DISCLAIMER: I do not own Labyrinth, Sarah or Jareth. I do own a copy of the original 'Labyrinth' book. But it isn't worth anything at all since I have read it so much the poor thing is falling apart. That said, I wouldn't mind having access to Jareth – just for a few hours ;)
WARNING: This chapter contains some foul language and adult situations. It also contains references to fun with food – so if you don't like food abuse, please read something else.
Author's Notes: Thanks for the lovely reviews. I am having fun writing this story and love hearing what bits people like. So please, do continue. They always make me smile.
Chapter 4: Of Cars, Castles and Overcompensating for Something
Friday, October 25th – Time: Far too freaking early!
Hands. So many hands. Everywhere. Touching, caressing, teasing, taunting, while her body arches and writhes beneath them. But feelings can be deceiving, especially now. Here. With him. Because there is only him.
There are only his hands, but they feel like so many more – and with magic, who is to say that there really aren't phantom hands tormenting her flesh until she cries out wildly, all pretenses gone. There is only him. And her. And unrelenting, unbridled lust that burns brightly in the soft white light of the room. His lips tease down her body, lightly caressing the soft swell of her breasts. A swift nip of sharp teeth makes her moan and squirm, hands… his hands, pressing her down firmly into the pillowy nest that surrounded them.
"How appropriate for him," she muses, momentarily lost to the sensation of the hands, before her attention is drawn forcefully back to his lips. His tender, demanding and seductively insistent lips that draw further cries of desire from her lips. Lips that are drifting lower, lower, until they just graze her most sensitive flesh. He pauses, feathery wisps of white-blonde hair licking lightly at her skin as his lips hover over the seat of her pleasure, his heated breath further igniting the flames within her. Peering up at her, over the gentle rise of her hips, his mismatched eyes aglow with passion, words are whispered that tug at her very soul, "Yield to me, Precious."
And when his lips finally touch her again, she abandons everything. No fear. Nothing. Just him. And her. And pure, unadulterated need...
I know I felt like this before /But now I'm feeling it even more/Because it came from you
Then I open up and see/The person falling here is me/A different way to be
I want more /Impossible to ignore/Impossible to ignore
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Sarah yelled, launching a shoe with deadly accuracy at the dresser and sending the alarm clock crashing to the floor, to fall silent in pieces.
"That clock was mine, Sarah," mumbled Carrie, peeking sleepily at her roommate, before rolling over and pulling the covers back around her ears. "You owe me a new one."
Flopping back onto her bed, Sarah rolled over, tugging the blankets around her until she looked like a floral burrito. Shutting her eyes she purred happily, as she pulled at the remaining threads of the dream and basked in the delicious feelings that came with it, fervently wishing that her dream Jareth had actually finished what he started. Again.
Hmm… and when is this 'wiggling wabbit' supposed to arrive? - asked her libido, with a grumpy sniff. Because if these dreams get any hotter, your bed will catch fire!
Sarah felt herself blush as she tugged at the last strands of the decadently sensual dream. She didn't want to get up. No. All she wanted was to drift back to sleep in the hopes of finding herself back in that lovely dreaming place, where she was naked, with him, and what promised to be his wickedly talented mouth.
Then she remembered.
Tonight was the Haunted Hunt, followed by…..
Another date with Jareth, purred her libido happily. Although facing him and not blushing after that dream, could be something of a problem…for you, since you know that I vote for just jumping him and being done with it.
Pointedly ignoring her libido's continued attempts at getting her to throw herself at Jareth, Sarah let a sly smile creep over her face as she considered the much-deserved revenge she had planned for Mark, thanks to the (almost too) willing assistance of one, incredibly handsome, wickedly funny, and deliciously inventive, Goblin King.
Don't forget devilishly seductive, drooled her libido.
…How could I ever forget that after the buffalo wings, Sarah thought with a shiver of delight.
She was actually surprised that Jareth's price for the services of both himself as the Goblin King, and a pack of six goblins was not only reasonable, but she actually felt she was getting the better end of the bargain. She had expected him to take liberties or something, but he didn't.
