Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, Sarah or Jareth. However, I would love a couple hours alone with Jareth, someplace private. *purrr*

Warning: Adult themes and language in this chapter. There is also more food abuse (I'm starting to suspect that as a writer, I have something of a food fetish. Is that bad?). No goblins or chickens were harmed in the writing of this chapter, although the worm is still in therapy after reading a preliminary draft of the next chapter (poor dear thinks he is going to be eaten).

Author's Note: Thank you for the lovely reviews. This story, while completely silly-fluff, has been fun to write. I was hoping to finish it by Halloween, but I think it will be the week after. We have 4 chapters left in this saga.

Also….Reviews keep me happy in lieu of chocolate!

Ch. 5: 1 How to Eat a Banana

"Damn and blast!" Jareth cursed, storming into the throne room, his foul mood sending any goblin with at least two brain cells scurrying for cover.

Unfortunately, given the nature of goblins, that left plenty of them in the throne room for the king to kick as he stalked by. Swiftly kicking two goblins across the room did nothing to make him feel better. If anything, he felt somewhat worse as the two goblins that got in his way were two of horde he had taken with him to help Sarah the night before, and he was sure she would be unimpressed to hear that he had been kicking them around, even though they did enjoy it (kind of). Well…they didn't complain, but that was probably more a matter of self-preservation than actual enjoyment, however Jareth was too aggravated to spend much time contemplating gobbling motives and mentality.

With a frustrated sigh, the Goblin King threw himself casually upon the throne, draping his legs over the arm as brooded about the cruel joke fate seemed to be playing on him. It shouldn't have surprised him really. It was the first time in a nearly a century that he had something he really wanted to be doing, and of course he would get a summons. Doing his duty, he had gone. He had been frightening. He had been charming. He had tried all of his usual tricks to convince the stubborn boy to take his dreams and leave his little sister – nothing worked.

…Blasted boy wouldn't budge. Now he gets an attack of guilt regarding his treatment of his sister, Jareth thought, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. Why couldn't they have the guilt attacks before they wish their siblings away. It would save all of this 'But I need them back' nonsense.

And don't forget the tears and begging, grumbled his libido, who was horrendously grumpy about missing a date with Sarah, particularly given her impromptu snogging of the night before - snogging that his libido fervently hoped for more of. Much. More.

And now the silly boy was running the labyrinth to win back his sister. Now of all times, when Jareth was due to for his first 'real' date with Sarah in 10 hours. Oh, he could just pop into her bedroom now, and transport her straight to the castle (preferably his chambers, more specifically his bed), but he was positive that sort of behavior wouldn't help him find his way into Sarah's good graces. No, there was nothing for it, he had to go about things in the Aboveground way – which meant no randomly transporting her.

Peering into the crystal, he saw that the boy had indeed made it through the gate, with 12 hours and 32 minutes left. Jareth frowned. He had two options as he saw it. Help the lad out so he could finish the labyrinth quickly, or send everything he had at the child and encourage him to quit quickly.

…Sarah is the only one who ever beat me, he sighed, letting his eyes fall shut as he relived her kissing him.

And I would rather she be the last, thank you very much, pouted his inner-self, who was not so easily placated with kisses and watching her suck so wantonly upon her fingers.

So, all in all, the first choice was really no choice at all. Which left only the second. With a deft flick of his hand, Jareth called up a crystal and barked into it.

"Hogbrain!"

Hoggle's bulbous nose and ruddy face faded into view on the shimmering crystal skin, his bushy eyebrows narrowed with obvious distrust as he responded to his monarch's growl.

"Yes, yer Majesty?" Hoggle asked, knowing that he was unlikely to like the answer.

"We have a runner. Make sure he doesn't make it to the castle and please do a better job than you did with Sarah," Jareth snapped. "In fact, if you make sure that the lad gives up within the next 6 hours, I'll move you off of fairy extermination duty and make you a castle gardener.

Now this took Hoggle by surprise for two reasons. First, the king had said her name, a name that Hoggle hadn't heard pass the King's lips since Jareth hauled him, Sir Didymus and Ludo before the court and punished them for helping her all those years before. Then there was the fact that Jareth wasn't nice. In Hoggle's book, he was a rat and once a rat, always a rat. Yet, here he was, offering Hoggle a cushy (by goblin standards) position at the castle.

Something was clearly going on.

"Um…sure yer Majesty. Any limits on what tactics I can use?" Hoggle asked, already starting to mentally catalogue the best way to discourage runners.

