Chapter 3

The Splendid Source of Power

"Sarah…" whispered a deep male voice into her ear.

The light whisper made Sarah shiver underneath the covers. She opened her mouth to tell her one-night stand to shut up, but then she remembered that last night was the rare occasion that she hadn't gotten laid with a total stranger.

"Get out of my room, Walter," Sarah grumbled instead, snuggling into the sheets, which for some reason were made of silk. But that was impossible. Her sheets were made of cotton.

Walter chuckled, and his laugh didn't sound like Walter's at all. But it was familiar enough to make Sarah's eyes snap open.

She definitely wasn't in her room anymore. The walls and floor were made of mudstones, and the furniture was definitely outdated, old age Victorian style. The drapes over the celestial windows were red silk, and so were the sheets covering her legs.

And somebody was next to her.

"Hello Sarah," smirked Jareth. Sarah was speechless.

Just like in her dream, Jareth hadn't changed at all. His hair was still flyaway straw, his posture was still regal and narcissistic, and his expression was still cocky and menacing all at once.

"Wha—" Sarah stammered, before regaining her voice and fuming, "Why am I here?"

"Now that is a short but dull tale," Jareth said airily. "Wouldn't you rather have some breakfast?"

Sarah whipped the covers off and stormed up to him, her face red with anger.

"Give me an explanation now," she snarled. "Goblin King."

Jareth shrugged nonchalantly, as if the whole situation were nothing, and said with a sneer, "Very well, although you aren't going to like it."

Sarah crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Jareth opened his mouth to speak but suddenly froze, scanning her from head to toe.

"Well?" Sarah said irritably. "What?"

"Aren't your pyjamas a little short?" he replied in amusement.

Sarah scoffed and said, "They're pyjamas!"

"I'm not complaining, precious," Jareth grinned.

"Shut up and tell me why I'm here," Sarah snapped. "And who are you calling precious?"

"It was you yourself who did it," said Jareth swiftly, ignoring her question. "That must have been some dream you were having, precious."

Sarah turned beet red at the memory of her dream and said crossly, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you wished yourself to me," Jareth said, smiling at his own words. "In your sleep."

Sarah was silent for a moment as she processed this information.

"Take me home," she demanded finally.

"Not possible," said Jareth promptly. "Like it or not, Sarah, you wished yourself away. The only way to get you home is for someone to run the Labyrinth for you, and since nobody knows you're here…"

His voice trailed off, knowing full well that Sarah knew what he meant.

"Oh my God," Sarah whispered, sitting down before her knees gave way. Everything she cherished was gone, and now she was stuck with the person whom she thought she'd defeated.

"Is it really so repulsive, Sarah?" Jareth murmured, leaning in close to her. "To be with me?"

His black leather-gloved hand reached out and stroked her cheek. The gentle caress that Sarah was so unused to made her shiver. She turned her head away and said darkly, "You can't just tear me away from my life. I'm a celebrity."

"Indeed," said Jareth briskly, turning away as well as if her reaction to his touch hadn't disgruntled him the least. "And how are you enjoying that lifestyle, Sarah?"

"It's great," said Sarah coolly, watching him start to pace in front of her.

"I'm sure it is, with the alcohol and the numerous sex partners," he replied sharply, and this time it was Sarah's turn to smirk.

"Jealous, Goblin King?" she leered at him.

He gave her a curious look. "Only if I am denied what you've privileged them with."

Sarah leaned in close and whispered defiantly, "You're not getting laid."

"You're quick to reject me, yet you accept total strangers to take advantage of your body," said Jareth crossly. "You certainly know how to hurt a man's pride, precious."

"My being around here might become a pain in the ass," Sarah said inquisitively, and once again the tables turned and Jareth was the one to sneer yet again.

"You're staying here," Jareth said finally. "No matter what kind of a nuisance you become." He sighed and shook his head in disbelief, approaching her yet again. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah… what happened to the timid girl living in a fantasy world, clinging to the idea that life should be fair?"

"She died the moment you stole her brother," Sarah snapped. Unfortunately her voice sounded considerably less annoyed that Sarah had anticipated, due to the fact she'd just caught a blast of Jareth's scent, spicy and exotic. It suited him well.

Jareth was silent for a few moments, watching her with an intrigued look. Without warning, he said briskly, "Sing for me."