Of course, that should have been her first clue that perhaps things weren't what they seemed, but one thought about buffalo wings and Jareth's mouth, and all rational, self-preservation went straight out the window – not that her libido was complaining.
In exchange for the services of six, carefully selected goblins from the ever-present horde that hung out in the throne room, Jareth wanted Sarah to meet him for a 'date' a day from Friday the 25th, until Samhain – six dates in exchange for six goblins. Yup - he was even counting her revenge plot as one of her she had been thinking clearly instead of listening to her libido, this is where she should have sat up and asked what the cost would be for Jareth's help, but she didn't and he didn't offer to clarify that situation. As it stood, Sarah felt that his offer was more than fair. And to be honest, she was actually looking forward to spending more time with him; having him request the meetings himself, only meant that she avoided the potential embarrassment of asking him, especially considering her near inarticulate babbling when she asked him to dinner the first time.
…I sounded like a complete and utter idiot.
Judging from his reactions, I'd say he didn't mind one little bit. Now…take him for ice cream next time, begged her libido, wanting nothing more than to see Jareth's tongue in action again, even if it was only on an ice-cream cone. Better still… take him for ribs! The very thought of Jareth eating ribs, dripping sauce and all, made her libido tremble uncontrollably, before going to have a bit of a lie down amongst Sarah's more 'naughty' fantasies – which incidentally featured a certain Goblin King, and not surprising at all after the buffalo wing incident – food of various types (the messier the better in her libido's 'ever-so-helpful-and-not-the-least-bit-self-serving' opinion).
Funnily enough, her inner-voice remained oddly quiet during this whole exchange. It had effectively short-circuited when Jareth first stuck Sarah's fingers in his mouth, and hadn't gotten past the image (or feeling) of his warm and oh-so inviting mouth wrapped around them enough to reboot into 'snarky hall-monitor' mode (much to her libido's relief).
After her coffee-turned-dinner-date with Jareth on Thursday, Sarah came home to a very excited Carrie, who had heard through the Greek system grapevine (the most advanced and fastest information network on campus) that Sarah had been seen at Darcy's Bar with a 'to-die-for' blonde guy. Sarah had hardly entered their room when Carrie tackled her, threw her onto the floor and sat on her chest, tickling her until she told every last sordid detail; details which left Carrie looking as flushed and excited about things as Sarah did when Jareth's lips were actually wrapped around her fingers – and that is saying something.
Once Carrie learned about the revenge plan on Mark, she demanded to participate and Sarah was only too glad to let her. Revenge would be sweet. And all they really had to do was let Mark follow through on whatever plot he had cooked up for Sarah – Jareth and the goblins would take care of the rest.
Friday, October 25th, 10:00pm – The Haunted Hunt
"Are you sure Jareth is going to be watching out for you?" whispered Carrie as they sorted the pledges into groups.
Nodding, Sarah winked at Carrie, "Trust me. You didn't see the look of hatred on his face when I told him what Mark tried with me. He'll be watching and waiting for his moment. This will be one Haunted Hunt that Mark will never forget."
The Haunted Hunt was an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Lamda Chi fraternity. Each Halloween they took over a local farm and forest, creating an extensive haunted house adventure. The 2-acre adventure was always a hit with the university students, and this year was no exception. Large groups of students milled around waiting for the tours to begin for the evening. The Alpha Chi girls had arrived later than usual and would be one of the last groups on the tour, but that didn't bother them, as the atmosphere in the waiting area was more of an impromptu party with music playing, people dancing and the usual silliness that happens wherever large groups of university students gather.
While they waited, Sarah made sure that Mark's friends knew she was there with her group. Doing her part, Carrie made a big deal about the fact that Sarah was afraid of being separated from her group, a fact that seemed to be very interesting to several of Mark's friends. As Carrie chatting up the Lambda Chi brothers, Sarah e flirted shamelessly with one of Mark's best friends.
I hope Jareth isn't watching you do this, muttered her libido, not wanting him to think she was actually interested in the slimy twit she was currently leaning against in an all-together too familiar manner.