"Use any of the non-deadly, but highly annoying or frightening creatures in the labyrinth. Don't kill the boy, but by all means make him cry. I just want him out of the labyrinth by 4pm. Do it before 3pm and I'll even move your hovel to the border of the Goblin City forest," Jareth offered, his mismatched eyes giving nothing away as he gazed into the crystal.

Hoggle's jaw dropped. Whatever was up, it had to be big.

Seeing the slack-jawed look of surprise on Hoggle's face, Jareth flipped the crystal into the air and let it pop in a shower of silver glitter. The dwarf would do his job, and if the look on his face was any indication, he would be expedient about it, which pleased Jareth no end.

Frowning, Jareth settled onto the throne once more. While Hoggle was likely to be somewhat determined in deterring the runner, there was no guarantee that he would be able to do so in time for Jareth to make his date with Sarah. Ordinarily he would just reorder time, but for some reason, Sarah was trusting him at the moment and he would rather her continue that trend, so manipulating time was put in the 'forbidden' pile, along with enchanted food.

More's the pity, sighed his inner-self wistfully. Enchanted food would be a far more sure way of making her agreeable to you.

… It is not an agreeable Sarah that I want. I want her as she is. Stubborn. Feisty. Infinitely trying, he smiled inwardly. And most importantly, my equal.

I think you meant, most importantly in your bed, mate! Muttered his libido, shivering with delight at the mere thought of her in his bed willingly. At any rate, it would be best to let Sarah know you might not make it. It wouldn't do to piss her off now, when she has willingly kissed you, counseled his libido, for once being wise – although clearly self-serving, as it was clearly hoping for more of those kisses, amongst other things.

… Agreed, Jareth murmured, musing how best to break the news to her.

Peaches. The juice was everywhere. In her hair. Glossing her lips. Smeared over her stomach. Running down her thighs. From head to toe she was coated in it and didn't, for one single second, care. All she cared about was his lips. His tongue. And the sweet, horribly sensual torment he was inflicting upon her.

Peach nectar. Sticky, sweet and hypnotic. Fat drops slid lazily over the slope of her breasts, dipping to hide between them, before tracing the curve below. Warm lips followed their path, feasting up on the slippery sweet trail of juice that spilled over her body. His tongue dragging with infinite slowness along her flesh, making her whimper and moan with the intense 'want' that flared within her.

All night long. Peaches. Nectar. His tongue. Her body. No escape. But no release either. The desire building until she was ready to burst, sure that when she did it would be…

Peaches. Nectar. And juice everywhere.

And his lips were on her….fingers?

"Hungh?" Sarah lurched awake, the sensual dream sliding from her mind as easily as silk upon satin. Why do I still feel his lips on my fingers?

Looking at her hand, Sarah bolted upright in the bed, an indignant squeak sneaking past her lips as she snatched her hand out of Squint's mouth.

"Yummy. Peaches," he grinned inanely at her, licking his twisted lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sarah demanded, casting a quick glance at the still sleeping Carrie. Having gotten in much later than Sarah last night, Carrie was sleeping heavily enough that the entire goblin horde could play charades in the room and she would probably sleep through it.

"King sent me with a message," replied Squint, holding out a parchment scroll and a crystal.

Snatching the scroll from his stubby fingers, Sarah growled at him as she glared at the crystal in he gave her, "That still doesn't explain why you were licking my fingers!"

"They taste like peaches," he shrugged, before heading back to the closet and the portal to the Underground, as if that explained everything.

Sarah sniffed her fingers realizing that Squint was right they did smell like peaches. In fact, her entire bed smelled like peaches. Grabbing a handful of her hair, she held it under her nose. What the hell? She wondered. Jareth has to be doing this. I am so going to give him hell for messing with my dreams.

Still cursing Jareth and his peach fetish, Sarah opened the scroll and frowned. As much as she might want to give him a piece of her mind, she wasn't happy with the news she had just received.

Dearest Sarah –

It is with deepest regret that I must inform you that I will likely not make our engagement this evening as I am supervising a runner. Please make alternate plans without me. Believe me when I say, I would far rather be spending time with you, as I was quite anticipating your next kiss. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow, in the meantime please accept this gift – no strings attached.

Yours,

- J

Finishing the note, Sarah peered more closely at the crystal. In the depths she saw movement. A flash of white-blonde hair. Brunette waves. And flesh – lots of flesh, a slow moving symphony of flesh that heaved and writhed and….

