Listen. I am a terrible fanfiction writer. I originally told myself that I would post every two weeks, to stay consistent and to give people time to read it, but... That didn't happen. I got too excited. I got ahead of myself... It's just... I really, really like this story, and it makes me happy. I know there are at least 3 of you who also like it, and I really just want you guys to feel the way I feel. So I am yelling a very large FUCK IT and giving you another chapter this week.
Guys.
Guys.
Now this... This is a proper chapter that is FULL of Jareth/Sarah content. THIS is what you have been waiting for. I have waited SO LONG to get to this part in the story. It is the reason we have gone this far, honey. Now enjoy this lovely chapter. Tell me what you think.
:)
I own nothing. I am writing this for shits 'n giggles.
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~Staggering Strength~
Everything is so quiet and solemn. Sounds of voices buzz over the intercoms, and the sound of gurney wheels ring through the inside the sterilized hallways of the hospital waiting room.
*clang*
The fluorescent lighting blurs the reality of life and death that is hung by a thread among almost every hospital room within the four story building. Sarah and Jareth sit beside one another in a more secluded corner of the waiting area anxiously awaiting for any news about Ellie.
*clang*
Jareth is focused and calculated. He is stern and still, almost statuesque. Moving his eyes towards Sarah's direction, he can see millions of things going through her mind as she sits with twitchy legs crossed, staring at the floor in vigor.
*clang*
Sarah sits next to him as she holds Ellie's spring sweater, clutching it so dearly that her knuckles turn white. Her knees shake in endless anticipation, and she is almost at her whits end. She could really use a cigarette right about now, but the very thought of smoking wants to make her vomit. Her eyes focus to the floor as her brows curl in concern. Jareth changes positions to stay as comfortable as possible. She hears the clang of the handcuffs that he still wears.
*clang, clang*
She never really noticed how much she hated the sound before- the brash way the iron jingles together endlessly clanks at the back of her head almost like nails on a chalkboard. Before she knows it, this is all she hears; clang, clang, clang go the iron bracelets around his right arm.
It is driving her mad- *clang*
The thoughts- *clang*
The endless thoughts- *clang*
Everything is so quiet-
*clang*
She has had enough of this.
Sarah releases a frustrated grunt as she grabs his hand to pull it to her lap. He watches her with a quiet demeanor, wondering what she is doing. She holds his arm with one gentle hand as she pulls out the handcuff key from the chain wrapped around her neck with the other. In two swift clicks, the handcuffs finally come off, and she throws the wretched cuffs, as well as the key, in the trash can next to her. She is finally setting Jareth free from pain and discomfort, as well as herself from the gods-awful sounds.
This takes a moment for Jareth to process, but it takes naught but a second for him to feel completely rejuvenated by his magic. A small whirl of wind travels around him as he feels his body and soul fill to the brim with what had been held from him for too long. Jareth is glad to be in a secluded corner, grateful that no one can see his mini-transformation.
Instead of returning his hand, Sarah caresses it as she slowly touches the tip of her fingers onto the markings that seemed to be left behind by the iron cuffs. Upon closer inspection, these markings are deep and dark, more like burns than actual scars. She can feel for herself the very real indentions that had been left by her own selfish doing. She forced this upon him. He had practically been tortured by a human, and for what? Her own selfish desires were a desperate attempt to control a situation that was completely out of her hands.
But he does not feel the same way as she. Where she sees pain and guilt, he sees trust and empathy. He could feel the tenderness of the pain, but he fully invites the gentility of her feather-like touch. Her light touches send shocks of desire and an unwavering thirst to feel more of her skin against his. He fully embraces how her touch makes him feel, but he releases power over his arm and gives her full control. He is more than content to let his hand be held by hers for as long as she needed.
He speaks. "So it seems that I finally gained your trust."
She continues to touch his hand with remorse. "You did today." Her voice is low and raspy. She moves her thumb over his burn. "I... can't believe I did this to you- how utterly mindless and selfish was I?" Her face fills with scorn and sadness. "I do this to you without a second thought- and then to just...continue the torture-" She quiets to a whisper, continuing to hold on to his hand. "I'm sorry," she quietly sniffs as some tears fall.
He has a sneaking suspicion that the tears being shed are not for him. He is okay with this. She should stay focused on her child, not him. He will heal, and her touch is quite enough for him to silently forgive her. He takes initiative and threads his fingers through hers as he holds her hand tightly.
"I will be fine. This will be gone in a few days." He brushes the matter off, hoping to instill some peace within her. "You have more pressing matters to keep your mind on."
"She's-" Sarah does everything she can not to break down.
