The Almighty Disclaimer
Oh Moffat, Gatiss, and Thompson
Oh Henson and Doyle,
And Pika-la Cynique the generous,
To you belongs all the characters
And none so for me!
A/N: This story was inspired by "The Thin White Sleuth..." by Pika-la-Cynique of Girls Next Door fame.
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"Jareth, have you been asking John to watch over me during the case?" Sarah asked as they sat in a diner, waiting for Sherlock and John to show-up for breakfast.
Jareth was watching the happenings in the restaurant. "Why would you think that Sarah? He could be flirting. Flirting badly, admittedly."
Sarah's scrambled eggs and potato wedges were given to her. She said between bites, "One: At least he hasn't thrown a snake at me. Two: That was not a no."
Jareth focused entirely on Sarah. "All things have weaknesses, Sarah. Humans become ill. Fae cannot touch cold iron. You have your family and friends. Sherlock and John have each other. I have you. For me to find out what our bomber's weakness is, I need to know that you are safe. John is the only one I trust outside the Labyrinth to do that. You may see him as a mild-mannered, somewhat snarky, medical doctor. I see him as a trained soldier who considered it a good day when he did not have to see one of his friends blown-up from left over mines and then he had to kill a couple dozen enemy soldier to pick up the few scraps of human flesh and bone left over."
Sarah nodded, thinking of her own time as a medic. "Who watches out for you then? Sherlock? Rossetti?"
"I can take care of myself."
"I think that you are overestimating your own abilities."
"I think that you do not really know what I am capable of and because of that you do not think I can solve this puzzle."
Before Sarah could respond, John and Sherlock sat down. John said, "Has it occurred to you..."
"Probably," Jareth said.
"No, has it occurred to you that the bomber's playing a game with you? The envelope, breaking into the other flat. The dead kid's shoes, it's all meant for you. He knows what you are," John said.
"Yes, I know. I am aware of the risks in playing this game, for that is what it is to the bomber," Jareth said.
"You are an idiot, Jareth," Sarah muttered, taking another bite of her sandwich.
"Is it him, than? Moriarty?" John asked.
"There is always a possibility," Jareth said, "And you, Sarah, stop emoting so much. I am drowning in annoyance from across the table. I am sure the rest of the table will..."
The phone buzzed. Jareth opened the message. There were three pips and a picture of a middle-aged woman.
"That could be anybody," Jareth said.
"Well, it could be, yeah. Lucky for you, I've been more than a little unemployed at different points in my life," John said.
"How did you mean?" Jareth asked.
John switched the channel to a make-over show where the woman in the picture was hosting her show. "The name is Connie Prince."
The phone rang again and Jareth put it on speaker. "Hello?"
An elderly female's voice was on the phone. "This one is a bit defective. Sorry. She's blind. This is a funny one. I'll give you 12 hours."
"Why are you doing this?" Jareth asked, "I can think of several other games we could play.
"I like to watch you dance," the woman said.
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"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Joining the dots. Three hours. Boom. Boom," the woman said.
Jareth rolled his eyes as the phone hung up. "Do be a little more creative."
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"How long, Jareth?" Sarah asked as the two made their way to Lestrade's office. Sherlock and John were on a "side mission" as Jareth described it.
"What?" Jareth asked.
"How long have you known?" Sarah asked.
"Well, this one was quite simple. As I said, the bomber repeated himself. That was a mistake," Jareth said.
"Jareth, did you think about the hostage? The old woman, she's been there all this time," Sarah said.
"I knew I could save her. I also knew that the bomber had given us 12 hours. I solved the case quickly that gave me time to get on with other things. Do you not see it? We are one move ahead of him," Jareth said.
"John is right. The bomber is doing this to mess with you and you are not taking this seriously," Sarah said.
"Well, now I can 'mess with' him back now," Jareth said, "Can you type in the following onto your blog? Raoul de Santos, the house-boy, botox."
The phone rang almost as soon as Sarah posted the answer.
"Help me," the old woman said.
"Tell us where you are. What is your address?" Jareth asked.
"He was so... His voice," the old woman said.
"No. Tell me nothing about him. Absolutely nothing," Jareth said.
"He sounded so soft..." the old woman said.
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Sarah did not know why she thought they would hear the boom. The phone just cut off. Lestrade allowed himself a moment of shock before calling various people to find where the bomb went off. Jareth stood up and was ready to throw the pink phone against the wall when Sarah grabbed his wrist.
"Don't, Jareth. Who knows what the bomber will do if you try to break the rules of the game," Sarah said.
Jareth said through a clenched jaw, "He already broke the rules. I solved the puzzle. He killed the woman anyway."
Sarah quickly switched her phone for the pink phone. She let Jareth throw it against the wall, shattering the screen.
"Feel better?" Sarah asked.
"No," Jareth said.
Sarah made Jareth face her. She held his wrists as she spoke. "You did nothing wrong. The woman broke her rules but how that bomber... how that... thing who can treat people like toys can expect them to act as if nothing is wrong and... I don't understand it."
Jareth turned his hands so he could hold Sarah's wrists as well. "He treats people as objects and expects them to still think like a human. Is that what you are saying?"
Sarah nodded, feeling too shaken to speak.
Jareth nodded as well. "Someone has even higher expectations than you, Sarah. I have underestimated him too much. A man who expects one to follow the rules but not himself is not a stable player to go up against."
"Says the man who stole three hours from me."
Jareth smirked. "That's why I can beat him, precious. We are very much alike."
"No you're not," Sarah said quickly, "You are not willing to do everything to win, which is what makes you a good man."
Jareth laughed without humor. "Oh, precious, how little you know of good men if you think that I can be counted amongst them."
"A good man, not a perfect one," Sarah said. She released her grip on Jareth and went to find Lestrade.
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A message was coming through on the pink phone. Sarah quickly whispered to Jareth, "I do believe in you, Jareth. Always remember that, no matter what happens."
"You do?" Jareth asked.
"Yes, I do."
Jareth opened the message and listened to the two pips.
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A/N: Why do I keep over using these quotes? Why? Why do I enjoy it so much? Answer: Because I am a fan girl and if a fan girl does not quote, said fan girl will explode.
I hope this shows that Sarah does care for Jareth, it's just they are at different places emotionally.