Greetings and salutations to everybody out there in Fan Fiction land! I hope y'all liked the sappiness of the previous chapter (I know I did!). Sorry for not updating lately; I'm getting addicted to the Pieces of Flair application on Facebook (it's very amusing!). Y'all should try it! Oh, and this is one of those "plot gets cooking" chapters.

"Forget Edward; give me Jareth!"—Pieces of Flair (don't know who made it, but if I did, I'd give them a cookie!)

Chapter 8: Let's Talk About Boys!
Last night I had this dream. A unicorn was running through a dense forest and was being pursued by the gargoyles I met in the street. It batted them away with its horn, but then a human man chased after it! It neighed and ran.

"No!" I shouted, "Don't hurt her!" I don't know how I knew it was a female, but I did. He didn't listen to me; he just ran right after her and they disappeared into a thicket.

Before I could move to help her, a pair of arms grabbed me from behind and I heard the Goblin King telling me "Sarah, don't!" I turned to tell him to let me go and help her, but before I could get the words out, I heard a horse-like, effeminate scream and felt Jareth tense up against me. I heard him drop a G-bomb under his breath.

Then I screamed. I didn't see what I was screaming at, but I screamed.

The sound of a dish being clinked and the smell of chicken were what awoke Sarah the next morning; she forced her bleary eyes open and looked around her room. The only other person there was Queen Jemna, sitting cross-legged on the corner of her bed against one of the posts. She was slurping up another bowl of ramen noodles.

"Good morning, starshine," smiled the queen, "The earth says hello."

"Queen Jemna?" Sarah croaked, disoriented, "What are you doing?"

"Standing guard makes you hungry, so I treated myself to some more of these delicious noodles," she answered. Sarah was still only half-awake.

"Where's Jareth?" she asked as she propped herself up.

"I sent him home," said Jemna, "It took a lot of convincing to get him more than 10 feet away from you, my lovely. I told him a king needs his rest, but he's absolutely paranoid about you. He sat by your bed half the night before I came to relieve him."

"Ohh," Sarah groaned and flopped back over, "I don't want him losing sleep over me! What's the matter with him?" Jemna swallowed a mouthful of noodles and stirred the bowl.

"The matter is that you're being stalked by a dangerous man whose soul is immersed in utter darkness," she said, "That's enough to send any man into a tizzy."

"Oh." Sarah sat up and leaned on her knees. "Jemna? (…) Why did you ask if Jareth had ever passed through me before? Is it something special I should know about?" The queen put her bowl down and looked at the girl thoughtfully.

"First let me ask you something," she said, propping her elbow up on her knee, "Tell me, Sarah: How do you feel about Jareth?"

Sarah gasped, caught off guard. The blood rushed to her face and she hated herself for looking so obvious.

"What kind of question is that?" she spluttered.

"I don't know," the woman shrugged, "I think it rather fair, considering he's my little brother—the youngest, no less." Sarah gripped the covers.

"I…" she stammered, "I don't know how I feel about him. At first, I thought I hated him for stealing Toby from me. But that was four years ago, and he's been visiting Toby all this time! And now he's made this sudden reappearance in my life, probably because of the gargoyles and the fact that I called for him again..." Jemna chuckled.

"Sounds like an emotional roller coaster to me," she said as she lit a morning glory flowerette. Sarah nodded in agreement.

"That's just the half of it," she said, hugging her knees, "Don't tell him I said this, but…" Her voice lowered a little, like she was sharing a secret (and she was). "When he's near me…I can feel him in my blood. When he's away, I can feel him watching me. I can hardly breathe when he touches me and I feel so safe when I'm around him, when I dance with him." She closed her eyes with the memory and rubbed her arms. "I'm floating around…the music is soft…and I see nothing at all but his eyes…his smile…all I can feel is his arm around me, his hand holding mine…" She sighed softly as she relived her crystal dreams.

"Sounds like love to me," smiled the queen, "especially judging by the lovely poetry in your words and the soft tone of your voice."

"I don't know if I truly love him," Sarah said honestly, "but I do care deeply about him." Jemna nodded understandingly.

"And if I didn't know better," she said gently, "I'd say you were frightened."

"That's putting it mildly," Sarah chuckled. Jemna puffed on her flower.

"All right," she shrugged, "If you want me to put it bluntly, you're terrified because you've never felt this way about anyone in your life, primarily due to your social ineptitude, which stems from your head-in-the-clouds imagination. Is that about right?"

Sarah stared at her; the queen was still smiling as she smoked her flowerette.

"You've pretty much nailed it on the head," she nodded, "but you still haven't answered my question."

Jemna exhaled a fragrant white-and-yellow cloud.

"Fair's fair," she shrugged again, "Jareth's walking through you like that is called soul passing. It's a common ability among the Fae, people like me and Jareth. We can pass through each other's souls like rain through mist; when that happens, we share our thoughts and feelings and they are only heard and felt by the ones who are passing. It's an intimate gesture—like a hug or a kiss—to share the secrets of your heart with another, so commonly soul passing is done only by close friends or close family members who haven't met for a while or true lovers. Jareth never did it with anyone except for me; he only passes through souls that are special to him." She looked at Sarah significantly.