"Everything will be alright." His voice sounds so sure, but Sarah can't shake all of her negative thoughts away.
She squeezes his hand even tighter as she vigorously shakes her head. "You don't know that." Her hair covers her face. "You don't know what she's been through. I was a... moron the believe that she would be okay after one measly week of showing signs of recovery. I knew she was doing too much. I knew she wasn't okay. I let myself believe it. I needed to believe she was just... magically okay. I needed-" She cannot continue with the fear of bursting into tears.
Jareth shakes his head in disagreement. "What a shame it is for a mother to have hopes that her child will be able to play and act like a child. Why shouldn't you be able to hope for that?" His tone causes Sarah's body to ripple in a slight remorseful chuckle in agreement.
"God, she was right." Sarah can't sit down anymore. Her step-mother's voice rings in her ear. "I am a shit mother-"
He stands straight up. "Now that is quite enough." Jareth's voice becomes extremely stern. "I do not accept that kind of language." He almost feels offended for her. She tries to walk away from him, not wanting to hear his words, but he doesn't let her get very far. In fact, he pulls her closer and hugs his body around hers, squeezing her tightly, never wanting to let her go. "Whomever had the audacity to utter those words should be burned at the stake."
This action was unexpected to Sarah. She gasps as she feels his arms envelope her as she hiccups in even more emotion. Everything in her wants to break apart and fall to the floor in sorrow; Everything inside of her is screaming to come out and to let him pick up the pieces. She wants to fall utterly apart.
But she gently pushes away from him. He is reluctant to release her, if only because he never wants to part from her, but he grants her request.
She growls under her breath, angry at herself. After a few moments she is able to draw it back to a few tears and a sniff or two. He can see that she is doing everything she can to hold everything in. This concerns him. "You have no reason to hold in so much emotion."
"No," she blurts out, "I am stronger than this." She slowly stands to pace the floor. "I am a strong woman. I am a strong mom. I am a strong human being. I've been through shit. There is no reason to... to cry..." Again, she struggles to hold back her tears, facing her back towards him.
He stands to meet her, approaching her from behind to spin her back around. She keeps her head hanging low, almost feeling shameful for how weak she feels. He slowly glides his hands up her arms, and gently grasps a hold of her shoulders. "I think you are privileged to a few tears for a baby."
Hearing the care in his voice causes her to falter a bit. She accepts his hold on her and leans into him as a strong and sturdy shoulder to lean on. Feeling his arms around her, she links her arms around his torso and hugs him. She deeply inhales as she desperately grabs a hold of his shirt, rigid with fear of what is going to happen to her daughter. She holds on a little tighter than she planned. There is something warm and comforting about the nook of Jareth's shoulder. Her mind slowly eases as she inhales the Fae's earthy scent, something inherited from the numerous gods and goddesses that he surrounds himself with. It is almost bewitching to the human woman.
A gentle grunt of a cough catches the two off guard. They both release their hold on one another as they hear the sound coming from behind them. They turn to see an older gentleman. He has dark skin with a dark beard, wearing glasses, a white lab coat, and holding a clipboard.
"Ms. Sarah Williams?" His voice calls. She nods as she pulls some of her excess hair behind her ear.
"Yes, sir." She responds as she holds her arms close to her. Jareth's hand doesn't leave her hip as he keeps her close to him.
"I'm Doctor Gabriel," he holds out a hand for her to shake, "I have been working on your daughter's case for the last few weeks."
"Oh yes," she does her best to smile, remembering the man she had formed a connection with through her paid week off.
"Do you have news?" Jareth asks, becoming territorial. He urges the gentleman to continue.
"I do," the doctor nods as he straightens his glasses. "It took some time, but I finally got the blood work back from the tests that we conducted last week." He pulls up his clipboard to read the charts. "It seems that our little Ellie has quite a unique condition, and we are still working on logistics."
"What's going on? Is she okay?"
"At the moment, she is resting. We put her on a respirator to keep the oxygen flowing correctly through her body. Her bronchial tubes are worn and swollen, I assume she continues to cough a lot?"
"Yes. But only in spurts," Sarah voices as Doctor Gabriel writes the note down. "And these episodes have been dramatically decreasing throughout the past few days." She holds her hands together at any glimmer of hope that he might have to give her. "She had been acting as though she was improving."
"I see," he says as he scribbles, "With all of the testing that we had done to Ellie, some of the allergy tests have come back positive for an imbalance to her immune system that had materialized itself through prolonged exposure to chemically created substances. It took some time, but we managed to narrow these possibilities to narcotics. The results returned to us stating that there are trace amounts of the chemical compound is most commonly found in Morphine. "
"What do you mean?" Sarah asks in confusion. "We've never had to put her under, before. Have we ever used narcotics on her?" Her concern causes Jareth to squeeze her tighter.