…Oh holy shit, she whispered, her emerald eyes wide as a blush crept hotly across her pale cheeks. In her hand she held her dream, the one she had just had. The incorrigible bastard! As the ending of her dream came into focus, she saw what would have happened had Squint not woken her up by licking her fingers.

Play it again! PLEASE….play it again! Begged her libido, having been entranced by the sight of the dream and the mind-numbing, skin-tingling ending. Oh dear Gods. When is that package going to arrive?

Sarah had to admit, she was starting to wish the package had arrived too.

As she was considering the package, the crystal in her hand seemed to shiver and expand until she was holding….

…A fucking peach!

A long brunette wave fluttered over Sarah's cheek as she leaned over her cards. Schooling her face into a frown to hopefully throw the other players off, she smiled inwardly. On the deal she found herself with a possible royal flush in hearts, holding the10, jack, queen and ace. The only thing she was missing was the king of hearts, and she had a very strong inkling that she would find him in her hand before the game was done.

"Yo! Sarah. There is some guy on the porch who wants to see you," a male voice shouted from the doorway, his voice barely carrying over the din from the room next door. "We told him this was a private party, but he refuses to take no for an answer. What do you want us to do with him?"

Grumbling, Sarah folded her cards and held them against her chest, green eyes flashing irritably at Jeff. "Not now. At least wait until this hand is over."

Carrie peered over Sarah's shoulder, her face neutral as she surveyed her roommate's hand. It was the best hand she had drawn all evening, which was saying something since Sarah was in possession of more clothing than the others around the table who were playing 'Truth, Dare or Strip' – a mutant version of poker created by the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Carrie had to chuckle at the pile of Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and even flip-flops sitting in a tidy pile next to Sarah.

After getting Jareth's message that he would be unable to make their date, Carrie convinced Sarah that it would be better to go out and have fun, than sit at home and pretend she wasn't moping about missing Jareth's company. So, it was with a tinge of embarrassment that Sarah had followed Carrie's lead, donned a skimpy bikini, grass skirt and a horrifically ugly Hawaiian shirt with small yellow pineapples and fuchsia colored hibiscus flowers set on a lime green background, and headed to the "Margaritaville Beach Bash" at the ATΩ house.

Not being one for frat parties, she soon found the game room and was invited to join the unique poker game. Ever since her run in the Labyrinth, Sarah had found that she was inordinately lucky when it came to playing games, and tonight was no exception.

In another hand, if things go my way, Peter and Angie should be down to their swimsuits…and Angie will definitely drop out at that point, Sarah thought with an inward smirk, working to keep her poker face in a frown, as it would never do for them to suspect her hand.

Shrugging Carrie from hanging over her shoulder, Sarah muttered, "Carrie, please go see who it is and what they want. Unless my parents are in mortal danger or our house is burning down, get rid of them."

"Sure thing, girlfriend. But you really shouldn't stay in the game with just a pair of twos," quipped Carrie as she headed out of the basement game room, giggling at the hopeful faces of the other players. She really loved screwing with their heads, and the game for that matter.

Leaving Sarah to continue her winning streak, Carrie dodged various couples engaged in checking each other's tonsils, as she bounded up the stairs toward the front porch. It seemed odd to have a beach party so late in the fall, but the Alpha Tau guys had done a great job, despite the cold snap. They rented several hot tubs for the back yard, brought a wading pool into the downstairs party room and moved the dancing up to the formal dining room. All in all, judging from the crowds of swim suit clad, lei and Hawaiian shirt wearing party-goer's spilling into every room both upstairs and down, the party was going to be the event of the season.

While fraternity parties were not a favorite event of either Carrie or Sarah, they had lots of friends amongst the Alpha Tau guys, so much so that they were considered less like 'ATΩ Roses', the name given to the girlfriends and female friends of the fraternity brothers, and more like 'little sisters' of the house. This suited Sarah and Carrie just fine, as it meant they were well known, well-liked and listened to by both the brothers of the house and the pledges, a form of respect not given to any of the 'Roses'.

Carrie grabbed the pledge by the door handing out leis and sent him out in the cold to retrieve the guy looking for Sarah. Unfortunately, she was unprepared for who the poor pledge, looking thoroughly frightened by Carrie's brusque order, brought back.