…He knows this was part of the plan. I made sure of it, Sarah thought, trying to reassure herself, and not really sure why she felt that was necessary, after all, it wasn't like she wanted the Goblin King for herself . At least, that is what she was trying to convince herself, while her libido had other ideas.
When her groups' turn came to tour the property, Sarah made sure to stay toward the back of the throng of screaming, giggling girls. Having been through the hunt the previous year, she figured that Mark would probably try to separate her from the rest of the group and she wanted to make it very easy for him to do so.
Her group of pledges reacted as expected to the thrills of the hunt. Yelping at the sounds of screams coming from the trees. Clinging to each other when the headless horseman galloped past them. And screaming when the chainsaw wielding maniac raced from behind a stand of trees and began to chase them.
…Let the hunt begin, Sarah chuckled as she ran along with her group, long legs keeping a steady pace that allowed her to keep the group in sight, while lagging a few lengths behind them.
Sarah let the brothers dressed as various horror movie characters herd her down the forest path with the rest of the group. Then it happened. At a fork in the path a group of fraternity brothers dressed like zombies began to chase the pledges one way, while the chainsaw swinging lunatic herded Sarah down the other path.
As she raced down the path, screaming as if she was being chased by something truly frightening, knowing all the while that while he might be acting on Mark's orders, in the end he was doing what she expected.
While sprinting around a bend, with the chainless chainsaw slashing at her heels, Sarah had a brief moment of panic when her inner-voice finally found the power to reboot itself into its usual pessimistic glory.
What if Jareth isn't really watching? What if he has set you up to get hurt?
Sarah squelched the thought and kept running. If he wasn't watching, then she'd just have to get out of whatever Mark had planned for her by herself. She had beat him once, she could do it again if she had to.
Which him…Mark or Jareth.
…Does it matter?
She didn't have long to consider things, before she found that she had been chased into a small clearing and straight into two of the brothers wearing 'Scream' costumes, the white screaming face masks seeming to glow in the flickering moonlight as it bled through the skeletal frames of the trees.
The two figures leapt at Sarah, grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her back. Playing her part, Sarah shrieked, still fervently hoping that Jareth hadn't set her up. Looking up she saw Mark coming toward her through the clearing, his eyes shining with malicious glee as he looked at her.
"Hold her tight, guys. She likes to fight," he ordered, his lips twisted into a malevolent sneer.
Reaching her, Mark moved suddenly, his hand flashing out before connecting sharply with her cheek, making her cry out.
…M'kay….so that wasn't part of the plan, she thought, nibbling her lip with worry.
"Strip the bitch, it is time she learns who is in charge around here," Mark instructed.
Sarah glared at him, her emerald eyes snapping viciously. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she spat.
"Why not?" asked Mark. "There is no one here to save you this time. You're mine."
"I didn't need anyone to help me when I broke your nose the last time you messed with me. Or didn't you tell your friends that it was a girl who did that?"
Mark growled, slapping her again, the sound cracking loudly in the silence of the clearing.
"No one knows you're here, bitch. They'll just think you got lost. I've got all the time I need to teach you a lesson."
Sarah laughed, the sound sharp and harsh in the desolate clearing. "That…is where you very wrong. I have a very powerful friend who is looking forward to meeting you."
A low chittering noise echoed from the trees, the sound seeming to draw closer to them. Those holding Sarah looked around, trying to see where the noise was coming from. Looking up, Sarah saw Jareth materialize behind Mark, the masked guys holding her gasping in fear as his figure came into focus. Sarah grinned at Mark, a cruel smirk teasing her lips.
"In fact, here he is now."
Seeing Sarah's eyes drawn behind him, Mark whirled around, gawping at the sight that greeted him. An imposing figure stood menacingly behind him, dressed in an embossed leather breastplate, decorated with what appeared to be grotesque faces, with wide staring eyes and mouths open in mid-scream. As he stood there, a sinister wind whipped through the clearing, making the heavy leather cloak dance against the leather of his boots. In his hand he held a shining crystal ball. His darkly arched eyebrows and devilish smile made Mark tremble in spite of himself.
