Chapter 4: Decisions

Jareth woke the next morning on the small couch again. He yawned as he stood and straightened, working the kinks from his back. Then moved toward the bathroom, intent on taking a nice hot shower to relax his muscles. The steam and heat penetrating his body along with the pressure from the showerhead was almost as good as Sarah's massage… almost. He emerged from the mini sauna and dressed for the day in the usual jeans and a button down shirt. Sarah was waiting with two simple jade colored mugs full of hot coffee, one of which she handed to him. "Shall we finish this up?" she asked heading toward the stairs.

Jareth hitched an eyebrow up while taking a sip of his coffee, wondering if Sarah was anxious to get the painting done for the same reason he was. He didn't vocalize his thoughts though as he climbed up the stairs after her and took his position on the stool. He glanced over at Sarah as he sat, taking another sip of coffee. She seemed to be all business today, and sat down right away to get to work. Jareth obligingly stayed still, moving only to drink from his mug. "Can I ask you something?" Sarah asked.

Jareth smirked, but refrained from giving her his usual reply. "Yes?"

"The letter telling you that you were under my custody, it was from a Fae High Council, yes?" he nodded. "Was that the high council to the Goblin Kingdom or does that mean there are other kingdoms in the Underground?"

Jareth raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was coming from. "The High Fae Council is not subject to the Goblin Kingdom, and yes there are other kingdoms in the Underground. The High Fae Council is a group of thirteen individuals, from different kingdoms, who have authority over all of the kingdoms. They gather to help resolve conflicts between kingdoms and sometimes, in the rare event that a particular kingdom's ruler does not follow council policy, they deal out punishments fitting to what the breach of policy involved."

Sarah frowned as though trying to understand him and nodded. "I've always read that there are two Fae courts, Seelie and Unseelie. Is it true?"

Jareth looked over to her, she was continuing to paint as though only talking about the weather. He wondered where this line of questions was leading, and decided to answer in order to find out. "Yes, there is a Seelie and an Unseelie court. The Seelie, also known as the Holy in the mortal realm, uphold values such as honor, love of beauty, tradition, and upholding the law. The Unseelie, or unholy, mock tradition, honor, freedom, and they believe in doing whatever necessary to get ahead."

Sarah seemed to take a little bit to digest this then in a quiet voice asked, "So… which are you?"

Jareth shot her a disbelieving look. "What do I look like?" he asked, curious as to what she'd say.

"Well, you took my brother…"

"At your behest," he interrupted.

Sarah glanced up at him, then continued, "You did everything you could to make me fail the labyrinth, you're not very nice to your subjects, and the only reason you're here is because you broke the law, several times I might add," she finished not daring to look at him.

Jareth narrowed his eyes, "Say it Sarah, say what I know you're thinking."

"You… you're Unseelie."

"Wrong."

Sarah looked up, making eye contact, a look of disbelief gleaming in hers. "How can you say that? After all the evidence I just gave?"

"First, I did do everything I could to prevent you from winning the labyrinth because it is my duty. So long as a mortal does not give up within the thirteen hours, they don't lose. If you hadn't made it to the castle in the thirteen-hour time limit, you still would have gotten Toby back because you never gave up. You truly regretted wishing him away."

Sarah frowned, "So I ran that damn thing for nothing?"

"No, you ran it to prove that you wanted him back. Besides you can't say your journey through the labyrinth didn't help you become who you are," he gave her a smirk.

Sarah groaned, knowing he was right. "Fine, but what about the other things?"

"You saw a limited perspective of how I treat my subjects. I believe the only interaction you saw was between myself and Hogswart…"

"Hoggle," Sarah corrected automatically.

"Whatever, he and I have never gotten along and the cheeky little blighter never misses a chance to insult me either."

"He was a perfect gentleman compared to you."

"Yes, he would play it up wouldn't he?" Jareth said, almost to himself. "Either way, you only saw the interaction between myself and ONE of my subjects. You can not base a judgment off of one out of thousands…"

"Fine, I'll cut you some slack there, but it doesn't excuse how you treated Hoggle." Jareth rolled his eyes, he had a feeling the dwarf would relish the fact that she was standing up for him, which meant that he could never know. "But what about the reason you're here? You broke the law."

"I did, and I won't bother to deny it. The first charge was thanks to you," he waved a hand at her. "The second and third were because I was negligent where I should not have been. The fourth was due to loss of temper, and the fifth was because of an over abundance of pride. I'll admit that what I did was wrong."

He looked over at Sarah to see her staring back at him. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned back to her work. "I'm sorry then… for labeling you as Unseelie."

"That's generous of you," he grinned.

Sarah smiled as well, knowing he was referring to his speech on generosity from their last meeting. Jareth turned back to the rubber ball in his hand while Sarah completed the finishing touches on the painting. Around noon, she put down her paintbrush and stepped back from the canvas, a look of contentment on her face. Jareth rose and joined her behind the easel. The portrait was better than any he'd ever had commissioned. Except for the artistic liberties she'd taken with his ears, it was an almost perfect rendering of himself. He wore a silky white shirt with a dark vest, gray leggings, and boots with metal knee guards. His pendant hung from his neck, just visible in the 'V' of the shirt. A mass of feathers exploded from his left shoulder and the goblin-like skull that seemed to hold them together. His right hand held a crystal ball that he seemed to be gazing into with intensity. The background looked to be part of the Fiery Forest, with the exception of a clock with thirteen points and two half melted candles. The detail of the portrait was amazing; especially considering the entire thing was monochromatic.

