Author's Note:
Have I told you guys how much I love you? I had hoped that my little story would be liked by someone out there, but your response has been overwhelming. Thank you.
The evening surpassed everyone's expectations. Jareth had shooed Kimmie out of the kitchen, insisting he would be more assistance to Sarah, than a half-grown slip of a girl. Kimmie took the hint and made herself scarce until she was called to dinner.
In fact, Jareth was pretty much useless as an assistant. Sarah had given him the simple task of boiling water to cook the pasta, and when the water had not yet broken a boil in what Jareth considered a reasonable time (somewhere just shy of one minute) he had gone on rant about the shoddy quality of Sarah's cookware, and the ineffectiveness of non-magical fire. Despite his inability to perform even the most basic task, Sarah found his eagerness endearing. In the end, she had him mix the punch. Quantities were of little consequence, because pretty much any combination of the lemonade, grape juice and Sprite would be tasty.
Thankfully, primavera was a simple dish, so it didn't take long for Sarah to put it together. Within less than half an hour after Kimmie's return, they were all sitting down enjoying their dinner. Jareth took a hesitant sip of his punch, refusing to admit even to himself that he had doubts about its potability, but he positively preened after tasting it.
Over dinner, Kimmie sheepishly apologized for leaving Sarah alone to handle the weekend chores. Sarah was only too happy to be able to tell her truthfully that Jareth had been a tremendous help without giving any details.
Kimmie was amused at the easy banter between her mother and Jareth, with Jareth either completing Sarah's sentences for her, or adding an embellishment to something she said.
Conversation continued to flow easily between the three as Kimmie described the project she and Katie had worked on. It was a cross-curricular project, which required they give an oral presentation in history, in addition to turning in individual written papers for a grade in English. Kimmie had every expectation of receiving an A in both classes.
As Kimmie spoke, Sarah suddenly felt overwhelmed by a sense of discovery and loss. What she was experiencing in her own dining room at the age of 35 was the rediscovery of what she had lost at 20: this is what it was to be part of a real family. Not that she and Kimmie hadn't been one, but this was different. When a parent and child have only each other, the familial bond is rather more insoluble. This was a new, entirely voluntary dynamic. Jareth had chosen to be with them, to share himself with them, and now that she had identified it, Sarah knew that she would forever remember this evening as the last time she felt she was part of a family.
As they were finishing up their meal, Kimmie became noticeably excited. With just a few hours before her bedtime, she threw out her suggestion for that evening's activity. "Mom," she began, "do you think Jareth might want to play Risk with us? We hardly ever play because it's no fun with just two people, and there's no knowing when we'll have another chance to play with someone else. Please?" She looked at both Jareth and her mother.
Just as Sarah was about to make excuses for Jareth, Jareth cut her off and replied to Kimmie, "Do I understand you correctly? Are you challenging me to a game?" He had a gleam in his eyes that Sarah instantly recognized from her time in the Labyrinth. It was exactly the sort of challenge Jareth couldn't refuse, and now that it had been made, she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Twenty minutes later, Kimmie and Sarah had explained the rules to Jareth and they had completed setting up the board. They were ready to begin play. Sarah had warned Kimmie that they would likely not have time to play out a complete game, but Kimmie didn't care.
After another twenty minutes, Sarah and Kimmie were staring at the board utterly flummoxed, while Jareth sat back, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"I don't understand," Kimmie said dejectedly. "It's supposed to take hours to finish a game. I've never heard of anyone winning so quickly."
Sarah glowered at Jareth from across the table. The smile disappeared from his face as he noticed the way Sarah was looking at him.
"What? What did I do?" Just then, his expression changed from confused to almost pained. He excused himself, got up and went to Sarah's bedroom.
Kimmie and Sarah exchanged confused looks. Sarah decided to follow him to find out what was wrong.
The sight that met her when she entered her room awed her. There was Jareth, in full Goblin King regalia using her mirror to give a thorough dressing-down to a panic stricken, cowering goblin. He finished his tirade without noticing Sarah was standing behind him. As he turned, the look of fury on his face was almost enough to cause Sarah to cringe, except for the fact that this was her home, her own bedroom, in fact. Jareth's expression immediately changed when he saw the alarm on Sarah's face. "Forgive me Sarah. I didn't realize you were there. I didn't mean to startle you."
As he spoke, his appearance began to soften as he morphed into the casual attire he had been wearing all weekend.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have just walked in on you like that. I just get so caught up in my own apparently erroneous ideas of what you are that I forget what you actually are. What was that all about?"
"Word of my absence has gotten out and anarchy seems to be setting in," Jareth explained. "I've charged my guard to maintain order for the next few hours at all costs. My holiday is almost over, and my presence will likely be needed before morning."
