A/N: Ok so I am excited for this chapter and I totally can't wait for the reviews!! *squeals in anticipation* Ok go read! Go read!!

Chapter 12: New Year's Eve

Camiya and Sarah had stayed up for most of the night planning. One wouldn't think that planning a simple kiss would be that difficult but it was.

The pair picked out Sarah 's dress and how she would fix her hair. They decided how she would smell and what she would do all night. They decided that Sarah wouldn't leave Jareth's side and she would act as she always did on New Year's Eve. Then, just before midnight, she would lead him into the middle of everything (where they always hung a bunch of mistletoe from the ceiling) then she would kiss him and tell him how she truly felt about him.

The plan was perfect, but Sarah wasn't entirely sure if she could say "I love you" to Jareth.

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Sarah walked down the stairs looking as elegant as ever. She was wearing a slender, satin, white, strapless gown that hugged her body just right with a silver rose with thorns embedded on her dress, climbing up until it hit just below her breasts. She wore white high heels and her hair had been curled and it cascaded down her backside till it hit her mid-back. Her earrings were medium-sized, silver earring that looked like crystals on a chain. She was also wearing a modest-sized chain with a crystal charm on it that stopped just above her breasts. The perfume she had put on was made directly from Jareth's favorite flower … the rose.

She blushed as she noticed that she had caught the attention of every young man in the room and chuckled to herself as every single one who didn't already have a partner lined up.

It was tradition for the New Year's Ball for every man and woman to have a partner, a person who they spend most of the night with. Every woman, single or not, walked down the stairs and the men formed a line leading from the bottom of the steps.

Sarah wondered why all these men lined up for her when she had the same partner every year. However, as she began to walk down the line, she realized that Jareth wasn't there. She looked ahead at the crowd of couples preparing to dance and gasped in surprise.

Jareth was already there … with another woman!! And not just any woman, but Marina.

Marina Belaka was an old friend of Jareth's and had been after him since they were kids. She had dark ebony-colored hair and the most beautiful blue eyes anybody ever saw. She was gifted with all of the attributes required of her status as a princess. She was beautiful, eloquent, charming, and graceful. She was also cool enough to remain Jareth's friend for all these years. Sarah had never seen her as competition until now.

She was wearing a black, satin dress with one strap across her right shoulder with black heels. Her make-up looked amazing and her hair was pulled up into a bun. She wore gold hoop earrings and a gold chain necklace. She looked breath-taking but she was nothing compared to Jareth.

He wore something similar to what he had worn in Sarah's fantasy ball ten years ago, but Sarah felt her breath catch in her throat and she had to force herself to keep breathing.

They looked magnificent together, but Sarah knew that Jareth had told Marina that he wasn't interested in a romantic relationship because she was just an especially good friend. They grew up together and she was more like a second sister than a romantic partner.

But NOW, he was looking at Marina the way he used to look at her! He was smiling and his eyes were glowing. He looked better than ever and Sarah could hear his laughter from across the room. He looked like the old Jareth and he seemed to be happier than he had been these past few days.

She could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she watched the man she loved brush another woman's hair out of her face, place his hand on her cheek, then smile that beautiful smile that made Sarah's knees weak. She glanced to the side of her and picked out the first man she recognized, Elijah Nutini. He was a good-looking guy who most girls wanted to be with, but he had a secret girlfriend that nobody else knew about. She was a peasant and he was a noble so they had to keep their relationship on the down-low until he could talk his father into allowing him to marry her.

He had short, spiky black hair that was light blue on the tips and blue eyes that matched. He had a small, silver, hoop earring in his left ear and he had a good build - muscular, but not bulky. He was wearing something that resembled the outfit Jareth had worn in the Escher room 10 years ago, but it was blue and black.

But right now, none of that mattered to Sarah. She grabbed his hand and took off. "Sarah! Sarah wait!" Sarah stopped and turned from Elijah, wiping away tears.

Elijah looked concerned as he turned her to face him. "Is everything okay? I saw Jareth walk off with Marina. He didn't wait for you. Are you two doing okay?"

Sarah started to cry again as she shook her head. Elijah looked at Jareth who hadn't noticed Sarah's distress. Now, he and Marina were preparing to dance on the dance floor … the dance reserved for the Goblin King and his partner who had was normally Sarah. Sarah refused to look.

"Come on. Let's go clean you up, get something to drink, then we'll dance. I refuse to be a bad partner tonight since I was so graciously chosen as number 2 to the almighty Goblin King." Sarah giggled and nodded, allowing Elijah to lead her away.