"It does not show in our records that we have." He shakes his head with a more judgmental sigh. He slowly removes his glasses. "This is debilitating to her entire immune system. When the body comes into contact strong narcotics, it starts to become dependent on them. Your daughter's condition, however, seems as though it almost has the opposite effect. When it comes into contact with these narcotics, her body rejects them. This is only the result of someone who was born with this disorder."
More confusion tarnishes Sarah's face. "Wh-what does that mean?" She backs even further onto Jareth.
The doctor deeply inhales before asking his next question. "Ms. Williams, this is the common result of a child who endured harsh inflictions to her immune system while she was still in the womb. The only explanation for this phenomenon is if the mother, in question, had inflicted extreme excess amounts of, said narcotics for them to become an issue to the child. She was born with this, Ms. Williams. So, I must ask," He pauses for a moment, slightly shaking his head, "Have you have ever, either while you were pregnant or afterwards, consumed any excess amounts of narcotics containing strong amounts of morphine into your system?" He reiterated his question. "Have you ever been dependent on Opium?"
This question does not sit well with Sarah. "Excuse me?" She takes a step towards the doctor. Her demeanor completely flips from scared to offended.
Jareth can feel her stepping closer, and tries to keep her calm and still. "Sarah-"
"I'm sorry. Are you insinuating that I did drugs while pregnant with my baby?" Her voice slowly starts to rise.
The look on the doctor's face confirms her suspicions. He looks down to her. "That wasn't a "no" Ms. Williams."
Her jaw drops, "I can't believe this." She looks to see Jareth is also not too happy with the doctors suspicions. "No." Her answer drips with anger.
The doctor continues to look to his notes. His demeanor suggests that he is having a difficult time believing the mother in question. "Would you be willing to take a test?"
She shoves both hands to her hips. "For what?"
"Further proof? It is protocol for the parent to take a drug test as proof that they are not contaminating the child."
"What?" Her eyes grow dark for the man in the lab coat. "You don't believe me?" Her voice raises louder. "You come in here, tell me that my daughter is allergic to some narcotic that she has never even been close to exposed to, then accuse me of being responsible for contaminating her to begin with?! Are you fucking crazy?!" She starts to shout.
"Sarah," Jareth speaks in a calming tone, "you need to calm down," he warns, knowing that yelling will not fix anything.
"He just accused me of hurting my baby!" The frantic and worried Sarah starts to enter in mother-lion mode. Jareth knows this side of Sarah very well. She rips away from Jareth to face the doctor in a threatening manner. "You bet your ass I'm going to take this damn test, but I shouldn't fucking have to. My word should be enough." She stares the man down as he gets a nurse's attention to bring a cup for Sarah.
"That door right over there is a private restroom for these tests. Take as much time as you need." He gently hands the cup in her direction. She pulls it from him and stomps to the door in question, leaving Jareth and the doctor behind.
"Doctor, I have a question," he tries to calm the situation, "assuming your wrong assumption is correct, what would the parent in question need to have done to exactly inflict this kind of treatment to the child whilst still inside her?"
"Chemical cases such as these are common in addicts- in this case, the narcotic looks to be in the morphine family, hence my bringing up the topic of Opium. It is a common drug that is wildly addictive, yet many doctors use it treat pain for many patients. There are thousands of deaths that occur every single year as a result of overdose. I have seen the chemical structure of opium inside of Ellie's blood, as well as her urine. And it takes a lot from the carrier of the womb to inflict this much damage onto a fetus. Unfortunately there is too much of a trace of this chemical compound for the test to be wrong. I'm sorry to say that I am almost positive that Ms. William's will also have the same chemical compound within her system. You do not have to tell me what she is doing. I can tell by her frantic behavior that there is something odd going on. You might want to have a more private talk with her, and maybe request she try to find treatment of her... personal endeavors."
Jareth is not too fond of how much this doctor likes to insinuate. He seems to put his job first among his bedside manner. Plus, his instincts are just wrong. He is assuming a lot that is simply untrue. And if these instincts are incorrect, Jareth wonders how long it will be before other claims are wrong from this particular doctor. "I have been around this mother and daughter 24/7 for the last five days, and I can tell you that the only thing that woman is guilty of is a ridiculous amount of love she has for her child."
"One can still have love whilst struggling, sir. Her love is not in question, only her vices."
"If you do find what you are looking for, which is highly unlikely, what will happen then?"
