Mistletoe Magic

Ch. 6: Home for the Holidays

Note: Apologies for the lengthy delay...it may have taken a year, but I have finished it and there is a short epilogue to come soon!

Turning, her hair fell forward to caress the sides of her face as she looked down at him from the steps. Then suddenly she was kissing him, her lips soft and warm as they teased against his, her tongue lightly tracing the seam of his lips, before dipping tenderly between them, as if tasting him. Breaking the kiss, she pressed her cheek to his and whispered heatedly into his ear, "One wish, Jareth. Tonight. Give me tonight."

Jareth looked at her, an angel bathed in moonlight, asking to grant her a wish that his own heart whispered with a longing that made him ache.

"Granted," he whispered, his hand coming up and cupping the back of her head as he drew her into a longing kiss.

The kiss was slow despite the hunger that fueled it, his tongue teasing along her lower lip as if sipping from her to taste her own desire. Stepping up another step he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up as her legs wrapped around his waist. With a quiet moan, her hands entwined in his hair, deepening the kiss as he begins to move up the staircase, each step forcing her to grind against him, eliciting another moan from her lips. Reaching the bedroom, he slowly set her on her feet. Sarah looked at him, her green eyes flickering momentarily with something akin to shyness, before being darkening, replaced with blatant hunger. He kissed her tenderly, as his fingers ran down her sides, slipping beneath the hem of the soft flannel shirt.

Pausing, he waited to see if she would object, only to be answered with a heated moan as her hips tilted toward him. His own groan of desire answered her, while his fingers slid upward over her hip, marveling at the softness of her flesh and the fact that she was wearing nothing beneath the shirt. Wrapping his fingers around her hips, he pulled her closer, the kiss more urgent now, as he poured years of desire into it – and she didn't disappoint, matching his ardor with a heat of her own. A needy moan slipped past her lips as he grabbed the shirt and started to tug it upward.

Sarah leaned back a bit, breaking the kiss and looking at him at him as he pulled the shirt upward. Her eyes were shining emeralds, dark and glittering with a hunger that burned deep within. She made no move to stop him, or to help, seeming to savor the slow drag of the flannel material over her bare skin. With a knowing smirk he tilted his hands slightly so his gloved thumbs grazed across the stiff peaks of her nipples as he pulled the shirt ever so slowly up her body. Sarah gave a whimpering moan and shivered, her eyes falling shut as her lips parted in response to the touch, then she groaned with need once more as the touch was gone, leaving her wanting more.

"Please…" she murmured, arching toward the warmth of his chest as the shirt was pulled free over her head.

Jareth dropped the shirt behind her, his gloved thumbs lightly stroking across the taut buds again, before he dropped his head and slowly flicked his tongue around one of the puckered nubs, making her gasp and whimper in reply.

"I've waited too long for this not to savor every moment, Precious," he breathed against her flesh.

The heat of his words made her shiver as searing breath played across her skin. When his lips wrapped around the sensitive bud, she gasped sharply, "Jareth!" her hands scrabbling desperately over his bare shoulders but finding no purchase, as her brain and body focused solely on the point where his mouth and tongue now teased her nipple, tugging and sucking at it with a pressure that was both intoxicating and maddening. Mewling and sighing, she shivered in his grasp, until he released the first nipple and sucked the other between his lips, starting the slow teasing process over. Flashes of color floated behind her shut eyelids, as Sarah felt the delicious sensations course through her with every suck of his firm lips, pooling low in her belly as the first telltale drip teased the tender flesh between her thighs.

Unable to help herself, she rubbed her thighs together, groaning as the flannel slowly stroked her.

Chuckling softly he pinched her nipple lightly with his teeth, eliciting a startled groan from her parted lips, as his fingers curled around the top of her pajama pants. He savored the breathy moan she gave at the touch and slowly began to kiss his way down the valley between her breasts, drinking in the sweet scent of her skin as he started to drag the flannel of the pants down her hips.