Jareth let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and turned to Sarah who was looking at him expectantly. "It's stunning…" he said in an awed voice. "Except for right here… you missed a spot here," he said pointing to a spot in the background.

Sarah frowned, "Where?" she asked moving closer.

When she was close enough, Jareth grabbed her wrist and yanked her to him. She gasped as she came into contact with his body and raised an arm as though to ward him off. Quickly, he wrapped one arm around her waist; the other came up to cup her chin. "You owe me a kiss," he said before swooping down on her.

She gave a muffled cry of surprise that faded off, as Jareth's lips seemed to caress hers. They moved slowly and deliberately over hers, urging a response. Her arms, seeming to move of their own accord, slowly wrapped themselves around his neck and she started kissing him back. Jareth grinned and deepened the kiss, using his tongue to force entry into her mouth, which she granted him after some skillful team playing between his fingers at her waist and his tongue over her mouth. She moaned as he pressed their bodies closer and a deep growl emanated from his throat. He felt like he could go on kissing her like this forever; the way her body melded with his, the small noises she made, the way her fingers curled into his hair at the base of his skull, all seemed so wonderfully perfect at that moment. Jareth felt her lean heavily on him, as though her knees could no longer support her. He obligingly held her up. He pulled back from her only when his lungs begged for air. She sucked in a lungful as well and stared up at him with veiled eyes. "I believe that meets our agreement satisfactorily," he grinned down at her.

She nodded, still holding on to him with a tight grip. He held her close until she seemed to gain her bearings and pulled away. Jareth let her go; satisfied that he was the one who'd caused her the things she was feeling. "I – I need to go… um, drop off some things at the gallery." He nodded crossing his arms. "Then I need to go grocery shopping. Did you want to come with?" she asked still looking slightly dazed.

Jareth liked that she was inviting him, but then remembered his plan for the day. He shook his head, "No, I'll let you have some alone time with your friend down at the gallery. She must be ravenous for gossip after what you told her last night."

Sarah nodded then headed toward the door. "Right, well I'll be back in a bit then."

"Good bye…" he said as she stepped out of the loft onto the stairs. "…precious," he added when she'd shut the door.

He went to sit in the lazy boy recliner on the other side of the loft. Did he really need to invade her room? He settled down in the chair to think it out. He thought about his new feelings for her, about how she responded to him, about his previous trip into her room, about what she would do if she caught him going through her things, about what the council had told him about learning from her, and if it was worth it all to go searching her room anyway? What could she have hidden in there? It had to be either in the trunk or under the bed. Maybe it had to do with her family? Why she hadn't spoken to them in almost seven years?

Jareth cursed himself then rose from the chair and started to pace the loft. He paced and paced, thinking about the same things. Was it worth it? If she found out, she would be quite angry with him. Did he want to risk losing what they'd found between them? He let out a groan and looked up at the clock above the sink. According to it, Sarah would be home soon. Damning himself and his curiosity he quickly left the loft and went down the stairs to her bedchamber. Once inside, he started with the chest at the end of her bed. It was old, that much he knew. He removed the spare blankets from atop it and unlatched the front and pushed open the lid. Inside were photo albums, memorabilia from high school, a few play programs with the ticket stub stapled to it, and a couple of carefully folded dresses that looked to be left-overs from a play.

Curiously, he lifted out the photo album and started sifting through it. For the most part, it contained pictures of Sarah and her friends from school, both high school and college. There was nothing telling in it except for the road trips that she'd apparently taken during college. He found one picture of her posing before a giant spoon with an equally giant cherry on it. Amused, he flipped through the rest, finding a picture of her standing before a lift bridge, while a barge went through. Another was of her and a group of friends in swim suits standing beside a sign shaped like a wave that read 'Noah's Ark Water Park'. Jareth gave an appreciative look at Sarah's two-piece swimsuit. When he was done, he carefully replaced the album and closed the trunk, putting the blankets back on top.

Then he sat cross-legged on the floor and reached for the edge of the blanket covering the gap beneath her bed and lifted it. Beneath the bed were a couple of short totes. He pulled one out and popped open the lid. His eyes widened at what he saw. Inside was a haphazard mess of photos, letters, and things that related to her family. It was as if she had scooped it all up and thrown it in in a rush. He extracted one of the letters. It was postmarked six years ago and was from her stepmother. He frowned as he read through it.

Sarah you always were a selfish girl, I can't believe you would even request to see Toby! I thought I made it perfectly clear that I did not want you putting your bad influences in his head! I can promise you that you'll never see Toby again if you keep contacting me. For that matter it would be best if you stopped contacting us all together!

