With his regular coolness, Jareth turned back to his primary concern. "Sarah."
Still in stunned silence, Sarah looked from Jareth to the door back to Nate. Slowly it came to her that Jareth had interrupted them deliberately. It was just his style anyhow.
"What?"
A raised eyebrow came in return for her cracking snarl. Jareth turned his own bitter stare back to the man whose eyes hadn't left his face. The Goblin King felt he made more of an impact on him, as Sarah could be counted on for the same response.
"Excuse me!" she stepped in front of the two facing towards the intruder. "What do you think you're doing here, Jareth?"
He tilt his head at her, breaking his glare, upon hearing her say his name. The ice melted from his eyes, and a smile turned around his lips. "Why don't we start with what you think you're doing here, hmm?"
"I can do what ever I want here. I live here." she gestured about like she was talking to a child. "You're the nosy bugger who won't leave me alone!"
"Need I remind you," his voice grew as hers had, "You. Called. Me."
Sarah's face colored. "Choke on it!" she turned away from him in mid-stride and storming off, only stopped by him grabbing her arm.
"It's been years." When she turned to face him he let go of her. "Bury it in the ground already."
"What do you want from me?"
"Not to fall for some Glamour act would be a start."
"What?"
"He's cast glamour over you, you can't see it."
"We aren't in some dippy forest prancing around like faeries," Sarah couldn't believe him, let loose on him. "We're in the real world—Something you would know nothing about!"
"You believed in me all those years ago." He pointed out. "It's not like we just flipped over to south Jersey."
"I fail to see the relevancy in that."
"Oh do you now? Of course you would." He sneered. "It's always been about you. You sent your brother away. You want him back.
"You think I'm not good enough for you, you cut me down. See? It's always been about you." He stood his ground, a challenge in his stance.
"Me?" she gawked at him. "You just use me for you!
"You answered my call. You stole my brother. You gave me that peach. You were going to enslave me!"
"Notice how in every 'you' sentence there was a 'me' with it?" Jareth coolly retorted.
"Piss off!" she turned her back on him.
"Yes, run away like always." Jareth called before she got too far.
That made her turn around and walked up to his face, her finger close to jabbing him in the face. "Maybe I wouldn't run if you didn't hunt me!"
"Hunt you?" he laughed, pushing her finger away. "Now there's a thought."
"Do you really get off on being such a bastard?"
"Yes, Sarah," he indulged her in a humoring voice. "I love to rev you up into that screeching octave of yours. It really gets me going."
"Ass."
"That just makes you the enabler, doesn't it?"
"Just go home already!" She yelled at him.
"So you can fall for the Glamour act?"
"Isn't it really up to me?" they started talking faster now, one shooting off and the other cutting in.
"Anything left up to you, you make a mess of, my dear."
"What!"
"Sorry, luv, it's the truth, isn't it?"
"Remind me why you're still here?" she slammed her hands down to her hips, really tiring of him now.
"Because you can't stand this dear life without me?" he teased her, though she'd have none of it.
"You need to go. Now!" She spun him around and reached for the door, trying to push him out.
"Just going to get rid of me, eh? Like last week's rubbish?" by now he'd lost his posh tone and was using a grating tone that he knew got under her skin. "Like you get rid of everybody?"
"What!" she cursed again.
"Like you tossed out Vince from Sicily? And left David in Spain?"
"I don't see how that relates to you." She fought back her rising anger, trying not to shriek at him as she truly felt. Surely the neighbors would call the heat on her. Instead, her anger grew cold and dull rather than hot and burning.
"And what of David, the Canadian?"
"You've been stalking me for years!"
"You're trying to replace me!"
"I nev-"
"Enough!" came a third voice. Both turned to see Nate, having completely forgot he was there. His featured were sketched in frustration, his cheeks highlighted red.
Sarah felt the heat on her face, embarrassed to have let Jareth get to her and forgotten about the man she claimed she loved, the one she was just about to choose. That was it! Jareth had known she was going to choose him, and that's why the bastard appeared.
Turning her gaze from the floor to a hot glare on him, only to see Nate standing in front of him. They stood opposite, each eyeing the other. It was apparent that they were similar in build and features. It was like someone looking in the mirror. Almost.
"Brixton, is it?" Nate asked coolly.
"Not quite," Jareth smiled curved wickedly. "Perthian, eh?"
"Not quite," Nate nodded back. "Just took a few years to pass through is all."
The stand off continued into an awkward pause until Nate turned away with a subdued sneer. He walked over to Sarah, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It was fun, yeh?"
He gave her half a smile and rubbed her shoulder before he turned and walked away. "Take care of yourself, luv."
It had been obvious to him. She had made her choice long ago. From the way Jareth talked, Nate could tell he was just the next in the serial monogamist profile. The marriage thrown, her uncertainty, this guy showing up, it all seemed clear. There was more at hand and he couldn't fight this, or for her, on his own. There was no point in doing so alone.
He picked up his jacket on the sofa and quietly left, in a manner that smacked of class. Sarah watched him go, knowing she loved him by the way he walked passed Jareth and didn't even look or avoid looking either. He just walked passed and shut the door quietly behind him as if setting a glass bird back down on a table, undisturbed. She watched the knight ride away into the sunset on his white horse and without her.
:Okay, before you all wigg, I said 'the' knight, not 'her' knight. Very clear. Jareth is her knight after all right? He's just misunderstood….I think she's going to let him have it (again) in the next chapter. I sense she's Pissed Off.
Just to chat, I had thought of making him (N) an elvish/elfish prince. You know, with the glamour and all. But it was a bit too cliché for me. But I like what J said about the glam, thinking he was an elf. Sigh. I think I will need to come back and fix this chapter some. It seems like Nate just comes in and then leaves so quickly again. But I wanted to put something up for you guys. So, see you next chap.