"You," she gasped, looking up into the bemused face of Jareth as his mismatched eyes wandered over her, a hint of mirth teasing at the corners of his mouth. Even though she knew he didn't belong at the frat party, he actually fit in pretty well, despite the fact that he wasn't dressed according to the theme, in his black jeans, a tight black t-shirt and a leather jacket.

…Oh my gods. Sarah is going to flip, chuckled Carrie to herself. But damn he looks good.

"Yes. Me," he replied casually, "I would ask about your out-of-season clothing choices, however seeing that Hawaiian kitsch seems to be the order of the evening, I assume I would be right in thinking this is one of those frat parties you and Sarah sometimes attend."

"Brilliant deduction, Goblin King," muttered Carrie, looking around sheepishly to make sure no one heard her.

"Hey. He can't be in here, Carrie! Members and invited guests only," yelled Adam, the Alpha Tau president and one of Carrie's best male friends.

"Relax, Adam. This is…. He's um…," Carrie paused, her blue eyes flitting over Jareth as she nibbled her lip. "Um…Sarah's ex, from overseas. He's in town for the week and has been catching up with her."

Carrie breathed a sigh of relief when Adam seemed to buy her story, nodding as he glared at Jareth, his grey eyes projecting a protective air. "So she and her ex are on good enough terms that she'd want him here?"

"Oh, yeah. They only broke up, um… due to…ahh… the distance," lied Carrie, trying to think quickly.

Pursing his lips, Adam surveyed Jareth and Carrie, before nodding. "Okay, but make sure he stays with one of you girls so that none of the brother's gets any ideas of being all heroic and saving her from the evil ex," he warned. "You know half the membership would jump at a chance with her, and if they though being her hero might work, they'd do it."

Laughing, Carrie waved a hand dismissively in Adam's direction, "Honey, haven't you figured it out yet? Sarah and I don't want a hero. We're after the villain – they are always more fun."

Catching Jareth's smug smirk, Carrie blushed. She had momentarily forgotten just who he was to Sarah. Quickly turning, she moved through the crowd, motioning him to follow her.

"Come on. I'll take you to Sarah. Although seeing you might not be a pleasant surprise. When you told her to make other plans, I'm pretty sure she wasn't planning on you showing up at a frat party. Heck. I told her to make this party your date for tonight, but she was adamant that a party like this was not going to be your thing."

Following Carrie into the house, Jareth chuckled. "I find it is best to keep Sarah on her toes. I want to get to know her as she is now, so showing up unexpectedly has benefits. Although, from what I've seen thus far, I can see why you and Sarah find these things so painful," he mused, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the noise-passing-for-music, that a very colorful, if somewhat scantily-clad group of students were dancing to.

Shrugging, Carrie guided Jareth through the throng of party-goers. They wound their way down the stairs, past a group of girls wresting in the wading pool (much to the delight of the rowdy male audience) and into the game room.

"Just don't be surprised if she gets mad," Carrie warned, motioning him to stay near her as she wove her way toward the poker table. "She has been playing cards all evening and winning. She doesn't like being interrupted when she is on a streak."

Coming upon the table from behind Sarah, they heard her mutter and slam her cards down on the table. Carrie cringed, placing her hand out to halt Jareth. "Too late! She has a great lucky streak with games, but gets a bit testy if she loses. Particularly at this version of poker."

"Bloody hell!" snarled Sarah. "I nearly had a Royal Flush in hearts…all I was missing was the freaking king."

"Hah!" laughed Brent, his brown eyes flashing merrily as he crowed his victory. Brent waved his hands in the air triumphantly, while his blue Hawaiian shirt covered in topless hula dancers flapped like a pair of demented, psychedelic wings. "Make your choice, lil sister. Truth, dare or strip?"

Sarah paused, glancing at the pile of clothing sitting next to her. She momentarily contemplated giving up one of the garish Hawaiian shirts, but her perversely cruel inner-voice rather enjoyed seeing Carrie's current fling Brent and their least favorite Alpha Chi sister Angie, left wandering the party in their swimsuits – albeit Brent's board shorts left more to the imagination than Angie's itty-bitty bikini.

"Truth," declared Sarah, her voice firm as she made her choice, tossing her cards toward the dealer, she leaned back in her chair to wait for the question.

"Damn," grinned Brent, winking cheekily at Sarah, "And here I was hoping you'd give up that shirt you are wearing and let us see more of your luscious body."

