Before Story Starts Author's Blah: Look guys, I'm sorry this took so long. I'm lazy. Didn't feel like writing. Major Writer's Block. Decided to read fanfics instead. I know, no excuse, so sue me. (actually don't, cuz I don't have anything)
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. . . 'cept Mara and those other people I created.
The Incentive
Chapter Seven
by Fou Fou
". . . I . . . will . . ." Mara's voice faded to nothing as she gazed blankly at some point beyond Garith. Looking into her purple eyes, he touched her slightly with his power and felt. . .
Fear. Overwhelming Fear.
Fear of being trapped.
Fear of losing her magic.
Fear of dying.
Fear of being trapped in a marriage.
Fear of opening her heart to someone again.
Fear of him.
Garith stared with surprise at the Elvin Princess, who was still zoned out, by what he learned. There was quite a bit she had told him, and he had found in her mind that he didn't know about, especially about the elves that might come in handy in the future. But that knowledge would not come in handy unless he was able to bring her out of this shock-like state and get some life into her, and some of that entertaining unpredictability. "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."
Instantly Mara's eyes focused as she scowled at Garith. "Oh joy," she muttered as she began walking towards the counter. "I'll be looking forward to that with anticipation."
Does she mean being married, or being with me? he wondered idly as he followed her. Knowing her, both. For two people that are notorious for causing trouble in the Underground and Above, the two seem to have the hardest time getting along. Smiling, he said cheerfully in response to her comment, "Don't you know it," and was rewarded by a snort from Mara. As she stepped over to the counter, he impishly began to kiss her on the cheek, causing her to stiffen from what seemed to be fear, or some similar emotion. I wonder why she always reacts like that. It's always amusing, he though, smiling as he began to caress the skin on her cheek with his tongue and teeth. Just as the stingy old lady at the counter began muttering about PDA, his teeth grazed Mara's skin.
He had only tasted her blood once before, on that party on Halloween. It had only been a fleeting taste, but that little taste had been enough to send him into the biggest bloodlust he had felt in centuries, and he had to immediately find a blood donor to drink from to sate his thirst (this blood donor, coincidently enough, became the first of the Barbarian Horde of Whores, as Mara insisted on calling them, much to his amusement). After that, he had told himself that he would not try that again, to avoid that happening again. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, he had been caught up in the moment, and as soon as the first drop of her sweet Elvin blood touched is tongue, the bookstore around him suddenly dissolved away into somewhere quite different.
He was in what appeared to be a royal bedchamber of sorts. A colorful array of greens and blues accosted his vision like being submersed in an ocean. Looking around, he found himself next to a huge, king-sized 4-posted bed and canopy. Across the bed lay a black silk nightgown, leading him to deduce that he must be in the rooms of a noble female. Now, whose room I'm in is what I would like to know, he wondered to himself, shaking his head. Turning to his left, he saw a tapestry of two girls, about 8 years old. The first girl had long, dark brown hair and chocolate eyes with the tell-tale pointy ears of an elf. She wore a silver circlet adorning her head, and she stood calm and poised, staring out at him full of royal dignity. Beside her was the younger version of a familiar face, making him smile unexpectedly. Red hair, cut to her shoulders and bright purple eyes twinkling mischievously, she gave him a lopsided smirk, prepared to go out and face countless adventures, the silver circlet seeming to be seconds from falling off. Behind the two girls was the K'Talven Royal Family crest of an oak tree surrounded by the silver crown.
Smiling, Garith reached out his hand and brushed the face of the younger Mara, remembering how she had the same, care-free face when she had performed that rendition of Elmo the Polka Dotted Penguin, or when she was up to one of her various pranks at the college. She doesn't seem to have changed much, he thought.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Garith jerked his hand away from the tapestry as if it burned, and attempted to find a place to hide before the owners of the footsteps entered the room. He had just found a corner that might work, and was making a dash for it when the door opened, causing him to freeze in the center of the room. Smiling with what he hoped would prove to charm him out of this predicament, he said, "I am sorry, I've seem to have gotten lost," before realizing that the couple that just entered the room did not see him, but walked right through him and sat down on the bed facing each other.
