Author's Note: Funny thing about this chapter. I was all ready to write it three weeks ago, when I caught the flu from my friend Cassandra making be feel too sick to write, and instead I just kinda sat there in front of the TV watching the extended version of Two Towers. THEN, I couldn't think of anything, and whenever I did write something, I lost it. Then, at like 12:00 at night . . . I get inspiration. Whadya know. So . . . je regret for the long wait . . . but I was having major's writer's block.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Labyrinth, The Mrs. Murphy mystery series, the Magic Tree House, 'Arrows of the Queen' or "What if the Moon Didn't Exist' . . oh and the whole human pie thing came from Shakespeare. I do, however, own Mara and Garith (who I actually did NOT mean to have their names rhyme with Sarah and Jareth . . and didn't realize it . . being my normally clueless and head-in-the-clouds self, and worried that I'm going to fail Biology) the plot line . . . Elmo the Polka Dotted Penguin (who was named after my cat . . which is mine too . .you can't have him) and the original characters of Eric, Tom, Andrew, and the Barbarian Horde of Whores . . . and anyone/anything else I created that I can't think of right now because I am tired and can't think.
The Incentive
by Fou Fou
Only choice
Jareth glanced around the lobby of the Diamond Keep, HQ for the famous (and in Jareth and Mara's opinion, a pointless gathering of Egotistic-Bigheads-Who-Can't-Keep-Their-Noses-Out-Of-Other-People's-Lives) Underground Council that had been getting on his royal nerves especially as of late. The 'especially' was because of the baboon-faced-shit-headed-horny vampire (the adjectives were Jareth's opinion, not that of everyone else) who the Council and so kindly sent in to make a nuisance of himself. Needless to say, Jareth decided to add those flattering adjectives when he had been flying around (in owl form of course) around the Sirarah Valley College of Literature and the Arts (participating in, what Mara had remarked audibly when she saw him, 'paranoid-stalker-like-behavior;' of course, the vampire was nearby, so Jareth supposed she could have been referring to him), he had seen how Garith had attached himself to Mara and Sarah, and he wasn't happy with what he saw. Having known Mara for years, he knew that despite her brazen attitude and rude sex jokes, she was actually quite inexperienced when it came with dealing with people, especially in a relationship. He knew how uncomfortable Mara was when men made advances on her, she had admitted as much to him when she use to regularly attend court, before earning such an unfavorable reputation as a prankster. People like Garith scared her, and she often didn't now how to react to them. And Jareth suspected Garith was well aware of this, since it was part of his species' abilities to ferret out the weakness of others. Add that with the fact that Garith had decided to become best friends with Sarah and break into Mara and Sarah's dorm when they weren't there; Jareth felt completely justified to come here and try to find out what the Council was up to.
Looking around, he saw the sign that pointed towards the secretaries' offices. Heading towards that direction, he went over to the desk of a 1200 year old druid; Arinu, a tall human-looking individual with long, light purple hair that was almost the color of frost, and light blue eyes which were held behind a pair of glasses. There were few druids left in the Underground, many having been killed off in the Abovegrounds by paranoid humans convinced they worked for the devil. However, despite the fact that the humans did not like them, they continued to try and help, albeit a bit mischievously. Jareth had met her before, and had gotten along with her, (of course, he had to admit, she was soft on the eyes) and felt that if he was going to find information, she would be the best individual to check with.
"Who is this vision of beauty I see before me?" he asked with a smile, leaning against her desk.
Arinu snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, Jareth," she replied, trying to glare at him, but the twinkle in her eye giving her away.
"You hurt me with your cruel words, fair maiden," he said, sighing dramatically.
This caused Arinu to laugh. "You aren't hurt by my words anymore then you want to marry Princess Mara. In any case, I'm older then you, so you can hardly start calling me a 'fair maiden' when I'm old enough to be your mother."
"And what would you know about my feelings, milady?" he asked, leaning towards her suggestively as he took his gloved hand and ran it down the side of her cheek seductively. "After all, love knows no boundaries, whether they be age or species."
"First of all, if you wanted to marry her, then the Vampire Garith's call earlier today regarding your plans to break off the engagement would be a falsehood."
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Garith called? Whatever did he want?"
Arinu smiled mischievously, "Sorry, I can't tell you. Council policy. All calls and plans of retaliation must remain absolutely top secret and confidential until officially released to the media who will blow it out of all size and proportion."
Jareth sighed, "Come, come, love. Surely you can tell me?"
"I could help you, it is just a question if I want to help you," was the reply.