"In your dreams, bucko. Besides I have more than enough shirts taken off other players, that losing my own shirt wouldn't be a problem ," laughed Sarah, running a manicured hand through her hair and down over the neck of her shirt, dragging the collar of her shirt open over her shoulder and flashing the table a quick glimpse of her creamy skin. "There you go. That is the closest you are going to come to seeing any more of my skin tonight. Hope you enjoyed it."

"I'm sure I'd enjoy any bit of you I got," Brent chuckled, throwing a handful of popcorn at Sarah. "Such a tease for an Ice Princess."

"Believe me Brent, if I wanted to tease you, you'd know it. This is nothing," laughed Sarah, her voice light amid the noise pouring from the party room next door. "And I am no Ice Princess. It isn't my fault you haven't got a clue how to warm me up," Sarah teased. "For the right person, I assure you I'd be hot enough that volcanoes would be jealous."

Jareth's pale eyes narrowed at the playful banter that flew between Brent and Sarah. She had said she wasn't involved with anyone, but the intimacy of the teasing disturbed him, more than he would care to admit.

Who is he to speak to her that way? grumbled his inner-voice.

Forget him, demanded Jareth's libido, If she wanted help getting warmed up, all she had to do was ask!

The truth of the matter was that listening to Sarah teasing Brent with her flirtatious behavior was having multiple effects upon Jareth, not the least of which was a sudden burst of desire. As much as he detested seeing her flirt with another, he wanted her to direct that kind of attention his way, knowing that beneath most flirting was a kernel of truth.

"Forgive me Madame Ice Queen,"grinned Brent, smiling and waving at Carrie. "As to your question… in consultation with my fellow players who have been losing clothing and deep dark secrets to you all evening, we want to know the name of the first person you had a sexual fantasy about, and what it was."

Sarah frowned. While the 'truth' questions frequently involved sex or other intimate topics, this was not the question she had expected, nor was it one that she really wanted to share. She considered things a moment and then shrugged.

Jareth is dealing with a runner, so why worry, suggested her libido, being rather fond of the first memorable fantasy Sarah ever had – particularly since it remained one of her favorites.

"Fine…he isn't here, so there is no harm done," Sarah began. "His name was Jareth…I was 15, he was older….and it is still one of my favorite fantasies…."

Jareth's eyes flashed brightly at her answer, his thin lips twisting into a self-satisfied smirk. To find out that she had fantasized about him was almost too much to hope for.

…Now that is an unexpected, but highly pleasing tidbit of information, he thought.

Almost enough to make enduring this ridiculous party bearable. Snarked his inner-voice.

… Indeed. Perhaps, she might grant my wish after all.

Hearing Sarah's answer, Carrie felt her stomach flip knowing that Sarah was about to tell Jareth her deepest and most treasured fantasy, and not even realize it. As a best friend, it was her duty to stop things before Sarah was more embarrassed than she would be now.

"Sarah…" she shouted in order to be heard over the din, "You'll never guess who just arrived looking for you!"

Turning to look over her shoulder at Carrie, Sarah frowned in confusion. "Came here? For me? But no one knows where I am."

Then she saw Jareth, and her heart seemed to stop.

It was the longest heartbeat of her life. He was standing just behind Carrie, looking at her with those mismatched eyes that seemed to be daring her to make a scene, while holding her gaze in their hypnotic depths.

"Oh. Fuck. Me," she muttered under her breath.

With an impish grin, Jareth leaned toward her, his voice a quiet, sultry purr. "Say your right words and that could be arranged, Sarah."

Sarah trembled at the heat of his breath against her cheek, her response unnoticed by all but him. She wasn't completely sure if her stomach lurched at the fact that he was here at the party, or the sinfully sexy way he looked decked out head to toe in black. Or maybe it was the fact that he had heard her clearly admit that he was the object of her first sexual fantasy. Then again, it could have been the very blatant declaration of intent he just gave. Whatever it was, her stomach didn't have a meek little flock of butterflies in it. No, it had a flock of pterodactyls swooping around attacking her from within.

"Jareth….," she gasped, feeling the color drain from her face at the amused look on his face, while at the same time feeling her body burn hot, as if she had a fire raging inside. "You…you're here."

That fire you feel is called 'lust', quipped her libido. The only cure is to act upon it and you are in luck. Jareth just accepted your invitation and seems more than willing, and I'd wager more than a little bit able, to fulfill the requirements of the invite. So what are you waiting for?

… You really aren't helping, she moaned inwardly. And that wasn't an invitation.

