Chapter 12: Sometimes Being A Woman Sucks
The next three days passed quite pleasantly for both Sarah and Jareth. Their days were spent in competition between backgammon, chess, several card games, and Chinese checkers, and Sarah kept at her art, having Jareth pose for her again as she drew in her sketch pad. They hadn't had time to pack her painting supplies, and in all reality, there was too much supplies to conveniently bring along, so Sarah had settled for simply bringing her sketch pad and a few pencils.
It was during a drawing session on the fourth day that the pain had become too much for Sarah. She'd been having a headache all day and she'd asked Jareth to pose for her so she could draw in an attempt to go into that blank space she was always swept to when she really got into her art. Jareth was sitting leisurely in the armchair next to the sofa, one booted foot propped on the arm. Sarah kept glancing back at him to get the correct pose sketched out, but it was difficult to concentrate when he kept contorting his face between the comedic and tragic masks used in theater. She giggled and threw and eraser at him. The rectangular piece of rubber bounced harmlessly off his chest. "I'll have you know I've started wars over less than that," he remarked, one eyebrow raised in his usual smug look.
"Uh huh… pick a face and stick with it your Majesty," Sarah replied laying down some heavier lines. At her prompting, Jareth suddenly threw his head back dramatically, raising a hand to his brow so he looked like a swooning maiden. Sarah snorted in laughter when she glanced away from her paper again. "Come on! You were so much easier to draw the first time!" she complained.
Jareth righted himself; "Yes well I was paid in kisses that time if I recall correctly."
She glared at him, "Would his Highness like his payment after the finished product is delivered?"
He cupped his jaw in thought, "Hmm, yes tonight should be lovely."
"Fine, two kisses, same as last time."
"Deal."
"Deal," Sarah agreed and went back to drawing.
"Oh my lovely innocent Sarah… you should learn to bargain better."
She looked up at him confused. "What do you mean?" He gave her a mischievous smile and proceeded to tell her exactly how he was going to kiss her later that evening. When he had finished his rather graphic depiction, Sarah was blushing ten different shades of red. "But… I…" she stuttered.
"Ah, ah! You failed to negotiate the specifics of my two kisses when the time was proper, no take backs…" his grin was insufferable, but Sarah had to admit that what he'd described had sounded really quite pleasurable. It was just the fact that he'd one-upped her once again that irked her.
"Do you have to do that?"
"What?"
"Trick me all the time…."
"You know I didn't mean it as such, Sarah."
"Then what was it suppose to be?"
"Simply a way to ensure I get two amazing kisses tonight," he smirked.
"I would've let you kiss me anyway," she grumbled.
"But this was much more fun," he flashed her a smile then settled into his pose for her.
Sarah sighed and rolled her eyes. She wondered if all fae males took so long to mature or if it was just him. Going back to her drawing, she sketched in a few more curved lines to form his relaxed posture on the chair. She stopped though as pain lanced through her head so strong, it nearly blinded her. Whimpering, she dropped the sketchbook and clutched her head in her hands. She was glad that she was already sitting on the couch. "Sarah!" Jareth's voice rang out. She could feel strong hands grip her shoulders. "Sarah, what's wrong?"
His voice seemed far away even though she knew he was crouching right in front of her. "Head," she gasped out before clenching her mouth shut again.
"Tell me what to do, Sarah. What do you need to make it stop?" his voice sounded desperate.
"In bathroom cupboard… white pill bottle in drawer labeled Excedrin. I need that and," she was cut off by another wave of pain and she gritted her teeth. "… water!"
Jareth's warm presence left her, but returned in under a minute, thrusting the bottle of pills into her hand and holding the glass of water for her. She unscrewed the cap and shook out two pills, downing them with a gulp of water. Her hands continued to clutch her head as she waited for the pills to kick in. Jareth crouched before her, his hands on her knees, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles over her denim clad thighs. She took a shuddering breath and slowly opened her eyes, the light not as blinding as before. "Better?" Jareth's soft voice asked.
She nodded, "Thank you."