"And why wouldn't you?" he asked, looking at her closely.
"Because. . . because you are an arrogant bastard who expects me to help you because you waltz in here and try to flirt with me to get me to help you. While, I admit that your turn of phrases were flattering, pretty words are NOT going to get me to help you. Especially when I'm already seeing someone."
Jareth jerked back with surprise. "You're seeing someone?" This was news to him. He definitely been way to occupied with other things for these past 4 and a half years.
Arinu shrugged. "Yeah, I finally found another druid male, so we started seeing each other about five weeks ago. He seems pretty nice. One of those 'loves-sex-with-a-passion-type' but hey, he's sweet." With an afterthought, she added quietly, "And he is very, very good in bed. And his red hair is to die for . . ."
"Ah," interrupted Jareth, not wanting to hear more. "Well, is there someway that I could convince you to tell me information regarding Mara and my wedding?" he added quietly.
Arinu sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose since you're such a good friend, I can give you the information, though why you would want to know about that I have no idea. It isn't exactly your area of expertise. Your more for the Crystal Magic" she said, looking around, noticing a worker that was under the pay of Lord Taranus lurking nearby, while Jareth raised an eyebrow in confusion. Taking a quill and a piece of paper out, she said out loud, "The Council has decided that they will pass the Rune Clause, making it illegal to practice certain Rune Magic without a license. This was decided due to the fact that many amateurs use runes as a quick way to power, and ending up messing up terribly, making the Magic Control committee responsible for clean up. Needless to say, they weren't very happy about it." As she finished writing, she muttered a spell over it, and then added with a wink, "Here is a list of the Runes that need a license to be practiced, as well as a copy of the Rune Clause. Make sure you wait until you get a license before practicing."
With a raised eyebrow, Jareth said, "Uh, thank you," slowly.
Arinu smiled, "No problem. Now go away, I have work to do."
Jareth smiled and with a wave of a crystal, he disappeared in an explosion of glitter, causing Arinu to mutter angrily about impish Goblin Kings.
When he had arrived back in his palace, he went down to the crowded throne room (full of goblins and chickens everywhere, causing their usual havoc and mayhem) and lounged out on his throne. Opening the note he had received he read:
Alright, as you know, the Vampire Garith called earlier today with information. Since I was the one who answered his calls, I got to be privy to the information. He said (after much flirting and suggestive comments – Stars, he is as bad as you) that he had found information regarding Issue 4587A2. Since I knew that was the one regarding you and your elf friend, I decided to see what kind of information I could dig up. After I had directed him to the Council, I tapped the line (my new boyfriend taught me how, real sweet guy . . .) and was able to record the entire conversation. Here it is.
The words began to swirl together and off the page until a small figure of Garith and various members of the Council (including Mara's father, Lord Taranus, Krish, a Silver Dragon, and the vampire Alistar) were suspended in the air, in front of Jareth.
"Vampire Garith, welcome," squeaked Krish. "To what pleasure do we owe call?"
Garith bowed and with a smirk he added, "After much investigation, I have discovered what Her Highness, Mara K'Talven, and His Majesty, Jareth of the Labyrinth have been up to." This was answered with the various sounds of murmurings, and a few of the other figures looked as if they were talking to someone else. When the other delegates were finally silence he added, "Apparently, they have discovered the makings of a Lifebond between Jareth and the mortal, Sarah Williams. Mara went to the Aboveground to try and strengthen this bond, and on the day I arrived, contrived to have a meeting with Jareth and Miss Williams at a party on All Hallows Eve. Fortunately, when they saw me, Jareth left; but he has been hanging around in owl form. I feel that, since Mara has gone to the Williams Household for Christmas, she will try to pull something off."
Lord Taranus leaned interestedly towards Garith from his desk and asked, "Are you sure this is so?"
"Quite definitely. I have proof right here on paper in a note from Mara to Jareth telling him that she would contact him to see if they could arrange another meeting. If they are able to strengthen this bond enough, they could get out of the marriage. True, Jareth would then have to marry Sarah, but Mara would be free. Also, considering the amount of trouble that Sarah caused when she defeated the Labyrinth, I'm not sure that is would be wise to give her immortal status. She might be as much of a problem as Mara."
"How strong is this bond, Garith?" asked Lady Alistar calculatingly.
"Not extremely. While when I did see them together getting along very well, Sarah was not aware that it was Jareth she was speaking to. This leads me to believe she is unaware of the bond because she obviously still feels extreme hatred towards him, if she even believes at all."
"What do you mean, 'if she believes.'" asked Lord Taranus.