Sarah felt the grip on her arms release as Jareth appeared. Studying him as he towered over Mark, she supposed that to anyone else he would look particularly terrifying, however thanks to the buffalo wing incident, what she felt was not terror – not by a long shot. No, the feeling she was engulfed by, while new to her in relation to Jareth, was not fear, but unparalleled lust.
Finally finding his voice, Mark managed to stammer with a squeak, "Wh…Who?"
Sarah laughed impishly. "Oh. Now where are my manners?" Moving to stand in front of Jareth, she gave Mark a mocking smirk, as Jareth's arms snaked around her body in a possessive show that made her libido squeal with delight before melting into a quivering mess of hormone driven-sludge. While his gesture wasn't part of the plan, it certainly got Mark's attention. Patting Jareth's gloved hand as it lightly caressed her hip, she purred darkly, "Jareth, this is Mark Peters, wanna-be rapist and full-time slime ball. Mark, this is Jareth. King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth."
Sarah giggled evilly at the look of shock on Mark's face, his two friends standing frozen next to him. She was surprised when he actually tried to speak once more, apparently he was a stupid and clueless as he looked.
"Why would he care about you? You're no body," he muttered in a last-ditch attempt a bravado, which failed miserably as his words came out a petulant whine.
The scuttling noises around them got louder, followed by girlish squeaks of fright from Mark and his friends when the goblins appeared, their long, clawed fingers gripping them painfully. Sarah felt Jareth lean over her shoulder toward Mark; his body pressing against her back in such a way that made her libido go into convulsions of ecstasy, just by his nearness and the heady scent of him, like cinnamon and wood smoke, tinged with well-worn leather.
"On the contrary, boy. She is the Champion of my labyrinth and as such, myself and my subjects are somewhat protective of her," growled Jareth, his voice steely and cold. "And you have deigned to harm her, something I will not tolerate. And neither will they," he gestured at the goblins who were grinning maniacally up at Mark, their yellowing teeth glowing in the light as they murmured in agreement with their king.
Sarah felt Jareth's lips lightly brush near her ear as he spoke and shivered inwardly, trying to suppress the purr of delight that threatened to burst from her.
"And now Precious. What would you have me do with these sad, little excuses for boys?"
Playing into the role now, Sarah leaned back further into Jareth, "Wipe the memories of Mark's friends here so they don't remember any of this and send them back to the waiting area."
With a flourish, Jareth flicked a crystal at the two costumed figures, who cringed and yelped as it came flying at them. With a soft popping noise, the crystal vanished as did Mark's friends. Seeing his friends disappear, leaving him alone with the scary madman in the leather cloak and armor, Mark opened his mouth in a soundless scream, his eyes wide in horror.
Jareth's voice dropped, his tone hinting at evil intent. "And what of this one?" he asked, his eyes glittering with wicked glee as he glowered at Mark, who was frozen to the spot, his mind screaming to run while his limbs refused to obey. "Shall I drop him in an oubliette and wipe away any memory of his existence?"
Chuckling, Sarah looked at the terrified grimace on Mark's face, She was enjoying every minute of his fear, and after what he put her through, she thought she was entitled to be just a bit cruel to him.
"While dropping him in an oubliette seems lovely, I have a better plan," she drawled with a malicious sneer. "Public. Humiliation."
Marks eyes bulged at the cruel smirk she gave him, her green eyes flashing with impish delight. Moving toward him, she jabbed him in the shoulder with a sharp nail, "You have been mean, nasty and downright rotten, Mark. And now, it is time for payback. Strip."
"No," came the hesitant reply, as Mark glared at her, torn between being angry at her and frightened of the caped man who was now lurking in the shadows, his mismatched eyes boring holes into Mark's chest.
Sarah clucked her tongue at him, brunette waves bouncing as she shook her head. Backing away from Mark, she grinned, the look sending a shiver down his spine.
"Wrong answer, Mark," she laughed. "You either do it yourself or I'll get the goblins to do it. And if they do it, I can't be held responsible for any damage they do to your clothing or you. They can be so enthusiastic when asked to do something."
