I do not own Jareth or the Labyrinth, although I would love to!! As would all true Labyrinth fans!! I do however own Amy! She is mine! No stealing! XD
This is my first FanFic so please R&R and be nice. Criticism appreciated, but be gentle with me.
NJEverLove! xx
I kneeled, staring, not daring yet to touch. It was a simple gold-plated bracelet, nothing fancy or expensive, a gift from…an old boyfriend on my seventeenth birthday.
The intense Hawaiian sun, already hanging well above the surrounding cliffs of volcanic rock, caused the sea water coating the bracelet to sparkle like diamonds. But the huge basalt rock beneath the bracelet glistened just as brightly and just as meaninglessly. Nothing unusual. Certainly nothing to be frightened of.
Except the bracelet shouldn't be there.
Instinctively, I turned and scanned the trees and rocks surrounding me. The cove was small, not much larger than an Olympic-size swimming pool. There were no more than ten or twelve widely-spaced palm trees to my right, bracketed by a small copse of dense evergreens, the local lehua with their fiery red flowers not yet blossoming. No where for someone to hide. Directly in front of me, separated by a short expanse of ebony sand, the cliff face towered nearly thirty feet into the sky.
I could see the path I always used to descend that monolith, really little more than a series of toe-holds. My skinned knees and lacerated hands were constant reminders of the precariousness of that route. But I had never minded the hardship or even the potential danger. I came here every day not because it was easy or convenient, but because it was secluded and secret. This place was mine. At least until now.
Assured I was alone, I sat Indian-fashion on the hard rock, a natural pier that jutted so conveniently into the Pacific Ocean, and tentatively picked up the bracelet. It had been placed near the edge, just inches from the sweet-smelling waters. I briefly considered the possibility it had been washed ashore by some benevolent wave. I would have liked to believe that, would have liked to believe the sanctity of my secret place hadn't been desecrated by another human being.
But I couldn't fool myself. The bracelet had been lost since yesterday, its broken clasp evidence of what happened. I was swimming in these very waters, naked except for this single piece of jewellery, as free as any other creature of the sea. I felt the bracelet come loose some fifty yards from shore, but was too slow to react, and it sank into the murky depths below. Forever beyond my reach, I thought.I felt the tears building behind my eyes. Violently, with all the strength I could find, I threw the offending bracelet far into the cold blue waters. I hadn't really cared when I thought it gone, and now it could only be a memento of what I had lost this day. I felt violated somehow. Is this what rape was like? Or was I over-reacting, as everyone always said I did? Nobody would understand. The girls at the dorm would call me silly if I tried to explain. They couldn't comprehend my loss any more than they could comprehend what this place had meant to me for the past 2 years.
This cove had been my salvation. I could be alone here, but more importantly I could feel like this place belonged to me and to no other. It was the one thing in all of my nineteen years that I never had to share with someone else. I would schedule my classes around my late morning trips to this secluded beach, laying in the golden sands while I studied, or swimming in the cold Pacific waters. My sand. My water. My secret place.
But that was over. Ended. Whether I liked it or not, I realized I now shared my secret with another, with someone else who knew the beauty and aloneness of this small, hidden cove.
Maybe they had silently watched me swimming yesterday, either from the heights of the cliff or from some far-away boat. Or maybe they came here all the time, just as I did, and we'd somehow missed each other for the past year. It didn't matter. I turned and laid on my stomach, leaning over the edge of the rock and running my hand through the cold waters for what would my last time. Tears ran freely down my checks, dripping into the ocean waves. They became my offering, my contribution to the saltwater tears of the Mother Earth.
Through blurred vision, I saw the bracelet again, slowly rising to the surface. A mirage, I thought, a silent taunt of life's endless cruelties. But then I felt it, the unyielding metal being gently nudged into my outstretched palm. Startled, I jerked my hand back and the bracelet once more disappeared beneath the water's surface. Was I losing my mind? Had my grief destroyed the small vestige of sanity I still maintained? I stared hard into the waters, afraid I would again see the metal trinket floating just beneath the waves and almost equally afraid that I wouldn't. I nearly felt a sense of relief when I saw the bracelet slowly rising to the surface. At least if I was crazy, I thought, it was going to be a consistent kind of crazy.
The bracelet broke the surface and I found myself staring into a pair of eyes; one deep chocolate brown, the other sky blue.
Had I been out in the sun for too long? Was I seeing things?
The bracelet was cupped gently in his gloved hand, as if it were something precious, Slowly he rose out of the waves as he carefully edged forward to set it on the brink of the rock.
"Excuse me," I heard him say. "But did you happen to lose this again?"
I struggled to regain my voice as he sat next to me. I was so shocked, but I wasn't sure why. Was it because of the bracelet? Because I had thought I'd never see it again? Or was it because of him? The shock of someone being here in my secret place?
"Are you alright?" he said softly, leaning close to look at my face, breaking through the fog of my thoughts.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I mumbled, feeling far from it. I took the bracelet from his outstretched palm and hooked it round my wrist. "Thanks, thought I'd never get it back."
I turned my head to look at him but the glare from the sun blocked my view. I just saw his smile, his teeth gleaming bright white. Beautiful.
I heard him laugh, a strong powerful laugh that echoed through me. "Is that why you threw it at me just now?"
Against my will, I blushed, trying to think of something to say. There were so many things rushing through my head but nothing came out.
"Who are you?" I couldn't hide the confusion in my voice, but there was still something not right. He seemed familiar in a strange way. Like I'd seen him before.
"Don't say you've forgotten me now little one." his face creased in anger, or was it sadness?
"Well 2 years is a while for me not to see you. What are you doing here Jareth?"
He smiled at me again before pulling me toward him, his arms sliding round my waist. He looked down at me and mumbled. "Just admiring the view."
Reluctantly I pulled away from him grasp "I told you not to come here, what if someone saw us?" I scanned the area again to be sure no one was there.
"I think I would know if someone else was here, ok. Besides, no one CAN come here, its protected, remember?" He slid his arms back round me pushing my back against him. I couldn't resist resting against him. It felt so natural to be in his arms, yet I knew to anyone else it would seem anything but natural.
"I came to return your bracelet," He whispered softly, his head bowed to rest by my neck "I thought you would be happy about that. I fixed it for you."
Turning around, I placed my arms around his neck and kissed him softly on the lips "Thank you."
He smiled and took my wrist away, slipping on the bracelet and fastening it in place. Then he took my hand and began to lead me across the cove. "Come, I want to show you something."
He lead me up a giant set of stairs I had never seen before. It felt strange to me, that after 2 years of coming everyday to our secret place, I still didn't know it all!
At the top of the stairs, he gently covered my eyes. Still holding my hand he guided me across a smooth stretch of rock. Anyone else would have felt scared not knowing where they were on a cliff edge, but not me, not with him anyway. He always made me feel safe.
We stopped suddenly and he removed the hand over my eyes. It took me only a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light, but even then I could not have prepared for the beautiful sight that greeted me.
The sun was setting over the clear sea, leaving the sky turning shades of pink, purple, red, orange and yellow. It was amazing, and it completely took my breath away.
"You always did love sunsets" Jareth chuckled beside me. It wasn't fair that he knew my weakness. But I knew his too...
Please let me know what you think, and let me know if I should carry this on! xx