"After she returned to the human world, she obviously suppressed her belief for some reason. When I met her, the taint of the Labyrinth had been hidden in her, and only really came out if she had been talking to Mara alone." After a pause he added, "If there was a way of making it impossible for the two to contact each other, the lifebond would not be strong enough by the marriage, in fact, almost nonexistent."
The huge silver dragon nodded its large head in agreement. "What about shutting the barrier? At least, temporarily? Not many of the Races travel to that world anymore, so it wouldn't be much of an inconvenience. If we shut it, Mara would be cut off from any lines of power she might be using from this world, making her rely only on her own magic, greatly lessening her magical capabilities of persuasion. Also, since Sarah and Jareth would be incapable of meeting, we would solve that problem to. Added to the fact that communication between the two worlds would be shut down, Mara would be literally stranded in more then one way. We can take it down after she finishes her mortal school and bring her back for preparations for the wedding." With an added chuckle he added, "It serves her right."
This motion was instantly seconded by Lord Taranus (who had begun to smile almost demonically), then by several other members. Eventually, it appeared that the majority of the council agreed. "Fine," said Krish in his high voice. "We will begin shut down procedure. Garith, do you agree to stay on that side and continue watching Mara?"
At this, a smirk came over Garith's face that made Jareth fear for his long friend, "It would be a distinct pleasure, sir."
"Then, the procedure will commence. The gate will be shut completely in 26 hours. We will see you in a few months, Garith."
And with that, the message faded.
Jareth paled, as for the second time in his very long life, he felt the cool grip of fear of defeat take a hold on his heart. For the second time in his life, he felt that he might not be able to win the woman's he loved heart, not to mention the fear that he may lose the friend that had become more then a sister to him. Sighing angrily, he ordered for the goblins to disperse, and prayed that Mara would find a way to contact him before it was too late.
* * *
"Elmo the Polka Dotted Penguin . . ." sang Mara and Sarah the next morning as they walked into a small, two-storied bookshop downtown. This earned them several glances from bystanders, which the two of them pointedly ignored, not caring if the rest of the world thought they were crazy. For the Christmas Spirit infects the souls of millions of people ever December, and worked its magic on the two of them with a vengeance making the two as happy and go lucky as possible. Even more so then usual.
Unfortunately, the Christmas Spirit does not plague everyone this time of year, so the two were told by the stingy clerk that they had better be quiet, or get thrown out. Since this shop was the only bookstore in the area, the two conceded, only to make rude remarks as soon as the lady went to the other side of the shop.
"Talk about the female embodiment of Scrooge. Bah Humbug!" muttered Mara. "Doesn't that lady know the meaning of the word 'having fun' or 'holiday cheer?'"
Sarah shook her head sadly. "Ms. Picklesworth has always been like that. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen her smile. The day the arcade store burned down, the day the movie theater was robbed, and the day the fifth Harry Potter book came out and she got more business in a day then she normally does in months."
"From the sounds of the first two, she doesn't sound like much of the electronic type."
"Nope. In that lady's opinion, anything that is electronic is the embodiment of the devil, video games and movies being at the top of the list."
Mara sighed. "Wonderful woman. She and Father would get along just swimmingly."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Sarah.
"It's just that . . . uh never mind," said Mara, unwilling to talk about such a topic that would be difficult to explain. "So, what kind of books do you think your parents would like? Karen mentioned she liked mystery, and with Toby, I'm thinking some tale of adventure, maybe with the odd dragon or something like that will spur that young imagination of his and cause him to be a troublesome little goblin."
"Just what he needs to be, a little goblin," murmured Sarah. Then, after a moment's thought she corrected herself, "Actually, a troublesome little boy is much preferable. If I wanted him to be a goblin, I'd just wish him away to the Labyrinth," she teased.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Mara as she searched through the shelves. "Turn him into a goblin in the Labyrinth?"
"Isn't that what the Goblin King did? Turned children into goblins."
Mara shook her head absently as she examined the back cover of a mystery book she thought Karen might like. "No, if the child was left in the Labyrinth someone normally adopted him or her. It's hard for the Fae and several others of the Races to have children, so many adopted humans and trained them to be like them."
"Why do you say that?" asked Sarah sharply, looking at her friend. "That wasn't mentioned in the book."
Mara froze for a moment before shrugging. "Oh? I thought it was," she commented indifferently. "Do you think Karen would like this book?" she asked, changing subjects, as she held up a book about a cat named Mrs. Murphy who helped solve murders with her owners dog, Tee Tucker, and a fat gray cat called Pewter; then attempted to get her owner to figure out who the murderer was before it was too late.