That's curious, he thought, studying the two. The red haired female was obviously Mara, she didn't look much different from when he saw her in the bookstore, except for the fact that for the fact that she had her hair pulled up extravagantly and a silver tiara adorned her head. The other he vaguely recognized from court. He was a blond elf, leading Garith to deduce that he was most probably a Light Elf. He had his arm wrapped around her waist and was joking with Mara amiably.
:About time,: grumbled a voice unbidden in Garith's head. Surprised, he noticed that the voice sounded like Mara's. :The damn elf is engaged to me and this is definitely the most affection I've been able to get out of this emotionally shy individual. If I didn't love Nomar so much, I would've dumped him 74 years ago when he still hadn't kissed me after a year of dating. Speaking of kissing, I'm still waiting for my first . . .:
So that's Nomar, realized Garith. Wait a minute, the two of them went out for 75 years and he never even kissed her?! What the hell is wrong with that elf?
As if to answer Mara's last thought, Nomar leaned forward and gently kissed Mara on the cheek. Garith could feel the excitement and anticipation that seemed to explode within Mara and the contact. Then, looking her straight in the eye, Nomar said quite seriously, "Mara, there is something I have to tell you."
Mara froze. From whatever connection Garith currently had with her, he could sense a sudden unease as she stiffened slightly. "What?" she asked quietly.
Nomar sighed and pulled a hand through his long blond hair. "Look Mara, you're one of the best ladies I have ever met. You're funny, witty, spontaneous, and quite pretty. It's just tonight . . . at dinner, when I met your sister . . ." he trailed off, looking at her.
:Oh Gods no . . . no this isn't happening, please say that this is just a delusion caused by too much wine tonight, please don't say what I think you're going to say!: came Mara's thoughts as a tinge of dread began to mingle with her emotions.
Taking her silence as a sign to continue, never mind her mental commands he said, "Well, when I saw her, I felt as if something just 'clicked,' and the risk of being cliché. As if a part of me was missing my whole life and I finally found it. And I think she felt the some way. I'm sorry Mara, but . . I think . . it might be a lifebond. Which probably would explain why our relationship, despite our engagement, has never been the ideal one."
Silence filled the air as Mara and Garith took in the small speech. Finally Mara held up her hand and pulled off her engagement ring numbly. "I suppose you'll be wanting this back," she whispered, handing it back to him. :Damn sister, first she has to have Father's respect and love, be the perfect angel, but now she has to steal the heart of the one man I ever loved!? I should have guessed. I saw the looks the two were giving each other over the table. Damn him. Who only decides to make some sort of advance as a way of breaking up with me?! What kind of inconsiderate, ill bred, clotpole is he?:
Well, considering that is how I break up my relationships – by making advances, that might explain part of her dislike to me. Still, Garith couldn't help but feel that Nomar didn't deserve to ever even be engaged to her and treat her that way.
"Thank you for understanding," whispered Nomar as he kissed her for the first time on the lips.
Mara forced herself to smile brightly, but Garith could feel the overwhelming sadness and tinge of anger that seemed to be enshrouding her soul. "Well, I wish the two of you the best of luck in life," she said warmly as she hugged Nomar, proving her acting skills that had earned her a place at the college.
Thinking that everything was resolved, and that all was all right, Nomar bid her farewell after a few jokes and left. He did not see the single tear that made its way down her fair Elvin cheek.
"Bastard," muttered Mara. "I hope a pig flies up is wretched Light Elf ass." After looking around the room and musing for a moment, she waved her hand in the air as a crystal appeared in her hand. :I'm so glad he taught me how to do this. He was always a great friend. I hope he helps me.: With composure that Garith knew she did not feel she said, "Jareth, are you there?"
The face of the Goblin King materialized in the crystal. "Mara! Is it not a bit late to be making social calls? What is it that you desire? By the way, great crystal manifestation, you're getting better."
Mara bit her lower lip before saying timidly, "I hate to intrude on your privacy, but may I come over the Labyrinth for a while?"
"What about your darling fiancé, Nomar?"
Mara scowled as the voice of her father's congratulations to her sisters upcoming engagement could be heard from outside the door. "Let's just say he found someone else . . . someone who is part of the family, and I think it is going to be difficult to stay with the new wedding arrangements being made for my darling sister."
A mask of concern fell over Jareth's features, one that not many ever saw. "I'll have a set of rooms made up for you. Feel free to stay for as long as you want." Smiling, he added, "I'll call up some of my best wine up and the two of us can get drunk and plot horrific punishments on that sorry bastard who turned you down, like a nice cold oubliette. Do we have an accord, luv?"