"If we so find similar traces of the chemical compound, we will confront the mother and ask her to be honest. We will ask if she would be willing to go to rehab and try to fix her condition. If she tests positive, human services will be called. The child will be taken into temporary custody. She might be able to get the child back if she is successful in her rehabilitation. Things like morphine and opium can be translated from person to person very easily. The child only has to be around it to feel its effects on her. That is how sensitive she is."
Jareth hears the word opium and remembers something that Sarah had mentioned a few days back. She heard a rumor from an elderly bartender that the M's Orchid building was once used to serve as a bordello and opium den. This... this can't be a coincidence. This causes many thoughts to circle Jareth's mind. He starts to connect some puzzle pieces inside his brain. The men watch as Sarah comes out of the private room. Hearing all of what he heard, and seeing Sarah, he rushes to her to speak with her out of the doctor's earshot.
"Sarah. I don't think you should give him this." He approaches her.
She looks to him in shock. "Jareth- do you think that I-"
"No, of course not." he dismisses, "but I have a sneaking idea on how this could have happened. We need to get back to that office. We need to find that information. We need it now."
"What?" Sarah's eyes grow. "Jareth, I don't have time to continue with this stupid human-Fae shit right now. My baby is sick, I'm being blamed-"
"That's why we need to go back. I think I know why this is happening to Ellie." He caresses her face. "You might have traces of something in your body, and not even know it. We need to go back and get proof."
Sarah hears Jareth, but she is reluctant. "But... Ellie- I can't just leave her." She pleads with him, her eyes almost get him.
"She's safe here." His hands travel down her arms. "The best thing we can do for her if find proof, and I know we will find it." He lowers his forehead to hers. "Out of everyone that you know, please know that I wish to ensure Ellie's well being." His voice lowers to a whisper. "Please trust me."
She closes her eyes at his touch. Slowly inhaling, she willingly nods. She turns back to the doctor. "We will be back," she makes the decision to hand him the cup.
"You aren't even going to stay with your child?" Doctor Gabriel asks with a judgmental eye.
"This is something that we have to do. We will be back in no longer than an hour. Please."
"Do you even care to know if you are positive or not, Ms. Williams?"
Before she has a chance to spit out a negative retort, Jareth speaks on her account. "We will be right back." He pulls her away from the rude doctor. They run for the door so he can magically transport them in private.
+x+x+x+
They magically appear in front of the office door. Jareth was able to bypass most of the magical walls that had been set up by his cousins, thanks to the influx of magic that returned through his veins. Perhaps causing his magic to build up via handcuffs wasn't a terrible idea, after all. He feels extremely powerful in the present, and he feels confident that they can figure out their secrets. The magic radiating the office door is unstable and uneasy. It is risky to try to move past magic that is so unpredictable, but Jareth feels strong enough to move through.
Sarah can sense his reluctance in the features of his face. "Are you alright? Are you still feeling weak after not having magic for so long?" Her voice carries worry and care for him. It is inspiring.
"Quite the contrary, love. My magic seemed to have build up as the cuffs acted as a dam. Keeping my energy built up in one area for so long, I feel stronger than ever. That can prove pretty addicting for my kind. It almost feels like a high." He grins among his winded breaths. "The magic in this room in front of us is unsteady and dangerous. I almost feel like I can cause a reaction if I were to walk in, like two positive sides of magnets trying to touch." His metaphors are spot on. He acts as though he is almost punch drunk off of his overflowing magic.
"Maybe we should wait a while. Maybe you can go and get help." Sarah lays a hand on his arm to request they not be so hasty.
He refuses. "I fear that they are already on to us." Jareth comments regarding the evil M's. "If we leave, they could escape. We are here now. We need proof, now." He pushes her back and conjures a bubble with the tips of his fingers. The tip of the bubble overflows with glittery magic as he thrusts the bubble up against the door. It pops on impact and the power shoves the door inward, completely ripping it off its hinges. Sarah's hair stands on the back of her neck as wind pushes them slightly backwards. Goosebumps cover her body as she could feel the electrical pulse of his magic while she held onto his arm.
What a rush.
They take no time barging in to a seemingly empty office. The twins still appear to be gone. As Jareth leads Sarah to the area under the desk, she slows her paces and grabs a hold of his arm to stop him in his steps. He looks back to her in slight concern. Why did she stop?
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing..." Sarah whispers as she stands perfectly still. Her voice is weak again, but it's different somehow. Jareth looks to her head hanging low. Just as he feels compelled to speak to her, he feels her grasp at his arm. He is unable to gauge her emotion as her hair covers her face. But her hand slowly touches his hand, his arm, his shoulder... She leans into him.