Sarah picked it up and looked at the back cover. "You know, normally I would think animal-detective stories would be childish, but this looks pretty interesting. I don't see why she wouldn't like it."
"Ok then, Karen is settled. Now, your father seems to like science . . ." she trailed off as she walked down the various shelves searching for the perfect book and away from her friend.
"Is that Sarah I see before my eyes?" came the voice of an old friend. Turning around, Sarah yelped with glee to see her old, life-long playmate and one-time-boyfriend standing before her, before giving him a huge hug. "Eric! I've missed you!" she cried, and was rewarded by a sharp look from Ms. Picklesworth, who started going off muttering about young peoples hormones and the scandal of PDA.
"When did you get back?" he asked, hugging her back, quietly, so as not to evoke the wrath of Ms. Picklesworth.
"Yesterday. Came back with my roommate, Mara. Remember, I told you about her?"
"Ah yes. Red hair. Purple eyes. I'd love to meet her. Is she here right now? And is she still single?"
Sarah laughed. "Yes, though she tends to be kinda against relationships. She is not as against them as she was at the beginning of school, even gone on a few dates with good friends, but those were one-time things, and that was mostly just to hang out then actually having a date. She said that after seeing the way Garith treats his numerous girlfriends, she prefers being single." Sarah sighed. "She hates him, and I have no idea why. He seems perfectly alright to me. A bit on the erotic side with his bed habits, but he's nice."
"Garith?" he asked raising an eye. "And who is Garith?"
"A friend from school."
"A friend?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes, a friend. And despite his bed habits, no, I have done nothing with him. I'm still a celibate as ever."
"Gods, girl. You need a boyfriend. I can count on one hand the number of boyfriends you've had, me. That is one boyfriend in 19 years."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "God, you are beginning to sound like Karen. Always nagging me about having a boyfriend. I will have one when I find the right one."
"And how are you suppose to know the right one when you find him if you don't give him a chance?"
"I'll just. . . know," murmured Sarah, gazing off at nothing, as her mind went off to that night, two months ago, dancing with Mara's friend Jared. How being near him made her heart flutter like a butterfly dance and make her feel as if she were floating on air. And to think that she had never seen his face the entire time they were together! And it didn't help that Mara didn't have any pictures of him to show her. But in any case, she felt that she would love to see him again and get to know him. "I'll know."
Eric raised an eyebrow, curious as a cat, and smiled. "I know that look, fair Sarah. You met someone. I want details, now."
Sarah blushed and walked towards another shelf as Eric continued gleefully to interrogate about the man who seemed to be on her mind.
* * *
Mara decided a book about space would be fitting for Robert and was currently examining the book "What if the Moon Didn't Exist," when a cool arm slid itself around her waist and she felt someone looking over her shoulder. "Interesting selection. For yourself or as a present?" came the now all-too-familiar-plaguing voice in her ear, his breath tickling her skin.
"For Sarah's father for Christmas, since her family graciously is letting me stay the holidays. Now what the hell are you doing here? What happened to staying at the university all vacation?" was her curt-and-not-very-polite reply as she pushed his head away and turned around to face him angrily.
"I think I should be asking you that. I was quite distraught the yesterday afternoon when I went up to your room to spend some . . . quality time with my favorite elf to find you missing. Imagine the terror I felt, thinking that you might have been kidnapped. . ."
"Pfuit!" Mara interrupted, waving her hand with royal disgust at the atrocious lie. "More like you were worried I was off causing unknown mischief regarding that blasted marriage contract. What horrid affair is the Council now convinced I'm up to?"
"Creating a lifebond between Miss Sarah Williams and His Majesty, King Jareth. Or strengthening it. Whatever you prefer, just as long as it gets you out of the contract."
"Wherever did they get that load of bullshit?" asked Mara, keeping her voice steady as she shoved Garith's arm off of her and proceeded to walk towards the children section to find a present for Toby, her hands shaking slightly.
"From that note to Jareth you wrote that was lying on your bed back at the dorm," Garith replied, a smirk flittering its way across his face as he saw Mara's muscles tense and felt as her blood began to quicken.
Still, Mara did her best to act unaffected. "Don't you know better, Garith, than to be going into other woman's dormitories without their permission?"
"Why? I always have before. They never seemed to mind. Especially afterwards, when I made it up to them . . ." he trailed off as he stepped in front of her, eyebrows raised suggestively.
