DISCLAIMER: I don't own Labyrinth, Sarah or Jareth (more's the pity!).
Warning: Adult themes, some language. No goblins or chickens were hurt in the writing of this chapter, and there is no fruit abuse in this chapter either. But more fu with fruit is coming up. ;)
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming. We are heading toward the home stretch now...but reviews help me keep going and keep me from procrastinating too much :)
Ch. 8 Hang-over Hell
Sarah leaned her head against the wall of the shower, the hot water pelting her back with needle like precision, a sensation that usually served to relax any tension in her shoulders. However, this morning it wasn't working. With a low groan, she shook her head trying to come to grips with what had just happened.
…I just brought myself off. With the Goblin King lying next to me, in my own damn bed, she muttered to herself, still in shock by the whole thing.
And it was freaking marvelous! Next time, could you at least ask for his help? Chirped her libido, apparently oblivious to the seriousness of what just happened. Those hands must be heavenly…. And her libido went quiet, shivering with delight at the mere thought of what Jareth's hands would be capable of.
He didn't seem too surprised or put out by things, interjected her inner-voice thoughtfully. And you do want him don't you?
…Do you even have to ask?
Then perhaps it is time to act on it, seeing as how he definitely seems interested, or did you somehow miss that during the performance the two of you put on at the frat house last night. Added her inner-voice, rendering her libido speechless as it voiced an action that the libido whole-heartedly agreed with, and had been promoting since Jareth first reappeared in Sarah's life.
Sarah groaned. She had forgotten about the heated body shot battle and the shameless way she had tried to get the better of him, only succeeding in working herself up.
Um…HELLO…did you not register just how much of an effect you were having on Jareth? Squealed her libido enthusiastically at the memory of being draped across his lap, and nearly bringing herself off there as well.
…I wonder what might have happened if I hadn't passed out.
He probably would have helped you enact some of the luscious things you hinted at during the body shots, purred her libido with a suggestive waggle of its eyebrows as it vividly replayed the sensation of Jareth's tongue dragging along her inner thigh.
Sarah moaned at the memory, feeling heat course through her body once more at the mere thought.
…But the fantasies….I have to fulfill one of his….
And he'll fulfill one of yours. Drooled her libido with a sultry purr. Basically, everyone wins. So what is the problem? Get your ass out of this shower, back into your bedroom and shag the Goblin King senseless!
And Sarah considered this, feeling a flash of lust burst to life in her veins. …Bad. Bad Sarah! Bad idea! You cannot just jump the Goblin King and expect there to be no consequences… As much as she wanted to agree with her libido and her inner-voice, Sarah couldn't bring herself to act on that desire. Not until she really understood why he was here in the first place.
Jareth was still lounging on the bed when the door creaked open and Carrie backed into the room, juggling a box and her overnight bag.
"Wakey-wakey, Princess. I heard that you and Jareth bailed out of the game last night so I hope he helped you with your lil problem. If not, the magic wand for ridding yourself of the Jareth induced frustration has arrived," Carrie announced cheerfully, as she nudged the door shut with her hip.
Jareth watched as Carrie waved a brightly colored, buzzing item around to emphasize her statement, his lips twisting in amusement as she finally noticed him.
"Oh holy hell!" she gasped, her blue eyes wide as she realized that not only had she just told the him about Sarah's problem, she was practically waving the solution under his nose.
"And just what is that buzzing thing, Carrie?" enquired the Goblin King smoothly, a knowing smirk gracing his angular features at Carrie's discomfort.
"This?" she muttered, looking at the toy in her hand. "Um… its….its…um….y'see…that is ….oh fuck…."
To say Jareth was enjoying watching Carrie's flustered reaction was an understatement. He had been alive long enough to have a pretty good idea what she was holding in her hand, and was more than a little bit interested in just how it came to be in her possession.
"Yes…I am aware it is used for that purpose," he chuckled, his eyes flashing devilishly at her embarrassment. "Just what are you doing with it?"