"Sarah..." He doesn't have to speak very loud. She is suddenly very close to him. She slowly raises her head to look into his eyes. They are glossy and sleepy as she grows even closer to his face. She doesn't say a word.
Her mind falls to a complete blank. Something else is driving her motions. Mere inches apart, Sarah softly yet swiftly pushes her lips to his. Feeling electricity at the touch, she dives further into this sudden kiss.
Jareth is caught extremely off guard by this sudden change in events but he is caught by the same electricity and settles into her kiss. Sarah's hands travel up and behind his neck, grabbing a hold of his hair and pulling him even further into her.
Jareth can feel his arms slowly wrap around her, yearning to deepen this kiss, but his eyes suddenly pop open at this new sensation he feels inside of him. He quickly pulls her away from him, gasping for air. "Sarah. Focus."
Her eyes look heavy, almost as if she is sedated. Her posture is weak, as if she were leaning all of her weight on him. Her sluggish breathing further proves that she is not okay. "I am focusing..." She trails her hand down his chest feeling the warmth of his skin. She is focused on him. She goes in for another kiss, and catches his lips, yet again. The kiss dives a little deeper. He is having a difficult time refusing her. Her lips are so soft. His lips are so gentle. Oh, how he has wanted this.
He pushes her away again. "Now you wish to indulge?" He growls at the issue at hand. Any other time would be preferable, but they are sort of on a time crunch, here. He feels her tugging at him to grow closer, yet again, but this time he is persistent. "Snap out of it, Sarah. You are being bewitched by a spell." He shakes her to try to wake her up.
It takes a moment, but her glossy eyes profusely blink. Her head hangs low again as he hears her grunt in some sort of pain before she pulls up a hand to hold her head. "What?" She asks as she shakes the feeling away.
This is followed by a heavy sigh from Jareth. "I wonder what Montgomery has women do to him in here. This can't be legal. Even in magic law." He looks up to try to sniff out the spell. Sarah looks to him in confusion as she touches her lips.
Her eyes grow at what she had just done. "This..." she gulps. "This is the spell that he has going on in here?"
"One of many." Jareth responds in irritation. "There is no telling what they have going on in here. But with how much we are pressing them with, I can hardly blame them for trying to cover their tracks."
Sarah feels absolutely disgusted, and a little used, even if she were the one to instigate-well her body was. Her face grows several shades of red. Some of her embarrassment stems from wondering how she could let herself be coerced by the magic in such a way. The rest of her embarrassment lies in the fact that she really, really enjoyed his kiss. Maybe it's the spell, but that is something that she can't just pretend didn't happen. She doesn't want to.
It was...
Damn.
"Come on." He grabs her hand and shows her a hole under the desk that he had previously found. "I found this right before I was escorted out of the office with Ellie, earlier today. Montgomery said that he and his sister will be needing the office for the remainder of the week for meeting that they had set up. I think they know I found something. He says inspecting the area with precision. "I think the hole is meant for a finger." He looks to Sarah. "A human finger."
"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Sarah asks assuming the worst. Do they collect fingers, or something? What?
"It needs the prick of a human finger. Watch." Jareth instructs as he puts his own finger through, immediately feeling a needle prick. He pulls the finger out to show blood is starting to ooze out. "I think it might react to humans." He looks to Sarah with a knowing look. Her eyes grow.
She looks to the hole. "You want me to put my finger in there?"
"It wouldn't hurt to try." Jareth says guiding her to the hole.
"What makes you think it needs to be human?"
"If it needed to be Fae, I would have worked. If it needed to be their blood, mine would have worked. We share a family tree."
"I'm afraid." Sarah says tip toeing closer.
"Don't be. We want it to work." Jareth replies.
"That's what I'm afraid of." She warns, but acts out what is suggested. She slowly places her finger in the small hole and immediately feels a needle shove itself inside of the tip. She sharply inhales at the feeling as she pulls her hand away to put the tiny prick in her mouth.
Then everything changes.
A light starts to radiate as gears start to move around the structure. Things start to change and magically morph to show its true form. In an instant, many boxes open and things starts to rise from under the rock cement of the ground. Papers, documents, folders, head shots of people, and much more.
Sarah is starstruck. "Oh my god." She slowly iterates.
"We've just opened a treasure chest." Jareth mentions as he stares at the pile in disbelief.
"But why human blood?"
"They work with humans. They have dark minds. Why not use humans to cover their tracks?"