Mara smiled sadly. "You're a great friend, Jareth. I don't know what I did to deserve you. I'll be over once I get some of my stuff together."
"Farewell then until you get here."
"Farewell," she whispered as the crystal floated up into the air and popped in the air, raining down red sparks around the room. More tears began to run down her face as she sat down on the bed and she covered her face with her hands and began to sob silently. Invisibly, Garith sat down next to her on the bed and tried to wrap an arm around her, only to have if go through her.
:Gods what irony. The guy I actually feel something for has to fall in love with my sister, finally kisses me, but only because he is leaving me. Ahh, the joke is on me. Won't Aphrodite be laughing her head off, she's been mad at me since that incident years ago. Whoever said 'it is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all,' obviously does not know what he was talking about.: As her sobs began to subside, she stood up and spent a few minutes collecting various necessities, books and clothing, storing it all in a crystal that floated in the center of the room. When she was satisfied with what she had, she took the floating crystal in her right hand while conjuring another one up with her left. "The castle beyond the Goblin City," she stated. The scene began to fade, and as Garith felt his body being pull backed to the bookshop, he heard Mara's last fleeting thought:
:I will never let myself fall in love again.: (a/n . . sorry . . . . cliché I know . . . but for story purposes . . so don't shoot me)
Garith instantly felt a sharp pain in his groin as Mara hit him with her book again, scowling at him, clearly wanting him to stop kissing her. Shaking himself mentally, wondering no little about exactly what had happened, he stepped away from her and immediately felt a strong wave of bloodlust wash over him. Fool, he chastised himself mentally as he turned to leave the store, in hopes of getting away from Mara before he did something he might regret. Calling over his shoulder he said, "Well Elf, I must be going. I'll see you around." Thinking back to the book still held in her hand like a weapon, he added, "Preferably when you are without your books. They seem to give you the most uncomfortable backbone, that proves to be quite violent. Not to say I don't like you this way, luv, but you seem to like hurting me in the most painful ways possible." It was only after he strolled out the door did he realize that he was using Jareth's fond address to her in what he supposed was a memory.
As the door swung shut, he could hear the old lady's voice crooning, "I swear, young people these days, chalk full of those ranging hormones. In my day younglings wouldn't act in such a scandalous manner. . ." The reprimand was cut off as the door swung shut behind him.
Sighing, he turned down the street, trying to figure out was had just happened and ignore the demand for blood coursing through his body. Apparently, the mere act of kissing her on the cheek had subconsciously triggered a memory, or at least, her feelings about the incident, that had been so overwhelming and a part of her that he had been trapped inside the memory, even if for a short duration. He had heard stories of other vampires have similar experiences, but had never thought it would happen to him.
If that really was her first kiss, it might explain why she tenses up when I kiss her, and she doesn't seem to be affected by sexual advances as much as other elves. If the farthest she has ever gotten sexually with someone was Nomar, and that was a chaste break-up kiss . . . Garith shook his head. Behind him, he heard the door of the bookstore open and Mara walked out. She stared at him absently, as if wondering if he was going to try anything, then pursed her lips and looked at her watch. "I hope I have enough time to get back through the barrier," she whispered, and only through Garith's vampire hearing could he understand. He watched as she turned, and began sprinting off in the opposite direction.
Trying to find a way home before the portal is completely shut, thought Garith as he approached a small restaurant, the Cafe Nouveau. While vampires did not require food and drink to survive, he had developed a taste for coffee over the years, and found that it was quite good at repressing bloodlust in the past. And so, upon entering the cafe and giving the waitress a flirtatious smile, he ordered a strong cup of coffee and sat down at a seat in the corner. Sipping his coffee, he sighed with the relief of the repressed bloodlust while musing, I wonder if Mara realizes that wards have been set on the Underground are set to inform the council if she passes them, and the same will go for Sarah Williams. It will be virtually impossible for her to hide from her marriage there, or develop some sort of relationship between Sarah and the Goblin King, since Jareth can not come here because of his duty to his kingdom.
"Why hey there," came a melodic alto across from him. Looking up from the dark brooding depths of his coffee, he saw that the voice belonged to a beautiful and well-endowed blond. Immediately the bloodlust he had been doing his best to quell heightened as his eyes strayed down to the vein silently pumping blood on the side of her neck. "I thought you looked lonely. Mind if I join you?" she asked seductively, licking her lips.
