A/N: So, I've noticed that these chapters are sorta on the short side, but they're quick updates so I think that's easier for me. They should get longer later.
Chapter 13: The Mistake He Didn't Mean to Make
As for Jareth, he didn't know if he could pull this off for much longer. He could feel the old Jareth coming to the front again. He just couldn't do it.
He had spent half an hour in the snow the night before, trying not to cry. Then, he had gone into his room, changed into a pair of sweats and an undershirt, and laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He was dreading the night he usually looked forward to.
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.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Jareth readied himself for his annual ball, but he didn't feel excited like he normally did. In fact, he couldn't wait for it to be over.
He had decided earlier on that he couldn't be 'Tyler' here because there were too many people around who wouldn't understand. He would explain it all later, but he wanted to have Sarah before he did that. He couldn't seem like a complete idiot, could he?
So, he had come to the conclusion that he couldn't be around Sarah that night of he was going to be himself. He hoped she wouldn't mind, but he needed a break from this being someone else thing.
He was contemplating who he could spend the evening with when Marina Belaka, a childhood friend of his, began to walk down the stairs.
He stood in line with the rest of the men and Marina spotted him instantly. She didn't hesitate to take his hand and lead him away.
Jareth turned to look back at the stairs when he saw Sarah. He felt his jaw drop. She was absolutely stunning … more so than usual. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder and he remembered Marina.
He turned to look at her when she smiled at him and said, "If you wanted to be partners with Sarah, then why are you here with me?" Jareth had the decency to blush and said, "Things with Sarah are a little weird at the moment and I just needed a break."
She laughed and said, "Well good to know that I'm runner up. There's hope yet!" Jareth knew that she was teasing him and laughed. He had forgotten how it felt to truly laugh. It had only been a few days since he had made his change but it seemed like a century.
It felt liberating to be able to be himself again. He felt so much better that he didn't think twice when he led Marina out to the dance floor and danced the first dance with her.
They danced and laughed all night. They talked about lots of things, but Marina knew to keep the topic of Sarah away. She could see that something was bothering Jareth and knew that if he needed to talk then he would bring it up.
She saw Sarah a couple of times throughout the night, but she slyly turned Jareth away so that he couldn't see her.
She wasn't trying to be mean to Sarah - she actually liked Sarah, but it was obvious that she was the source of Jareth's problems right now and Marina wanted Jareth to be able to enjoy his night.
She also had some hope that maybe this was the moment she had been waiting for … a chance for Jareth to lose interest in Sarah and give Marina a chance to step in.
Midnight approached and Jareth felt terrible. He had seen Sarah once all night and the look on her face cut him to the bone. It actually looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. The look was a mix between anger, jealousy, sadness, and something else that he couldn't figure out.
He couldn't believe that his once cunning mind was having difficulty with so many things, but emotion was not something that could be figured out and Sarah always made his mind go on the fritz. It was only natural that he be confused when both emotion and the woman he loved were involved.
He was so lost in thought that he hadn't realized that Marina had stopped dancing.
He looked down at her and saw that she was looking back at him. "It's almost midnight," she said. Jareth didn't understand. What was the significance in that fact?
Then, without warning, as soon as the clock struck twelve, Marina pulled his head down and he felt their lips meet.
At first, he didn't comprehend what was happening. He wasn't kissing her back, but he didn't have to. She was kissing him enough for the both of them.
Once it all hit him, Sarah's face ran through his mind. Memories of Sarah from throughout the years flashed over and over and he pulled away from his old friend.
Then, out of nowhere, Camiya yanked him away from Marina and slapped him in the face. He could still feel the sting of it on his cheek.
"How could you do that!?!" she cried out. "You bastard!!" Then, she pushed him with so much force that he actually fell over, narrowly missing Marina.
Camiya looked down at him, foreign fury in her eye, then, turning to Jareth's dance partner, she spit in Marina's face! Camiya looked at her brother one last time, then stormed off.
What the Hell was that about?! he thought. Why should she care?
Jareth got to his feet then turned to Marina, but when he saw her face, he could see that she looked sad. "Marina?"
She wiped away a tear that was beginning to form. "It's never going to happen, is it?"
He didn't understand. What did she mean? What was never going to happen?
Then she continued, "You're never going to give up on Sarah. Even now, when you say that your relationship with her isn't as it always is, she's still on your mind. I can tell Jare."
Now he felt even more guilty. He hadn't realized that by thinking about Sarah almost all night, he had been ignoring Marina.
He couldn't do anything right, could he?!
He placed his gloved hand against her cheek and she leaned into his touch. "Marina, I love you, but not in the way that you'd like. You're more like my sister than anything else. But Sarah … Sarah is different. She makes me feel … " he paused "… complete, whole even. She's the only person that I could ever see myself with. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but at the moment, we're trying to figure each other out. I just needed break. I apologize if I gave you false hope."
Marina couldn't meet his gaze. She nodded and, while still looking at the ground, said, "No, I apologize for thinking that I ever had a chance."
From that point, she kissed his cheek and walked away.
Jareth put his head in his hand and took a deep breath. After calming himself down, he walked to the refreshment table and, once there, saw Elijah Nutini.
"Elijah!" he called. "Where's Sarah? I thought you two were partners tonight?"
Elijah looked at Jareth and couldn't believe what he had seen him do … especially with Sarah right there! He was disgusted with his friend and, shaking his head with disdain, said "Why do you care?"
Then, for the second time that night, someone walked away from the Goblin King, leaving him alone.
Jareth was beginning to think that he was going to live the rest of his life that way … alone.
A/N: Whatcha think? Good? Bad? I just wrote this chapter in like 45 minutes so I'm not sure how good it is. Please let me know!!
So, I think we're beginning to ge to the top of the hill. Warning: Next chapter will probably be short too, but I'm 99.9% sure that it'll be the last one that takes place "right now". The one after that is going to be months ahead of time so, sorry for any Camiya-lovers but next chapter is the last time you'll see Camiya. Then, from that point on the story will be .... interesting to say the least.
AHH!! It's so hard to explain how this is gonna work out without giving too much away. Oh well. I'm going to stop rambling now and just start the next chapter.
Sorry if this entire author's note is stupid ... I'm suffering from lack of sleep and I'm uber hungry as well. So just review and give me motivation to write the next chapter or two please. Thanks to all those who have reviewed and stuck with the story. You're awesome so go eat a cookie and reward yourself!