Author's Note: Well, I'm back! Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but I was kinda failing biology (getting a F) and I had a SAT 2 to take and finals, so basically any writing I wanted to do was forbidden. I've had a handwritten copy of this chapter lying around in my backpack, but I just never had the opportunity to type it up. On the plus side, thanks to lots of extra credit and whatnot, my grade in bio was brought up to a B, and I didn't fail any of my finals. Plus, for the next two semesters, I have gotten into a Creative Writing course. So, since it is now summer break, I will hopefully have more time to focus on this story and maybe (not sure yet) I can get it done before September. It's all planned out now, its just a matter of writing it out. There will be Action, Romance, and Mystery! There will be Music, Dancing, and Laughter! There will be Horror and Drama, Transformation and Discovery! (And that sounds too much like a movie preview.) How about I just stop babbling on and just get this story started?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. I'm not that brilliant. Refer to past chapters for all disclaimers. Also, I am not J.K. Rowling, and thus, do not own Harry Potter and I am not Victor Hugo (not to mention he died way before I was born) and thus I do not own Les Misérables, both of which I make fun of.
The Incentive
by Fou Fou
Chapter 12 – Changes
You're a fool, Garith admonished himself as he stormed away from the Olive Garden, a ballet of snowflakes warming around him in a furious dance. "You're a fool," he repeated out loud. "What on Earth possessed you to tell her that? Bad enough you told her you've been reading her mind, but then you had to start stuttering and apologizing like you were a child who broke his mother's favorite vase. If I didn't know better, I would've said you were going soft."
"Stephan? Is that you?" came a sickeningly sweet voice that resounded in the cold night air.
Garith spun around to face the blond woman who was twirling a lock of hair around one finger and looking at him expectantly. "Good evening, Cosette."
"What are you doing out in the cold?" she asked, wrapping her arm around his, snuggling closer to him.
"I'm more worried about my virtue when I'm around you . . ." came Mara's voice, unbidden from the depths of his mind.
"Look, Vamp," she hissed. "Let's just make one thing clear. After tonight, I want you to leave town, and I don't want to see you again until winter break is over with. I don't care where the hell you go . . . in fact, I would prefer if you went to hell. Stay there, in fact. Just leave me alone!"
Garith looked down at the blond who was snuggling him. Despite the cold weather, she was wearing a short designer miniskirt that just barely covered her butt, and black fishnets. Her shirt, while not see through, and it did cover her midriff, was so tight that it really didn't matter if she was wearing a shirt or not.
She looks like all the other girls I hang around with, he mused. Cosette's hand was now beginning to make it's way seductively up and around his leg. This girl (for she really wasn't that old, compared to him) had barely known him for a day, and was immediately going straight from foreplay to sex.
He glanced back at the restaurant through the window where Mara and Eric were sitting. Mara seemed to have recovered her composure since the bathroom fiasco, and was laughing at something Eric was saying between bites of a breadstick.
"So," said Eric. "What are you planning on doing, if you don't end up marrying this Goblin King?"
"I was thinking about applying for the job as an Ice Queen. I'm sure Jareth is getting tired of me living at his castle, and the Ice Castle is far enough away from everyone else I can finally have some peace and quiet." The last comment she directed at Garith, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"Sounds rather singular," commented Eric. "Wouldn't you get lonely?"
"I would be fine. The flying chickens and ice demons have personalities similar enough to their Labyrinth counterparts that it shouldn't be that different. It's little chilly, but there is a division of magic made available to the Ice Queen to make sure that they are comfortable."
"But what about human contact?" asked Eric, "Or the others of your kind?"
Mara gave a laugh that Garith thought sounded a little forced. "I've never had really any desire to contact others. I only really talk to Jareth."
"What about your family?" asked Eric, still clueless as ever.
"We don't talk much."
The single tear falling down her cheek as she said, "Well, you know now," in response to the fact that he had been using his powers to read her mind. That he had discovered she had really never gotten close to anyone.
