I thought this was going to be my favorite chapter, but it didn't turn out as well as I expected it to. Sorry if it sucks, or if some of you aren't happy with the direction change in the story. Most of you, however, will be happy to know that Blake will be coming back within a few chapters. I know I always say that, but this time I mean it :)

Chapter 21

Jareth was shocked when he saw me crying, screaming, and thrashing around in my bonds. He hurried over to me and quickly untied the ropes. He hesitantly held me in his arms, and when I made no move to push him away, his grip around me tightened. I cried in his chest, and he stroked my hair.

We sat in that position for at least an hour. My sobs slowly subsided and turned into hiccups.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I obviously was not okay, but I nodded. I was done fighting him.

He let out a small laugh of victory. "Wow, you're actually letting me hold you." A grin spread over his face.

I didn't say anything. I just stared blankly ahead of me.

"I should have done this sooner. Let's go take a bath," Jareth got off the bed and gently pulled me along with him. Though I was thoroughly disgusted that I had to bathe with him, I made no move to pull my hand out of his. Jareth closed the bathroom door, and locked it after I entered. Jareth turned on the hot water to the bath and slowly undressed while the tub filled up. I stared vacantly above him, trying not to look at his chiseled chest, and man-hood.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to stare at me, Misery," Jareth said with a smirk.

I totally disregarded what he said, and continued looking above his head.

With the smirk still on his face, he said, "Come on, get undressed."

I hesitated a moment, but took off my clothes in front of him. He's already seen me naked, so what's the point in trying to cover myself anymore?

Jareth swept my body up and down with his eyes. I forced myself not to gag in disgust. He pulled his eyes up to mine and gestured towards the bathtub. I complied and sank into the tub. He followed in after me. He put his arm around me and tangled his legs into mine. I sat there unresponsive, but Jareth seemed happy enough that I wasn't struggling out of his grip.

"It makes me so happy that I finally broke you. We can actually be content together. Don't you think?" he grinned over at me.

I nodded, though I knew it was a lie.

"So what did you see? I'm curious," he asked.

"My mother's death," I said simply, my eyes starting to tear up.

"Oh, Misery. I wish I didn't have to do that to you, but you left me with no other option," he said kindly, as if his apology would make everything better.

I nodded again, and wiped at a tear that spilled out of my eye. He saw me wipe the tear away, and pulled me onto his lap. He held my head against his chest and rubbed circles into my back.

After a while of sitting like that, he let go of my head, and said, "Want to get into the shower? The water is getting cold."

"Sure," I said quietly, almost inaudibly. I got off his lap, and stood. He got to his feet as well, and let the water drain out of the tub. Jareth gut out of the tub, and turned the water to the shower on. I followed him out of the bathtub, and into the shower.

We stood in the torrent of hot water for a moment before Jareth grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed some out on his hand. He got behind me, and began lathering it into my hair. I flinched slightly in surprise. He played around with my hair for a good ten minutes before he lightly pushed me into the water to wash it all off.

He handed me the bottle of shampoo, wanting me to do the same thing with his long, blonde hair. I squeezed a bit of it into my hand, and set the bottle down. I slowly began rubbing it into his hair. I looked over his shoulder at the water falling down from the shower head, not really paying attention to what I was doing.

After what I thought was ten minutes, I pushed him into the water and washed all the soap out of his hair. He turned around to face me when I was done washing his hair, and stuck his face in between my breasts. Jareth then grabbed my hand with his, and placed mine on top of his head, wanting me to stroke his hair. I obliged, and rubbed his hair until he lifted his head.

He studied my face, and whispered, "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you," I replied.

Jareth pushed me up against the shower wall and wrapped my legs around his waist, so I had to hold on to him for dear life. He brought his lips to mine. He kissed me slowly at first, but his kisses became hungrier and hungrier. I let him kiss me, but I didn't kiss him back.

I felt his tongue slide across my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I thought about letting him in, but decided I would deprive him. That was until he slapped my ass (hard, I might add), and I opened my mouth in surprise. Jareth took advantage of this, and slipped his tongue in my mouth. He played around with my tongue and explored the inside of mouth.

Jareth finally broke the kiss after an eternity (not really, it was only a few minutes) and looked into my eyes.

"I love you," he said suddenly.

I was appalled. I would not say I love you back, but what would I say?

I, thankfully, didn't have to say anything, because Jareth said something before I had the chance. "It's alright if you don't love me back. You will soon."

No matter how much I disagreed, I didn't say anything. Jareth set me back down, and turned the water off. "Let's get ready, and then we can go eat. Alright?" he asked.

I nodded, and got out of the shower. Jareth followed behind me, and wrapped a towel around his waist. I grabbed a towel as well, and wrapped it around my chest.

About thirty minutes later, we were both done getting ready, but we still had to get dressed. I wasn't going to argue Jareth on what to wear. Like I said before, I was done fighting him.

He walked out of the bathroom, and I followed behind him. He walked to the dresser, and grabbed our underwear. I followed him into the closet, and watched as he picked out the ivory dress that I wanted to wear a while back.

He handed it to me with a smile. "Here. I'm rewarding you for being a good girl so far."

I silently took it from him, with a dead look on my face. He handed me my underwear as well. I dropped my towel and put my clothes on. I picked up the towel and put it in the laundry basket. I walked out of the closet and sat on the bed while Jareth got dresses.

He came out dressed in a casual suit and holding a pair of sandals to go with my dress. "You forgot to grab these."

I took them from him, and slipped them on.

"You ready to go get something to eat?" Jareth asked.

I nodded and stood. He walked out of the room, and led me towards the dining room, where the other siblings were eating dinner. I saw the disappointed look on everyone's face as I walked in with clothes on. They now knew that Jareth broke me.

I scanned the table for Karigan, and almost cried when I found her. She was eating with her head down, cuts all over her neck, arms, and face.

Jareth sat at the head of the table as usual, and I sat next to Karigan. I didn't say anything to her, scared of what she would say to me. This was all my fault. Nothing would have happened to her if I hadn't insisted she help me. All through dinner, I held back my tears.