"Well, it was an impressive display. Maybe it'll buy you enough time until morning." The words came out before she realized she had inadvertently invited him to spend the night again. It was unlikely her slip went unnoticed by Jareth, so she was grateful that he didn't make a big deal about it.
Before returning to Kimmie, Sarah decided she had to know how Jareth had managed an unprecedented 20 minute game of Risk. "Jareth, how did you manage to win so quickly? Kimmie's right, that game usually takes hours to play out."
Jareth smiled as he began his explanation. "It's quite simple. I've ruled the goblins for centuries, and I've protected them from their enemies by always staying one step ahead of them. I have a keen understanding of military strategy. I know how others think, how they plot, so no one can take advantage of me and my kingdom. You and Kimmie clearly have no experience in such matters."
Sarah realized there was much more to Jareth than she had every given him credit for, and she felt a sudden pang of guilt that she had never really given him a chance to prove his worth until now when he had forced his company on her.
"Now, how about we rejoin your charming daughter and see if she has any other plans for the rest of our evening."
As if on cue, Kimmie gently knocked as she entered. Seeing Jareth, she eyed him suspiciously. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." If he didn't come up with some plausible excuse, Sarah would have to lie yet again to her daughter to hide the truth about him. "I have a . . . condition. I get lightheaded and need a few minutes to regain my bearings. Your mother was just making sure it didn't get any worse."
Sarah realized how humiliating it must be for him to lie like this, and she knew why he was doing it. Unable to thank him properly, she did the only thing she could. She smiled warmly at him.
They all returned to the living room, and Kimmie suggested they play Scrabble.
Forty-five minutes later, as Kimmie got up to get ready for bed, a very disgruntled Jareth commented privately to Sarah, "I still don't think they should have counted. Texting? What types of activities do you humans engage in? And unfriend is not even a word, much less a verb!"*
Sarah just rolled her eyes. "The rules were explained to you, and you agreed to be bound by the contents of the dictionary."
"That only proves that it was your intention from the outset to cheat."
Sarah looked at him in astonishment. "Cheat? By following the rules to the letter?"
"No, by making rules that put me at an obvious disadvantage," he retorted imperiously.
Sarah felt her good mood start to sour as she tried to reign in her temper so she could think clearly. "That may be," she replied, "but you had the option of selecting the English language dictionary of your choice. And besides," she continued, unable to stop herself, "I didn't change the rules halfway through the game, unlike someone else around here! Not that that did you any good."
Before Jareth had a chance to respond to this new accusation, Kimmie walked into the now familiar scene of Jareth and Sarah glaring at each other. She cautiously walked up to her mother to kiss her good night. "'Night mom."
Sarah immediately relaxed and wrapped her daughter in a hug. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Thank you for being so understanding about everything that happened this weekend." She then watched as Kimmie, still tentative, came up to Jareth and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning to go to bed.
Jareth looked at Sarah, all traces of anger gone from his face. "Once again, I find myself in the humbling position of having to apologize to you. Of course, you are right. About everything."
Sarah was once again surprised by this new side of Jareth.
After changing into her pajamas, Sarah watched as Jareth pulled out the blankets and pillows he had slept on the night before. He hadn't noticed her reenter the room as he went about making as comfortable a spot as was possible on the floor. He wasn't sure whether the weekend had accomplished anything, but he was grateful for the time Sarah had shared with him. He sighed as the thought occurred to him that these last two days might just be all the time he would ever get to spend with Sarah.
Sarah heard the sigh and suddenly felt guilty about the way she had treated him. He really wasn't that bad once you figured out how to handle him. "You know, you were a tremendous help with the chores today. I suppose that earned you the right to . . . to not sleep on the floor." Even though the end result was the same, she wasn't ready to say he could sleep with her.
Jareth turned and looked at her soulfully, knowing exactly what she meant and what she didn't mean. He gave her a little smile. "Thank you. You will find your trust has not been misplaced."
They climbed into bed, each rigorously observing the imaginary boundary down the middle. But because it was her own bed, Sarah, felt a little more comfortable, and she was the first to relax a little. She turned onto her side, facing him, with her head propped up on her arm. "Well, the weekend is almost over. I guess you'll be returning to your castle to whatever it is you do there."
"Yes," Jareth looking at her and wondering why she chose to state the obvious.