Garith answered her smile with one of his own, a hungry glint reflecting in his eyes. Can't complain when they decide to make this easy, he thought, while saying, "I could never say no to company, especially when it is as attractive as yourself.
The audacious lady blushed slightly, but covered it up by laughing and leaned forward, giving him a advantages view down her shirt of her perfectly shaped breasts. Garith naturally took every advantage the sight provided him. But he couldn't help but thinking as Cosette (which was what she introduced herself as) was playing a casual game of footsies from underneath the table, that it was nice when the girls didn't automatically fawn over him, and made him work a little to get them to do what he wanted. "I like to think of it as a game," he had told Mara when she questioned him on his near obsessive desire of having a harem of women of all sorts following him (this was after a particularly trying day for Mara having put up with the Barbarian Horde of Whores). She had naturally made a rude remark about guys who play games to see how far they can get with a particular woman; from straight sex to all the kinky stuff she didn't even want to think about. Garith joked and said that she had the least points of everyone, and asked if she wanted to they, could raise her place value a bit. Scowling and him furiously, she promptly snapped that she preferred keeping herself in last place and safe from boisterous individuals like himself, all the while backing away from him, until Andrew had come over to help bail her out.
Suddenly, the bell above the door rang cheerfully as Sarah and a young gentleman walked in, laughing. Muttering several curses in various languages, both human and nonhuman, he quickly cast a 'don't-look-at-me' glamorie around himself and shrunk into the shadow. It would not do for Sarah to catch sight of him here, not when he was suppose to be back on campus.
"So what did you think of her, Eric?" asked Sarah, brushing snow off of her before heading for a table near the window.
"Delightful, beautiful, if a bit preoccupied," was Eric's answer as she sat himself across from her. "I must admit, even if our date does end with no romantic relations, I would still love to be friends with her."
Are they talking about Mara? marveled Garith as his body went into automatic on the task of seducing Cosette, not that it looked like it was going to be difficult, since she was responding to him quickly enough. I'm surprised she actually agreed to date someone she doesn't know; or anyone for that matter, 'cept for goof off friendly get-togethers with Andrew, Tom, and Sarah. I wonder what this Eric will think when she doesn't show up because she has run of to the Underground.
As if to contradict that thought, the door flew open again to reveal the Elvin Princess that had been occupying his thoughts. Surprised, Garith did a double take to reassure himself that it was indeed Mara standing in front of him, looking slightly flushed from running in the snow, and not some mortal who happened to look like her. But her identity was undeniably confirmed when she turned to brush the snow from her hair, revealing her pointy Elf ear momentarily, and the thin cut from his teeth upon her cheek. The sight of the cut, unfortunately, immediately skyrocketed his bloodlust. He forced himself to focus on the soon-to-be Honorary Member of the Barbarian Whores and their conversation (and not ravishing her right there and sucking her dry, which is what his body wanted him to do), while listen to the conversation at Sarah's table with half an ear.
"So tell me a bit about yourself, Mara. I'd like to get to know the person I'll be going to dinner with before the actual date, besides what Sarah has told me," said Eric while Mara took a seat next to Sarah. "For example, do you chew with your mouth open?"
Mara laughed with amusement as Garith raised an eyebrow. So she had agreed to go on a date with that scruffy looking mortal. Cosette, taking the raised eyebrow as an invitation, quickly progressed the casual game of footsies under the table into something a bit more heated up.
"I assure you, Eric, that from the constant pounding of manners and protocol in my youth, and whenever fate deems me unfortunate enough to receive and invitation to visit home, I am perfectly capable of eating with my mouth open, and have excelled at being as messy as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, Garith saw Mara tilt her head in what he took as flirtatious, and winked mischievously at Eric. "Does that satisfy you? Or would you prefer that the food stay hidden and within my mouth?"
Eric smiled. "Personally, I wouldn't care, but I'm not so sure if the servers at the Olive Garden would share my opinion."
Mara smiled again before taking a sip of water. "I fear that I must agree with that assessment."
"So, Sarah, I haven't seen you in a while. How about the three of us go down to Lincoln and watch a movie, and maybe spend some time at the mall? A day on the town."
Sarah shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Mara?"