"You look like a monkey when you do that, Vamp, and I'm not interested in knowing about your sex-life with your 'Barbarian Horde of Whores' back and school," she snapped, shoving her way past him to a shelf that was filled with the sort of books she thought Toby might enjoy.
"Sex? Who said anything about me and sex?" he said, gazing at her with impish innocence before it dissolved into a look of full mischievous and not-so-virtuous-intent as he slid his arm around her waist and began to caress her skin with his lips and occasional fluttering of his tongue. "So, is that what you have been thinking about all this time? Because, my dear Elf, I can show you a few of my . . . charms that the 'Horde of Whores,' as you call them, treasure hold in high esteem. That is. . . before you get married and it is all perfectly . . ."
He was interrupted by Mara taking the two books in her hand and whacking him quite hard in that very special place, causing him to bend over, a look of mixed surprise and shock across his features. "I suggest you back off, Vamp, before I rip your ballsack off and dump it right into the Bog of Eternal Stench. I'd love to see your devoted fans flocking around you then," she hissed, smiling evilly, purple eyes dancing merrily with the thought of inflicting pain on one who had grown to be a constant thorn in her side.
"And the Princess draws her claws," he teased softy, voice strained, as he backed away from her. "Well, there is a first for everything. I must admit though, Elf, I find this side of you quite appealing."
"Scratch what I said before. I'll rip your ballsack off, dip it into the Bog of Eternal Stench – you know, for flavoring –, make a pie out of it, THEN, I'll make you eat your fat, egotistical package you filthy bastard."
Thank god for Shakespeare and his creative ideas of torture. Wish I could have met him. Doesn't Jareth have a signed copy of the script of 'Titus Andronicus' . . ? I have to remember to check when I go visit him.
"You certainly sound as if you want to be handling it a lot, Elf. I can give you a slice of that pie right now if you wish," was his reply as he eyed her up and down.
Mara rolled her eyes with unfeigned disgust as she grabbed 'Christmas in Camelot,' which she thought Toby might enjoy. "Look, Garith, all I want is the Christmas holiday free of you. I'm not up to anything, so you can go back to the school, find some whorehouse, or somewhere beyond a five-mile radius of me."
"I never realized how much your mind seems to be occupied by sex, Mara. You really didn't seem like the type. I really must ask Jareth in five months or so if you speak like this to him."
"Why five months?" demanded Mara as she headed finally towards the fantasy section to get a book for Sarah since she seemed to have wandered off somewhere else in the shop. "How about you go plague him right now? He deserves it. He's probably dilly-dallying with some court flower while I'm here doing the grunt work."
Garith pretended to looked shock. "Why, my dear Elf, haven't you heard the news?"
"Since I have been rather out of touch with the Underground, I probably haven't." Which reminds me, I need some more magic. Mere fantasy books are not enough to sustain me. When I call Jareth I'll tap into some of the magic of the Underground. Speaking of fantasy, where are those Mercedes Lackey books? The ones I checked out of the library looked good. Ah! Here's 'Arrows of the Queen.' I loved that one, and I'm sure Sarah will too.
"Oh, the Underground Council has decided to shut the barrier between the two worlds to, 'prevent a crisis with concerning Issue 4587A2 and a lifebond occurring.'"
"Oh, I'm an issue number now?" said Mara, picking up her book for Sarah and began walking towards the counter. "I feel so loved." After a second she paused, and spun around to face Garith, trailing along behind her, who was forced to stop short. "Wait, they are shutting the barrier?" she demanded, pointedly ignoring just exactly how close she was to his proximity. "Does the Goblin King know?"
Garith shook his head sadly and patted her consolingly on the shoulder. "Not to my knowledge, and yes, they are shutting it. Now you can't contact Jareth, or get him together with Sarah, making you unavoidably doomed to marry him." His mood was bighted dramatically. "But look on the bright side, Elf, you'll be able to spend even more time with me before you are locked down by the bonds of matrimony."
"Oh, Zeus," murmured Mara, leaning against a bookcase, a look of fear on her face.
"Ah yes, I know how disappointed you are, Elf. But you'll just have to get used to my company."
"If I wanted company I would hang out with either Sarah, Tom or Andrew, Vamp . . . that's not what is concerning me," she snapped angrily, her face twisting sardonically as she felt her heart begin to beat faster at the thought of what being stuck Aboveground would do to her. "Damn my father to the deepest reaches of Hell and back again. He knew about what doing something like this would do! That fucking bastard . . ."
"Enlighten me then," said Garith, leaning on the bookcase as well.