"Why?"

"Because I wish to hear you."

Sarah stubbornly turned her nose up in the air in refusal and glared at him firmly, letting him know with her eyes that she wouldn't obey to any order given from him. Jareth's look of intrigue turned to irritancy.

"You look at me with such cruel eyes, Sarah," he murmured, looking cross.

"Just as I myself can be so cruel," Sarah replied, and shock practically exploded over Jareth's face. "Now, I'm off to cause mayhem in your castle," she said swiftly, sliding off the bed and sweeping past him out of the room.

"If you must," said Jareth tiredly. "But I should warn you, precious, take care. You could get lost."

Sarah felt a stab of annoyance at the smugness in his voice and stormed out of the room. The empty corridors were cold and carried a slight draft. Sarah shivered against the cold and tiptoed down the corridor, afraid to wake anything that might be lurking in the walls.

Sarah arrived at a strange door, so high that it stretched almost all the way to the ceiling. It was made of black wood, and the doorknob seemed to be real crystal. Sarah grasped it tightly and pushed open the door.

The first thing Sarah saw was hundreds of shelves lined against the wall, each one of them bearing dozens of crystal balls.

So this is his collection.

Sarah stepped into the room, staring in awe at all the crystal balls. It was then that she noticed a pedestal in the centre of the room. She approached it cautiously, as it was emitting a light, blood red glow. She saw after a closer look that it was another crystal ball, encased in a glass cover. But this particular ball was deep crimson, something unique from the other crystal balls of Jareth's collection.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," drawled Jareth from the doorframe, startling her.

"Why, what is this… red crystal?" Sarah asked curiously.

Jareth strode over to her and stood far too close as he explained in a low voice, "This is a special crystal, highly dangerous for humans."

"What's so special about it?"

Jareth was silent for a moment, and at first Sarah wondered if this crystal was Jareth's weak point. But when she looked up she saw that he was smiling down at her.

"Do you truly want to know, precious?" he said amusedly, and Sarah nodded. "Very well, but it shall cost you."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Fine, what's the price?"

He leaned in closer, his eyes flashing maliciously, and cooed, "Just a kiss." Sarah rolled her eyes and exhaled huffily, and Jareth pressed, "You'll give your body to strangers but won't grant me a single kiss."

"It's not fair, right?" Sarah grinned, crossing her arms and giving him a firm look. "If there's anything I've learned from running your Labyrinth, and winning," she added. "It's that life is many things, least of all, fair."

"Indeed," agreed Jareth coolly. "But only to those who do not have the power to change that."

Sarah thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "You're right. All right, I'll give you a kiss."

Jareth swooped down without any warning and captured her mouth immediately, kissing her like a man dying of thirst. His hands clamped around her waist, pressing her closer, his hands travelling over her back and over her legs, leaving no part of her skin unexplored.

Sarah whimpered underneath his lips as his fingers traced circles over her thighs, quite close to the place that began to crave attention. Jareth groaned at the sound his touch had elicited and pushed her closer, pressing her firm breasts against his chest.

True, he had dreamed— fantasized, even, about kissing the woman he loved, the only one who'd beaten his Labyrinth and showed him that he could not always be victorious. But never had he expected kissing Sarah to be so… exquisite.

Sarah broke away, panting heavily with cheeks flushed red and lips swollen from the extremity of the kiss.

"I said I'd kiss you, I didn't say anything about letting you touch me," she breathed, trying to prise his hands from her thighs.

"Don't be stubborn; you enjoyed it thoroughly," Jareth said briskly, and Sarah shot him a glare and backed out of his grip.

"Now tell me," she said sharply, turning to the crystal again. "What's so special about this crystal ball?"

"I have a certain… connection with it," Jareth said, trying to hide the disgruntle Sarah's reaction had on him.

"Connection?" Sarah echoed confusedly. "Like, it talks to you?"

"No, precious," Jareth chuckled. "A powerful connection, you might say."

Sarah froze, as she understood the suspicion behind the emphasized word 'powerful'. Jareth's brows furrowed as a malicious smile spilled across Sarah's mouth when she continued to eye the crystal.

"So this is the splendid source of Jareth's power," she said softly. Without warning, she knocked over the glass case and grabbed the red crystal in her fist.

A/N: Sorry this is a day late :) I forgot.