Sarah whimpered as it was pulled away, then gasped as the cool air swirled around her bare skin. Her hands flexed against his chest, then moved without thought to cover herself.

"No, love," he whispered, in between feather-light kisses along her stomach and hips, one of his hand stopping hers before she could fully cover herself. "You are beautiful, Sarah."

His words made her chest tighten with an ache that took her breath away, before sliding into her belly, making it quiver further. Slowly he released her hand, returning to tugging her pajama pants down her legs, his body folding to kneel in front of her. Jareth continued to kiss a heated trail along her belly and hips, his hands sliding the flannel free of her feet, leaving her bare to his touch. With a soft sigh her hands threaded through the silken strands of his hair, his name almost a prayer on her lips.

"Jareth…" Sarah sighed again.

She watched him as he peered up at her and smiled, then dipped his head again, slowly teasing the tip of his tongue through the warm flesh at the apex of her thighs. Surprised by the searing heat of the touch, Sarah jumped, a startled gasp squeaking past her lips. "Oh…Gods…." Her fingers tightened reflexively in his hair as his tongue slid deeper through the slick folds, teasing upward as he stroked the flat of his tongue over the sensitive bud, forcing an inarticulate groan from her, only to make her shiver from head to toe as he chuckled against her flesh. His lips wrapped around the small nub, tugging at it in a way that made her knees threaten to buckle. "Jareth…I can't…" she panted. "I'm gonna…" she moans, then she gave a soft mewl as a violent shudder ran through her, leaving her unable to control the sensations as they rushed over her in a dizzying wave.

Sarah was barely aware of Jareth's firm hands wrapping around her hips, supporting her as she came apart for him, her mouth open as she gasps and whimpers, her eyes shut tight and her head thrown back. Still trembling, she was dimly aware of him shifting to pick her up, before she found herself spread out on soft sheets that seemed to caress her entire body. As he pulled away to stand up, she came to her senses, her hands gripping his hips and bodily pulling him down against her, her lips capturing his in a kiss that showed no sign of the hesitation of earlier in the evening. This kiss was firm and devouring, as she writhed under him, wrapping her legs around his and pressing herself against his warm chest.

"Please…Jareth," she entreated between hungry kisses. "I've waited….long enough…."

For his part, Jareth answered with a heated moan of agreement, devouring her with equal fervor. He nipped at her lips, as his hands slid down her body and peeled her own hands from his hips, before pinning them next to her head.

"Don't talk to me about waiting," he murmured between licks and nibbles along the column of her throat. "I've waited nearly a century to have my wish come true…and I will not be rushed, love."

His words made her shiver and whine again, a flutter quivering in her belly with each quiet utterance. "Wha…wait…" she mumbled, trying desperately to hold onto a coherent thought. "A century?" As his lips plucked at the soft flesh of her neck, she squirmed, fighting to free her hands, to touch him, to look at him.

Leaning up, he slid his knee firmly between her thighs, grinding it slow against her as he looked down at her, her wrists still pinned in his hands. "A century. One-hundred years… of longing...and waiting…then despair when you gave up on magic," he says, his voice tinged with sadness. "Gave up on me." Jareth knelt back, freeing her wrists as he sighed, running his hands down the loose silk that covered his legs.

Sarah sat up slightly, her hand coming up to caress his cheek, his smile now gone; replaced with a hard exterior as if trying to protect himself from a coming pain. "I never gave up on you, Jareth. I…I…had to grow up. That's just how it is done," she whispered, her own voice cracking at the thought of him thinking she had given up on up.

He looked at her, his pale eyes soft. Turning his head, he kissed her palm as she cupped his cheek. "Precious, you have been marked by magic, it will always be part of your life. It can't be outgrown. All you did in declaring the end, was block us from coming to you."

"Us?" she asked quietly, her fingertips grazing along his angular jaw.

"Us," he whispered. "Your friends, Sir Didymus, Hogsbody and…."

Her green eyes shown bright, shimmering with a fine sheen of tears seeing the pain in his words. "And?"