He remembered taking amusement in making her cringe when he touched her, or brushed his lips against her skin. It was all a game to him. He had done the same to all the other girls who followed him around. Of course, they had enjoyed it . . .
He looked back down at Cosette, and for the first time, felt repulsed. 'Barbarian Horde of Whores' suddenly didn't seem that far from the truth, and was no longer a desirable thing to have hanging around him.
"Cosette, what do you see in me?" he whispered.
"Well, I see a very handsome, sexy, undoubtedly great kisser, who can put me into an or . . ."
Garith held up a hand, effectively cutting her off before she could say more. "Cosette, darling, you hardly know me. You don't know anything about who I am, where I come from, if I'm a complete psycho or not."
"You're not a psycho," giggled Cosette.
"Cosette, isn't there anyone you know that you would like to have a real relationship with?"
"Well, there is this guy that follows me around who I went to school with. He is always writing love letters to me, but we've never actually really talked, just seen each other at a distance. He is actually pretty cute. His name is Marius."
"Cosette, look at me," he commanded, his voice taking on a dark, silky quality.
Cosette looked right into Garith's eyes, a sort of dazed expression on her face as if she was in a trance.
"Cosette, stop it with this whole whore attitude. Start by getting yourself a decent wardrobe. Stop spending your time having sex with as many guys as you can. Become an upright, productive member of society. Get a worthwhile job that can help people. Get together with this Marius guy. Be happy. You won't remember this conversation."
He released her shoulders and backed away. "Goodbye, Cosette," he murmured, walking away.
After a few moments, the entranced figure of Cosette jerked. Looking at her clothes, she muttered, "I have got to get some new clothes. These are just way too tacky." Nodding decisively to herself she walked off, daydreaming of a certain Marius Pontmercy.
Far away, in another world, the area outside the Labyrinth served as the background for a battle of epic proportions. One battle that would be talked about for all time. The two warriors battled back and forth, each with their own weapons, words, and a spray can.
"Hey!" cried an indignant voice. "Stop trying to spray me! According to the Rights of the Races Amendment 624156, you can't spray any of the fairies!"
"Take that!" cried the dwarf, as he brandished the spray can as a weapon of a great hero and sprayed in the fairy's direction.
But the little fairy quickly darted out of reach of the dangerous liquid projectile. Flying above the dwarf, she taunted, "You can't catch me!" in a singsong voice while doing a little victory dance above his head.
The dwarf retaliated by grabbing a larger spray can. "Oh really? Let's just see about that, fairy!"
"Eak!" exclaimed the fairy, searching for an escape from the murderous dwarf. Glancing at the wall, she saw the hidden doors of the Labyrinth open up as two figures walked out.
"Your Majesty!" cried the fairy, zipping over as fast as her little wings could carry her. "Good Lady! I am Lady Isolde of the fairies. Please save me! This . . . dwarf is trying to kill me!"
"Hogwart . . ."
"It's Hoggle!" muttered Hoggle angrily, glancing at the lady beside the Goblin King, who looked very familiar.
"Hoggle, it is you!" the lady exclaimed, kneeling down to the hug the dwarf, completely disregarding the fact that she was wearing a priceless dress that could very well get ruined in the dirt.
"Stop hugging me!" exclaimed Hoggle.
Admonished, the lady withdrew. "Hoggle, don't you remember me?"
Hoggle studied the lady, hardly believing eyes. The same brown hair, straight past her shoulders. The same brown eyes, normally laughing, but right now looking worried. A face he never thought he would see again. His first friend.
"Sarah?" he asked, almost unbelievingly. "What are you doing here?"
"Long story," muttered Sarah, shooting a glare at His Majesty. After a particularly crude comment he had made during their tour of the castle, she was currently finding herself resorting back to her normal dislike towards the ruler of the Labyrinth. Of course, this wild pendulum of feeling towards him, going from extreme dislike, to like, to back to dislike was getting a little annoying. For as long as she lived, she couldn't remember someone who was able to push her buttons quite like the Goblin King.
