A Wish Unspoken: A Christmas Tale
Part III
Sarah was dumbfounded. She had arrived at her apartment building weary and upset, intending to soak in a hot bath, have a glass of wine and then go to bed. However, her usually cheerful and accommodating doorman, Max, would not let her in. Sarah had argued with him for twenty minutes, telling him how she had moved in three years prior, but even after checking the list of residents, he told her he had no record of her ever living in that building. Sarah fussed and fumed and Max finally threatened to call the police if she did not leave the premises.
"Jareth," Sarah mumbled under her breath as she stalked away from her building. This somehow had to be his doing, she was certain.
"You called, Precious?" said a smooth honeyed voice behind her. Sarah whirled around and glared at the Goblin King.
"No," she hissed, "but thanks to you I can't get into my apartment."
"Thanks to me?" asked Jareth, raising a gloved hand to his chest in mock alarm. "Oh no, my dear. Not thanks to me. Thanks to you and your little wish."
Sarah groaned. "Enough, Jareth. No more games, okay? I'm exhausted and freaked out and I just want to go home."
Jareth gazed coldly at her. "You never listen, do you?" he asked. "Things have changed, Sarah. You have changed them. You never lived in that crummy little apartment. You live with your dear mother. Uptown."
"I would never live with my mother," Sarah replied with a laugh. "She wouldn't want me to. I'm sure I'd cramp her style."
"Nevertheless, what I have told you is true. The two of you are quite the pair, Sarah."
"Oh yeah? How so?" asked Sarah suspiciously.
"You'll see," Jareth answered with a smirk. "Would you like a lift?"
"No thanks," Sarah snapped. "I'll get a cab."
"Very well," Jareth replied coolly.
Sarah hailed a cab and jerked the door open and jumped inside. "And don't follow me…" she said, sticking her head out the door, but the corner where Jareth had stood was empty.
"Damn Goblin Kings," she cursed to herself as she slammed the door of the cab.
"Where to, lady?" asked the cab driver. Sarah told him the address where her mother lived and the cab pulled away and headed toward the wealthier uptown area. She closed her eyes as the cab crept along with the busy traffic. She wasn't sure her mother would be happy to see her. She probably had guests, or maybe she and her longtime boyfriend, Jeremy had gone away for the holidays.
"It's not like I ever hear from her," Sarah thought bitterly. Her mother called from time to time, but her calls were brief and mostly consisted of her talking about herself. Sarah hoped that her mother wouldn't be upset at having her daughter show up unannounced just before Christmas. Just the thought of her mother having one of her trademark tantrums over a surprise visit made Sarah's blood boil. She clenched her fists in anger as the cab made its way through the bustling city streets and finally stopped in front of an imposing stone building. Sarah got out and paid the driver before climbing the steps of the building. A doorman tipped his hat as Sarah approached him.
"Hi," she said calmly. "I'm here to see my mother and-"
"Good evening, Miss Williams," said the doorman, opening the door wide for her. He smiled politely.
"Um…thanks," Sarah told him as she entered the building.
"Great. At least this doorman knows me," she thought. She moved toward the elevator, thinking of the few weekends she had actually spent with her mother in this building. Linda Williams always had somewhere to be and someone to meet. Sarah often ended up with only herself for company while Linda went to meetings and rehearsals and luncheons.
Sarah pushed the button for her mother's floor and waited as the doors closed and the elevator ascended. She sighed when the doors finally reopened and she trudged down the hall toward her mother's lavish apartment. She rapped on the door and after a few minutes the door swung open and Jeremy appeared.
"Did you forget your key again, Sarah?" he asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Sarah responded. She hadn't seen Jeremy in quite a while. He still looked the same: handsome, well-built, tousled blonde hair, bright blue eyes, impossibly white teeth.
"Are you just gonna stand out there in the hall?" Jeremy asked her. "Get in here." He gave her a dazzling smile and waved her inside. "Geez, you like you've had a rough day."
"You've no idea," Sarah answered glumly. She threw off her coat and bag and plopped down on her mother's sleek leather sofa.
Jeremy smiled down at her. "Tell you what," he began. "I'll get you a drink and you can tell me all about it."
"Sounds great," said Sarah with a slight smile. "Where's mom?"
"Oh you know your mother," Jeremy answered as he moved toward the kitchen bar. "She had a meeting with her producer. It was supposed to have been over at 8, but she'll probably be there half the night." He poured a glass of wine for himself and one for Sarah and walked back into the living room.
"This ought to make things better," he told Sarah, handing her the glass.
Sarah took it gratefully and sipped from it. "Oh god, that's good," she purred. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, finally beginning to relax. She didn't know what was going on with the world, especially with her brother and Karen and her (possibly dead) father, but at that moment she didn't want to think about it. Jareth and his little game could jump off the George Washington Bridge for all she cared.
"You're smiling. That's good," Jeremy said near her ear. Sarah opened her eyes and looked at him. He had seated himself rather close to her on the sofa.
"Feeling better?" he asked her.
"Um, yeah," Sarah answered, moving slightly away.
"Good," Jeremy whispered. He lifted a hand to her face and caressed her cheek.
"Jeremy…" Sarah moved away from him, but he caught the back of her head and pulled her toward him.
"It's okay," he said softly. "Your mom probably won't be back for hours." Jeremy moved in closer and pressed his lips to hers. His lips were soft as they moved over hers, gently at first and then with growing hunger.