"And me," he finished in a soft whisper that echoed with so many words and emotions left unsaid.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sarah kissed him tenderly, as if trying to erase the hurt and the pain she had caused by her unknowing words. "I do need you…all of you," she murmured, laying back and pulling him with her.

Jareth groaned into her lips, his hands coming up to cup her face as he deepened the kiss further. "Forever," he murmured.

"Always," she answered, arching with a pleasured moan as he slid home in one easy thrust. "Forever's….not long…at all," she gasped, as the rest of the world seemed to melt away.

~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~

Sir Didymus tried to do as the King had ordered, even the parts that seemed somewhat 'questionable'. Hoggle had cleared extra rations of goblin brandy for the castle goblins to incite them into the proper level of 'rowdiness' that would necessitate intervention by the High King, and it was working. Outside of the Goblin King's study, a loud rumbling was heard followed by a crash. Sir Didymus watched as three goblins trotted precariously on a rolling ale cask as it careened down the stone corridor, with several chickens being tossed wildly around inside the spinning wooden deathtrap. Thanks to the effects of the brandy and some judiciously applied Elven Ale, the castle goblins that were not currently competing in the barrel Olympics, could be heard carousing up and down the halls singing bawdy goblin drinking songs – many of which involved chickens in compromising positions and images of the Goblin King in drag, something which always horrified Hoggle and scandalized the grey muzzled old fox-knight.

For his part, Hoggle was quite pleased with how successful that particular part of their orders had been. The crystal orb of Sarah however, was another matter entirely.

Ever since His Majesty had left, Sir Didymus had watched it, barely taking his eyes from it to sign off on the alcohol requests for Hoggle and the goblins. Not once in the hours since the King had left, did the snow inside the globe stop. Sir Didymus did not understand much of magic, but he knew one thing with a surety that worried him greatly – magic strong enough to block the Goblin King from seeing that which he prized above all else, must be terrifyingly strong magic indeed. And here he was, being forced to sit and babysit a bunch of goblins rather than rush to the aid of his dear Lady Sarah.

Harrumphing he shook the globe in frustration.

"Ain't no use," Hoggle muttered from the couch where he had been trying sleep, despite the din caused by the drunk goblins. "If His Majesty can't get the blasted thing to clear with his magic, the likes of us ain't gonna clear it by shaking or cursing at the damn thing."

Sir Didymus sighed and nodded. "I know brother Hoggle, but if my lady is in danger, it is my sworn duty to aid her."

Hoggle just rolled his eyes and shut them again, only to be startled a moment later by a ki-yike from the old knight.

"It's clear! The snow cleared! Come, Hoggle. We must away at once to see to our lady's safety before those who wish to harm her return," Sir Didymus yelped, picking up his spear and hopping down from the King's desk in a hurry seldom seen in his old legs.

Shrugging, Hoggle followed him with a frown. He wasn't sure what Jareth expected to old goblins to do to keep Sarah safe with the high and mighty Goblin King couldn't do diddly squat, but orders were orders and he wasn't fool enough to ignore an order of Jareth's – even if it was questionable at best. He grasped the crystal orb in his hand and Sir Didymus's and shut his eyes tight against the sick spinning feeling that always accompanied transportation by crystal magic. With his last breath before the castle spun out of view, Hoggle said a short prayer to the Saint Stan, the Saint of Lost Goblins and Idiots (which are often the same thing), and tried to fight the urge to unload the Elven Ale he had imbibed with the goblins earlier in the evening. As he clenched his jaw to keep the ale down his gullet, he rapidly came to the conclusion that one should never drink and teleport.

~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~

"Ugh…I will never get used to that," Hoggle muttered, shaking his head as he waited for his vision to quit spinning. He heard Sir Didymus groan his agreement next to him.

"Aye," muttered the old fox-knight. "Let's find our dear lady and get out of here post-haste."

With a nod, Hoggle rubbed his eyes and got to this feet only to scream in shock, followed by a flurry of words and outbursts.