"It's Sarah's," blurted Carrie, absently wondering if the heat in the room was somehow on over-drive as the room seemed stifling all of a sudden. "She ordered it last week. It must've arrived in the mail yesterday."
Hearing Carrie's call as she entered the room, Sarah turned off the water and threw her robe over her shoulders, before poking her head out of the bathroom. The calm and relaxed feeling she had managed to find in the shower was completely destroyed by the sight that greeted her – Carrie still in her bikini and grass skirt, waving a vibrator in her hand - Sarah's new toy to be exact - as the Goblin King lounged on Sarah's bed, looking on with interested amusement. Sarah's eyes darted from Carrie, to the toy, then to Jareth, her face turning deep crimson.
Carrie gave a startled squeak seeing Sarah look out from the bathroom. With a nervous giggle, she backed against the door to the room. "Um…good morning?" she grinned. Glancing down at the still buzzing, vibrating and squirming, hot pink, Wiggling Wabbit, Carrie thrust it hastily behind her back, where it rattled wildly against the wood, a sound that made both she and Sarah blush furiously.
"Oh fuck," she muttered, her eyes watching Sarah intently.
"Carrie…." Sarah began, her emerald eyes flashing dangerously as she glared at her best friend.
"Yeah, Sarah?"
"Run."
Yelping, Carrie dropped the vibrator on the floor where it proceeded to spin itself in circles from the force of the vibration, as Carrie yanked open the door and bolted from the room. Just as quickly, Sarah launched herself from the bathroom. Snatching up the vibrator from the floor, she darted into the hallway, and threw the offending item down the hall where it hit Carrie's fleeing back with a resounding thud. Slamming the door to her bedroom Sarah leaned against it, shutting her eyes as she tried to figure out just what had happened and how she was going to deal with it.
Opening her eyes, Sarah glared at Jareth who was actually turning red as he fought the laughter that was welling up inside him. Seeing his eyes sparkling with mirth she growled threateningly, jabbing a manicured nail in his direction: "I swear to you, if laugh I'll never speak to you again, Goblin King."
…It isn't the best threat, but he seems to want to be around me, so maybe it will work, she moaned inwardly, wishing that she could go back to bed and restart the events of the morning.
Biting back the laughter that promised to drown him if it didn't find an escape, Jareth nodded, trying to force his face into a serious mask, the strain evident in his voice, "Wouldn't dream of it, Precious."
"Very wise move," Sarah sighed, collapsing onto her desk chair with a shake of her head. "Seriously, this morning could not possibly get worse."
Sadly, Sarah had forgotten the one great golden rule of the Labyrinth – never take anything for granted.
Without warning her closet door burst open with a crash. The next thing she knew, Sarah had a room full of goblins who were yelling and chasing a pair of distressed black chickens that squawked loudly, feathers flying.
"Got it?" asked Boody, a short and fat goblin with a bulbous blue nose.
"Chicken!" yelped Squint, as Boody backed into him and sent him flying into Sarah's legs.
"Catch'um!" ordered Bob, bowling into the side of the desk in his hurry to catch the chicken.
"Ker-squAWK!" countered one of the chickens, careening wildly into Sarah's back as it attempted to defy the biomechanics of chicken anatomy and fly.
"Got it!" yelled Dudder, a bushy mustached goblin wearing a striped mitten as a hat. "Dun got it," he yipped as the chicken pecked him viciously and struggled free.
"Squawk- Ker-SQUAWK," crowed the vicious chicken triumphantly.
Sarah looked at Jareth, her face a study in abject desperation and despair. "Bog them. Please?"
"With pleasure, Pet," Jareth laughed, flicking a shining crystal into the mass of goblin bodies now congregated in the middle of the room where they were currently wrestling with the two chickens, who were (quite naturally) protesting loudly and pecking at any goblin body part that came within reach. A soft popping sound heralded the abrupt disappearance of the writhing mass of goblin and chicken bodies, followed by blissful silence.
Sarah dropped her forehead to her desk and sighed. Moving behind her, Jareth gently pulled Sarah from that chair and enfolded her in his arms. The feeling of his lips tenderly brushing against her forehead was almost enough to make her forget the utter humiliation of her morning.