The goblins cackled raucously, jumping eagerly around Mark's legs, their long fingers pinching and grabbing at him as they waited for the order they hoped would be given. As they looked hungrily up at him, their baleful eyes glittered in the dim light, making them look as if they had come straight from the bowels of Hell itself.
Mark didn't move, his gaze shifting fearfully from Sarah to the cloaked man, and then back to the small mass of grotesque looking creatures that were clawing at him.
Tired of waiting, Jareth snarled. "Too slow, Mark. Goblins… take care of it."
The pack of goblins jumped on Mark, hiding him from view as they followed the King's command. Soon the clearing was filled with the sound of Mark's screams, tearing fabric and the gleeful chortling of the goblins. When they finished stripping him, they deposited his clothing at Sarah's feet, before scampering back into the shadows to await their next order.
Sarah surveyed Mark with amusement, raising a sculpted eyebrow as a sardonic sneer spread across her face. "Boxers?" Peering more closely at the boxers, Sarah laughed darkly, the sound piercing Mark, making him cower before her. "Take them off."
"But…." Mark protested weakly, his voice trembling as he clutched fretfully at what remained of his clothing - and dignity.
Sarah waved a hand gesturing toward the goblins, "Do you really want them to do it for you?"
Whimpering, Mark cast a fearful glance into the shadows, before bending to slide the boxers down his legs. Standing he tossed them at Sarah's feet, before covering himself.
A wicked chuckle erupted from Sarah, echoed by Jareth, the sound ringing around the clearing, taunting Mark with the malicious merriment at his expense.
"Well," grinned Sarah as she stalked around the naked form of Mark, seeing his pasty skin reflecting the moonlight. "That explains the stupidly large truck you drive around in."
Looking up at Jareth, she noted his bemused expression. "Do tell, Precious?"
Laughing wickedly at Mark's embarrassment, Sarah smiled at Jareth, "Aboveground there is a saying that men who drive big cars, have big houses, or big, fast toys of any sort, are doing so to compensate for what they lack sexually. And judging from what I've seen here, Mark here is definitely trying to compensate for something."
Raising an eyebrow at Sarah, Jareth gave her a knowing look. "And would you say the same of me, Sarah Dearest?"
"Big castle not withstanding," she began, an impish grin tugging at her lips as her emerald eyes flared in his direction, "I suspect that you have nothing to overcompensate for. Besides, it isn't like the trousers you favor hide much."
Surprised at her bold statement, Jareth stepped toward her in one swift movement, his voice low in her ear, unheard by Mark, "So you have been looking. Naughty girl."
Sarah blushed deeply, enjoying the feeling of living dangerously where Jareth was concerned. Giving a seductive purr, she laughed, "If you don't want girls to look, don't advertise."
As enjoyable as it was taunting Jareth, Sarah fought to return her attention to her purpose for being in the woods in the first place. Turning back to Mark she stalked toward him, roughly grabbing him by the hair and jerking his head upward, a cruel smile twisting her pale features. Mark whimpered piteously, his vulnerability showing in his cowed posture and teary eyes.
"Now then Mark. You will not even dare look at or touch another Alpha Chi pledge or sister. In fact, if you know what is good for you, you won't even consider mistreating another woman. Period. Because if I ever find out that you're up to your old tricks again, I'll gladly turn you over to the Goblin King to do whatever he sees fit with you. And something tells me that if you think what I've done to you is bad… whatever he does will be 100 times worse."
Mark moaned in response as she shook his head forcefully before releasing her grip on his hair.
Turning on her heel, Sarah stepped away from him, then paused, sneering over her shoulder at him, "I have only one more thing to say to you Mark….Run."
Jareth laughed evilly, the sound rumbling through the clearing as he watched the naked, pasty white form of Mark take off at a lumbering run through the trees, hands still clamped over his sad excuse for genitalia. He gave Mark a brief head start before setting the goblins after him. It was a haunted hunt after all, and the goblin horde always loved a good moonlight hunt. Getting to chase a deviant human for a change only added to the fun as far as the horde was concerned.