"Whatever cruel things you are planning to do to Miss Sarah, I won't let you!" proclaimed Hoggle with a burst of heroism, holding his spray can tightly to use at the slightest provocation.
The Goblin King stared down at the little dwarf, eyebrow raised with amusement. "Now, why ever do you think I would do something like that?" he asked.
"B-because of last time! I won't be giving her no peaches!"
"Hogpog . . ."
"IT'S HOGGLE!" cried Sarah, interrupting them, the stress of the whole situation breaking though at last, like a can of soda that has been shaken to much and then opened. "Just because you have a superiority complex and a huge ego DOES NOT mean you can treat others with disrespect!" Giving him the full weight of her Glare of Doom for a few moments, she turned towards Hoggle. "So, how have you been," she asked sweetly.
"Heelloooooooooooo?" Are you people forgetting me? He tried to kill me, you know," came the wailing voice of the indeed forgotten fairy.
"You're the one flying in my garden, you flying pig!"
"I resent the implication!" squeaked the fairy, turning bright red with furry. "And you're the one who looks like the pig, not I!" Turning towards Sarah she whined, "Won't you please help me lady? You know what they say about helping fairies, that we can grant wishes . . ."
"If I remember correctly, the last time I tried to save a fairy from Hoggle's gardening, she bit me!" was Sarah's replied.
The fairy's face began to scrunch up, turning even redder with irritation. "Oh . . . well she was probably frightened after the terrifying experience of having some lout of a dwarf spray her with pepper spray!"
"Is that what you use?" asked Sarah to Hoggle.
"Yes, Sarah. Though my uncle prefers mace . . ."
"I'm sure we're all interested you your methods of gardening and pest control, Hodgepodge . ." began Jareth, trying to reassert the spotlight on himself once again, being the vain creature that he was.
"WILL YOU STOP CALLING HIM OTHER NAMES BESIDES HIS OWN!?" screeched Sarah like a banshee, jumping up to glare at Jareth. "His name is Hoggle! You know that as well as I do!" Turning around, she rolled her eyes, grumbling, "God, one would think you were raised by pigs, by the way you act. First, the whole thing in the bedroom . . ."
"What!?" cried Hoggle, full of indignant anger for his friend's safety, that quite overrode his good sense about what could happen by challenging the Goblin King. "What about the bedroom?"
"Part of the long story . . . if you didn't have work I'd tell you," sighed Sarah.
"Well, Hoggle is done working . . ."
"You mean torturing poor, defenseless fairies . . ." muttered Isolde angrily.
". . .so if Sarah would like to, we can go back to my place have tea . . ."
"Oh, Hoggle, I'd love to go to your place," said Sarah, instantly brightening up. "We haven't seen each other in such a long time and . . ."
She was interrupted by Jareth with his full Goblin King authority, "Absolutely not. You are coming with me, Miss Sarah Williams, so we can finish going through the Labyrinth. Maybe later you can invite your dwarf friend to the palace, but I absolutely refuse to have you go to his house!"
Sarah spun around, and faced the Goblin King, in full Amazon Princess mode. "Look, thanks to you, I'll be spending an indefinite amount of time here, so we'll have plenty of time to see the rest of the Labyrinth another day. In any case, I haven't seen Hoggle in a long time, and I would like to catch up on the life of a friend."
The stress on the word 'friend' was not lost to Jareth, and his eyes narrowed at the diminutive and undeserving dwarf who Sarah wanted to spend time with over him, all the while mentally envisioning various forms of punishment. A sharp pang, probably something he ate, stung his chest as he said thin-lipped, "I see. Then I shall come fetch you in a half an hour."
"Oh, you'll come fetch me will you?" sneered Sarah. "I can take care of myself quite well, thank you. And a half an hour is too short of a time to talk to a friend I haven't seen in five years."
"And whose fault would that be?" asked Jareth, eyebrow raised with triumphant.