"You still owe me that breakfast date, unless you want me to come back later, Sarah?" he chuckled. "The debt must be paid, Precious. You know the rules as well as I."
"You mean, I still have to go to breakfast after being thoroughly humiliated in front of you, not once, but twice within the last hour? Surely my complete and utter humiliation is worth the negation of the debt on sympathy alone?" she asked, her voice laced with a hopefulness that she knew would be in vain.
"Perhaps, if you were willing to beg for the mercy of the crown?" Jareth teased with a wicked smirk.
Something inside Sarah snapped. She giggled. Then laughed. Then dissolved into a mass of snickers as she threw herself at his feet, her purple terry-toweling robe draping gracefully around her bent form as she clung dramatically to his knees.
"Oh please, great and mighty Goblin King. Take pity on a poor college student and free her from her debt. If for no other reason, than she has suffered enough humiliation for one morning and really couldn't bear any more," she pleaded between giggles.
Jareth laughed, the sound almost a deep purr that welled from within him as found that he rather enjoyed the view of the young woman at his feet.
There are far more interesting things she could be begging for, mate, replied his libido wistfully.
…Indeed….all in good time.
"You call that begging, Sarah? My goodness, at least put in a little effort girl," he chided playfully. "I wouldn't even consider allowing mercy if that is the best you can do."
Without thinking, Sarah smothered his boots, calves and knees with a flurry of kisses, causing Jareth's gaze to narrow as he watched her intently. Giggling merrily, she continued to beg, "Please! I promise I've learned the lesson never to make silly wagers with Fae Kings. I will never again drink tequila. I won't even consider another body shots game. And I will never gamble over fantasies."
Somehow, in the process of being silly and begging Jareth to negate the debt, Sarah found her embarrassment had eased. However, had she been watching Jareth's face, Sarah would have seen his eyes darken and a sultry smirk replace the teasing smile. Although oblivious to his look, she heard the shift in his tone when he continued, his voice a seductive purr that made her stomach tremble and her heart flutter wildly in her chest.
"Hmm…Perhaps. However I think there is one lesson you have not yet learned," he purred. "I hardly think girls who tease mercilessly with no intent to follow through are deserving of the mercy of the crown. Do you, Sarah?"
"In fact," he drawled darkly, "I think it only fair that you consider how to make amends for the teasing, Pet."
Sarah felt a moan threaten to sneak past her lips at his words, her stomach flip-flopping within her as goosebumps suddenly raced willy-nilly over her flesh. Sitting back, still on the floor near his feet, Sarah pulled her robe around herself and looked up at him.
I can give you ten different ideas for how to make amends, gasped her libido as mental images began flitting through Sarah's head like a sex-fueled slideshow. Hell….give me a few minutes and I'm sure I could come up with at least 100!
"I hardly think that is fair," Sarah retorted, cursing herself for how breathy her voice sounded. "After all, you were doing as much teasing as I was last night, Jareth."
Raising an elegant eyebrow, Jareth studied her before answering, his clipped response, while quiet, hinting at sensuality that was only barely being restrained, "I was and still am, quite happy to fulfill all promises inherent in my teasing, Sarah. Can the same be said for you?"
Blushing, Sarah gawped at him, her mouth opening and closing as she determined how to answer.
Say yes! Demanded her libido.
Please the fifth! Argued her inner-voice. Don't incriminate yourself!
Sarah's actual response not only left both her libido and inner-self speechless, but the Goblin King as well.
"I didn't hint at anything I wasn't perfectly willing to do, Goblin King," she purred quietly. "Had the tequila not finished me off, I sincerely doubt we would be having this or any other conversation at the moment. In fact, I strongly suspect that had things gone the way either of us had hoped, we would neither one be in any shape to speak, much less move at this point."
I like the way the girl thinks! Muttered his libido with a hungry grin, while Jareth looked on in surprise. He had honestly thought her actions of the previous night were all a matter of false bravado and nothing more. Clearly, there was more to Sarah than he expected.
