Lost and Lonely

7

Erin and I ran inside another room, this one we wished into being a laser tag one. I was the blue team, she was pink. I notcied I already had the vest on and was in a different part of the room. I heard Erin yell.

"Good luuuck but ima beast!"

"Oh yeah?" I yelled back. I immediately turned the corner and crawled behind a wall. Strobe lights were everywhere. I stood up and walked slowly around the turns, looking for her. I saw her up on a tower, taking aim.

"Ambuuuuuush!" She screamed as she pulled the trigger. I dove to my left, rolling and shooting. Missing her as she climbed down. The fog turned on and I laughed as I crawled around looking for her. I saw her foot in the fog and reached for it. I knocked her down and shot her, as well as having her shoot me.

"No fair!" I said, laughing.

"You cheated!" Erin yelled in my face laughing, "Now I must destroy you!" She aimed the gun at my vest. I hit the reset button on it before she pulled the trigger.

"noooooo!" I said laughing. Erin just laughed and got off of me. We both sat on the floor laughing.

"I missed you!" She said, hugging me. I hugged her back,

"I missed you too!" I said. She giggled and we got up.

"I wanna see your room." Erin said, tugging on my arm.

"Alright alright geez kiddo calm down." I said laughing. We skipped down the corridor and into my room.

"Awwww it is so giant and we are so tiny compared to it!" She yelled, flopping down on the bed.

"Yeah I'm in here A LOT." I said, realizing I was always in here.

"Why?" Erin said with a naughty grin. "Jareth always punishing you?" I hit her with a pillow.

"Noooo!" I said, laughing. "I just am for some reason."

"Sooooo anyways he likes you." She said grinning. I shook my head.

"Nawww." I said. "He doesn't like like me he likes me. Im 14 I'm still young."

"But does he care?" Erin said. "Nope! He likes you!"

"No."

"yes."

"Noo."

"yeeesss."

"NO!" I suddenly yelled. We both quiet.

"Yes." I laughed as Erin continued trying to prove he liked me.

"Here's the fact Erin. He just cares that's all. I don't know why and I don't think I ever will. But he does care." I said, holding up a finger. "You should've seen me yesterday. I dressed up like him and even made fun of him and he saw the whole thing and I was scared but he thought it as hilarious."

"Seeeeeeeee." Erin said, exaggerating. "He looooooooooooooves you."

"No he doesn't" I said, grinning at her.

"You may deny it now…but he does." She stood up on my bed, jumping up and down.

"Say what ya wanna say." I said. "Don't bother me. You know that we are both just friends." Erind nodded and walked to the desk. She picked up the sketchbook I had there I found before where I drew while I was sick. "Put it down." I said, sternly. She grinne,d opening it.

"Ohh this is a nice picture of Jareth." She said, flipping through. I lunged at her and she ran away laughing.

"Erin bring that back!" I yelled as she ran out the door towards the throne room. I followed her, tripping a couple times. "Come back!" I froze as I came in the throne room. Erin was shoving the sketchbook in Jareth's lap as he took it. He flipped through the pages, every time his grin getting wider and wider. My face redder and redder. Erin looked at me.

"Oh hiiiiiiii!" She said, waving frantically. "Thought I'd show His Majesty some." She winked and came over to me. I grabbed her shoulders.

"Your deaaaad." I gritted. She just laughed.

"Oh Darling," Jareth called, grinning, "Come here please."

"I can't I'm glued to the floor." I said dumbly. Erin giggled and shoved me towards the chair. I burshed my shoulder and walked up to him. "Hello Jareth." I said groaning.

"Why didn't you show me these earlier?" He asked. I shrugged. He crooned, "Oh what? Too embarrassed. I like the one of us on the moon like before." He added, winking. I blushed insanely and heard Erin laughing to herself.

"Thanks…soo much Erin." I announced rolling my eyes. She screamed,

"YOUR WELCOME!" And started playing with goblins.

"She's a lively one." Jareth said, watching her. I laughed.

"That's why I love her." I said. He grinned and pulled me onto his lap.

"You should be used to this by now." He said, playing with my hair.

"I am," I sighed. Erin began sining and dancing.

"Dance magic dance magic dance!" She sang, jumping around.