Sarah felt betrayed!! How could he do this to her!?! She had stayed up planning with Camiya all night and now here he was, preparing to dance with another woman!!!! Didn't he know that she loved him? … that she always had?

Elijah helped her clean up then they got two glasses of wine. After a couple minutes, the special dance ended and Sarah and Elijah walked towards the dance floor. They danced a couple dances and Sarah even saw Camiya once or twice.

Elijah was a wonderful dancer and he even helped her to forget about Jareth for a little but, but every time she saw the two of them together, she had to hold back tears.

Finally, midnight was approaching and Sarah excused herself, leaving Elijah so she could find Camiya.

The girls found each other without a problem, but finding the Goblin King was bit harder.

Sarah sighed in exasperation, "Why is it that when I don't want to see him, he's everywhere but when it's imperative that I find him, he's nowhere to be found?!"

Camiya hugged her and said, "Don't worry. We'll find him. Jareth was never a good hider … even as a child during hide-and-seek."

After almost an hour of searching, the clock began to strike twelve. Sarah could feel those treacherous tears well up again as she realized that her plan was ruined.

That's when she glanced at the spot where it would have happened and saw her worst nightmare.

There, in the middle of everything, where everyone could see …. Jareth and Marina were kissing!!

Everything was moving in slow motion for Sarah and she could have sworn that her heart had stopped beating.

She couldn't breathe! She couldn't breathe! She heard herself gasp for air when Camiya turned and gasped in surprise. Jareth's little sister immediately looked to Sarah only to find tears already falling down her face, smearing her make-up.

Then, almost instantly, Sarah turned on her heel and took off running towards the staircase. Camiya knew that she should follow, but first, she had to take care of her heartless older brother.

As he pulled away from Marina, Camiya stormed up to him, jerked him around so he could see her, and slapped him across his face, leaving the shape of her hand imprinted in his face.

He looked surprised, shocked, and pissed. Camiya didn't care!

"How could you do that!?!" she cried out. "You bastard!!" For the first time in her life, Camiya pushed her brother with so much anger-fueled force that he fell over, almost falling on top of Marina.

Then, she spit in Marina's face and stormed off to find Sarah and comfort her.

A/N: So, what do you think?! The idea of Jareth going out with another woman belongs entirely to Marie-Louise. I just had to use it!! It was too good.

Originally, Sarah was going to try and kiss him and he was going to stop her, kiss her hand, then walk away, but this idea was just so much better.

Ok so review and let me know what you thought! Next chapter belongs to Jareth.

You'll get to see what he thought throughout this entire thing and what actually happened.

And, since I'm feeling generous, here's a preview for the next chapter:

Eventually, the sun rose and he decided that he might as well get up. He stared at himself in the mirror and he wasn't proud of who he saw.

That hadn't happened in about ten years. When Sarah was brought into his life, he was proud of the man he had become, but now … now he felt like he had after both of his parents had abandoned him through death.

Jareth opened up his top drawer and reached in the back. He pulled out a small, black box and opened it, revealing a beautiful gold ring with a diamond that was just the right size. It was simple and not very original, but it was one of his most prized possessions.

His mother had left this to him just before she had died.

"It's for you," she had said. Lara, his mother, looked almost exactly like Camiya. She had long, poofy, blonde hair that reached her waist and Jareth's eyes. Her figure was perfect and she was known as the most beautiful woman in the Underground. Dovolus, his father, was lucky to be the one who captured her heart.

"Mum, I can't take this. It's your wedding ring. Dad di- … passed on only 2 months ago."

"I know, but I just can't bear looking at it and thinking of him every hour of every day. It hurts too much." Jareth watched his mother as she held back tears. She was trying to stay strong for her children, but Jareth could see that she was hurting more than she let on. Dovolus was the love of her life and he was gone.

Lara held out the ring to her son and said, "Please Jareth. Save it and give it to the woman who makes you happier than you've ever been in your life. I loved your father with my entire being so it'll bring you luck. The woman you give it to will love you with her entire being." Jareth stared at the ring and, after hesitating for a second or two, took it.

"Thank you." Lara nodded and held his hand with one of hers while the other played with his hair.

"Just promise me that you won't give this to just any woman but that one woman who is most special to you."

"I promise" …… she died one month after giving it to him.

Jareth had been saving this ring for many years now, constantly searching for that special girl. He really hoped that this change would be worth it in the end because he couldn't give this ring to anybody but Sarah. He had promised his mother and he never went back on his promises.