Chapter 16.
The weather had turned colder, wetter. Sarah wondered why it was she was not looking forward to Thanksgiving. She felt like she was dragging though her days, dreading going to school. Dreading the hours that Sophie was privy to, she vowed that she would not be tricked into any more trips out to the Wilde house. She placed the string of pearls in a drawer at the bottom of the vanity to forget them.
The day before the Thanksgiving break, Sarah noticed that Sophie was upset about something. "What's wrong?" she asked, still finding herself concerned about the blonde.
"I have to go to New York to spend the holiday with my Dad." Sophie griped as she drove toward the school.
"Oh." Sarah took a relieved breath.
"I had plans." Sophie said. "Being stuck with my Dad, his band and groupies was not part of my plan." She fussed like a child who had been told to stand in a corner.
Feeling as if a weight had been lifted Sarah smiled. "Oh it's not as bad as all that now is it?"
The blonde drove toward the school with a grim face. "Pablo wanted me to go with him to the art museum…."
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With Sophie gone for the weekend, Sarah thought she could relax. There would be no threats of exposure, and she would not be forced to make yet another trip out to the estate. On the morning after thanksgiving Sarah awoke to the sounds of hurried activity. She exited her bedroom in her robe and sleepily looked at her stepmother who was trying to move her father along. "What's up?"
"Toby's picture with Santa," Karen said holding up the outfit she'd purchased for the occasion. "Are you sure you don't want to come along?"
"A mall filled with screaming kids going to get their picture with Santa? No, thank you, I'll stay here." Sarah yawned widely.
Karen laughed. "Well it won't be just seeing Santa, we won't be back until five or so."
"That's fine; I just want to be a vegetable." Sarah said heading back to her room. "Take a long bath, and just be lazy."
"Have fun." Karen called to her as she headed to the nursery.
Sarah heard her father's car pull out of the drive; she filled the bath with the bubble bath that her mother had sent her for her birthday. She filled the tub so that when she got in the waters reached nearly to her neck as she lounged back in the deep long tub. Instead of giving her that comfort she sought, it made her tenser, more sensitive.
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Mismatched eyes watched her image in the orb in his hand. He sat on his throne and wondered what her thought were of. He had not tried to contact her since the night of the art show. He'd been busy trying to keep Hoggle under control and from escaping again. Now he watched and waited, listening to her.
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Sarah wrapped the big fluffy bath towel about her as she move from the bath room back into her bed room. She sat on the bed to smooth on the body lotion that held the same sweet honeysuckle scent that the bubble bath held. Without thinking she began to stroke her skin, letting the lotion smooth over her. Her hands, as if they were under their own command began to journey to places she'd never explored. The first electric shock of pleasure caused her to make a soft mewl. She looked around the room, and lay down on the bed. Closing her eyes, she pulled the blanket over her naked body and began to touch herself. Images formed in her mind and she let them expand developing into a fantasy that was more erotic than she'd ever created.
"Oh Jareth…" She moaned, not thinking of what she was doing or saying, not even aware she'd said anything aloud. "I wish you were here."
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The orb fell from his fingers, and he'd vanished before it shattered on the dais of his throne.
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Lying on her side she felt her fingers exploring the warm moisture between her legs. She was not aware when the body formed beside her. Long fingers joined hers, "Let me help you." He crooned in her ear. She thought it was more of her fantasy, that her mind had taken her where she wanted. Giving in to the dark desires awakened in what he had called the Labyrinth of her mind.
"Yes." She whispered as she shivered under his touch.
Jareth listened carefully to her breathing, knowing it would guide his way to bringing her release. "You're like velvet." He whispered in her ear.
Sarah didn't fight when he moved to roll her to her back; she didn't open her eyes, still locked in the fantasy. He slid into her silkiness wordlessly. Melding his body to hers and burying within as deeply as he could. As he found the rhythm that she needed, he whispered to her. "Open your eyes, Sarah. Look at me."
She blinked and realized it was no dream. The Goblin King was naked, in her bed, in her arms and making love to her. "Jareth." She whispered softly.
He smiled down at her, kissing and encouraging her. "Sweet Sarah." He sighed.
Over an hour later he lay happily spent over her, "I must say I rather enjoyed this." Sarah blushed in his arms, and covered her face. He chuckled softly. "Is my lady pleased as well?"
"I thought you were a fantasy." She sighed. "Something I conjured up."
"Well you did conjure me." He lied smoothly. "You must have wished me here into your bed." He rolled to his side and looked at her with a look of triumph. "Now that I've made love to you, are you ready to admit your defeat?"
Sarah blinked, "Admit defeat?"
His fingers traced her body. "Yes, admit defeat, return what you've taken and surrender yourself to me."
Sarah sat up. "Return what I've taken? What have I taken?"
Jareth looked surprised at the sharp tone she was using. "Why, the child of curse."
"The child? I didn't take the child! You did, I rescued him." She pulled as far from him as she could without falling out of the bed.
"Is that how you see it?" He asked amused. "I see it differently. YOU gave the child to me or rather us…then you demand the right to get him back and take him away from a place he was perfectly happy in. "
"You threatened to turn him into a goblin!" She sniped.
"No, what I said was he would become one of us forever….I never used the word goblin…" he sat up and faced her. "He's mine, you gave him to me, and I want him back."
"Well that's just too bad." She pulled the discarded towel about her. "Get out of my bed Goblin King!"