What makes you think I'm trying to help? I'd just like to point out that he can't help you live out your favorite fantasy if he doesn't know what it is. So why not finish admitting the fantasy? - Continued her libido as it began a somewhat lewd and suggestive dance while clinging to a pole that had spontaneously appeared in Sarah's mind – much to her inner-voice's dismay. Besides, perception is nine-tenths of the law…or something like that. If he saw it as an invitation, who are we to argue?

"Yes, here I am," chuckled Jareth, reaching out to pluck at a curl that lay loose over her shoulder, all the while enjoying the delightful way she blushed at the gesture. "And judging by what I just heard, my timing is impeccable," he drawled with a knowing smirk.

Sarah groaned. Turning back to the table, she slouched down in her chair as if trying to hide.

"YOU, are Jareth?" laughed Brent, sizing Jareth up with a grin. Well, if he is her type, that explains why she hasn't looked twice at any of the guys on campus, he thought with a chuckle. Looking at Sarah he continued, "This is the guy your first sexual fantasy was about? Oh, fuck. This will be good. Out with it lil sis. This is one fantasy I think we all want to hear about."

If it were possible, Sarah seemed to shrink even further into her chair. She was so far down in the chair that she didn't realize Jareth had come even nearer, until he casually sat on the arm of the chair and looked down at her.

"It seems I have interrupted quite an interesting game, Sarah Precious. Do tell. What game are you playing?"

Seeing that Sarah wasn't likely to answer, Carrie piped up, laughter lacing her explanation as she looked at Sarah's bowed head, her friend's hair barely hiding the crimson blush that stained her cheeks.

"They are playing Truth, Dare or Strip Poker. Basically, if you lose a hand of cards, you have to take off a piece of clothing, tell an embarrassing truth or take a dare. She lost the last hand and chose truth," explained Carrie, moving to perch on the arm of Brent's chair, her pale eyes flashing merrily. This party just got much more interesting, she thought with a grin.

Reaching out, Jareth tucked errant tendrils behind Sarah's ear, effectively removing the only thing hiding her flushed face. Sarah trembled at the light caress, eliciting a dark chuckle from Jareth, who ran his finger along her jaw just to watch her shiver again.

"In that case, I would hate to distract you from your game, Precious. You know how much I love games, and I am a stickler for the rules. No need to forfeit on my account, Sarah. So why don't you just share your…fantasy with us," he drawled, his mismatched eyes darkening with impish glee at Sarah's obvious discomfort.

Sarah ran her hand pensively through her hair, considering her options. Answering the question was definitely not an option, at least not with Jareth there. And according to the rules (such that they were) once you opted not to strip, your only choices were truth or dare.

"I changed my mind. Give me the dare," she muttered, straightening up in her chair, her emerald eyes glinting sharply in the dim light as she made up her mind.

Jareth laughed, the sound a baritone rumble that seemed to climb inside Sarah's chest and make itself at home in her belly.

"Giving up so soon, Sarah?" he asked with a smug smirk. "Where is the girl I knew who would face down any challenge? What is it that you liked to say? Ah… I remember…is this not a 'piece of cake'?"

Peering up at Jareth, Sarah's jaw twitched as she tried to think of a cutting answer, and failed. Sarah glared at Jareth, her eyes flashing brightly while her libido proceeded to make lewd suggestions for what it would like to do to him, suggestions that her physical body seemed to agree with, judging from the flash of warm heat that spread through her middle and down into her legs.

Having watched Sarah's reaction to Jareth's arrival and teasing, Brent began to get the feeling that there was more between Sarah and this Jareth person than he had heard on the Greek grapevine. He had seen the two of them at Darcy's bar on Thursday night, and had witnessed the way she let him suck on her fingers. For ex-es, they seemed friendly. Very friendly. Yet for some reason, she didn't want this guy to hear about her fantasy about him. It was all very odd. All the more reason to push her to the brink, as far as Brent was concerned, and the dare he was about to give her should do just that.

Brent grabbed a nearby pledge carrying a tray of drinks and whispered in his ear, watching with a mischievous grin as the pledge ran out of the room in a hurry.

"Well… what is the dare?" demanded Sarah testily. She was at war with herself and the impending dare and likely suggestive nature of it (since that is what dares typically involved) had her unnerved, particularly since Jareth was there. In the meantime, her libido was enthusiastically calling for Sarah to tell her fantasy in the hopes that Jareth would fulfill it, something that his blatantly sexual response to her earlier comment suggested was highly likely.