"I feel like I'm in, like, Indiana Jones or something." Sarah says as she reaches for one of the top head shots of the pile. She swears she sees Constance's face and picks up the image, only for the entire picture to crumble into ashes at the touch. Both pairs of eyes grow wide at the sensation. "Whoa."
"What a spell." Jareth says as he goes into his pocket to reach for a leather glove. Slipping it on, he touches another piece of paper only for it to react the same way. "What a powerful spell."
Her brow curls as she thinks she sees more familiar things. "What is all of this?" She continues to try to look at everything without actually touching any of it.
"Evidence. Look," he points to another image to show the picture of Sarah's friend Lynsey: the girl that helped watch Ellie a few days ago.
"A spell that turns everything to ash if touched?" Sarah questions. "If they're gonna do that, then why have all of this in the first place?"
"Tax season? Upkeep?" Jareth suggests. "A mad person loves to keep documentation of their work."
She eyes a specific picture. "It says something, but I can't... quite read it..." Sarah looks around for inspiration.
"Now all we need to do is figure out how to rummage through all of this without actually touching it." Jareth states their new dilemma.
"Wait!" Sarah exclaims with a new idea. She reaches for two pens that sit atop the now disjointed table. "Maybe if I'm careful..." she says as she maneuvers the pens in a chopstick-like motion. She struggles with the sleek material of the pen, but she is able to successfully pick up the document, and luckily, it does not disintegrate. Her plan worked.
"Wow." Jareth compliments her ingenuity.
"Sometimes it pays to have street smarts." Sarah says as she reaches for her cellphone in her back pocket. She tries to pull the picture in her hand closer to take a snapshot. Jareth joins in on her idea and they snap away at the many, upon many things in this bundle of information.
They find documentation of copious amounts of dangerous drugs that have been bought through the years. Some years stem as early as 1898 and as contemporary as the current year. The list contains many different names and substances, but one sticks out: Opium.
"Here, here!" She finds the word she needed. She takes a picture. There is a rough sketch of the club's building and the secret rooms that are hidden for the opium and prostitution dens that are still currently active, along with secret tunnels. These tunnels stem from the current building and onto the other buildings around, and are still being used, based on the dates printed at the top of the papers. All of this started the year they opened, but they just never stopped. All of the rumors that they learned about are actually still happening. This blows Sarah's mind completely out of the water.
There is also documentation of women. A lot of women. It shows dates that are hard to decipher. But Sarah recognizes many of the women in the pile of head shots, including the girls that were just promoted. There is also separate documentation of where the women have gone, and how much...
Sarah's eyes grow.
"They're... selling them." Sarah whispers. She points to the document, careful not to actually touch it.
Jareth reads and recognizes some of the more foreign words. "That is our currency. They are selling these people in my world. This proves it." He says as he takes her phone and takes the picture. "It also gives names of other Fae who are backing the human trafficking. This will be fun to bring to the council." Jareth's voice does not sound amused.
"This is what the promotion is?" Sarah sounds so betrayed. "This is what we all work so hard for?" Sarah asks as she looks away from the evidence. "I-I can't believe this..."
"It's not going to happen anymore." He responds with hope.
Another name catches her eye: Linda Williams. Her eyes become scarily large. Her fear is very real, now. Sarah's breath becomes caught in her throat. The sound is caught in Jareth's ear. He looks to see tears form in her eyes. "Mom..." She whispers.
Jareth follows her eyes to see a woman's name that matches Sarah's last name. He puts the information together in his mind. Sarah had believed that her mother was still in her world. She writes Sarah letters. She is said to stay in contact. Now all of it is different. Everything has changed. What could this really mean?
Backing away from all of the documents, Sarah drops her phone in shock. She just can't handle anymore of this. Jareth follows her actions and looks to her. "We have what we need." She slowly nods as tears fill her eyes. He continues to speak as he holds her face. "I will make it my personal goal to find all of these women- to find your mother." Hearing him say that word causes her eyes to close. "We will find them." She profusely shakes her head, not wanting to believe any of this. He holds her as she comfortably leans into him again. She shakily exhales as she holds onto the collar of his shirt.
He could hold her forever.
"Jareth," She suddenly speaks as she looks into his eyes. "Kiss me." Her request is simple. He has no issue to acquiesce her request as he leans in to lay chaste lips upon hers. The gentle caress of his lips sends a new and amazing rush of desire inside of Sarah. Her hands immediately rush up to his hair, pulling her closer to him. He slowly let's hands travel from her hips and up her back. They deepen the kiss as their gentility melts into pleasure. They take a moment to taste one another as Sarah stands on the tips of her toes, combing her fingers in the many layers of his blonde hair itching to grow even closer. It becomes apparent that both the human and the Fae slowly start to succumb to the spell that aches at the back of their collective minds.