"Really Sarah, such theatrics," he sighed. "I see your mother is not the only actress in the family. Ah well, I suppose I can learn to live with it."
"And what do you mean surrender to you? Why should I have to surrender to you?" She left the bed held the towel tight and fumed. "I won! I beat you and your Labyrinth!"
"Did you?" He asked smirking. "Well then perhaps you'd like to explain to me why it is that you keep ending up in compromising positions with me."
"Well it won't happen again, I can promise you that, Goblin King!" She turned her back on him.
Jareth tossed back the blanket, moved out of the bed and stood behind her. His arms gathered her close. "You don't believe that any more than I do." He nibbled at her ear. "We've tasted the pleasures to be had in each other's arms, my love. You are part of me, part of the Labyrinth and you will never be free." Without thinking he murmured. "You are perfect, my love."
Sarah's eyes widened and she got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Jareth pulled the towel away from her, turned her and began to caress her. "Let us not fight, not now," swooping her up, he held her close gazing at her with adoration. "Now I just want to be abed with you, my precious." He carried her back to her bed. "How long before your family returns?"
Sarah had a suspicion he already knew, so she guarded her words. "Karen said they would be back around five."
He cradled her close. "Let us spend this time without anger, or accusations. Let us spend these hours like kittens in a basket." He kissed her deeply. "Let me love you."
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Returning to his kingdom, he donned apparel fitting a monarch, and began to give orders. "I would have a room prepared for my heir's return." He said smugly. "Something befitting the Goblin prince," he strutted like a peacock.
"You are sure he'll be returning to us, Sire?" the old man asked.
Strutting toward his throne the King crowed, "Of course he'll be returned to us, and we shall have his sister as well. I shall have a chamber for her prepared as well, perhaps something attached to my own chambers. Yes, I like the idea of having her close at hand, willing to do my biding."
The old man's hat craned his neck and looked at the man. "He's making a big mistake, yes?" he asked in a gravely gasp.
The old man pushed the beak out of his face. "Yes."
The bird head came down to be beside the old man's face. "Shouldn't we tell him?"
Without looking the old one answered. "Do you wish to occupy the cell next to Sir Didymus? Or perhaps it's Hoggle's fate you wish?"
The bird gulped hard making a loud sound when he did. "No. Bogs of stench and feathers do not a good combination make."
"Then we say nothing." The odd old man advised.
"I say, why don't we take that holiday we've been planning." The bird said happily. "I hear Tír na nÓgis lovely this time of year."
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Sarah was in the library on Monday during her only free period. She'd booked time on the computer and was spending it doing research for a paper that was due just after Christmas break. She also wanted to do a little research on the side without Sophie knowing it, that way she'd have no way of leaking information Sarah didn't want leaked.
It began after the Goblin King had left her bed; Sarah had sat in the dark quietly putting together the pieces of the puzzle in her mind. Wordlessly she began to add the sums and was not pleased with the final answers. "That son of a bitch!" She groused to herself.
The picture the puzzle made was not a pretty one to Sarah's mind. All the things she'd done since coming back from the Labyrinth had been in vain. Hoggle was right; she'd never be free of it and its octopus tentacles reaching into her life. Jareth had used Hoggle, to get her to do what he wanted her to do in the Labyrinth. And now it appeared that he was using Sophie to do the same here in her world.
Sarah had come to the library on Monday to begin the research for her paper. While waiting for the information she needed to be printed out, she began to play a game of hide and go seek with the computer. She typed in a word, and another page popped up. Who would have thought that a simple world like goblin could bring up such massive information? Sarah looked around, and keyed in another word. More pages and links cropped up. She bit down on her inner cheek, looked around to be sure she was not being observed and started a file and hid it in the massive cyber space network.
When she met with Sophie before the next class that they had together, Sarah had a smile on her face.
"What is that look about?" Sophie asked.
"Oh just got a jump on that project that is due when we get back from the break. I hope to have everything squared away and done before the last day of school. That way I can use the two weeks to do what I want to do." Sarah said keeping it as truthful as she could.
Sophie winked, "I'll bet I know what you'll want to do."
Sarah let the girl think her thoughts.
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Sarah looked at the wrought iron gazebo that her father had placed in the back yard only two years ago. "Daddy, could I talk to you?" She asked.
Robert looked up from his paper. "Sure, princess. What do you need?"
"Outside, so we don't disturb Toby with our conversation." She led the way to the gazebo and took a seat on one of the iron benches. "Daddy, I think I'd like to accept Mom's invitation to spend Christmas break with her."
"And you felt you could not discuss this in the nice warm house?" Robert pulled his coat closer. "It's damned cold out here Sarah."
"Daddy, Toby might be upset if he hears us discussing this." Sarah lied smoothly. "In fact I don't want to talk about this in front of him at all. I don't want to discuss this period."
"Oh," Robert looked at her thoughtfully. "That's very considerate of you, Sarah. Alright, I'll give your mother a call and see if she's still eager to have you spend two weeks with her and Jeremy. You know their on location."
"I know." Sarah said happily. "I've always wanted to see SavannahDaddy." She looked up and got serious. "Daddy, I don't want to discuss this outside the family. I don't want anyone knowing my plans."
Robert sat down. "Is there something I should know?"
She shook her head. "Just that I don't want my plans made public."
Her father nodded, "Alright daughter."
Sarah watched him leave the gazebo and she touched one of the iron struts. "I hope the book is right." She stood up. "You want to play games, Goblin King. Well two can play."