As The World Falls Down

With the squeeze of his hand, Sarah felt safe again and saw nothing else but his eyes. His gaze took her in. Something was different though. She looked around to find that they were no longer in her room. There they stood… at the beginning of the labyrinth. Stumbling about from shock, Sarah took in her surroundings. One look at the labyrinth and Sarah tripped on a stone. Jareth quickly caught Sarah before she fell. He helped her regain her balance as she gazed at the broken down walls of the labyrinth. A look of horror on her face.

"What happened?" she asked. Jareth could hear the horror in her voice as he saw it on her face. He felt anger rise up into his chest.

"You…" he said, his voice full of pain, the anguish could be heard slightly. A gasp filled Sarah's throat choking her. She turned to look at him but he wasn't there.

"You know your task Sarah." Jareth's voice echoed. Sarah turned in circles looking for where it was coming from. Jareth was nowhere to be found. She stood there frozen, staring down at the labyrinth. Stepping slowly, she walked toward the labyrinth. Nausea started to take over with every step she took.

"Why am I doing this again?…" she spoke under her breath.

***

Jareth was standing outside on one of the many balconies of his castle, just outside his bedchamber. He stood staring down at the labyrinth, deep in thought. He knew there was more to his anger and pain than the falling of his kingdom, and it ate away at him. 'It'll never happen…' he thought to himself. 'I was defeated last time. She made it quite clear…' He thought of those last few moments he spent with Sarah before she rejected his offer… and her dreams. Something sparked in his mind. He remembered… no… maybe… '…She reached for that crystal… I KNOW she did.' Maybe he had a chance after all. In a way, Jareth felt a tad silly, obsessing over a girl like a schoolboy. Ha! Not Jareth's style. It could not be helped. Sarah filled his head most of the time. But, did she ever think about him? Did she feel for him? How could she?! After everything he put her through. Jareth thought it almost impossible. However, that did not mean he wasn't going to give it one more go. A sly smile on his mouth, he channeled a crystal into his gloved hand.

***

Sarah had made her way to the courtyard. She knew the place by heart. Every nook and cranny. Well… almost every nook and cranny. Turning a corner, she spotted the two doors that would lead her to the way through the labyrinth, or certain death. The little creatures weren't there this time. Maybe the other door would be a better choice this time. She opened the door. It looked the same as the other one did when she opened it. Carefree, she walked in and much to her surprise, a trapdoor opened underneath her… again. She fell down through a long dark tunnel but there were no helping hands to save her. Her stomach was in knots and she screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell. Within in a second she was being held in someone's arms. Jareth had caught her right before she hit the ground, which was covered in sharp rocks. Seemed that door was the one that lead to certain death after raised her head and met his eyes with hers. Her entire body was shaking fiercely and her breathing was rapid. Jareth lowered her legs so she could stand but her legs were so weak from the shock of the unexpected fall. Her head resting on his chest she started to sob quite loud. Tears streaming down her face, she clenched the sleeves of his brown leather jacket that fit tightly around his waste. Jareth wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Sarah, its alright." he said, his voice full of worry. His head resting on hers, he squeezed her tightly.

"I don't want to do this again, Jareth!" she cried into his chest. Her entire body was trembling with fear.

"Sarah.." his voice was so soft and calming to her. Placing his fingers underneath her chin, he pulled her head up to look at her with concerned eyes. "You must do this. Look around you. You stopped believing in the magic… in me. Therefore, it all left you. You have to believe." he spoke with serious tone in his voice.

Staring into each others eyes, they felt the closeness. Warmth of the others breath, heat from the others body as the fire grew inside them. Sarah, now shaking from the passion between them, took a quick breath. The fear starting to grow along with the fire, she tore her body and eyes away from his. She stood frozen and stiff as the realization of how close they just were came over her. Jareth stood staring at her with an eyebrow raised and a slight look of anguish on his face. His arrogance showing, he started to circle her, eyeing her every move like she was his prey. Sarah could feel the coldness coming off of him and she shivered.

"Why did you bring me back here Jareth?" She asked with a stern, cold voice.

"You must fix what you've done Sarah." His words were laced with ice. Sarah felt as if she were surrounded as he circled her and circled her.

"I don't want to!" she turned and yelled at him. He stopped immediately. Slowly, he stepped towards her. His eyes seemed to scream at her with powerful rage. She was frozen and as much as she wanted to look away from those cruel eyes she couldn't. He was inches away from her face now. His words came coldly and sent shivers down her spine.

"You… will… do as I say." He glared down at her as he spoke. He could feel his powers growing every time he got close to her and it brought the most devilish grin to his face. Her presence was bringing the entire Labyrinth back to life. He could feel it in his soul and it made him feel powerful.

Her eyes were wide and glowed with sadness. She backed away from him slowly taking in a shuddering breath, her arms wrapped around her body. A single tear fell down her cheek. She took a sharp breath and ran as fast as she could away from him. He stood watching her as she ran off, that grin still on his face, he let out a cackling laugh as he turned and vanished.