"Who am I to say no to shopping?" she asked, smiling brightly.
What is that Elf up to? Garith asked himself, not able to fathom what Mara's hidden motives must be.
"Great!" exclaimed Eric, "We can take my car!"
Sarah rolled her eyes in disgust. "God, Eric, not that piece of crap. That thing breaks down more often then not."
"It is more reliable now!" assured Eric indignantly.
Sarah snorted and said, "I'm sure it is." However, her voice failed to convey her belief in this statement.
Mara, looking around the cafe as the two continued to bicker about the reliability of Eric's car, suddenly locked eyes with Garith, despite the magic he had shrouded himself with. Seeing his obvious surprise at her being able to see him, Mara raised an eyebrow with amusement. Waving her hands under that table and away from Eric and Sarah's line of sight, she conjured up a small crystal. With a small flick of her wrist, it sped off towards Garith, who, out of reaction, caught it in his hand hanging by his side.
:Listen vamp,: came Mara's voice as she stared at him from across the room. :I'm in one of my rare good moods, so if you would like to leave with your latest acquisition, without Sarah noticing you, and before your VERY OBVIOUS bloodlust causes you to do something insanely stupid and noticeable, I think I can get her to go to the bathroom, giving you a chance to leave. Do we have an accord, vamp? All previous encounters will be temporarily null and void as to prevent any mishaps occurring.:
Garith was immediately confused and his first thought was that some substance had been slipped into her water. Apparently his expression conveyed that, for he soon heard Mara's laughter in his head. :No, I do not have some mind altering substance in my drink, at least, not to my knowledge. I am a very selfish creature, Vamp, and I don't do anything unless it can help me. By getting you out of here, I can have my drink with relative peace of mind, and get rid of this silly feeling of gratitude that you told me about the barrier. So, do you want to leave or not?:
He nodded, and then jerked his head towards the door, indicating that he would leave.
:Then we have an accord,: replied Mara cheerfully before the crystal jerked from his hands and came back to her, absorbing into her hand, and severing all contact.
"Hey, Sarah, I've got to use the ladies' room. Can ya come with me?" asked Mara, standing up.
Shrugging, Sarah agreed, and the two walked towards the bathroom. Turning around, Mara winked and mouthed, "Best of hunting, Vamp," before following Sarah into the bathroom.
Shaking his head with amusement, and no little confusion, he turned to Cosette and said, "How about we take this elsewhere," then signaled the waitress for the check.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
You are a damn, overconfident fool, Mara berated herself for at least the hundredth time as she anxiously glanced at the clock on the wall of the arcade. Just because you are working about close to full magic proficiency is not a reason to get overconfident! And now look what's happened. We're two hours away from Sarah's house, Eric's damn car has broken down, (which I can't fix because of the Iron in it) and AAA won't show up for another two hours at least, never mind the fact that the barrier will be officially shut if four hours. I'm not sure that Sarah will be able to go through by saying those 'words' with it open as much as it is.
She glanced over at where Sarah was playing a racing game against Eric to pass the time before AAA arrived. It was some futuristic game based on a famous mortal sci-fi movie series. The words 'Star Wars Podracer' were printed above the screen. Mara wasn't quite sure what a 'podracer' was, she had seen only a few movies before coming to Earth for this crazy quest, but she figured they must be like mortal race cars, only they floated.
Biting her lip, she considered her options. 1.) She could wait and hope that AAA would get here in time; 2.) Give up; 3.) Try getting Sarah to wish herself away at this arcade. The first one was risky at best, leaving too much to luck, which Mara hadn't felt too much lately. The second choice strictly went against her nature. She had never been a quitter before, and she was not about to start now, which left three. The only problem was how to explain to Eric their sudden disappearance from the face of the Earth. Best think about that after Sarah calls up Jareth. For now, I have to figure out where I should get her to call him up. Obviously not here, I think people would kinda notice when a guy with big fluffy hair and tight pants all of a sudden appears with a burst of glitter. Not to mention someone will probably try to help save two girls from being 'taken advantage of' by an exotic gentleman. So, where could we go that would give us relative privacy? Mara looked around the room, searching for an idea. Finally, her eyes focused on a sign on the door to a room, and smiled. Bingo. All she had to do was bring Sarah in there and lock the door, and no one would disturb them. Not to mention it will be quite amusing to see Jareth's expression when he realizes where he has been called up:
The Girls' Bathroom.
