Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Memory Lane
Chapter 2
Sarah could hear scurrying all over her room, and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.
Something rattled at her window, and her heart skipped a beat. She could hear the window crash open, and then a second later he appeared in a glorious poof of glitter and billowing fabric. Sarah stood awe-struck before him. She hadn't seen him in so long…
She remembered prominent things like his mis-matched eyes and his crazy hair, but in seeing him now she saw all that she had forgotten. All the little details that had faded in her memory over time.
His dark, thin lips and the way his hair was not just blond, but several different shades of blond. She had completely forgotten how he wore his shirt unbuttoned at the top, exposing his hairless chest that she longed to touch. She forgot the shape of his face, so long and delicate.
There was litheness to his slight form, along with the way he held himself with carefree regality. He was his own brand of powerful; one Sarah found so much more delectable than the stereotypical notion which always seemed to favor bulk and excessive masculinity.
She remembered how it made her feel, but had forgotten how his sexy devious grin looked – wide and tilted, with teeth that weren't quite so white or straight. The little bit of imperfection just making him so much more real.
"Sarah," He said and the one word sent a tingle down her spine.
"Jareth," She replied.
Almost immediately he took out a crystal, which he began to twist and turn around in his talented hands. Sarah couldn't help it, she giggled.
"Something funny, precious?" He asked with a quirked brow.
"You're just like I remember," She said it almost in a whisper.
"Well, you're not quite what I remember," He said and then swept around her, examining her from head to toe.
"I've grown up," She said.
"I can see that," He replied lowly and then came back to face her.
As he came around he reached out with a leather-clad hand and lightly tapped her cheek.
"Trying to mimic me, are you?" He asked.
"Perhaps," She said with a smile. Maybe she had gone a little over board with the make-up. That is certainly something that should not be done while tipsy.
Jareth stood before her, gazing at her with narrowed eyes as he twisted his crystal.
"Now Sarah, why would you go and wish my goblins to take you away?" He asked while titling his head to the side ever so slightly.
Sarah's smile faded at that, and she nervously fidgeted in place.
"I don't like this world," She said while staring at her shoes.
"But it's your world, and if I recall you fought quite hard to make it back here," He said.
"You're wrong, Goblin King. I fought to save my brother from being turned into a goblin," She said and then met his gaze.
"So now you wish to become a goblin?" He asked. Sarah looked confused at that.
"I-is that what would happen if I went?" Sarah asked.
"What did you think would happen, precious?" Jareth said, taking a step closer to her, looking much like a lion about to strike.
"I didn't know I had to transform into a goblin," She said softly.
"Well now you do," Jareth said with an evil grin.
"Well you can re-order time! Can't you just keep me in my human form?" She asked, to which Jareth laughed again.
"And why should I? When you rejected me so cruelly before," He said with a sneer.
"Did I? Did I truly reject you or were you just tricking me?" Sarah asked, finally able to get an answer to the question that has plagued her for five long years.
Jareth's stance changed just then. He put away his crystal and crossed his arms, sitting back on the bay window seat. He pulled out his riding crop, which had been attached at his belt.
"You know, you have just given me license to do as I please with you. I could turn you into the most disgusting little goblin and throw you in an oubliette for all eternity! My dear, I no longer have to play along with your little games." He said.
Sarah's heart was beating frantically. For years she had fantasized about seeing him again how that meeting would go. It was all a romance novel in her mind. Somehow, during the passing of time, she had forgotten not only how he looked but how he had truly treated her. For some reason she thought he had been more flirty than he actually was. He certainly wasn't acting like he had been longing for her these past years!
"My games?" Sarah asked incredulously. "One of us here is fond of games and it isn't me."
She was just realizing her mistake and as the panic began to show on her face, Jareth's expression became one of supreme elation. He kicked his booted heel up on the seat and lightly tapped at it with his riding crop.
"Sarah, I have spent every waking hour wondering how you, a fool child, could've bested me." He said through clenched teeth.
"And?" She asked.
"I haven't a clue. What I would like to know is your thought process. What makes you such a worthy opponent?" He said, and his eyes held a devious glint.
Sarah wasn't sure how to respond. She just stood in place, feeling ridiculous with her satchel still slung across her shoulder, all dolled up with glittery make-up and a dress. She really thought she was going to have another adventure.
Suddenly, Jareth clapped his hands together and stood.
"I've got it. I'll go inside your mind and find out exactly how you think." He said.
"What?" Sarah shouted and took a big step back. She did not want Jareth seeing any of her thoughts! Especially not now after realizing how badly she had misinterpreted his past behavior.
"No way!" She yelled at him as he took a big step closer to her.
"Sarah, you forget, you have no power any more." He said and then grabbed her svelte waist and pulled her up against him.
Sarah swallowed the hard lump in her throat and stared into his beautiful mis-matched eyes. She was no more than a hopeless deer caught in the headlights.
With surprising strength, Jareth spun them once around and then the whole world changed.