"I'm an Elf, Garith. We're not like Vampires, who can sustain on just blood. We need magic as well as food to survive. Magic runs in our blood and must be replenished with frequent contact in some form to the Underground ever since the Aboveground became devoid of natural magic because of Cold Iron. If I lose a sufficient enough of magic, either by use of spells or the slow, gradual ticking of time . . . I . . will . . ." she trailed off, her face seemingly devoid of emotion as she gazed into the nothingness that seemed to be somewhere beyond Garith's face.
Garith stared with surprise as the Elfin Princess. There was a bit of information he didn't know about the elves that might come in handy in the future. "Well, if that be the case, you'll have me to keep you company and pull you through the last dark, bitter months before you get to be with your charming husband-to-be, the Goblin King."
Mara scowled. "Oh joy," she muttered as she began walking towards the counter again. "I'll be looking forward to that with anticipation."
"Don't you know it," he said cheerfully. When they reached the counter, he kissed her impishly on the cheek, tongue and teeth teasing the skin, before being warded off by the attack of books towards his privates again. "Well, Elf, I must be going. I'll see you around," he called over his shoulder. "Preferably when you are without books. They seem to give you the most unexpected backbone, that proves to be quiet violent. Not to say I don't like you this way, luv, but you seem to like hurting me in the most painful way possible." With that, he strolled out the door and walked off, leaving Mara to the various disapproving mutterings of Ms. Picklesworth, which she ignored, he mind focused on the news she just learned.
I have to contact Jareth as soon as possible. If Garith saw that note and revealed its contents to the council, they'll have wasted no time in setting up the border sealing spell. Thankfully it takes a long time to set up. Now I just to head off back to Sarah's ASAP and pray to whoever is listening that the mirror still works. Speaking of Sarah, where is she?
"Mara! There you are!" cried Sarah, walking over to her with a brown haired man a few inches taller then her. "I wondered what happened to you!"
"I was buying gifts," was Mara's reply.
"Did you get a paper cut or something on one of the books or something?" asked Sarah curiously. "Because you have a small cut on your cheek, it's bleeding," she said gesturing towards the tell-tale cut that now adorned Mara's cheek.
Bastard, he would do something like that, Mara thought furiously as she brought a hand to her cheek and brought it back with a faint line of blood on it. "I must've," she lied before saying, "Who is your friend?"
"Eric, we've been best friends for years. Remember I told you about him?"
Mara nodded distractedly. "Yes, you did. Pleasure to meet you, Eric," she said, holding out her hand.
"You are even prettier then Sarah described," he teased as he shook her hand. "And is it true that you are single? May I have the pleasure of having dinner with you this Saturday night at 7 at the Olive Garden?"
"It would be a pleasure . . ." replied Mara trailing off, somewhat surprised.
"Excellent! Then how about the three off us go to the Nouveau Cafe to celebrate?" he declared and he offered an arm to both girls.
"Um . . . I have to drop something off at the house real quick," said Mara. "How about I meet you there? I am pretty sure I remember how to get there."
"Don't be long," winked Eric. "I've been just dying to get to know you better!"
Mara rolled her eyes and laughed. "I wonder sometimes, Sarah, in your choice in friends." And with a wave, she left the bookstore. She had an important call to make.
* * *
Ten minutes later after running VERY fast, inhumanly so, with the speed and grace of the Elves to help her, to reach Sarah's house, Mara was in Sarah's room staring at the mirror that was adorned with pictures of friends, play programs, all giving a glimpse of the life of Sarah; all of which she was only subconsciously aware of, much more intent at her mission. After a moment of testing the magic (and muttering a spell to make sure no one heard or disturbed her making the call) in the mirror to make sure the spell that Jareth had placed in it years ago still worked, she said determinedly, "Jareth, you arrogant bastard, I need you." As soon as the words were uttered, she felt the strain as if she were trying to push against a wall with her bare hands, as if she had only the strength of a human. Determinedly, she focused her magic, searching for a way to pass a way through the invisible wall that was building itself up, brick by brick to surround the underground. Finally, she heard a faint 'crack' as a small crack appeared in the mirror from the strain and the figure of Jareth appeared behind her in the mirror, lounging on the bed, looking as strained as Mara felt.
"We have a situation," he said in the mirror, getting up to stand beside her reflection, looking dead serious.
"The barrier is going up," said the two simultaneously, which was continued by the two looking shocked and demanded "Wait, how did you know?"
"I went down to the council's office to find out what I could, since when I stopped by your dorm I could tell it had been broken into and that our dear friend, the vampire had been in, snooping around. I was . . .conversing with a secretary I knew there and she. . ."