Confidence returned, Mara sauntered over to Sarah and Eric's were finishing up their game. "Hey guys, having fun?"
"Ignoring the fact that Eric's car has broken down just like I said it would, thus stranding us here, yeah, it's been fun. Especially making it up by kicking Eric's butt at Podracing."
Eric rolled his eyes. "Pure luck!" he assured her. "I could have beaten you."
"I'd like to see you try," challenged Sarah.
"Hey, Sarah, come to the bathroom with me?" asked Mara, in what she hoped was a casual way.
"Sure, I gotta go anyway."
"Thank you for informing me of that," said Eric sarcastically. "You know how much I love to know about your bodily functions."
"No problem," replied Sarah with a wink. "Shall we go, Mara?"
"Of course," answered Mara as the two turned towards the bathroom. Thankfully, when they entered, it was already empty, which meant she didn't have to discourage anyone from staying, and with a wave of her hand, locked the door to prevent others from getting in. Entering a stall she asked, "So, were you able to get a hold of your parents to tell them that we would be late getting home?"
From the other stall, Sarah said, "Yeah, they said they would leave the door unlocked for us to get in."
"How nice of them."
"I thought so. Considering I forgot my keys at home."
"Hey, Sarah?"
"What?"
"You remember the story 'The Labyrinth?'"
"How could I not? It is one of my favorite books."
"Wouldn't be cool if you could wish yourself away?"
Sarah paused, not answering for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, that by saying 'I wish the Goblins would come and . . .'"
"Don't say it!" cried Sarah.
"Why not? It is just a line from a story, just like 'Voldemort' is a character from Harry Potter. It's not real. (But now that I think of it, it would be really cool to meet Voldemort, I've always had this fancy for him.)"
"Ew . . . You're strange, Mara, I hope you realize that."
"Whatever do you mean by that?"
"It's just . . . Voldemort? That is kinda gross, Mara."
"Hey, I secretly have a thing for Voldemort, a character from a book, ok? Do you have a problem with that?" asked Mara jokingly.
Sarah just sighed while saying, "You could at least pick a character that isn't an evil, crazy, psychopath!"
"Hey, maybe I prefer crazy individuals! They always are guaranteed to be interesting to hang around with. 'Cept Garith, he is just a pig."
Sarah merely snorted. "You have got to get over your prejudices about him, hun."
"But still, don't you think it would be cool if you could go to the Labyrinth and meet the Goblin King by saying 'I wish the Goblins would come and take me. . .'"
"MARA!"
"What?"
"Don't say stuff like that! Who knows, it could be real!"
"You're not telling me you actually believe in it."
"Well, I did have that dream about my brother when I was 15, I think."
"What do you mean, you think? I thought it was a dream."
"Well, it could be. But you see, maybe it wasn't. Maybe I was just so freaked out by the whole experience that I convinced myself it was a dream because that made more sense."
"Well, why don't you try?"
"Try what?" asked Sarah exasperatedly.
"To see if by saying that you wished the Goblins to take you away, that it would happen."
"You're not going to let this drop, are you?"
"No, not really."
"Fine, I will, but only if you say it first. That way, if for some crazy reason it does happen, the Goblin King will capture you, and not me. Because frankly, despite the fact that he may very well be very sexy, I don't want to have to put up with his whole 'better-then-thou' attitude he has going on."
"So, if I say it, and nothing happens, then you promise you'll say it?"
"Yeah," Sarah grudgingly agreed.
Thank goodness that making a wish doesn't work with me since I'm Elf. "I wish the Goblins would come and take me away right now."
Silence filled the bathroom.
"See?" asked Mara after about a minute. "Nothing happened. Now your turn!"
She could here Sarah sigh exasperatedly. "Fine, I'll say it" Indistinct muttering.
"Sorry, Sarah. I couldn't hear you."
Slightly louder indistinct mutterings.
"Still can't hear you."
"FINE! I WISH THE GOBLINS WOULD COME AND TAKE ME AWAY RIGHT NOW!!!"
