A/N: And so... they meet again! lol
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Sarah had walked the six blocks to her condo building and literally fell in her lonely pillow top mattress without a second thought. Her gargantuan cat Goldie could go another few hours without food. No worries there.
She had the dream again.
One of the affects of thinking about Jareth each time was a replica of the 'peach dream' as she called it. Goblin-masked figures taunted and teased her, and she in that 80's white poofy sleeved dress that she had once adored, while he sang to her of "mornings of gold" and all that entailed. All of her prepubescent dreams come true, except for the happily ever after. The dream seemed to become more real each time she thought of him, but always, she broke the crystal and fell down – and into another dream. Disjointed images flew at her of herself in a vibrant red dress, her thick and curly hair piled on top of her head, as she was being escorted into a different kind of ballroom by a faceless man. His tux tails were trailing behind them, his arm clasped hers and she gave him a sidelong glance. She gasped in the dream, pulled back – and then she woke up into the reality of her electric blue bedroom walls.
Dammit, I was so close to seeing … something. Oh well, at least I looked good.
She rubbed her forehead in confusion and lay in bed for another half hour before she decided to get on with her afternoon.
It was after two when she pulled her carcass out of bed and decided to scrounge up some lunch. One tuna salad sandwich later, she toyed with the idea of calling in to work tonight – Sundays were usually quite dead and dull at VE. But the payroll is due, she thought. She fed Goldie a can of tuna, "At this rate, the only one who'll love me is someone like you, G." She scratched him behind his ear and started picking up her apartment – dishes in the sink needed to be done, a load of laundry to run, her school work needed to be organized.
Crap, I was going to call on Hoggle, she sighed and wondered where to fit that in.
She did manage a brief conversation with Hoggle and his wife – Yubbica. Yeah, no telling where that name came from. Yubs, as she was affectionately known, was a smaller and more voluptuous version of Hoggle with a delicate yet happily cragged face. She was definitely a sweetie – they'd named their firstborn daughter Sawah after Sarah, but only because Yub had insisted. Hoggle had wanted to name her Goggle - "Ya know, Girl Hoggle...Goggle?" he'd insisted to Sarah, who had openly laughed and agreed that with Yub that Sawah was better. Sarah had been thankful for their friendship over the years and the visits they could make to see her. She didn't travel much to the Underground. It was just understood that it wasn't a really safe place for her. Really, who knew how pissed Jareth would be after a decade? It could feel just like yesterday to him and voila! Off to the Bog of Eternal Stench she went.
This short mirror check-in lasted all of five minutes.
"Hoggle, Yubs, I need you!"
Their dear faces appeared almost instantaneously within the surface. They spoke simultaneously.
"Sarah! Dearling, how fare ye?" Yub grinned showing her large teeth.
"Sarah!" Hoggle looked to his left and gulped.
"Hi Hoggle, Yubs... how are you and the new babe doing? Any day now? How're the kids?" Sarah grinned with pleasure at seeing them hold each other close – and maybe a bit of envy because she wanted the same thing – as they spoke to her. Yub's rounded belly protruding out quite far. It was a wonder she could walk!
"Oh my, sweetums! I am 'ready to pop' as you say in Above. The darlings are fine and just as dirty as last time you saw them," Yub giggled.
Hoggle whispered something to her and she gave him a glare, "I'll not have anyone ruining my visit with dear Sarah. He can wait his turn!" then she turned back to the mirror with a beatific smile, "The young'st will be here soon. A day or two I thinks." Yub and Hoggle rubbed her belly. He looked to his left nervously again and looked back at her. "Sarah," he whispered, "there's someone else who wants to say hello..."
Abruptly Hoggle and Yubs moved out of view as a figure cloaked in a long black evening coat came into focus. His hair appeared silver blond, his eyes intense in their blue and brown curiosity.
"What...?" OHMYGOD! Those eyes. Sarah was stunned into silence for a moment. He took advantage of that fact.
"And so, precious Sarah, we meet again." The sound of his clipped tones took her back to their first meeting in the nursery.
And then, with a soft thud, she slid unceremoniously to the floor in a boneless heap.
She could still see him from the floor, but he couldn't view her. Thankfully. She drank her fill and let her heart run wild in her chest. He was even more beautiful than she remembered, but still, seemed so tired. Her heart clenched a bit. The sparkle of magic around him turned a shade blue and a bit red with some purple glitter blended in places. Interesting.
"Sarah?" his upper crust accent highlighted a vague concern. His eyebrows rose higher in his hairline – if that was possible, she nearly giggled.
Her first coherent thoughts flowed; Christ on a cracker! is my hair combed? Did I even put makeup on? Holy shit, this can't be happening! A decade! Wait – he must want something. Shit, shit, shit! Okay, she took a deep breath, how do I play this? A few more deep breaths and she psyched herself up: You're an adult now, Sarah Williams. Act like one instead of hiding on the floor in your bedroom. Get a grip already!
Slowly, she raised herself to a standing position directly in front of the mirror, dusting off her flared leg jeans and the kelly green v-neck t-shirt she'd tossed on earlier. She adopted a regal bearing, her amber hair hung long and loose, emerald eyes sparking, and she met him eye to eye and stare to stare. And whispered, "I'm fine, Jareth."
She heard the swift intake of his breath, saw his eyes widen, the pupils dilate. The desire on his face plain as day, or at least that's what she told herself.
And then the mirror returned to its' glassy reflection. The link had been cut – but not by her.