"My eyes! Bludy 'ell!" he howled, clapping his hands over his eyes.

"Well….I say!" gasped the old knight in shock, blushing from the tip of his tail to the tips of his ears and turning his back away.

"I'll bog the both of you!" roared Jareth, snatching the comforter from the floor and throwing it around himself and Sarah, who merely screamed and dropped to her stomach under Jareth, then clutched at the covers he pulled around them.

"It is okay, my lady, your virtue in my eyes is not sullied," chirped Sir Didymus almost conversationally, while Hoggle merely groaned, unable to get the image of Jareth's pale ass wiggling in the throes of passion from his minds-eye.

"If you two aren't out of here in the next second you'll be locked in the leaky oubliette," bellowed Jareth. "Now…GET OUT!"

Nodding frantically, Hoggle grabbed blindly for the crystal, slapping it into Sir Didymus's paw and grunting in relief when the vortex sucked them back to the castle, dropping them into a heap in the King's study.

"Dear Gods… if I didn't need a drink before…I certainly do now," he moaned.

Sir Didymus nodded in agreement, "Agreed, brother Hoggle. I think it is safe to say that our dear Lady Sarah is in safe and capable hands."

At his words Hoggle gagged, "Doan say things like that! I doan wanna think about what his hands or anything else of his is doing to any part of her!" Hoggle barrelled out of the study and down the hall with the old fox-knight trailing after him asking, "But why? Aren't you glad that she is safe?" Each new question only made Hoggle groan louder and vow to drown himself in the first cask of Elven Ale or Goblin Mead he found, although he wasn't even sure that that would erase the image of Jareth's pasty fae ass that was playing over and over in his head.

~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~

By mid-morning on Christmas Day, Sarah had managed to soothe Jareth's anger at being seen by his subjects in such a manner, and the two of them were happily lounging in bed, wrapped lightly in the silken sheets. She nestled further back between his thighs, snuggling against his chest and sighed happily, as he wrapped his arm further around her, holding her possessively while he nibbled her neck.

"Even if today is all I get, I have no regrets," Sarah murmured softly, then sipped the chilled champagne in her glass, watching as the bubbles formed perfect little crystals in the glass only to ping and pop with tiny chiming sounds.

Turning her slightly in his arms, Jareth frowned and kissed her forehead. "What do you mean, love?" he asked, his voice gentle.

She blushed and ducked her head, "I mean well…you're a king. I'm just…well…me. I have no place with you."

Sitting his glass aside, he caressed her cheek. "Sarah…Precious, I never dreamed that I would ever see you again, much less get to have you in my arms like this. If you think, for one second that I would merely let you walk out my door without moving the stars to make you want to stay, then you have no idea how much I am willing to give up for you."

Sarah's eyes filled with tears as she looked at him. "What…what are you saying," she whispered as his hand twined with hers, bringing up to his lips where he pressed a warm kiss to her palm.

Turning her hand over, he spoke softly, his words almost reverent, "Sarah…no matter what you believe of me, I have loved you since the moment I saw the fire and spirit within you. All I wanted was for you to win, then stay to rule beside me. When you rejected me, I became a shell of a man – merely going through the motions of life and ruling, until my kingdom was left in such disarray that my father ordered me away for a vacation, to clear my head. What I am saying, quite simply, is that you have my heart, my love, my soul." Slowly he drew a design on her ring finger as he spoke, "And I hope, with every last fiber of my being, that you would agree to come be my wife, my queen, my heart until the world falls down."

As he drew his hand away, she saw a stunning diamond and emerald ring, shimmering in the morning sun. Blinking she looked at it and gasped, tracing her finger over it before she dared look at him and nod. Deep down she knew there were things that would need discussing, decisions to be made, but she also know with everything she was, that her place was with him – with the Goblin King.

Throwing her arms around him she kissed him, twining her fingers through the silken strands of his hair as she pulled her body flush to his. "Yes…it is all I've wished for since I left," she whispered fervently against his lips, as he seemed to drink her heartfelt vow from her very soul.