"Oh," said Sarah softly, "I don't know what to say."

"That's all right, love," she waved off, "Sorry for prying, but I'm a big sister, like you. We have to look out for our baby brothers, eh? Now go get dressed; there's something else I need to talk to you about."

"Okay." Sarah quickly changed clothes, made her bed, and sat on it across from the Elf Queen. Just then, Toby came in wearing a yellow polo shirt and blue carpenter shorts.

"Hey, guys," he smiled, "Did I miss something important?"

"No; as a matter of fact, you're just in time," said Jemna as she lifted him to her lap, "I have something important to tell you both." Sarah looked at her curiously.

"Shouldn't we wait for Jareth?" Toby asked.

"He already knows," she said, "Now please, children, listen carefully to me." They both looked at her and she took a long drag of her flower.

"This is very difficult for me," she started, "One of my subjects has been kidnapped from the Elf Kingdom, a unicorn named Amalthea. She is the only unicorn in my entire kingdom. She protects the forests and blesses women and children and some men. Now she's gone, and all Amarantha is in an uproar."

"Who stole her?" Toby asked in shock with wide eyes.

"What kind of monster steals a unicorn?" Sarah agreed with soft shock, "Who even tries?"

"My brother, Jathan," the queen answered, "It hasn't been proven yet, but I know it was him. At any rate, to rescue a creature like Amalthea takes a special kind of person. I've met with my Council of Elves and we've discovered our choice of a rescuer by gazing into the sacred and magical Pool of the Chosen." She looked at the girl with deep, steady eyes.

"It's chosen you, Sarah." Toby looked up at the queen with saucer-like eyes and then at his sister, who stared at Jemna with awe and humility. She didn't speak for a while and she didn't notice Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus appear around her bed.

"So…" she finally said, "You want me…to go back to your world with you…and save a unicorn?" The queen nodded.

"You'll have protection," she assured her, "but in the end, only you will be able to save her." Sarah looked down at her lap and thought for a moment.

"What about my parents?" she asked.

"Jareth will reorder their time," said Jemna, "They'll never miss you. They'll also have goblins protecting them. They'll be all right."

"And Toby?" Sarah asked further.

"Will be staying at my castle in Amarantha," she answered, "There he'll be protected by elves and safe from my brother's power."

"Hmph," Toby scowled and wrinkled his nose, "I'm not afraid of him."

"Well, you should be," Jemna chided him, "You think a fever is the worst he can do to you? He went easy on you that time because one, you're a child, and two, it was a dream attack; they're less severe, even for him."

"All right," Sarah cut in, "I'll do it. I'll go with you to the Elf Kingdom, and so will Toby. I'll help save your unicorn." Jemna smiled.

"Thank you, Sarah," she bowed her head to her, "All of Amarantha thanks you."

"Yay!" Toby cheered and slid off Jemna's lap, "We're going to the Elf Kingdom! When do we leave? Are Hoggle and the others coming, too? Do you have minstrels?"

"Toby, we are not going for a vacation," Sarah said seriously, "I'm going for a rescue mission! You're being protected from a dangerous fae who's trying to use you as a gateway!"

"Oh, pish-posh, little lady!" Jemna giggled, "Don't squash the child's enthusiasm! After all, he won't be in any danger!" She picked Toby up and swung him around by his armpits while he laughed.

"But Sarah will?" Hoggle spoke up, his arms folded.

"I can handle danger, Hoggle," Sarah smiled, "I've been through it before, remember?"

"And you three are certainly invited too, Hedwig," said Jemna, holding Toby.

"Hoggle," muttered the dwarf, "and thank you. I won't be leavin' Sarah to fight—heaven forbid—gargoyles alone."

"Hear, hear!" chirped Sir Didymus, "Ambrosius and I are entirely at your disposal!" Jemna looked toward a corner of the room with a strange yet kind smile.

"Come along, Toby!" she beamed and plucked him back up, "Introduce me to your dog Merlin, won't you? And you three, I'll be needing you for a private conference. Please excuse us, Sarah." She looked back in the corner and cocked a threatening eyebrow.

"Be nice to her," she warned before closing the door. Sarah was confused at first, then realized there was only one person she could've been talking to.

She blushed and spoke to him without looking.

"How long have you been there?" she asked.

"Long enough," he answered, his voice cool and smooth as ever as he walked over to her. She turned and looked up at him.

"What do you think of all this?" she asked, "About me going off to save a unicorn and facing off against your own brother?" He kept his arms folded in a stone-faced manner.

"Does it matter what I think?" he asked coldly (but not at her).

"It does to me," she said quietly. He looked at her; she was looking away. He sighed and stood by her window. The morning sunlight put bright highlights in his wild hair and lit his eyes on fire. He looked gorgeous, but Sarah quickly put that out of her head and went to him, feeling a little awkward. She nervously wondered how much he'd really heard.