"Lords, Jareth you were flirting with her, weren't you!" accused Mara into the mirror, glaring at him, hiding her glee at finding something else to berate him about. "Here I am trying to get you together with your 'love-of-life' and can't get your head out of your pants! How the hell do you suppose you're going to win Sarah's heart if you keep doing stuff like that!"
"Look, we don't even know if we will be able to succeed in getting Sarah to agree!" said Jareth defensively, glaring at her back, arms crossed, making him look decidedly like a ten-year-old having a tantrum after being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "It's weak enough as it is, and since the barrier is going up until the wedding, there isn't a lot we can do! I might as well keep my options open!" Then he added sulkily, "In any case, she's with someone."
Mara ignored the last comment. "Jareth," she said in a cold voice. "If we fail in this, we will get married, and I guarantee you that I will make sure the marriage is a living hell for you if you don't get your head out of your ass and do something productive! And no cheating either!"
The two exchanged a battle of wills across the cracked mirror before Jareth continued, "Well, my friend said that Garith had been there earlier and had informed the Council of our plans, and that they had decided to place the barrier between the Aboveground and Underground until shortly before the wedding, where they would bring you back for preparations. And we both know that you'll be in no condition to stop them."
Mara shuddered visibly. "Thank goodness not many of the Races know about that Elvin weakness," she murmured appreciatively before freezing. "Wait . . . damn," she swore, biting her lip with frustration.
"Mara, what is it?" demanded Jareth, concern clearly visible in his face.
"I told Garith what shutting the barrier would do to me," she whispered worriedly.
Jareth stared at her in shock mixed with anger. What bloody sort of madness drove her to tell him something like that, to the one creature in the Aboveground who would undoubtedly use it to make sure that we don't succeed, or to further his own dubious schemes? "What the fucking hell did you think you were doing girl, telling him something like that!?" After a moment of staring at her furiously, he noticed the healed cut that lay adorned like symbol of triumphant bragging and possession. It did not take him long to figure out where it came from.
"What the hell were you doing with Garith!? Is that how you found out?! By fraternizing with the enemy?!" he demanded angrily, gesturing towards the cut. "You complain that I'm flirting with other woman, when you obviously let that . . . that. . thing kiss you and use you like a child's plaything. I suppose you've let him sink his precious fangs into your neck, haven't you, Princess? I've seen you two at the school, when you get alone, how he gets close to you, pulls you against him, touches you. Sure, you haven't sunk as low as most of his other conquests, but it is only a matter of time, isn't it, Princess?" he spat the words, feeling guilt as he saw the look Mara gave him, full of betrayal and hurt, both knowing how much she really did not like it when Garith came on her, knowing that Mara just didn't know how to deal with him.
"So is that what you think I am, Your Majesty?" she spat angrily as she stood up, tears unshed threatening to fall. "Some little whore who just can't wait to get into the pants of others? Who enjoys taking part in all that kinky activity, who enjoys having a vampire's I hate hands all over me? Your the one who would have several mistresses a week! The farthest I ever got to any sort of relationship with a guy sexually was Nomar!" Her voice broke as she said the name of her long since ex-fiancé and she fell silent, fuming at him.
They stood like that for several moments, glaring at each other; both wanting to apologize, but both to pig-headed to do so. One, feeling guilty and worried for the other because they knew what a bastard like Garith would do to them. The other was angry that her friend always seemed to have luck with relationships, while she never had the guts. Each felt angry and ashamed of themselves, but neither wanted to be the one who backed down first and lose.
Finally, after five minutes or so of silent fuming, it was Mara who broke the silence as she felt the shudder of the spell beginning to weaken which was prooven physically as the crack in the mirror began to grow longer and branched out, like long fingers. "I'll get her to wish herself to the Labyrinth tonight, before the barrier shuts. It's our only choice left. Not my favorite, but we have not choice."
"You have thirteen hours to get her to the Labyrinth before your both stuck there," he said, an ironic echo of the proposition he gave each challenger.
"Such a pity," echoed Mara, curling her lips into a sneer as she repeated one of Jareth's favorite phrases. "That gives me until 10 o'clock tonight, Earth time."
"See ya soon, luv," he whispered, as he hugged her reflection, a silent apology.
"I hope so," she replied, smiling, feeling the ghost of a hug around her shoulders.
"Oh, before you go, I have a gift," he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging into his familiar smirk.
"Good Lord, I'm afraid to see," she teased as he waved his hand and a crystal appeared. He threw it towards her and it passed through the mirror. Gently she caught it, where it promptly dissolved into her skin, replenishing her magical energies. She looked up at him thankfully. "Thank you."