Sarah stared at him thoughtfully, trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. She didn't even know what she was feeling, let alone the words to describe it. But the sense of loss she felt at knowing Jareth would be gone in the morning spurred her on. "You'll be gone tomorrow, and I'm not sure I'll ever get another chance to talk to you, but I just wanted you to know how special these last two days have been. Dinner tonight was like something from a dream, like what it used to feel like before, when I still had a home, a family, not that this isn't my home, I mean, my home is where Kimmie is, my family. . ." Oh, God, she was rambling, and she was about to start crying, so she stopped before she could humiliate herself any further.
Jareth allowed himself a little hope at hearing Sarah liken his presence in her and Kimmie's lives as feeling like family. He looked at her, and in her distress, he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and soothe here, but she was trusting him to behave, and wanted nothing more than to prove himself trustworthy. "I know I could never replace what you lost, but I do hope you know there is a place you could go where you would be surrounded by people who care about you. . ."
In all the years that had passed since she ran the Labyrinth, she had never once considered this possibility. Up until now, it would have been inconceivable to place herself within Jareth's reach, not even to be with such dear friends as Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo. But now how did she feel? It was true what she had told Jareth about feeling like a family, but what exactly was he offering? Could she take a chance and just throw everything away to chase what any sane person would call a fantasy? No. She was a responsible adult, and she had the well-being of a child to think about. Sadly, she shook her head. "No, Jareth. I can't. I have to take care of Kimmie."
The fact that it took Sarah so long to answer told Jareth that she had given it some consideration, so he continued pressing his point. "Kimmie would be more than welcome, and I'm certain your friends would care for her as much as they care for you." As much as I care for her, too, he thought to himself, as he pondered how much lonelier his existence would feel after this experience.
Sarah smiled at him. "I know they would, but that isn't the problem. I have a human daughter who has no idea that magic exists, and I owe it to her to give her the best opportunity to be successful in the world she was born to. She has to finish high school so she can go to college. I suppose then I would be willing to consider your offer, but not now, not while Kimmie is still dependent on me."
Jareth tried to rejoice in the fact that he had not been rejected outright, but the thought of returning to the castle alone, and spending at least several more years alone, and without even a guarantee that Sarah would accept him at the end of that time was just too depressing.
"You know," Sarah continued, "since you are 'officially' my boyfriend, you're welcome to come stay any time you want. Even if all you can spare is an hour for lunch."
Jareth brightened considerably at this thought. He wasn't being banned from her life until she decided. She actually wanted to spend more time with him. "It would mean a lot to me to be able to spend more time with you and Kimmie. I, too, never realized the extent of the void in my life until tonight. You and Kimmie fill it quite well."
Sarah felt a surge of emotion as she heard Jareth confess this. Was this really happening? Was the Goblin King really admitting that he needed her and Kimmie? And did knowing it really make her this . . . what was this feeling. Was she giddy? Yes, lying her next to Jareth, talking about their feelings was making her giddy.
She suddenly became aware of the fact that the imaginary boundary separating the bed had completely been abandoned as they had imperceptibly inched toward each other during their conversation. As she looked at him, she really looked at him for the first time. She could feel warmth radiating from him, not just from his physical presence, but from every heartfelt sentiment he had expressed over the last two days. She scooted in a little closer, and now Jareth became aware of her proximity.
He looked at her warningly, his gaze making it clear that he would take full advantage of her blatant disregard of the imaginary line if she didn't retreat.
Throwing caution to the wind, Sarah suddenly rolled herself on top of him and before he could register what she was doing, she leaned down and gently kissed him. And because it was Sarah who initiated and freely gave the kiss, it was the sweetest kiss Jareth had ever experienced in his long life. Long before he'd had his fill of Sarah's lips, she pulled away, but before he was able to protest, she began trailing up along his jaw, alternately kissing and nipping, ending with a gentle nibble on his ear lobe. Jareth felt a sudden jolt intense pleasure surge through his being as she whispered, "Make love to me."
In one swift move, he had rolled her onto her back and had her pinned under him. As he looked down at her, he saw reflected in her eyes the same emotions he was feeling, desire, acceptance and love. "Oh, my sweet Sarah," me murmured as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly before losing himself in his aching need for her.
Sarah awoke alone the next morning. She was disappointed, but she had known from the outset that he would likely be gone by morning. The only evidence that Jareth had been there at all was the thin layer of glitter which she found herself covered in, and which was liberally dusted all over her bed. Sarah smiled as she remembered how the sparkly stuff just seemed to gush forth freely from the Goblin King's being while he was in the throes of passion.
* I took a little artistic liberty with this. Assuming Sarah was 15 at the time of the movie, this story would have to take place in 2008. The word unfriend was not added to the New Oxford American Dictionary until 2009.
Second Author's Note: Sorry about the G rated love scene, but I don't do lemons. Maybe someday when this whole writing thing comes a little more easily, but not yet.