The letter went on to tell of Karen's dislike that Sarah had her father wrapped around her finger and she demanded that she cut all ties with them. Jareth felt ready to crumple the letter and throw it across the room. Judging from the wrinkled condition of the letter though, it looked as if Sarah had already done this. Jareth instead dropped the venomous letter back into the tote and pulled out some of the pictures. They were mostly of her and her family; very few had Karen in them. Most of them were of her and Toby, not much older than when he'd last seen the tyke. An angry gasp from the doorway startled him and he whipped around to see Sarah looking on him with what he couldn't decide was either anger, outrage, or disappointment. Perhaps it was a mix of the three. "Sarah…" was all he got out before Sarah burst.

"What are you doing?" she asked. It appeared that she was so angry, that she was talking in a venomous whisper instead of shouting.

"I – I was curious…" he could tell right away that this was not the way to go about it.

"Get out…"

"Sarah."

"GET OUT!" her voice rose several octaves.

Startled by her anger, Jareth rose from his position on the floor and cautiously walked past her, retreating to the loft.

The rest of the day passed slowly. Jareth stayed in the loft and Sarah stayed downstairs. He didn't even come down for food, but decidedly stayed in the lazy boy recliner, reading to pass the time until he fell asleep.

o O o O o O o

Sarah was too angry to think straight. Sure, she'd let Jareth sleep in her room once, but that did not give him the right to go through her things, least of all the totes under her bed. She slammed down a can of green beans in the cupboard as she thought this. She was in the kitchen putting away groceries, something to try and calm her, but it wasn't working. The phone ringing pulled her away though. She grumbled as she set the bag down and picked up the cordless handset. "Hello?" she answered trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Sarah? It's Todd."

Sarah wasn't quite sure what to make of her ex-boyfriend calling. It'd been nearly four weeks since the break up. "What do you want Todd?"

"Listen, I was stupid and I want to make it up to you."

"Why?"

"Do I need any other reason besides I still care for you?"

Sarah felt a little bad at taking her anger with Jareth out on Todd, but the guy had been an ass. "What do you want, Todd?" she asked again.

"One date; I want to show you that I've changed."

Sarah sighed, she wanted to give Todd a chance, but she had reservations that he could change, especially in so short a time. That and there was something in the back of her mind that asked, 'What about Jareth?'. She quieted that part of her mind forcefully, not yet ready to forgive Jareth. "Fine Todd, one date."

"Great! Can I pick you up Tuesday night, around seven?"

Sarah checked the calendar hanging on the wall, it was Sunday. There was nothing marked down for Tuesday. "Sure."

"Thanks Sarah, you won't regret it."

"Yeah, see you Tuesday, Todd." Sarah hung up the phone and turned to put the rest of the groceries away. Only eighteen more days of Jareth, she thought to herself.

o O o O o O o

A gloved hand waved over a large mirror hanging on the wall and a tendril of magic went through it. A moment later, a Fae with long black hair tied back, wearing dark clothes that blended with the background appeared in the mirror. "What is it, Todd?" his deep voice echoed through the mirror.

Todd, his glamour now off, peered back at his master and bowed, his medium length dark brown hair swayed as he did. He wore simple mortal clothing, but his gestures and posture all betrayed his noble bearing. "Master, I apologize if I have disturbed you," he said still low in a bow.

"Rise, Todd. What have you to report?"

"I have arranged another meeting with the mortal woman."

The Master raised an eyebrow, "Impressive, since you failed at staying in her confidence before."

"Thank you Master, I intend to use magic to make the girl want to trust me and I will find out her secret, how she traversed the labyrinth, afterwards."

"Good, good. I expect no more delays, Todd."

"Of course not Master," Todd bowed his head again. "I shall report to you when I learn her secret."

The Master nodded and vanished from the mirror. Todd carefully covered the mirror with a silk sheet and left the small room he used for communication with the Underground. The Unseelie Fae had been sent to gain the mortal, Sarah Williams, confidence. She was the only being to ever successfully traverse the labyrinth in the Goblin Kingdom. The Master had learned of the precious treasure the Seelie court had hidden in the center of the labyrinth and was determined to get it. It was a treasure unlike any other and the Unseelie were determined to destroy it. Todd had only heard rumors of its existence; nothing to prove it, but the Master was certain that it not only existed, but was protected by the labyrinth that surrounded the Goblin City.

He ran a hand through his dark hair and grinned at the thought of Sarah. He would show her he had changed, not in the way she would have liked, but in a way that would get him what he wanted.

o O o O o O o

Hey everyone… *sheepish glance around* Sorry this chapter took so long to get up. It's the beginning of the school year and I believe we all know what that's like. I'm back at college now, so I have better internet access, but less time to use it… how fair is that? lol

Anyway, I want to thank you all for the positive responses. Keep 'em coming please! I thrive off of your reviews! And stay tuned for chapter five! It promises to be a good one *wink*…

And one more thing, the painting Sarah does of Jareth is based off of a beautiful piece of art on . I highly recommend checking it out. I'll post a link in my profile when I have time. It's called Crystal Ball by Candra.

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or it's characters; if I did do you think I'd be posting this here?