"Is it the tumor?"
"I don't know, but it feels like it's coming from that general area."
Jareth's lips formed a thin line as he rose. "Maybe you should rest for a bit."
"No, I'll be fine in a minute," she shook her head.
"Sarah, this is not a negotiation."
She looked up to see he was quite serious. He held out his hand to help her up. "Really, Jareth… I'll be fine." Jareth sighed then bent and picked her up bridal style. She gasped and clutched at his neck to steady herself. "What are you doing?"
"I told you, this is not a negotiation," he said as he carried her into the bedroom. "You will rest in here for at least thirty minutes." Sarah didn't see any point in arguing when it was clearly not Jareth she was facing, but the Goblin King as his demanding manner made clear. She simply allowed him to lay her down on the bed; her eyes sought his as he pulled away. "I will return in half an hour. Please try to get some rest." His eyes clearly told her to stay put.
She nodded and relaxed against the comforter, closing her eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to just sit still for a while. She felt a blanket being placed over her and she smiled. "Thank you," she murmured. A leather-gloved hand caressed her cheek before she heard him leave the room.
Jareth did his best to remain calm and composed as he laid Sarah down before retreating to the living room. He sat on the couch, noticed her sketchpad on the floor and picked it up. She'd been about half way through his portrait, just barely finished with the rough outline. He carefully traced the lines with his fingers. After a minute, he put the sketchpad on the coffee table and leaned back into the sofa. Sarah needed help. Of that much he was sure. He didn't trust the human doctor. What could he possibly know from the image on that piece of plastic he'd shown Sarah? It was obvious that he was unaware of how much pain she was in, else he would have done something more while they were still at the hospital. If only he could reach his personal healer back in the Goblin Kingdom, it would make things so much easier.
There were still four days left until his trial though, and even then he wasn't sure how the council would rule against him. What if Sarah got worse? He took a sharp inhale with that thought. He wasn't ready to face the possibility of losing her. Instead he forced himself to think of ways to win the council over. He'd behaved himself quite well during these past few weeks. There was no reason for the council to revoke his title completely, but there was always the chance that those who didn't like him would sway the rest of the council. He'd ticked off a few too many council members in the past to really be sure of the vote.
Cursing himself, Jareth stood and began to pace. The sharp movement when he turned felt good and he wished for a moment that he had a couple of his goblins about to kick around. The sturdy creatures were tough and if he didn't know any better, they actually liked being kicked about. He smirked a bit at the thought of his subjects. He could just imagine the reactions of Sarah's three companions when they found she was back in the Underground. Ludo would be happy beyond belief, turning into a rather large and furry teddy bear. Sir Didymus would also be overjoyed and would busy himself with asking after Sarah's well being. Hoggle would most likely be happy to see her, but be very suspicious of Jareth's plans.
Jareth paused in his pacing; what were his plans? He'd promised Sarah that should he win his trial he would take her back and have her healed, but would she want to stay longer? He knew she felt something for him, but was it strong enough to make her want to stay Underground with him? Would the council allow it? He shoved that thought away; he really didn't care what the council thought. He would do anything he could to keep Sarah with him if she wanted to be there, but would she? He resumed his pacing once again making sharper turns almost to the point that he would spin more than 180 degrees.
He grumbled to himself as he paced, not noticing the scuff marks his boots were making on the floor. If Sarah wanted to return to the Aboveground after she was healed, he would let her for he could not refuse her anything. He stopped pacing to glance up at the clock; it'd been nearly forty minutes since he'd lain Sarah down. Taking a huge breath in, he let it slowly back out, focusing on channeling all of his worries out with it so he wouldn't concern Sarah.
After two more deep breaths, he quietly entered the bedroom. Sarah was lying in the same position as when he'd left her. Her hair fanned out around her head, her eyes were closed, and her mouth was slightly open; she was asleep. Jareth admired her from the doorway for a while before moving towards her. He quietly crouched before her and tucked a stray strand of hair back from her face. Her mouth closed and she unconsciously moved her face into his hand as it came back down along her jaw line. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss before moving back. Her lips curled up in a smile and she seemed to hum a little. "Mmmm…" her eyes opened. "I can honestly say that is my favorite way to wake up."