Who are you kidding? If he knew the fantasy, he'd probably glitter-poof your ass straight to his castle and spend the rest of the night fulfilling it in every way possible. And probably a few that defied time, space and the laws of the universe! Pleaded her libido, with a gratuitous mental image of what a naked Jareth might look like – which even her inner-self had to admit was a rather 'striking' image – the equivalent of anyone else saying "drop-dead-screw-me-six-ways-to-Sunday-to-die-for" (her inner-self was always a bit understated when assessing things that didn't have to do with Sarah herself).

…Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! She thought, her mind whirling frantically. Why did he have to show up now of all times?

Her inner-voice merely shrugged, for once being out of ideas, while her libido just beamed smugly and ogled at the way Jareth's shirt hinted at the lightly muscled chest that lay beneath the thin material and begged Sarah to ignore the dare and run her hands over his chest. Sarah fisted her hands in her grass skirt, fronds of grass twining between them as she struggled to retain what little bit of her composure (and dignity) remained, knowing it was only a matter of time before they both came undone – probably about the time that Brent let her in on the dare.

When she saw the pledge return with a bunch of bananas, she knew she had been right about that. Composure and dignity were about to take a flying leap straight out the window, followed closely by any sense of propriety and inhibition.

Sarah's eyes flashed angrily at Brent as he gave her his best frat boy grin.

…They must take the brothers aside after initiation and teach them that damnably smug grin, she thought wryly wishing she could slap him and effectively wipe the smirk from his face.

The pledge set the bunch of bananas in front of Brent, who began to pick through them as if looking for something. Sarah groaned, having a sneaking suspicion what was coming next.

Jareth watched the interaction with some confusion, carefully hidden behind an amused smirk. Whatever was happening, Sarah seemed almost as embarrassed by the prospect as she had been when she found out he was here for her admission about her first fantasy. As far as he was concerned, the evening was already an unqualified success.

Finally satisfied, Brent selected a banana and held it out to Sarah. "Deep-throat one banana, tip to tip. That is the dare."

"You have got to be kidding," grumbled Sarah, rubbing the bridge of her nose in order to avoid seeing the wicked smirk she was somehow sure was on Jareth's face.

Angela laughed with wicked glee, the sound brittle and sharp amidst the relaxed atmosphere of the game room. She eyed Jareth hungrily, wondering why on earth he seemed so interested in Williams, who was just a cold fish.

"You might as well give up now, Sarah. You're too much of a prude to even consider something like that, besides, there is no way you could manage it. Even those of us with more experience," she purred, looking at Jareth with a sultry hum, "would have difficulty."

Looking up, Sarah saw the way Angela was speaking to her, but trying to entice Jareth and she got mad. Sarah glared at Angela, her emerald eyes flashing dangerously, "Care to put your money where my mouth is, Ang?"

"You're on, Williams," countered Angela, her features pinched as she frowned at the other woman. "Twenty dollars says you can't do it. And you know the penalty – if you fail at the dare, you have to answer the truth anyway."

Reaching into her shirt pocket, Sarah pulled out her emergency taxi money and slammed the bill onto the table. "Done!"

"I want some of that action," laughed Carrie, leaning over and dropping another twenty dollar bill onto the growing pile. "Twenty on Sarah."

Before long, there was a lively betting pool being organized with most wagers coming out against Sarah. As a result, the crowd around the table grew…and grew - a fact that was not lost on Sarah as she surveyed the growing group of spectators.

…OH my God…this is getting out of hand, she moaned to herself. What if I can't do this?

Don't sweat it. Give them a show. You know you can do this, and it won't hurt to let Jareth know just how talented you could be given the right motivation, purred her libido, attempting to be reassuring and failing miserably.

… Is it too late to renege on the game as a whole, she wondered miserably, peering around the room to see that the audience was, naturally enough, mostly male.

Sarah thought she was as mortified as she could get, and then Jareth leaned forward, betting fifty on Sarah.

"Do you even know what I have been dared to do?" she hissed at him, her eyes shining darkly as she glared at him reproachfully.

Jarth looked down at her slouched form, a supercilious smirk tugging at his lips. "While the terminology is not what we use at home, and I have never seen it demonstrated on fruit, I am pretty sure I understand the gist of things," he chuckled with a wink.

"And yet you put money on me?"

"Of course, Precious," he said with a hungry smile. Jareth leaned over her until his lips pressed near her ear. Sarah could feel the heat of his breath washing along her cheek as he whispered, "Besides, I have great faith in just how talented your lovely lips could be, Dearest"

Sarah's heart beat a frantic rhythm, as it attempted to escape her chest by force.