"You're a miserable pig, you realize that?" retaliated Sarah, glaring daggers at Jareth.
"I would suggest you refrain from talking back to me like that," commanded the king tonelessly.
"And why should I?" demanded Sarah, crossing her arms angrily. "You're not my master and you have no right to rule over me! You have no power over me!"
Tension seemed to hang in the air, crackling like lightening, Hoggle and Isolde, glancing at each other, came to a quick, silent, mutual truce as they backed away from the two fire headed individuals who were staring at each other like two warriors posed for battle.
"Well, I damn well should," Jareth muttered angrily, grabbing her arm and pulling her close to himself.
Sarah winced a little from the pain of his fingernails digging into her arm. Pushing herself away she snapped. "And why is that? I'm my own master, and I don't need some high-headed-pig-nosed Goblin King telling me what to do!"
Snarling, Jareth grabbed her arm again, this time more roughly, his sharp nails biting into her skin.
Glaring at him, she firmly slapped him across the face. "Don't. Touch. Me." she hissed, shoving him away, rubbing her arm tenderly. Turning towards Hoggle, she didn't see the pale, hurt expression on the proud Goblin King's face, to soon be replaced by anger.
"Come on Hoggle, let's go," she said, and promptly began to pretend that the Goblin King didn't exist.
Jareth dissolved away, without the glitter and glamour, transporting himself to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. It was only when he was sitting, fuming on his throne, surrounded by the chaos of goblins and chickens, that he realized that his fingernails had Sarah's blood on them.
"Sounds like quite the experience," said Mara, lying lazily on the couch with Sarah, Toby lying asleep between them as they watched "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on the huge, flat screen TV in the living room. "So did the Goblin King show up after a half an hour?"
Sarah shook her head. "No, he came after a few hours. Mostly, there was a lot of glaring. God, he can be so insufferable at times!"
Mara nodded, agreeing with her assessment. "That he is. Of course, so am I, now that I think of it," she chuckled. "But in any case, Jareth probably meant well, he just isn't use to having a headstrong woman who prefers to hang out with what he considers a lowly dwarf over his magnificent self."
"What about you? Didn't you ever talk to Hoggle?"
Mara shook her head. "I really didn't know him that well. Sure, we've had civil conversations and all, and I did talk to him to learn some about you, but Jareth is really my only friend in the Underground."
"I'm sorry," said Sarah with feeling, before changing the subject. "So, how was your date with Eric?"
"Interesting. Told him what I was, and surprisingly he believed. me. Oh, and then Garith showed up to 'protect my virtue' ruining much of the night. Also, turns out he was the one who helped Eric get us home, along with his latest whore. Oh, and we watched a movie."
"Ah," commented Sarah.
"Yeah, that was basically it. 'AHHHH!.' It was a nightmare. Though Garith did say he was going to leave me alone until school starts up again, though I somehow I doubt it."
"You're not very trusting, are you?" laughed Sarah.
"Not particularly, when Garith is involved," answered Mara. She sighed, watching the screen as Tom Riddle and Harry Potter came to the proverbial MOMENT OF TRUTH (where Harry learns that just because a diary of a guy from 50 years ago can talk back to him, DOES NOT mean that it is necessarily good, especially when his best friend's little sister is lying mostly dead – though not all dead – on the floor beside him in an ominous looking subterranean room lying miles under Hogwarts and the guy happens to be the teenager version of LORD VOLDEMORT – who is BAD!), before saying "Did you ever realize that Harry Potter is basically a power play between senior citizens?"
"And this is coming from an elf close to . . how old are you?"
"In my 600s. But we're talking human terms here," replied Mara good naturedly. "I mean, think about it, Voldemort is in his late 60s and Dumbledore is around 120. I mean, in human terms, that's OLD!"
"And your point is?"
"Well, wouldn't it be funny if they acted their age and had a showdown?'
"I don't believe I'm quite following you Mara."