"Just in case. We want you to remain strong to fend off His Overwhelmingly Nosiness," he said winking. "I know how much you hate his advances."
"Stars, don't jinx us, joking about stuff like that," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Get outta here. I'll see you before the 13 hours are up."
"Let us all pray that's the case," he murmured before he disappeared.
Magic and hope renewed and fight forgotten, Mara got up and began to jog towards the cafe, plans of getting Sarah to return beginning to form in her mind.
Author's Note: And once again I lied about Sarah finding out about Mara, *cringes from the angry cries of reviewers . . . and Megs, who voiced her extreme displeasure on not having that anticipated event occur* it's just I've been having a hard time getting through this chapter, (pathetic excuse I know, please don't kill me!) so I finally decided I might as well post what I have and have the rest of what I planned for this chapter to show up in the next posting. (Which hopefully won't take as long as this one. I felt really bad about the wait, but was heartened by the fact that I got lots of reviews . . . which kinda made me feel more guilty, because I made you all wait so long . . . I'm sorry *sobs pathetically at the computer*) *sigh* Well, here comes my favorite part where I get to thank you all and give you the recognition you all deserve! *Round of applause to the reviewers . . . clap clap clap!*
THANK YOU MEGS FOR FIXING MY HORRIBLE, HORRENDOUS, AWFUL, DREADFUL, FRIGHTENING, APPALLING SPELLING AND GRAMMAR! WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU?
Thank you Becca for reading this through and giving me your feedback.
twighlight1: Personally, I have a thing for vampires too, I think they are just as sexy as can be. It is perfectly alright to like Garith, I love writing about him. It is actually a coincidence about the names rhyming . . . Mara was the name of one of my favorite characters in Star Wars, and Garith is the name of one of the characters in a story I'm working on and I just kinda like the name. Hope you liked this new chapter!
TheBrutalBarnf: THANK YOU FOR LOVING IT! *faints from the praise* Yes. . . Garith is VERY sex-craved. . . he is just kinda like that. And your right. . . I kinda have been hiding it, waiting to see my beta readers so it would be better when I posted it.
Phoenix Flight: I really have no idea what I'm going to do with Garith and Mara. They are the part of the story that I am still playing around with.
LabyLyrPhx: Thank you for liking it! It makes me feel sooooo special! *I love praise! tee hee* Yeah . .Garith is rather unscrupulous.
kalinda: Thank you for another review encouraging me to keep this up! Hope you liked this one.
thea: HERE IS THE NEXT ONE! (kinda took longer then I wanted . . . but hey! I'll try harder!) Mara appreciates that you like her. She is actually kinda vain and loves the attention.
Underground: Thank you! Dunno what is going to happen with Elmo. Maybe in a fit of boredom, they'll write another song? Not sure yet. Hope you liked the chapter.
One-Sexy-Slytherin: OMG, thank you soo much for not only signing the 5th chapter, but going back and signing the 4th. It made me feel so special and I can't wait until I receive your reviews. I've been running out of time as well, need to study for Biology so I don't fail (yuk!) I'm glad you think Garith is hott (just don't let him hear. . . he is already egotistically vain as it is . . . him and Jareth both! But we love Jareth anyway!) I'm not quite sure what Garith is going to do with the "life bond" thing . . . (though if you have any ideas I would greatly appreciate them. . . I'll give you credit too! *big puppy dog eyes begging* . . . I need ideas . . . have basic plot. . . need details, not to mention time). THANK YOU SHAN SOO MUCH! hee hee
Porcelain Teacup: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Hop this one lives up to your expectations. Sorry for it taking a while.
MysticalStar1: I'm thrilled you loved the "Elmo, the Polka Dotted Penguin" song. I'm not quite sure even Garith really knows how he feels about Mara, besides the fact he loves tormenting her. Hoped you liked this segment.
Desert Willow: That would be soo cool if you actually wrote the song out. I would've, but when it comes to writing poetry/song . . . I'm kinda not that good, I'd just end up killing it. My ex was . . . but I wasn't about to ask him to do it for me. I would love a copy if you wrote it out though if you wrote one. Thanks for encouraging me to keep going.
dreagon-fire: Well . . . the plan for "Operation Life Bond" has had to go into Emergency . . so they'll be taking her to the Labyrinth. Or trying to. And praying that Garith doesn't find out. And your right, if Garith does have any remorse about stopping the whole lifebond thing, he's not about to let that affect him. Hope you liked this chapter!