He wants you! Squealed her libido, before melting into a puddle of lust-ridden goo.

…Gah! was all Sarah could think at the increasingly blatant sexual comments directed at her by her (former) fairytale villain, who apparently wanted to be more than that. Much. More.

Although still somewhat dark and villainous, cooed her libido before being lost once more to the hormonal haze that seemed to plague it whenever Jareth was around.

Seeing the crowd that had joined them, Brent stood and took Sarah's hand, hauling her to her feet. "Sorry Sarah, but the natives are restless and want to see the show. You're going to have to get up high so they can see," he winked, patting the top of the table.

Sarah glanced quickly at Jareth, feeling her face burn at the heated look he gave her, his eyes visibly dark with something she was afraid to name. Then she felt Carrie press a shot glass into her hand, before giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"A little liquid courage," whispered Carrie. "You can do this."

Sarah gave Carrie a weak smile, before downing the shot, coughing as the liquid burned a path down her throat. "Holy shit!" gasped Sarah. "What was that? Lighter fluid?"

"What does it matter, so long as it loosens you up to complete the dare?" giggled Carrie.

Shrugging off her shirt to free up her arms, Sarah took Brent's offered hand and hopped up on top of the table. Jareth watched her intently, drinking in the sight of her bikini-clad form, the deep green suit leaving much of her creamy torso exposed, while the grass fronds of her hula-skirt parted just enough to offer a tantalizing glimpse of her legs as she stood on the table.

…I would rather her be in a state of undress for my viewing alone, he growled inwardly.

Nude would be even better, countered libido.

…Infinitely better.

Meanwhile, Sarah was lost in her own thoughts.

Might as well play this up for all it is worth, suggested her inner-self resignedly. If you are going to make a spectacle of yourself, at least make the show a good one.

Her libido nodded in agreement, urging Sarah to throw propriety out the window. Seeing as how both her libido and inner-voice were in agreement for once, Sarah decided to follow their advice and try to have fun with what could either be a horrifically humiliating experience, or a grand show of power.

…Please let it be power, she moaned to her herself.

When the music on the stereo was changed from the slow song to a raunchy bump'n'grind number, Sarah put on her best seductive smirk and began to dance on the tabletop as she slowly began to peel the banana. She blushed and starting to laugh at the lewd catcalls and suggestions the audience was calling out. Once the banana was peeled, Sarah hesitated, swallowing hard as she tried to slow her breathing down. Shutting her eyes, she opened her mouth and gradually slid the banana in. Reaching the back of her throat she coughed slightly, stretched her jaw and arched her head upward, then swallowed. She repeated the procedure three more times before the far end slipped past her teeth. Shutting her mouth, Sarah raised both hands above her head to show that she was no longer holding on to the banana, loud applause signaling the approval of the audience.

Seeing Jareth's face out of the corner of her eye, Sarah flushed hotly, the pink blush creeping from her hairline down to dive between her breasts. Judging from the bright gleam in his mismatched eyes and the sultry smirk he was giving her, he approved of her display. Sarah wrapped her lips tightly around the banana as she began to pull it from her mouth, giggling at the renewed fervor of the catcalls and comments that greeted this action.

…Might as well give the punters what they want, she laughed to herself.

Brent whistled as she pulled the last bit from her mouth, before shouting to the crowd, "And not a tooth mark in sight!"

Raucous applause shook the room.

Holding the banana in her finger tips, Sarah looked pointedly at Brent, before sliding it halfway into her mouth and with a slow and deliberate movement, bit sharply into it.

The guys in the crowd groaned and flinched as one.

"Cruel, Sarah. Very cruel," muttered Brent, grinning broadly as he helped her down from the table and handed over her winnings.

"You have no idea how cruel I can be," she purred, turning to split the money with Carrie and Jareth.

She felt the heat of Jareth's body against her back before she heard him, his lips pressing against her ear as he spoke. "Very impressive, Precious. You have become a woman of many and varied talents. Had I but known of your…skills…I would have negotiated for a very different outcome to our earlier bargain," he drawled, the timbre of his voice making Sarah blush and shiver simultaneously.

Author's Note: Yes…the frat party extends to two chapters as it was getting far too long. Also, it is based off a real party I once attended. The banana trick can be done and is a great party trick (makes a great ice-breaker for meeting guys too…not that I would know anything about that *ahem*)