"Um . . let's see," sighed Mara thinking. "Ok, say that Dumbledore and Voldemort are facing each other, and then as Dumbledore's first attack, he throws his dentures and Voldemort. Then Voldemort revokes his senior citizen privileges, where as Dumbledore, crying with rage and frustration, begins beating Voldemort with his cane."
"Then Voldemort retaliates by setting his pet snake on Dumbledore!" said Sarah, catching on to the game.
"And then Dumbledore uses Harry Potter as a human shield!"
"Voldemort chucks his glasses at Dumbledore!"
"Dumbledore takes his beard and wraps it around Voldemort's neck as a noose. . ."
And so, the game continued, the movie and The Underground quite forgotten.
And far away in the forgotten Underground, in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, a Goblin King sat next to a bed in a room full of green, watching the sleeping figure of a woman. Silently, he whispered to himself, "I'll try to be a person worthy of you friendship, Sarah. Even if I can't be worthy of your love."
And that's that for that particular chapter. Well, since I'm now officially on summer break, hopefully my updates will be sooner (and longer – I hope), as long as I can find my lovely beta, Megs. (Thank you!!!!! You are an ANGEL!!!)
The whole Dumbledore vs. Voldemort thing . . . twisted as it is . . . is actually based on a conversation my brother and I had once when watching Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.
AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED:
giggle bitch: Hope you liked this.
CatsWhiskers: Thank you so much! I'm glad you think that the original characters are funny, cuz that's what I'm striving to do. I'll try to update sooner from now on.
Redhead Ruth: Yeah, for the petite prince, my mom had an English version of it that she use to read to me (which I wasn't really interested it) but then she stopped suddenly when she read ahead and found out the prince committed suicide. Decided that it wasn't a great book for a 7 year old. Luckily my Dad did not take my computer away, although fanfiction (writing) was forbidden (on the computer . . . this chapter, sadly, as been handwritten out for a while). Yes, I do find vampires sexy. My mother is convinced there is something wrong with my fixation of reading books of all sorts that are related to vampires. The books by Amelia Atwaer-Rhodes in particular are some of my favorites, as well as a book I read called Vampire High, which gives an interesting version of how the vampire community views the author of Dracula.
nova14: I love writing up the fights. Heck, any fight for me is fun to write. Sorry it took me so long to update.
Dreaming One (both reviews): I'm glad you like the whole G/M thing, as well as their characters. This chapter was more dedicated to furthering the relationship (or breaking it apart . . . whatever way you want to look at it) of J/S, and the first steps of Garith maybe redeeming himself. (ho hum) Thank you very much! Hopefully I'll update sooner next time!
Anonymous: I'm glad you like the story. No, I didn't buy the J/S shirt at HotTopic.com, but at a mall nearby about a year ago. However, recently, I did find a shirt with the fairy and the quote "I thought fairies did nice things, like granting wishes" and another one with the worm saying "Allo!" Probably if you look around you can find them.
Clever Lass: I'm glad you like the characterizations, and I'll try to write more quickly, since now I have free time so I can wake up in the morning and type (of course, it is doing nothing for the state of my wallet . . . I need to get a job).
Twin Kats: I'm glad you like it. I'll try updating faster, it is more of a matter if I can get it to my beta.
Nimbus Fabella: I'm glad you like what is going on beside Jareth and Sarah, I'm trying to make the story on the whole interesting. I'm glad you like it, and I'll try updating sooner.
dreamoon: I don't know, sometimes fanfiction.net is just not fair with letting people online. That, or not letting me onto the next page of a good story because of exceeded bandwidth or whatever. For the Jung stuff, it was a lesson, but we had to apply his theories throughout the whole of the year, as well as write annotated bibliographies on a lot of the books out there about the whole Collective Unconsciousness and whatnot. (Actually, for the final end of the year test, I my personal essay question was to write a paper based on the reasons why Star Wars appeals to so many people based on a lot of Carl Jung (and Campbell – which was a mistake on my part, he was the one who came up with the whole Heroic Cycle . . .I'll try to fix that when I do the rewrite when I'm done) ideas. It was kinda funny because I started jumping up and down when I saw my essay question, I was so happy that it was Star Wars. heehehe . . kinda obsessed. Too bad you won't have to much access to the internet over the summer, my sympathies go out to you.