"What are you thinking right now?" she asked, still feeling awkward. He leaned on the wall, looking sideways out the window.

"Two things, actually," he answered quietly, "One…what a curse I've brought to your life. I've taken a young girl's normal life and turned it completely upside-down."

"Jareth," she said, "my mother died when I was 12 years old. I've built my life around theater and fairy tales, which is something almost no teenager does. My life was anything but normal, even before you came…and you came because I called you every time. Do you think I would've called you if I didn't want you here? If I didn't need you?"

He looked at her then, surprised. She had a wincing, embarrassed expression and couldn't look at him. And was he imagining things, or was her face red?

"No," he said, "I suppose not." The discomfort in the room could've been cut with the Jaws of Life; why, oh, why had Jemna gone and left them alone?

"What's the other thing?" she asked, feeling she'd regret it. He looked at her with sad yet intense eyes and delicately lifted a lock of her hair to his lips. Her heart jumped back to its favorite place in her throat when he moved closer to her, forcing her to look up at him.

She'd grown in the last four years, Jareth noticed; the top of her head reached his nose now, but she still essentially looked the same. Those eyes of hers could still cripple him with their electric spark or act as a shield to hide her fear.

"I was thinking," he said deeply and honestly, "how much I want to hold you right now."

Sarah couldn't believe he said that! She quickly lowered her wide eyes and tried to breathe, but found herself looking at the bare of his chest! His strangely crescent-shaped medallion with the topaz in the curve lay heavily in the middle; his skin was pale, natural for one who lived Underground. The ruffles of his shirt framed it beautifully and sent the blood straight to her cheeks. She shut her eyes tightly and trembled.

"Dang it, Jareth!" she exclaimed as she beat his gorgeous chest, "Why are you torturing me like this?" He chuckled deeply.

"How could I possibly torture you?" he smiled devilishly.

"Like that!" Sarah panicked, "You come on as this smooth, charismatic god who controls the world and you tell me stuff that puts my head in the clouds—and the rest of me—and it drives me insane! I can't stand it!"

Jareth stopped her fists with one hand holding them to his chest and held her chin with the other.

"And how do you suppose I feel, Sarah?" he said intensely, "Watching you night and day, afraid to appear to you for so long for fear of rejection? And recently, fearing for your safety because my own flesh and blood has threatened you? Do you have the faintest conception what it feels like wanting to be near you like this, and unable to be?"

"Yes." She found her voice. "I do." Sarah had always prided herself on being her own kind of girl, but she was also a drama queen (literally). There were times when a girl could do nothing but be a girl.

She buried her face on their hands and her hair curtained her. Jareth gave a small gasp but did nothing.

"I do!" she cried out, her voice muffled, "I don't know why, but ever since a year ago, I started thinking about you and I…I started to…" She hunched up her shoulders and gripped his shirt; she didn't know why she was acting like this, except that she'd never felt this way before.

Jareth felt his heart stop as he waited for her to finish her sentence; she calmed down and stepped back from him. To his relief, she hadn't cried once.

"I want you to come with me to the Elf Kingdom," she said. His heart dropped to the floor with disappointment; the nasty little cheat, she'd purposely passed over the moment! He'd get her back for this, he promised himself.

"Of course I will," he smirked, "You don't think I'd miss something this big, do you? Perhaps tonight we'll get a chance to finish our talk."

"Tonight?" said Sarah.

"Tonight is my sister's Feast of the Summer Harvest at her castle," he answered as he walked off a bit, "It's a very big celebration for the Elves and quite a party, I hear." He turned his head back to her with that feral smile of his.

"Perhaps we'll dance together again," he said, "Only this time, it won't be a dream." The door knocked just then and Jemna poked her head in.

"Are we ready?" she asked. Jareth nodded.

"Good." She came in. "You go take care of her parents; I'll take everyone to the castle."

He nodded again, glanced at Sarah briefly, and swept out the door.

"Sarah." Toby grabbed her hand. "How come your face is all red? Do you have a fever, too?"

"Not the same kind you had," she answered, trying to compose herself. Hoggle looked confused at her, but she gave a "we'll talk later" look.

"Right!" Jemna rubbed her hands together. "Everyone step this way, please!" She strode to the window doors and swung them open, allowing a bright light to flood the room that blinded everyone. Ludo moved in front of Sarah and held her close; Toby clung onto her waist. Didymus and Ambrosius huddled against LUdo and Hoggle held onto Sarah, too. Everyone had their eyes shut tight against the light.

"It's all right, everyone!" Jemna chirped, "You can open your eyes!"

Sarah stood up straight, still surrounded by Ludo's bulk. He turned around and Sarah saw that they were on an amber-colored marble terrace with two pillars on a doorway behind them. It was wide and spacious with a beautiful marble railway border that could be used as a bench. The terrace overlooked a garden-like paradise with vast forests in the distance.

Jemna smiled proudly and held her hand out in an introductory manner.

"Welcome to my world."

Author's Review:
No time for comments today; sorry! Love ya! Mean it!