~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~

Several hours later, the two of them had managed to move downstairs, but were in much in the same position, only slightly more disheveled and breathless, having spent the last few hours demonstrating the strength of their desire multiple times on the couch, the chair and the soft rug in front of the fireplace and Christmas tree. With her head on Jareth's chest and her hand lazily tracing the sigil on his amulet, Sarah hummed quietly, while Jareth ran his fingers through her hair, already picturing the dark haired children he felt sure were in their future.

"Well…well…well…" chuckled a velvet voice from the other side of the couch. "Isn't this a cozy picture? I see you have managed to relax and exorcise your obsession over the mortal girl at the same time, my boy."

Screaming Sarah tried to hide under Jareth, who did what he could to shield her with his body, seemingly unphased by being stark naked in front of the man who had suddenly appeared in the cabin. Biting her lip, Sarah peered around Jareth's arm to look at the strange man with sharply arching eyebrows, a firm aristocratic jawline and piercing steel blue eyes. Gasping, she slunk back behind Jareth when she realized there was more than just a passing family resemblance, which was then confirmed by Jareth's words.

"Happy Christmas, Father," he replied with a cool smile, his tone rich and warm. "I had not expected to see you come for me so soon since you only banished me from my own kingdom just yesterday."

Waving his hand with a laugh the other man clothed the couple sprawled nude amongst wrapping paper and bows under the tree. Sarah blushed, grasping tightly at the heavy brocade robe she was now wrapped in, tugging it tightly around her middle, while Jareth lazily propped himself up to a sitting position and pulled her bodily into his lap, making her blush deepen.

"Such dramatics…" Jareth's father replied. "You weren't banished Jareth. Just sent on a little vacation. Your grandparents were worried about you, my boy and insisted that I intervene."

Frowning Jareth rolled his eyes, "And what would they know about it, Father?"

"Come, come now, boy. You know they keep tabs on their favourite and most spoiled grandchild, although why I can't fathom," the other man said, settling on the sofa. "Now then, aren't you going to properly introduce me to your queen so that I can give my blessing and all that rot, or shall I call your mother and let her smother the both of you first."

"His what?" squeaked Sarah, her words being lost as the two men continued talking.

"Good Gods, Father…anything but that," Jareth groaned, gesturing toward his father, "Sarah, meet my father, King Garen, the High King of the Underground, or as you would know it better, Tir'Na'Nog."

"You mean it's real?" she manages to squeak again.

"It is, my dear," King Garen smiles warmly and holds out his hand, nodding when she hesitantly places hers in his. He gives her hand a squeeze and smiles more broadly. "A pleasure to meet you at last, Sarah dear. It seems Jareth's grandfather was onto something in suggesting that Jareth have a vacation. It would seem that the Goblin King must have been a very good boy this year, since he finally got his Christmas wish," the High King chuckled, his pale eyes twinkling mischievously.

Jareth's eyes narrowed at this. "Wait a minute, Father, just how much influence did Grandfather have in arranging this little 'meeting'?"

"Um..queen? Grandfather? Would someone mind explaining what the hell is going on here?" Sarah interrupted, sounding both confused and increasingly irritated.

"Why don't you both ask him yourself," shrugged King Garen, waving toward the fireplace behind them.

Turning around, Sarah's shook her head surprise, unable to believe her eyes.

"Kris!" she managed to gasp.

Then she promptly fainted, the sound of a merry laugh still ringing in her ears.

~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~~J/S~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I apologize for the extended absence and appreciate the well wishes and lovely messages over the last year. I was fighting hard to keep my job and did everything asked, but I am losing my job anyway. So, I am currently facing a complete career change, which is both exciting and terrifying as I have a family to support. I am hoping to at least add a chapter to my key stories over the next month (through the end of January), as I no longer am under the same pressure to publish academic research if I am getting out of teaching. I do hope the lemons in this story makes up for it…and there will be more lemons coming in my other stories as well.