Jareth smiled back at her, in awe of how beautiful she looked with her hair in soft tangles, her eyes sparkling with happiness and that look one has after just waking up, and her mouth… her oh so sensuous mouth grinning back at him. "Well I can honestly say I quite enjoy waking you as such." He ran a gloved digit along her jaw again. "Did you rest well?" She nodded. "Good, I'm glad. How's the headache?"
"Much better, thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, are you up for some food? Because it's just past dinner time and I do believe we haven't eaten since breakfast."
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and I can see that you're shriveling up from starvation."
Jareth clutched his middle in mock pain, "Aye! I'm simply wasting away where I stand!" Sarah giggled and Jareth smirked as his visage turned mischievous. "Of course, I could always just eat you…"
She gasped in mock horror. "You would turn to cannibalism?"
"No, it's only cannibalism if you eat your own species. I am not human, but I've heard they taste quite delicious," he said before he swooped down and capturing her lips with his.
He kissed her as if her were a drowning man, his lips slanting over hers and his teeth nipping at her lower lip in a delicious way. He suddenly dropped down and began to nibble his way down her neck, her mouth free to let out delectable moans. He reached the curve where her shoulder met her neck and he stopped there to suck in the skin and bite down gently, leaving a mark that he was sure would stay for a few days. Her vocalization indicated that she found the pleasurable pain to be confusing, but delightful. "Mmmm…" he hummed against her throat. "I was right, humans are quite delicious."
He pulled away, a rather large grin stretched across his face. Sarah stared back at him, her eyes wide and her breaths coming in gasps. He suddenly stood, "Time for dinner!" his jaunty attitude as he walked out annoyed Sarah, but she rose to follow him anyway.
When she arrived in the kitchen, it was to find him pulling items out of the fridge. "You're making dinner?"
"Yes, I do know how to prepare a few meals that do not involve eggs," he replied not turning to her.
"This I have to see…" she murmured, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
Jareth turned to her as he set the ingredients he had pulled on the counter. "Yes, you should rest while I prepare dinner. You're going to need that energy later tonight when I come to collect my kisses."
Sarah's eyes widened and she flushed as she remembering what he'd described to her about how he was going to extract the kisses. "But I didn't finish the drawing…"
"Call it advance payment," he smirked.
She blushed a deep magenta color.
o O o O o O o
Todd kicked a carelessly forgotten glove out of the way. He'd broken into Sarah's apartment in an attempt to figure out where she and the Goblin King might've gone. However they'd left no trace, and judging by the amount of things they'd taken with them, they weren't planning on coming back anytime soon. He pulled a crystal ball out of the air and glanced into it to see Sarah sitting at a table in an unfamiliar kitchen. He could see King Jareth hovering around the edges as he walked around. Todd had only ever been to Sarah's friend Jackie's apartment once, but he knew this wasn't it because he remembered Jackie's apartment was painted in vibrant colors. This one was a dull standard cream color.
He frowned, his master, King Zuul, would be displeased to say the least if he failed him again. In fact, Todd was quite thankful to be alive at the moment considering King Zuul's reputation with failures. He knew his king must trust him immensely if he would give him a second chance to rectify his mistakes.
Todd glanced into the crystal again and snorted in disgust as he saw Jareth and Sarah kissing. Though he couldn't blame the Goblin King… the mortal was a tempting wench. He was going to draw great pleasure from ruining her for the goblin brat. A wicked smile grew on his visage at the thought of what he'd do to the mortal when he had her in his clutches. He tossed the crystal up suddenly, and it disappeared at its apex. "Rotor!" he called out to his imp servant.
The scabby grey creature appeared a moment later, prostrating himself before his master. "Sir called for Rotor?"
"Yes, I want you to watch this apartment in the event that the mortal, Sarah Williams should return."
"Yes, sir."
"If she does, you will contact me immediately to inform me."
