewell, so long, auf Wiedersehn, good bye, es war sehr schoen, doch leider muss Ich gehn", she quietly sang her little song.

"What is that from? I like it", Jareth asked wondering.

"The Sound of Music. I'm singing my good bye", she whispered with a smile, and held on to Jareth as they teleported back to the castle.


Being from Germany I had a lot of fun with this chapter and incorporating three languages into it. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a feedback if you can. Thank you all for reading.