Jareth forces her up against the closest wall as he pins his body up against hers. Hums and gasps can be heard as the kiss becomes more vigorous. He starts to nip at her mouth as her hands snake around his torso. She pulls his belt loops closer to her body as she wishes to feel him pressed up against her. She can feel his arousal as her insides flip at the sensation. He grinds up against her as he slams his hands against the wall to keep himself from falling into her.
Their emotions swirl together. Everything starts to become blurred. Her shirt starts to become lifted as his shirt starts to become unbuttoned.
"Bravo, dear cousin."
"I can hardly believe it."
The spell fades as they hear two very familiar voices. Both their hearts drop as they twist around to see the infamous Montgomery and Michelina standing at the doorway that had been blasted through. They both have arms crossed as Michelina taps the tip of her foot at what looked like the phone that Sarah had dropped.
Sarah gasps. "No-"
*SMASH*
Michelina crushes it into a thousand pieces as they fly across the vicinity. "No!" Sarah runs to try to do what she can to pick up the pieces. 'Come on, come on, come on, come on-'
"I must say, cousin, that this was a job well done." Michelina says as she steps on the pieces of what's left of the phone right in front of Sarah. Sarah still frivolously tries to find all the pieces.
"It seems that he has won the bet after all." Montgomery motions to the human girl on the floor. "You already have her picking up after you." 'Got it!'
"Is the wedding going to be at the courthouse or a church?" Michelina asks with a chuckle.
"Good question, sister. The bet will not be final until they kiss at an actual wedding, so why wait any longer?" Montgomery tilts his head in question.
Sarah stops what she is doing and stands back up. "What are you talking about?"
Montgomery looks to Sarah. "Oh, he didn't tell you?"
Michelina adds, "Why would he? Wouldn't that ruin his chances at winning?"
Sarah spins towards Jareth's direction to see he is very angry at his cousins. "Winning what?" Sarah asks before locking her eyes with his. His eyes show no signs of stopping their bantering. He doesn't speak. At all. He can't. He is unable. Sarah starts to grow angry. She looks to Jareth with his anger fully focused on the twins. "Jareth, what is going on?"
"Oh, Jareth, didn't you include her in on your little plan?" Michelina asks.
"See, if he would just go to the random girl and say that he needs to be married, I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem finding at least one sleazy girl who would do it for a couple bucks." Montgomery simply states.
"Oh, Montgomery, he tried that, remember? And Sarah is not sleazy-" Michelina smiles at her star dancer.
"Oh right. She's willing to do it for free. So, what does that make her?" Montgomery also looks to the woman who has caused him five years of grief.
"Just easy." Michelina finishes as they laugh in her face. "Doesn't the fact that she had a kid out of wedlock prove this?"
This completely tears her down on the inside. No. This isn't true. This can't be true. She looks to them and shouts. "Bullshit. You guys have been very good a fabricating your entire existence, why wouldn't you fabricate everything else in the process."
"What did he offer to you, huh?" Montgomery asks.
"Something to do with her contract with us, I'm sure." Michelina chuckles as she sees the validation in Sarah's eyes.
Sarah freezes. He did. He did say he could help with her contract. He said he needed her help. He said he would help free her if she worked with him? Was this a cover-up? Was all of this just a.. Trick? Her eyes grow doe-like and frightened as she turns to him, feeling completely beaten. Has everything she experienced been a lie this whole time? Her eyes wander as she tries to keep her composure. She tries to speak, but she just can't.
"My, my. Jareth has been unusually quiet. Are you feeling alright, cousin?" Montgomery asks in a playful tone.
"Oh brother, stop being so mean, you know he can't say or do anything."
"Oh, yes... I seemed to have forgotten that particular spell that cancels out Fae senses and motion."
Sarah looks to the twins in utter disgust. "You are so done for. One thing that IS true is the atrocities that you have inflicted on many people throughout the years. That will not go unseen."
"We can see how you would see this, little Sarah, but unfortunately when we go down, you and all of your little friends will be going down with us." This causes more pause in Sarah's actions.
"Turn us in and say goodbye to your daughter, because if word gets out about us, you will end up in federal prison." Michelina says.
"While we flee." Montgomery adds.
"Is that what you want?" The female twin looks to Sarah with mocking eyes of sadness.
"I don't think she'll have much of a choice, sister." Montgomery smiles maliciously.
"Oh, what do you mean, dear brother?"
