"Right," Jareth said to break the stony silence.
"F-c- you." Sarah looked at Jareth, her voice calm, sound, and cold.
While he could have said anything to her accusation, proposal, any way he could have taken it, Jareth just raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking after her vulgar manner. Sarah made a choice then, one that was not a first, but one of the few times she chose this path—she turned away. She let it go.
Jareth watched as Sarah tidied the flat, knowing she was making work for herself. The coffee table didn't really need to be cleared of the magazines, yet they were moved to the side table. The pillows needed an unnecessary fluff, as well as the curtains required a shifting. Jareth, taking note of Sarah's silence, withdrew from her and sat down in her kitchen, not willing to move until she dealt with him. The world again was put to a pause as he would not be interrupted again.
With a cup of tea, he waited. It never ran out with him at hand, but he waited. Finally, Sarah moved her cleaning to the kitchen, after a noisy hoovering of the carpet in the adjoining rooms. By the set in her jaw and the avoidance of his eyes, Jareth knew that she knew he was there. And what he was still there for.
Sarah's thoughts had stormed her, with instance that the situation be dealt with. Avoidance would not work, as she'd tried. Her fury battled reason, anger scorched feelings, leaving her stormy. Logic put Nate away to deal with later, but it still burned in the presence. And Jareth? He needed to leave. Talking rubbish about her trying to replace him! It stirred her up again.
Trying to replace him! The nerve…It was merely coincidence that he and Nate looked so striking similar. David and Vince? They might have some similarities, but didn't one usually date alike specimens? Sarah stopped her self on that track of thought, knowing what it implied. She had walked away from Jareth. He'd stolen her brother for crissake!
At your command, that annoying voice crept up.
"Stop!" she snapped at herself, forgetting she was not alone for a second.
When it did occur to her that Jareth was still there, which she'd tried to ignore, she looked over to see him sipping tea and flipping through some old magazine of Kate's. Did he think he could ignore her?
"Hey!" she slammed her hand down to the counter to get his attention.
Jareth looked up casually at her, as if oblivious to her preceding tantrum. He left the impassive expressions on his face, knowing it drove her mad.
"Why are you here?" She asked him for the nth time since his appearance so many hours ago.
"You know why," he turned his attentions back to the magazine.
"I know why you are here, but why did you come?"
"Isn't it obvious, Sarah?" he asked her with a weighted sigh, setting down the cup, which quickly vanished, and laying aside the monthly.
With his head cocked to the side and inquiring eyes on her, Sarah almost staggered backwards at the weight of his look. She had never seen him look quite so unintimidating. His face was open to her.
"Apparently not," He mumbled after a prolonged silence.
"Is it Hoggle?" she asked after a worried moment, picturing the Labyrinth falling apart. "Ludo? Sir-"
"No." he cut her off before she worked herself up. "It's me."
"You?"
"Me." He returned her questioning tone, first to goad her, but second to see what her problem was.
"You've the nerve." She seethed at him. "Chasing away my chance at happiness, and now-"
"Happiness?" Jareth broke in. "Him? Bollocks."
"Don't," she warned him.
He shrugged at her, though sitting back to see where she was going with her latest rant. Continuing to glare at him, she seems to be deciding what to say. More than likely because he could turn her words around on her.
"Maybe you'd better have out with it."
"Why?" he countered. "You'll just barge in."
"No I won't," Sarah said defensively. Seeing his eyebrow arched skeptically, she bit her tongue and nodded to him. "Go on then, or I'll never have you out of here."
"I've nothing to say."
Passive aggressive bugger she groaned.
"You're the one that bottles it all up my dear."
"What are you talking about?" she fumed at him, waving her hands at him.
Standing up Jareth grabbed her wrists, not hurting her, but stopping her flailing. The shock that ran through Sarah kept her quiet as she kept her stunned mouth closed and big eyes on the man in front of her.
"Beyond what I said earlier, David, Vince, Sean, that whole lot," he spoke in a funny tone that was cold and quick. "You did not want to go through with this ceremony.
"Inebriation got the best of you and you fell back to call me. I waited until you were sober to come see you. If I were the fiend that you make me out to be, why would you keep calling me?
"No, silence on your part," he knew she was about to speak as her dropped jaw came back up. "Yes you call me, but not vocally. You think I stalked you? But I can't ease it because you have bonded to me somehow. But I did not break all your other attempts at 'love.'" He sneered at that.
"You think me a monster, but that is what you've made me. Your words etched me a villain for Toby as a legend. Yes I was cruel, I was unkind, spiteful, all for you. That's all it's ever been is for you. I told you and I continue, I still break my back for you.
"But I do not interfere. The choice has always been yours. And every time you walk away. Does that please you? To find any likeness to me, and turn away, break their hearts?
"So the real question, Sarah, is not why am I here, or even why you called me, but what are you going to do about it?"
After he was finished he let go of her wrists, and she then realized how cold his grasp had been. Her glare was a hot mix of fury and confusion, as if her soul bled out. "You would not chase me any further you said."
"And I am not. I will not. I am standing at a crossroad." He articulated through his anger. "Waiting to see which path the storm will flood."
"Don't fling metaphors at me," she snapped at him, "it will not help you, or impress."
"Words say little when balanced to actions."
"Right, so what do your actions say?" she asked him with a spiteful grin.
"You never did solve the labyrinth." He said it in an offhand manner, knowing her face screamed 'What!'
He turned back to her to see he was correct. "A labyrinth has one path, you made it a maze."
"And Toby? I suppose you just graciously gave him back." She countered.
"I never said you didn't win," he said in false modest and a humble grin.
"Trying to turn this on me," she muttered to him. "MY actions are not up for discussion."
"But that's all this has ever been about."
Her stony silence provoked him. "My actions are clear. I do for you."
Sarah looked up that. She wasn't sure if she believed him, but he had admitted something in his tone and in his words. "Is that what you call it? or, I should say, how you justify it?"
"Sarah lets not start this again."
"There is nothing to start, only to end."
"You are such a liar." He turned his back on her.
"What? Me?"
"Yes. Was not it you that was just propositioning me earlier?" he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder.
"And you left." She crossed her arms at him.
"You said no."
"And I still say no."
"Do you?" he came over to her, stepping right within her space. "I think we were interrupted."
A quiet quite intense moment passed.
"Nate?" Jareth offered, seeing the confusion in her eyes as he looked down at her.
"Oh." Sarah almost fell back, but instead took a step.
He was intoxicating. His smell, his presence, all did little to lend her strength. Recalling a bit, she did seem to remember the offer she had made. He hadn't quite agreed, but she had taken the deal off the table. Nate…. Jareth left because he knew Nate was coming. But then had no problem showing up after she was ready to choose Nate. Now that deal was gone as well.
Her head felt dizzy and she staggered back more. With thoughts swarming her head, she barely noticed her lack of physical control. But then again, she barely noticed the blackness that overcame her.
Drats. What a place to cut in huh? When we come back, we shall see what happen, why, and what will be done about it? Maybe….
Sorry it has taken me so long to post, but you guys know life is like that. Doesn't leave much time for fics, eh? Sorry to any of those I disappoint.