Chapter 19

Sarah's shoulder was tended to by one of Jareth's goblins soon after she'd gotten back. She'd been stitched up under some kind of sedative and was now asleep in her bed.

During the night she had a very strange dream. She tossed and turned, sweat pearls glistening in the moonlight and her mouth moved soundless words, as her chest moved up and down in heavy breaths, tough not making a sound.

Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she flung herself up to a sitting position, her hair flying across her shoulders in the sudden change of position. She stared into space, her hand resting on her chest above her heart which was beating very fast.

That was odd...

A sudden movement from the window caught her attention, though at first she couldn't see anything but a faint siluette.

"Jareth!" she claimed as her eyes became adjusted to the moonlight. "What are you doing here?"

The mismatched eyes of the goblin King turned to rest on her before his deep, calm voice broke the silence, "You called for me, Sarah."
A frown creased her features as her gaze met his.

"No, I didn't..."
"Yes, you did," he persisted, slowly leaving his place on the windowsill to stand by the foot of her bed. "I admit it was in your sleep, but you did call for me, Sarah."

Sarah carefully searched his face for some kind of sign that he might be bluffing, but there was nothing but honesty in his face.

"What did I say?" she asked, feeling a little nervous.
Jareth smiled a little and leaned down to put his hands on the bedpost. "You said my name," he told her. "I heard you the first time-"

"First time?" Sarah interrupted, surprise striking her.
Jareth chuckled. "Yes, Sarah. The first time," he repeated with a crooked smile. "You whispered for me several times."

"You heard my whispers?"

"I always hear you, Sarah," he answered. "No matter if you shout or whisper- I will always hear you."

The way he spoke while looking into her eyes made her turn her own to the sheets to avoid his intense glance.

"Why?" she asked, still too afraid to turn her eyes up to look at him.

"Because you," he said, sounding more lighthearted. "Have a very good way of making yourself heard."

Sarah felt blood shoot up to her face and she suddenly heard him chuckle and move. The weight of the bed changed, making her body lean to the left. She looked up to see Jareth sit on the edge by her feet, his eyes back to serious.

"You also told me not to leave," he said. "That you didn't want to be alone."

"Oh?" was the only thing Sarah could say.

Jareth watched her with intense eyes, waiting for her to say something more, but she didn't. She was too confused that she'd said those things. She wasn't the sleep-talking type- she'd never done it before.

"Well..." she finally spoke, trying to find a reason for her sleep-talking. "Maybe it's because of that sedative I was given?"

"Maybe," Jareth agreed, but by the way he spoke, she knew that wasn't it. "Maybe it is the reason why you talked in your sleep. But it doesn't make you say what you don't mean, Sarah."

"What are you inferring?" she asked suspiciously, but she couldn't help but to feel as though he'd hit one of her sensitive spots.

"Are you alone, Sarah?" he asked, tilting his head a little.

"Why would that matter to you?" she spit at him, bringing out a surprised frown on the King. Jareth straightened his back, looking at her astounded.

"Why wouldn't it matter to me?" he asked.

"Oh please," she snapped. "Don't act as though you care about me!"

When Jareth suddenly grabbed her undamaged arm and brought her closer to him, it surprised her to see anger in his eyes.

"Are you patronizing me, Sarah?" he growled, his eyes burning hers. When she didn't answer, he continued, "I protect you. I feed you, I keep you safe, I have given you opportunities here that you could only dream about in the Aboveground! How dare you even suggest that I don't care?!"

"Opportunities?!" Sarah shouted. "You took me away from my home to-"

"To make you a Queen!"

Sarah stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Whu-What?" she stuttered, feeling her face turn cold. Jareth sighed, releasing her arm before getting to his feet.

"I apologize, Sarah," he said. "To take you here was a mistake. You're right. I don't care. I have no right to keep you here against your will."

Sarah's eyes followed him as he walked towards the door. She felt that she was close to tears, her heart sinking in her chest with every step he took that brought him further away from her. She wanted to stop him- to ask him to stay, she knew that. But her pride stopped her. She had sworn to hate Jareth, so she refused to accept the feelings in her heart.

Tears was falling down her cheeks as the door closed behind the man she hated more than anything in the world, yet the man that she'd started to trust, to feel safe with... to care for.

Jareth- The Goblin King.

Ok, I'm soooooooooooooooooo sorry about the delay! It's been a few busy months, but now I'm home!

Personally I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I guess one could call this the 'chapter of realization' xD Please review and I'll write you another chapter as soon as I can! See ya! :D