"I mean... I heard a rumor that someone has already reported Sarah to the authorities on the account of working in a prostitution and opium den." Sarah gasps as she pulls her hands up to her mouth.
"Oh my. Who would spread a terrible rumor like that, Montgomery?"
"Oh, this little birdie-"
"No you didn't..." She whispers in disbelief.
"If you run, you might be able to say a proper goodbye to your child before they take her away." Montgomery opens the way for Sarah to leave.
"Forever." Michelina finishes. She takes no time to run; to run far away from here, for which Jareth is thankful for.
"You think you're so clever." Jareth is finally able to speak after being magically forced to stay silent for so long.
"Oh we know we're clever." Montgomery says.
"You think we would let you into our domain without fully knowing your intentions?" Michelina adds.
"We know why you're really here Jareth, and your crown has absolutely nothing to do with it." Montgomery dismisses their cousin.
Michelina starts, "So now," all of these documents in front of him suddenly bursts into flames, "you can burn along with everything else." A fire roars as the twins leave. They use their dark magic to pull the broken door back together and lock Jareth into the magical room, leaving him to burn.
+x+x+x+
Sarah arrives back at the hospital in record time. She quickly finds Ellie's room to see that the police and child services have already beat her to it. Ellie is barely awake. She is alone and frightened. There are many adults around her, but none of them are her mother. She wants her mother. "Mommy?" Her weak voice causes all of the adults to look at her.
"You are going to be just fine, sweetie." Doctor Gabriel lowers himself to her level.
"I want my mama." Her eyes do not show signs of feeling safe.
"Everything is going to be okay." He pats her head as he stands to talk to one of the child service representatives. "Yes. Her urine sample did, indeed come back positive."
Sarah can be seen from the wide angled window and barges in to see her daughter being held back by several authority figures.
"Ms. Williams-"
"Mama!" Ellie reaches for her mother as tears start to form. The doctor holds the little girl in place.
One of the representatives speaks to Sarah. "If you will please excuse yourself from the room, we will talk in a moment."
"I know you were given an anonymous phone call. But please believe me when I say that none of it is true." Sarah looks with pained eyes. "I was framed. I swear to God-'
"I am sorry, Ms. Williams, but your tests proves this theory wrong."
"No!" She shouts in defense. "I would never do anything to hurt my baby." She gets defensive. "She is my baby! You can't take her from me!"
"Ms. Williams, please do yourself a favor and remove yourself from this room before things get ugly." A representative says as she sees Doctor Gabriel hold her child.
"Mama-" Tears flood the three year old's eyes.
"Get away from her-" she says as her mother mode kicks in and she lunges towards her child, but she is held back by another authority figure.
"Please remove her from the room. She is only upsetting the child." He says as Sarah fights.
"No! Let me go! All of this is a lie!"
"Ma'am, we can smell the residue on you." One of the policeman starts to drag her backwards.
"That isn't me! It's because of the-" She successfully pulls herself away from the policeman.
"Mama!" Ellie screams as she pulls herself from the doctors arms.
"Ellie!" Sarah's remorseful smile catches Ellie's eyes. Ellie tries to slip away and run to her mother. Sarah is so close before both girls are caught, Ellie by the doctor, and Sarah by the police.
"Please remove her." The doctor is persistent.
"No!" Ellie screams as she tries to kick and pull away. Hearing Ellie, Sarah grows the strength to finally grab her daughter by the arm. They try to pull the family away. The room is in chaos. Ellie is screaming in refusal trying to hold on to her mother. Sarah tries to tell her that everything's gonna be okay. And then Ellie does the most amazing thing.
"I wish-"
"Ellie-" Sarah catches her words.
"Mama I wish-" She wants to do it.
"Say it, baby. I'm right here." Sarah's eyes assure the child.
"I wish the goblins take us away!" Ellie shouts.
Sarah nods in agreement. "Right now."
+x+x+x+
See? Didn't I tell you this was a good chapter? Shit got really real, really fast.
And before anyone clocks me on my fantasy doctor science mumbo-jumbo in the beginning of the chapter, I want you to know that I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a professional. I am literally pulling all of what I typed out of my rear, okay? I am not sure if all of that scientific stuff is true or not. I'm not sure if things actually work the way I typed it in the story, but the narrative works for my story and I am keeping it, damn it. Feel free to read me for FILTH and drop as many negative comments as you like. Just know I told you it was FAKE. Lol. This is a FANTASY. We are all creative in our own way.
My way is just really strange and a little twisted.
Oooh. My heart feels good. How about yours? I hope you enjoyed. There is plenty more to come. TRUST me. We all learned in this chapter how good it is to trust each other lol.
See you soon!