"Yes, sir."
Todd gave his servant a disgusted look before disappearing, leaving the imp to himself in the apartment.
o O o O o O o
It was late that night when Sarah awoke with a familiar pain in her lower abdomen. She sat up in bed, leaving the warm comforting arms of her fae lover to make her way to the bathroom. When she was secluded in the small room, she groaned as she discovered she was right. She'd forgotten to count days since her last cycle and this one had sprung upon her without warning. She checked below the sink and swore as she realized she'd forgotten to pack the necessary supplies for period. Quickly she rushed out to the front entryway and checked her purse for the spare she usually kept. "Damnit!" she swore as she saw that she'd not replaced the spare from last time.
Glancing up at the clock, she saw that it was too late to call Jackie. She groaned as she realized what she had to do. Quietly as she could, she crept back into the bedroom and pulled on and old pair of sweats and a hooded sweatshirt. "Where are you going?" a soft voice called out as she was about to leave.
She cringed, "Sorry to wake you. It's nothing serious, I just forgot something back at the apartment."
"And you need to go get it now?" Jareth asked looking at the clock on the nightstand that confirmed for him how ridiculously early it was.
"Yes."
"What could be so important that you need to get it at two o' clock in the morning?"
"Um, tampons?"
Jareth's eyes widened. "What?"
Sarah groaned, she guessed he'd never heard of tampons before being that he was A: from the Underground and B: a male. "Tampons… they're… um, you know… for when a woman has her period?"
His eyes grew wider, "Oh…"
She held back a giggle at his speechlessness. "So, I'm just gonna run back to my apartment and grab the ones there."
"Wait, I don't think that's such a good idea. Todd could be there."
"At two o' clock in the morning? I highly doubt it."
"Couldn't you just buy some new ones?"
"The corner store closes at midnight, and besides, I'm not going to buy new ones when I've got perfectly good ones back at my apartment."
Jareth groaned and ran a hand back through his hair. He threw the covers back and got out the bed. Sarah blushed and turned away from his nakedness. Seeing him in his full glory during the heat of passion and then at two o' clock in the morning in her sweats were two completely different things. She heard him open a drawer and pull out some clothes. When she turned back around a minute later he was zipping up the fly on his jeans. "You're coming with?" she asked.
"You don't expect me to let you go alone?" he looked at her as though she was crazy as he buttoned up his shirt.
"Thanks," she murmured.
He smiled and walked towards the door. "Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back."
They put on their coats, gloves, and shoes before heading out the door. The eight blocks to her apartment were quiet and bare. It seemed as though everyone else in the neighborhood was smart enough to stay in and sleep on such a cold night. Sarah smiled though as she felt Jareth grab hold of her hand as they walked. He didn't say anything, but then he really didn't need to. The rest of the walk seemed slightly warmer as they bumped shoulders playfully along the way.
As they approached, Jareth pulled Sarah slightly behind him. "Let me go first."
"Jareth, I highly doubt Todd is going to be staking out my apartment."
He turned towards her, his face serious. "Sarah, we don't know why he wants you or what lengths he's willing to go to get you. Now please let me do this my way."
She frowned, but gave him the key so he could go in first. Quietly, so quietly Sarah could barely hear it, Jareth unlocked the door and pushed it open slightly, glancing in through the crack to see if Todd was anywhere in sight. He pushed it open even more and cautiously entered, pulling Sarah with him. Jareth indicated for Sarah to stay put while he looked into the kitchen then made a reconnaissance into the bedroom, bathroom, and finally the loft. When he returned, Sarah could see that he was slightly disturbed. "What is it?" she whispered.
"It's too quiet. He should have put some kind of booby trap in here or an alarm or something to alert him if we came back. He's either very confidant that we won't come back or very stupid." He sighed as he contemplated which it was. "Go get what you need, but hurry."