"What are you doing?" Sarah cried as she pushed Jeremy away and jumped up off the couch. "You kissed me!"
Jeremy laughed. "Oh Precious, I've done much more than that to you," he told her with a cackle.
Sarah shook her head. "It's not funny!" she yelled at him. "You're dating and…sleeping with my mom and now you want to stick your tongue down my throat! You're sick!"
Jeremy stopped laughing, but his expression remained one of sheer amusement. "That's not what you said last night when your legs were wrapped around my waist." He paused and took a sip of his wine. "And in case you've forgotten, Sarah darling, my tongue isn't the only thing you've had down your throat lately."
Sarah stared at him with her mouth agape. She couldn't believe what he was accusing her of.
"Gods, what is wrong with everyone?" Sarah asked out loud at last. "It's like the whole world has gone nuts and I'm the only sane person left!"
Jeremy smirked from his seat on the couch. "There's my little drama queen," he purred. "You're so much like your mother. I suppose that's why I can't keep my hands off you."
He stood and moved toward Sarah with a predatory grin on his face. Sarah backed away, but only got a few feet before her back hit a wall. She squirmed uncomfortably as Jeremy placed his arms on either side of her, caging her in.
"Jeremy, please…" she whispered.
Jeremy closed his eyes and moaned. "Oh god Sarah, you know I love it when you beg me."
He ground his pelvis into her and she could feel him hard against her abdomen. It made her feel sick. His hands stroked up her arm and down over her chest and hot fury welled up inside of her. She brought her knee up swiftly and caught him hard in the groin. Jeremy pitched forward and fell against her as he doubled over in pain. It was at that moment that the front door opened and Linda Williams swept into the apartment.
"Sorry I'm late, but Everett insisted that-" she stopped short as she took in the scene in the living room: Sarah pressed against the wall with swollen lips and Jeremy draped over her. "What the hell…"
"Mom!" Sarah cried. "He was going to… he tried to…" At her shoulder, Jeremy moaned.
Linda narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "I can't believe it," she hissed. "I knew there was someone else, but I had no idea it was my own damn daughter." She rushed forward and yanked Jeremy around by his arm.
"You fucking bastard," she yelled in his face. "I can't believe you would cheat on me with my own kid!"
Jeremy slowly straightened himself and stared coldly at Linda. "Yeah well, if you weren't so busy screwing your accountant maybe I wouldn't have needed to have gone elsewhere. At least I kept it close to home, Sweetheart," he sneered.
"How dare you!" Linda lunged at Jeremy but he caught her by the wrists and threw her to the floor. He turned and grabbed Sarah by the hand and dragged her toward the door.
"C'mon," he said. "She's going to kill us both if we stay here."
"No," cried Sarah as she struggled out of his grasp. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
She turned and knelt beside her mother. "Are you okay, Mom?" she asked.
"Get out of here, you little slut," hissed her mother. "I never want to see you again."
Sarah sat back on her heels. "But, Mom," she began. "I didn't…"
Jeremy stepped forward and took her by the arm. "Let's get out of here, Sarah," he said.
Sarah allowed him to lift her to her feet and place her coat around her shoulders before leading her out the door. Sarah briefly looked back and saw her mother heaving with sobs on the living room floor.
"Mom…" Sarah called to her.
"Get out!" Linda screamed.
Jeremy pulled Sarah out the door and slammed it closed behind him. Stunned and distraught, Sarah crumpled against the wall and Jeremy put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest.
"Hey, it's ok, Sarah," he whispered. "She was going to find out sooner or later, right? You wanted to tell her weeks ago, remember?"
Sarah pushed away from him. "I can't believe you would do this to Mom," she snarled.
Jeremy looked surprised. "Well, you're hardly innocent, Precious," he retorted.
"Yeah, that's another thing. Stop calling me 'Precious'" Sarah spat.
"Fine," replied Jeremy. He glared at her and shook his head. "Look Sarah, I don't know what's gotten into you. I thought you and I had something special. Now you want to sell me out to your mom and pretend like this whole thing wasn't your idea?"
"What?" Sarah asked incredulously.
"See, that's what I mean," Jeremy snapped. "Your little 'oh so innocent' act is messed up, Sarah. Everyone knows what a shrew you are, especially me, so just drop it okay?"
"Oh god…" Sarah moaned, putting her hands over her eyes. "This has got to be a nightmare. This cannot be real!"
"Are you coming with me or not?" asked Jeremy. "I don't want to stand out in this hallway all night."
"No," Sarah answered. "I'm not going with you. I have to… I have to find someone."
Jeremy put his hands on his hips and eyed her suspiciously. "Who?" he asked.
"A friend," replied Sarah. It wasn't exactly the truth, but there was little time to explain. She knew she had to find Jareth and get some answers. There had to be a way to get out of this nightmare.
"Sarah, please," Jeremy whispered. "You're upset. Come home with me." He ran his pale fingers through her dark hair and kissed her brow. Sarah tensed at his touch, repulsed.
"Leave me alone," she said, breaking out of his embrace. "Don't touch me or ever come near me again." She turned and started down the hall toward the elevator.
"Jareth," she thought to herself as she pressed the button for the ground floor. "Wherever you are, you had better be able to fix this or show me how. This is not the life I want and not the person I want to be."
A/N:
Sorry for the delay with this part. I've been trying to catch up with all my Christmas stuff. To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with it. I feel as if I rushed it. It gives the general idea I wanted it to though. Enjoy! (Or not.) The final part should be up around Christmas!