What happened next was as much of a surprise to Sarah as it was to Jareth.
Maybe it was the wicked delight she got from seeing Mark go streaking naked through the woods with a pack of goblins ki-yiking at his heels. Or maybe it was the gleefully nasty grin on Jareth's face, having been the cause of Mark's terrified run through the woods. Or maybe it was just the fact that Jareth was standing in front of her dressed head-to-toe in goblin battle regalia, his corn-silk hair dancing wildly in the late evening breeze, accenting the sharp arch of his eyebrows that sparkled in the haze of glitter which perpetually seemed to surround him and made him look oh so frightening, authoritative and…
Downright sexy, drooled her libido, as Sarah and her inner-voice responded in unison with a strangled – Gah!
Whatever it was, somewhere between Mark racing from the clearing toward the woods shrieking like a little girl and the rowdy horde of goblins taking off after him, Sarah launched herself at the Goblin King, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Much to her own surprise, as well as that of the Goblin King, it was not a chaste 'Thank you' peck – but a full on, 'I-want-to-taste-what-you-had-for-dinner-last-night' kiss that left them both breathless, before Sarah abruptly realized what she had done and pulled away – that is, she tried to pull away.
… I kissed him! Oh my God! I can't believe I kissed the Goblin King! Sarah moaned to herself.
Believe it toots… replied her inner-self, shaking its head in dismayed wonder.
And Gawd…what a kiss it was too! squealed her libido with barely restrained glee. You take awhile to get warmed up, but when you do you go from chilly to volcanic in under 60 seconds!
The kiss surprised Jareth, from the tips of his wispy hair to the tips of his highly polished boots. He had been snarling at the receding figure of Mark as he ran past, when he felt a solid mass thud forcefully against his chest. Before he could fully register what was happening, Sarah's lips were thrust against his. Blinking in surprise, Jareth quickly recovered, his arms snaking tightly around her.
…If she is going to throw herself at me and force kisses upon my person, who am I to stop her?
You'd be a fool, nodded his inner-self, while his libido merely started cataloguing all of the wickedly wonderful things he would happily do to the seemingly willing Sarah; at which point his inner-self rolled it's eyes in irritation, with just a hint of frustration at the fact that he was sure that Sarah was not going to be that willing – at least not yet.
When she broke the kiss, and tried to pull away from him, Jareth chuckled darkly, the sound a devilish purr that seemed to linger on the chilly breeze. Peering down at the stunned mullet expression on her face, Jareth grinned broadly, his sharp teeth framed by thin lips, like a lion staring down a delectable dinner.
And she did look delicious, even more so now that she was in his arms.
As part of her plan, Sarah dressed with the primary intention of enticing Mark into the woods. Her lithe body was encased in a black satin corset worn underneath a leather jacket, with a short black skirt and knee high leather boots. The outfit had piqued Mark's interest just as she said it would, however it was having quite the effect on Jareth as well. Needless to say, between the outfit, Sarah throwing herself in his arms and then snogging him good and proper, he was (quite naturally) more than a little reluctant to let her go.
"Oh shit. I am soooo sorry!" she stammered, her face glowing hot enough she felt like she could be used as an airport landing beacon. Sarah attempted to squirm away in her embarrassment, but found herself held fast in his arms.
Strong, steely, oh so wonderfully male arms, drooled her libido, beside itself at this new development. Even her inner-self had to admit that the feeling of Jareth's arms around her was "rather nice" – which, considering the prudish tendencies of her inner-voice, was on par with anyone else thinking, "Take me, I'm yours."
"Don't be, Precious," he crooned with a mischievous smirk, a gloved hand gently tipping her face upward to look at him, a sultry smirk flickering brightly in his eyes. "I'm certainly not."
"I…I don't know what came over me," she stuttered, partly trying to escape his arms, and partly mesmerized by the feeling of them.
"What ever it was, I look forward to it coming over you again," came the sultry purr. "Do tell me what I can do to help spur it coming over you more often."