"Hooo boy." I said, laughing.

"Dance!" She said pulling me off of Jareth's lap. She twirled me all around and swayed. I laughed and joined her happy dance. We skipped around the room joyously singing.

"Now Might I ask," Jareth said suddenly, "how come your never this crazy?" He smirked.

"Cause she needs me to fuel her." Erin said proudly.

"I could be, but you would've bogged me for it." I said.

"The crazier she is the more you wanna cut off her head." Erin said. I looked at her, shocked. She shrugged. "It's true." I kepy my eyes on her.

"Really? Was that necessary?" I said. She nodded rapidly and I grinned. I couldn't help it.

"Will you two just kiss already?" She said to me, looking at Jareth. He looked up from his crystal juggling, puzzled and confused. I felt my face turn red again and quickly wished up a giant ladybug.

"Oh Eriiin." I sang. She turned around. "I have something for you."

"What?" She asked, backing up. I pointed behind her, and she turned, seeing the ladybug. Screaming, she ran out of the room and down to my bedroom. I began laughing really hard and was kneeling on the floor in a fit of giggles.

"What was that all about?" Jareth asked. I laughed some more.

"She's afraid of ladybugs." I said, laughing still. My sides began to hurt so I stopped laughing as hard.

"You find that amusing, don't you?" Jareth said, smirking.

"Good guess." I said, starting to walk out the door.

"Wait a second." Jareth called. I turned around.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"What she said, about us kissing." He started, "You don't think she meant it, did she?" I shrugged.

"She's a shameless fan girl of romantic and sappy stories." I said.

"I see." Jareth began thinking and humming. I watched as he juggled some more, as he concentrated on me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh nothing." He said, tossing the crystal to me. "Erin has five minutes until she has to leave. Give her this." I caught the crystal and held it up.

"What is it? A departing gift?" I asked. He chuckled.

"From now on, every time she wants to see or talk to you she has to look intot eh crystal." He said.

"Really? So…we can still talk?" I asked, excited now. Jareth nodded. I ran up to him, hugging him.

"I'll take that as a thank you." He said, laughing.

"You should." I said, running out. I noticed Jareth smiling as I left.

"Lex!" Erin, said hiding behind a curtain. "Is it gone?"

"it's gone," I said, "And you'll have to be gone soon." I sighed. Erin hugged me.

"What should I tell everyone?" She asked.

"I don't know," I said, "But here," I handed her the crystal," Jareth said overtime you want to see me, just tell the crystal and we can talk."

"At least we can still talk." Erin said taking it. I sighed and hugged her again. Next thing I knew, I was hugging nothing. I sat down next tot the wall and bit my thumbnail.

"Great," I said, "Now she's gone." I stood up and walked over to the giant window. I sat on the sill and leaned against the side.

That night, I was sitting in bed playing with a crystal Jareth gave me. I had just been talking to Erin.

"So, what did you tell your mom?" I asked her. She sighed.

"I told her the truth."

"Did she belive you?"

"Of course not!" Erin said. "Your mom called, thinking you had something to do with it."

"Of course she would." I said groaning.

"Well, at least-" I heard Erin's door open.

"Erin who are you talking to?" I stopped talking immediately.

"My bird." Erin said calmly.

"I thought I heard someone else." Her mom said.

"Nope. Just me."

"Alright well get going to bed soon. Night."

"Night mum." I heard the door shut.

"Close one." I said, relieved. Although it would be nice to have Erin not look crazy, I didn't want anyone finding me either.

"Well I should go now. Sweet Dreams." Erin said. The crystal stopped glowing and I put it on the vanity. I grabbed a hairbrush and began brushing my hair. An owl flew into the room, gracefully gliding the ceiling before landing on my ned and changing.

"Hello Love," He said, laying down. I nodded, signifying I knew he was there."Something wrong?" I shook my head. "Your being quiet," Jareth said, "Your never quiet."

"Can anyone get down here?" I asked.

"Anyone who wishes." Jareth said. "Why?"

"What if someone actually belive Erin's story about this place?" I asked. "Couldn't my mom force police to come and get me?"

"Who said I'd let them?" Jareth asked smirking. "I'd probably just bog them all. Besides, they'd never solve the Labyrinth. Ever." I grinned.