* * * *
Author's Note: FINALLY!! SHE SAID IT!!! Next chapter . . . what happens in the bathroom. Thank you both Becca and Teresa for the idea of them calling Jareth from the ladies' room. (And Teresa for the idea of what is going to happen . . . I was going to put it in this chapter, but the people I asked said that this was a better cliffhanger, so sorry folks!) Thank you as always Megs, for being my wonderful beta reader. Also, Teresa again for coming up with the name of the girl at the cafe who decided that Garith is her new sex toy, Cosette. (This is from Les Mis, because she hated Cosette and thought she was a whore) And I promise to keep up to my end of the bargaining. And thank you for Becca, Teresa, Megs, Val, and Shan for prodding me to make sure I finished this chapter, since I was being somewhat lazy and reluctant to write this chapter. I couldn't go anywhere without one of you insisting I start finishing this chapter . . . So here it is! Sorry it took me forever. (Same old excuse I know! Don't hurt me!)
If Mara seemed a little OOC last chapter, it is simply because she was surrounded by books, which boost her magic reserves, making her feel slightly more relaxed an whatnot.
Also: Anyone who would like to donate to the "Get Fou Fou The Boxed Special Edition Copy Of The Labyrinth DVD Fund," (GFFTBSECOTLDF) (or if you prefer . . . DVD FUND) please leave your contributions in the little box, as I have not much money right now and REALLY want that DVD. (Pining away for it, more accurately).
Um . . . any suggestions, ideas (I NEED THOSE . . next chapter is all planned out . . . but I need to get into the Sarah/Jareth goodness, so if you guys have any ideas on how they should get together . . . I will be more then willing to give you tons of thanks for your ideas in my author's note). READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!
AND FINALLY: My special thanks for my reviewers! 64 Reviews Right Now!!! YAY! (I'd like to get that up to at least 100 by the 9th chapter, so please make my dream come true. I never thought I'd have as many as I do now, so thank you very much.
hecate-goddess: Thank you for reviewing, and I'm glad to know that you have bee reading this.
twighlight1: Ok, so maybe Garith's head isn't quite out of his arse yet, but thanks to him accidentally reading Mara's mind, he can maybe begin to understand her. Then again, he is Garith . . .
Jessica: And finally, I have updated. Hope you liked it enough to keep reading.
kili-2: Yup, Mara was inspired by Mara Jade, one of my two top favorite characters in Star Wars. After her comes Boba Fett.
v: Yeah, I kinda realize the beginning was a tad bit on the slow side. Unfortunately, to get the plot going, it was necessary.
Jessie Deal: And another side of Garith shows up . . . and we finally get into his head more. Hoped you liked it
dreamoon: I'm glad you really like it . . . and as for ideas . . PLEASE!!!! I love to have them (plus I think my beta is getting tired of me berating her all the time for ideas and which way a chapter should go). Yup, Mara was inspired by Mara Jade . . . plus a little of me and people I know.
if-666: I'm glad you like the echoing of the movie lines. I was kinda worried that it might or might not work. Not sure yet about Mara and Garith . . . that idea is in the works. And about the Jareth and Sarah . . . well, now that Sarah has wished herself away, I can finally start working through that. But believe me, it is going to be hard, since Sarah really does not want to be with Jareth. And will be very PO at Mara once she finds out as well.
Mystical Star1: I'm glad this story entertained you when you were sick. About Mara and without magic . . . right now, if she runs completely out, she could die. (Also, since her blood hold most of her magic . . . if she gets her blood sucked by Mr. Vampire . . . *shhhh I didn't say anything*)
One-Sexy-Slytherin: AND HERE IT IS! I finished! Aren't you proud of me? Thank you for making sure I didn't stop. I was getting kinda a little lazy . . . so you IMing me and checking up and letting me shoot ideas off of you helped. The rest of the bathroom sequence is next chapter though . . . people agreed this was a better ending point.
Carapheonix: hee hee . . not saying anything about that subject. (But I do have a hell of a time writing about them . . but I really must get back to the plot and Sarah/Jareth. . since this is a Labyrinth fanfic).
kalinda: My faithful reviewer, you always make sure to send a review each chapter, encouraging me to go on. Hope you liked this chapter.
Underground: Glad you liked it. And Sarah gets annoyed into saying it. Can't wait until she finds out what happened when she says it . . .
b00kperson: *blushes* please don't beg on hands and knees. . . it makes me embarrassed. But I do like chocolates . . . and I do want the special edition box set of the Labyrinth. Mara might enlist the help of Eric . . . but I didn't say anything.