Sarah felt her heart race at Jareth's teasing, her face blushing hotly under his piercing gaze. She could hear Mark's screams in the distance, and knew the chase was at an end when the goblins came cackling back into the clearing, capering around their king as he held her against his chest.
Kiss him again! Oh hell….kiss him all night long! Pleaded her libido, cheering for the momentary lapse of logic, sense and…
…sanity, moaned Sarah inwardly, still trying to come to terms with the fact that she not only kissed Jareth, but kissed him fully and with a passion she never would have expected herself capable of, with anyone, much less the Goblin King.
With a nimble spin, Sarah ducked out of his arms. Stooping she grabbed Mark's clothes and started to back away.
"I'd better head back to the rest of the group and explain Mark's state," she muttered, while her libido howled as if it were being killed, by the removal of Jareth's arms.
And lips, it sobbed. Those luscious lips!
Before she could turn and bolt out of the clearing, Jareth caught up to her, wrapping her once more in his arms.
"I'll let you go in a moment, Precious. First however, we have a small matter of business to attend to," he drawled silkily, mismatched eyes flickering wickedly in the moonlight.
"Business?" she whispered, feeling her blood run cold as she kicked herself.
…Fucking tricky Fae. I knew they couldn't be trusted. Jareth least of all! She scolded herself bitterly, while her inner-voice sat there with a smug 'I tried to warn you' look on its face.
"Yes, Sarah. You agreed to six dates in exchange for the services of six goblins. However, you left before we could negotiate the price for my services. The price, Sarah dearest, is seven kisses, freely given by you. The first six to be collected on each of our dates. The seventh is mine to claim at a time and place of my choosing."
Sarah gulped, her belly seeming to drop out of her body at the meaning of his words. The six, well…she could deal with those. But the seventh…
…He tricked me! She moaned to herself. By his own wording he could come back and claim in on her wedding day, in the middle of the wedding!
"That isn't fair," she gasped, frustrated when her voice shook as she spoke.
Jareth raised an eyebrow in a sardonic smirk as he looked at her.
Grumbling she continued, "Well…it isn't. If the negotiation wasn't complete, you should have said something. You can't change the rules of the game in the middle of play."
Jareth merely chuckled, the sound hanging heavily around her. "Ahh… but I can and I did, Precious. And really, was kissing me so bad?"
NO! It was freaking fantastic! screamed her libido with a great deal of enthusiasm.
… Well… it was a hell of a kiss. Giving him six more might not be so bad. She thought, as her inner-voice was trying to reign in her libido once more – and failing.
"Since you added a last minute rider to our bargain, I am too," she said, her voice becoming stronger, yet tinged with a strange husky purr that she was unprepared to hear coming from her own mouth.
By the bemused smirk he gave her, she knew she had his interest. As she was rapidly learning, Jareth loved anything that smacked of a wager or challenge.
"The seventh kiss must happy by midnight on Halloween."
"Done," came the rapid reply.
That was entirely too easy. There has to be a catch, warned her inner-voice with a cautious frown. He agreed far too fast to the terms. So he must be up to something.
Completely ignoring the inner-voice's concern, Sarah's libido cheered. Sarah herself breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the tricky Fae now couldn't show up in the middle of graduation or her wedding and demand a kiss.
Only partially listening to her inner-voice, Sarah hoped that for once, it was going to have no reason to say 'I-told-you-so'.
"And now Sarah Dear, I believe you need to return to your friends so tell them about Mark's mishap in the woods and his cowardice concerning strange noises. Mustn't keep them waiting," he chuckled, conjuring a crystal. With a wink he dropped it at her feet and she disappeared, to rejoin the group of students at the main gates.
So she told Mark's friends and hers the story she and Carrie had concocted of how Mark thought he was going to get back at Sarah, having stripped down to play a trick on her, then got scared by strange noises in the woods and took off yelling about goblins. She told the story. And told it. Then told it again. The whole while, she was thinking about Jareth and the revised conditions of their bargain.
…It is just seven kisses. What could go wrong?