"Your right. What was I thinking." I sighed, continuing my brushing.

"Something else is wrong though, isn't it?" Jareth asked.

"I just wonder, If anyone even actually cares that I'm missing. Maybe they just say to themselves, 'Isn't something missing?' as they continue their lives. I'd be bleeding and no one would care mostly, so I wonder, is someone missing me?" I sighed the last part. "I die to know if they ever actually loved me."

"Oh Love," Jareth said, "You seem to think this so often. It shouldn't matter about them or what they think anymore."

"I know that, it just gnaws in my stomach I guess." I said. Jareth snapped and I was on the bed with him, as he brushed my hair.

"Well here's the thing," He said, "you say you don't think anyone misses you besides your close friends? You say no one loves you. When truthfully, your surrounded by people who love you. Here. You just never were anywhere where you could feel it. But you can feel it here, can't you?" I nodded. "So, going back to what you first said, if they did come find you and try to take you, I wouldn't let them take you away from me. Because if they ever did, they'd pay the price."

"Which is?"

"Well normally I would bog them" He said, "But death would be a good idea." I gulped.

"Death?"

"If it's serious enough." Jareth said, brushing. I sighed. I immediately thought of what he would do to anyone and I mean ANYONE, who tried to take me away. Slowly realizing, that I was no longer a guest in the castle. I was more than that. Jareth DID own me. I was his. I know how sexist it sounds, but I couldn't help but realize it. The comforting, the singing, the love that was given. I blushed at the thought of him hugging me and kissing me. That's when the realization came. It was hard to come to reazlization that I did, in fact, love Jareth. Like a father. He was The one who treated me like his daughter.

"Aw damnit You were right." I accidently said out loud. Jareth stopped brushing.

"About?" He asked me. I felt his eyes staring at me as I came up with an excuse.

"About the fact that you own me." I said quickly.

"Oh did you now?" He chuckled.

"Yes. I did."

"Is that good or bad?" 'really Jareth was that a necessary question?' I thought to myself.

"I dunno." I said.

"Well, I think it's good either way." Jareth said. I sighed in relief, knowing he wouldn't ask anything anymore. I sat there for a minute, forgetting I was sitting on the bed in front of him. "What's wrong Dear?" He asked. "You got quiet again."

"I'm just thinking." I said. "Thinking about things. Involving me."

"Anything I should know?"

"No." Yes. Obviously yes he should know. I felt his hands grasp my waist and turn me to face him.

"I think there is." Jareth said, touching my face. "Now tell."

"I'm emotionally confuzzled." I said, sighing.

"About?" He looked at me.

"Just….stuff.." I whispered.

"what stuff?" Jareth asked, pulling me closer.

"Just…..How I feel…about…you. " I said, gesturing the two of us.

"Let me guess," Jareth said, "you think that you might actually be accepting the fact that I care and realing I was right the whole time?"

"Maybe." I said, and couldn't help but smirk.

"Anything I can do to help that?"

"Help? How?" I asked. Jareth just smiled, brushing my hair out of my face and moving his in. He whispered in my ear.

"I won't let anything or anyone ever hurt you because I love you. Does that help?" Jareth asked, kissing my forehead.

"A bit." I grinned. "So, I guess I'm set straight for now." I cuddled up into his chest and tried to fall asleep. "Jareth?"

"Yes, Dear?" He answered, shutting off the light with a snap.

"Why didn't you turn me into a goblin?" I asked. I wanted to know.

"Because," He said softly, "I couldn't. The second I saw you, I knew I couldn't. I didn't know why. But I think I know now."

"Why?"

"Well Isn't it obvious?" He said.

"For you." I sighed.

"Obviously I care about you. A lot. So what I'm trying to say is I-"

"Love," I said, "your trying to say love." Jareth chuckled.

"Yes. Love. That's the word."

THANKS FOR READING R&R WOULD BE A NICE GESTURE ;)

DISCLAIMER: Jareth, belongs to Jim Henson

Lex, Genevieve, random goblins and stuff is mine

Erin...well she blongs to EdwardandJareth4eva or something like that I dont really remember yours erin.

But i love ya cause you showed me Jareth so it's all cause of you ;)

dance magic pants!