Jazzy P: Heehee, yeah you do give me great advice coughbathroomcough Hope you like this chapter. Oh, and I ran out of room in the other story, so I'm working on typing it out. New scenes in it now. If I see you online, I'll see if I can get it to you. And I'm glad you like the breadsticks. (smile)
The Dragon Sorceress: I'm glad you like it. I'll try to update sooner from now on.
if-666: And we have Jareth vs Sarah round 3. Victor? Definitely Sarah. Which gets back for Jareth basically winning the last 2 round. (both bedroom) (I really don't count the breakfast scene a fight, since they got along for most of it). And yeah, with the two of them being as pigheaded as they are, I can guarantee that there will still be some fights in the future.
watergoddesskasey: THANKS! smiles
Dragonsdaughter1: I'm glad you like it, I aim to amuse.
b00kperson: Yeah, Eric kinda does need a clue. But I kinda see him as a guy that you get along great with, but really doesn't work as potential boyfriend (at least with Mara). I'm thinking of hooking him up with Alice, when she brings the car back over (?)
Ariana Althena Evergreen: As to M and G . . nothing will be said at this time. (looks innocent) I'll try to update sooner.
ma: I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad you can stand the original characters and the vampires. As to Eric and Alice . . most likely.
kalinda: I'm glad you liked their second meeting, and I hoped you liked their grand fight of today.
LadyAniviel: Nice and understanding . . . yeah . . . well, blame it on the Christmas season. (Which hopefully will be next chapter . . .which I meant to write during Christmas . . but well . . . I ended up writing more chapters then I originally planned. In the original story plan, I'm in the middle of chapter 6. I just ended up writing more subplots, added a bathroom scene, a singing dance number involving Elmo the Polka dotted Penguin. I just ended up writing more then I originally planed. And I'll try to update sooner. No more finals.
cherokeelady: I'm glad you like the story. I'll try to be better at updating.
Zero-no-uta: Yeah, while Mara tends to be a source of wisdom for others, she doesn't always listen to her own advice. And deep down, I believe that everyone does have a caring side (it might be the size of a penny . .. but it is still a caring side). Hope you liked this chapter.
MysticalStar1: Rawthorn will show up later, I can promise you that, along with Mara's twin and Nomar, as well as the Mountain King himself (or that is how the plan is write now). As for the "Let's see London, Let's see France, Let's put mud in Mara's dad's underpants!" I am very amused. Lucky you for last day for Seniors. Thanks to No Child Left Behind . . well, no more early days for seniors after this year. grr . . . spending all this time trying to get out of this place of torture cleverly disguised as a place of learning to have them foil my plans . . . sigh Ah well. Life isn't always fair, as the Goblin King loves to say. Hopefully I'll have more time to write over the summer.
goblingurl: Yeah, I fell sorry for Mara too. I'm glad you like the story though.
draegon-fire: innocent smirk at first half of review And while things aren't completely smooth between J/S yet (slapping and accidentally clawing people with your fingernails isn't exactly the friendliest thing in the world . . . not to mention both have the overwhelming obsession to have the last word) but it will be soon. It's ok you didn't review sooner, it took me a while to update anyway.
Selena Blacke: Yeah, well, like with any new relationship between people, there will be rough spots, which is what those two will have to work through before they are happy.
Danalas the Lady Chaos: When someone beats it into them . . . oops. . . I wasn't suppose to mention that yet . . . . I mean . . er . . what are you talking about? looks innocently confused
fangboy: Yeah, well, there is still a lot more to go before everything is going to end up going smoothly . . . and then with four headstrong individuals like them, it will probably never be completely smooth sailing.