Sarah ran hard and fast, her breathing was harsh and her vision started to blur. Her pace slowed quickly as everything started to spin. Nausea came over her and she fell to her knees and knelt on the ground, trying to catch her breath. Everything around her started to fade out as she fell to the ground unconscious. She lay there, still, and barely breathing.

****

Jareth sat lazily on his throne. The last of the goblins joined their king in the throne room, They ran about the place, chased each other, and sang.

"Dance magic dance!

Jump magic jump!"

They were quite excited to hear of Sarah's return and they played joyfully. Jareth watched his goblins play and rejoice with a proud smirk. He might have treated them like dirt sometimes but he did truly care about them. He conjured a crystal into his gloved hand, then another, another. He spun them in circles skillfully as he walked towards the window to sit. Taking one of the three crystals away he held it up and blew on it softly, letting it float away like a bubble. Then the other two. He watched as they floated away with a warm smile on his face. 'Time to get ready.' He thought to himself. He walked towards his bed chambers with a slight, joyful bounce to his walk.

***

Sarah lay unconscious still. Her face pressed against the cold earth. The crystals were making their way towards her. Sarah awoke to something cold and wet on her cheek. She shifted a little and her eyes fluttered open. Everything was quite blurry still and she felt more of the cold wet drops. 'What is that?' Her eyes began to focus and she saw white snow flurries falling all around her. The ground began to turn white as well as her clothes and hair. Then she noticed something floating towards her.

"Oh no…" She spotted the crystals and knew immediately what they meant. "Not again…" She said pouting. They slowly made their way towards her, hovering over her when they had finally reached her. She couldn't help but stare into them. They were so beautiful, so clear, so perfect. Images began appearing in them and she prepared herself for what she was sure was coming. Although she knew what was about to happen, and she was now covered in snow, she felt warm grow inside in her as she watched the images in the crystals. That music… Sarah sighed deeply and her entire body started to relax. The music got louder but it was so soft to her. A sweet smile fell over her mouth and her eyelids felt heavy. She began to sway back and forward, rocking slowly to the music. The snow began to fall harder and it seemed to glow. As the snow thickened on the ground everything got brighter around Sarah. She could feel herself being swept away. She looked up to the falling snow, his voice began to ring in her ears now with the music.

"Falling… Falling… Falling love."

A relieving breath escaped her as she laid down, not caring about the cold snow. She felt so warm inside that she didn't even notice its icy feel. She stared up at the white flakes as they fell and they starting to… look like stars. Suddenly, the falling snow wasn't falling. It was as if the flakes got stuck to the sky. They twinkled brightly. Sarah's eyes fluttered shut and she was gone.

"Between the stars…

I'll lay my love… between the stars."

Sarah opened her eyes and she was standing in a beautiful, sparkling room full of laughing, lively people. They danced and laughed, wore masks, and stared at Sarah. She didn't like the way they looked t her through their odd masks. The masks alone made her feel uneasy. Her clothes felt strange and she looked down to notice that she was wearing the dress. Her eyes glistened when she saw it and she couldn't help but smile. Stepping slowly, further into the room, she knew Jareth was around somewhere. Her eyes darted all around looking for the smallest trace of him. She made her way through the crowd of dancers hurryingly. She froze as she felt a pair of strong hands on her waist. Her eyes fell to look at the hands which wore no gloves. Turning slowly she felt her stomach knot, wondering who was so bold to touch her like that.

Jareth stood only inches away from her, gazing at her, his eyes bore into hers intensely. He wore his glittering blue frock coat, his hair was tinted with blue here and there, his face looked so perfect, so beautiful to Sarah. She felt her knees get weak as she gazed back into his. He slowly ran his hand down her arm down to her hand, he took it in his, the other still placed firmly on her waist. Sarah shivered and her eyelids fluttered slightly, she felt like she might faint.

"May I have this dance, Sarah?" he said softly. His face had no expression at all, but his eyes said it all. There was so much emotion in them, though Sarah could not tell what it meant. She softly placed her hand on his chest and stepped a few inches closer to him, her breathing heavier now. Jareth felt like he might melt from her touch, her closeness. He could feel her breath on his mouth.

"…Yes." she said in a whisper. She couldn't pull her eyes away from his, not even for a second.

He smiled slightly and swept her gracefully to the dance floor. He began swaying her dizzily in all different directions. She felt as if she might float away. She loved the way he swung her around gazing into her eyes. It all felt so magical, so familiar. They both felt so at peace as everything around them seemed to disappear. Sarah was startled, her head darting around in all directions. Everything DID disappear. The dancers, the tables, the decorations. There was nothing left but the room, the candles were still lit and that was the only light in the room. Sarah turned her attention back to Jareth who didn't take his eyes off her for one second, he couldn't.