Sarah nodded and rushed into the bathroom.
o O o O o O o
Rotor hid himself in the closet the moment he heard the door lock click. His sharp imp ears served him well when it came to avoiding being snuck up on. He left the door slightly ajar and peered through as the front door inched open slowly. He saw the Goblin King enter cautiously shortly after. A moment later he saw the mortal enter. He stayed put though and waited as the Goblin King searched each room. When had finished and came to stand before the mortal again, Rotor vanished with a sharp crack to inform his master of the girl's presence.
o O o O o O o
"What was that?" Sarah called from the bathroom.
"What?" Jareth asked coming to stand in the doorway.
"That crack, it sounded like a piece of wood snapping or something."
Jareth frowned, "We may not be alone any longer," he whispered. "Hurry, we need to leave."
"Hang on, I just need a minute."
Jareth backed up and closed the door to the bathroom. Sarah hurriedly did her business and was just finishing up when she heard a loud bang outside the bathroom. Stuffing the supplies she'd just picked up into the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt, she wrenched the door open in one swift motion to find Jareth sitting at the foot of the door. His body leaned back when the door opened inward. "Jareth!" she cried as she crouched down next to his head. "Jareth, come on talk to me!"
"Ah, Sarah. How nice to see you again," a cool voice said.
Sarah's head whipped up to see Todd standing before her. "What do you want, Todd," she growled at the dark fae.
"I would think that quite obvious by now," he said sauntering slowly toward her. "Come now, Sarah. We must be going."
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she spat out.
"Sarah…" Jareth groaned from her knees.
"Jareth! Are you okay?"
He sat up, a hand pressing against his forehead. "Sarah, stay in the bathroom," he ordered as he stood swaying slightly.
Todd looked almost pleased that his adversary was on his feet again. "Well done Goblin King, I really would have been disappointed had that been all it took to take you out of the action. Unfortunately, I know your secret… you don't have your powers just now do you?" Jareth scowled at the fae before him, but remained silent. "Still trying to protect that little mortal are you? Well, that's just too bad…"
"You will not touch her, Todd," Jareth growled.
"Is that so? I really don't see how you're going to stop me." At this, Todd drew a crystal from the air and glanced into it, a smirk forming on his lips. "My Master will be quite proud of me when I present the mortal to him. Perhaps he'll let me keep her…" he taunted.
Jareth lunged at the fae, but Todd threw the crystal at him. It exploded against his chest and sent him flying backwards into the wall near the bathroom door. Sarah gasped as she heard the plaster wall crack at the impact and despite Jareth's warning rushed out of the bathroom to kneel beside him. One hand shook his shoulder and the other hesitantly touched his head. She spotted a thin stream of blood trickling down his skull beneath his pale winter blond hair. "What did you do?" she cried out to Todd.
"Not to worry, he's not dead, but he probably won't be waking anytime soon, and when he does I imagine he'll have a splendid headache. Now," at this Sarah felt his hand grab her upper arm and drag her up. "…it's time we be going."
"NO! Jareth! Wake up!" she cried to no avail.
"Don't make me hurt you, Sarah, because I would have no issue doing so, but my Master would be displeased."
She continued to struggle, and Todd proved his words true when he slapped her once across the face to gain her attention. She stopped struggling at the shock of the slap, but then her eyes narrowed and her knee came up to make contact between his legs, but it never did as Todd quickly formed another crystal and pressed it against her temple. At the touch of the cool crystal, she slumped against him unconscious.
o O o O o O o
A/N: OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!
lol… Thank you all for reading. We're nearing the end of this story. I'm expecting another two or three chapters. I'll make all the big thank you's at the end of the last chapter. Actually I'm really quite pleased with myself at the moment. The majority of this chapter and all of chapter 13 were written last night. That's right, for those of you wondering that would be a grand total of 8,558 words (or about 18 pages single space) all in under 24 hours! Actually it was under 14 hours if I want to be honest... *does happy dance* So, with that note, chapter 13 is being sent to my beta right after I upload this chapter, so it will be another few days before I put it on here.
On a side note, you may have noticed I upped the rating to M. This was partially because of the last chapter and partially because it kind of opens up what I can do with the rest of the story.
Labyrinth (c) Jim Henson & co.