…And I plan to spend a very long time exploring what other surprises she has in store.
Pushing up from the floor, Sarah leaned lightly against her desk as she looked at him, her green eyes a sultry beacon that drew his attention in a way nothing else could. Flicking her tongue over her suddenly very dry lips, Sarah almost couldn't believe it when her mouth opened and she continued to speak.
"As for making amends … I'll make amends for teasing you, only if you make amends to me as well – with interest, since you actually started teasing me six years ago, and don't think I don't remember you taunting me in the tunnels just before you set those damn cleaners on me. Add to that the torturous dreams you've been sending, and well…I definitely think you owe me."
Jareth felt a rumble of desire spring to life in his chest, like the purr of a great cat about to feast upon a delectable morsel – and Sarah was a very delectable morsel, even wrapped in the purple travesty of a bathrobe (one which his libido was already suggesting should be bogged immediately, in favor of 'Sarah 'au natural'
As Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, she cocked her head looking intently at him, her eyes dancing wickedly. With a look she goaded him, her defiance palpable in the confined space of the room. Her very look and posture spoke volumes, making him want nothing more than to take her in hand and remind her just who had power over whom. Deep down, he could feel the pulse of desire that came from her telling him that is exactly what she wanted – his strength, her defiance, together in a volatile explosion of absolute need. The feeling and mental images it invited were enough to make him speechless for the second time in so many minutes.
Shaking his head to force the images of Sarah writhing beneath him from his mind, Jareth smirked, his lips teasing over pointed teeth.
All the better to taste you with my dear… snarled his libido, fairly bursting with the desire to rush her and taste every bit of her, knowing her defiant nature would make her eventual surrender that much sweeter.
One slow step in the small room took him to her, and he could feel the heat of her washing over him, a powerful torrent that made his blood race within him.
"The dreams weren't from me, Precious. They are the result of your own desires. Your own fantasies," he drawled, his lips drawing nearer to her ear, while his tone dropped lower. Although his words were low, the intent was crystal clear as the meaning burrowed into her heart and her soul accepted their truth. "A product of your own unrelenting…lust," he said, rolling the last word over his tongue as if savoring the very taste of it.
Sarah shivered in spite of herself.
She hadn't considered that the dreams were figments of her own desire for him, a desire she had tried fruitlessly to hide from herself ever since the first fantasy had invaded her sleep shortly after her 16th birthday.
Sarah felt his arms pass around her, pulling her close. The feel of his firm build against her chest calling out to her body, her very blood seeming to sing as it flowed through her. Jareth's fingers tipped her chin upward before his lips captured hers tenderly, yet beneath the gentle embrace and seemingly chaste kiss, a thread of intense desire thrummed with tantalizing nearness. As he pulled back, Sarah's lips followed his, unwilling to release him yet, she sought more. And then, when she felt her heart and lungs would burst, she broke the kiss, leaving them both wanting and waiting for more.
"There you go," she rasped, an impish grin flashing across her face, "Your kiss for today."
Sliding out of his arms, she laughed mischievously at the somewhat astonished look he gave her as she headed for the door. Jareth reached out, a firm hand grasping her wrist and pulling her back into his embrace once more, his voice a sensual growl that electrified her senses, "And just where do you think you are going, Precious?"
Leaning up, Sarah giggled and playfully licked the tip of the Goblin King's nose, biting back a laugh at the incredulous look he gave her.
"I am going into the hall to retrieve the toy that Carrie was so kind as to go flashing around. Even if you didn't send the dreams, I ordered it. It is mine."
The feeling of his teeth grazing the skin under her ear set her skin ablaze while her libido dissolved into a shuddering hormonal puddle of lust. "Say the words Sarah, and you could have the real thing."
For an instant her brain seemed to seize up. She could almost hear her internal circuitry fizzling as it overloaded with images of just what 'saying the words' might lead to. And she liked what her mind had to suggest on the matter.
Grasping at the last bit of self-restraint she had, Sarah darted free of his arms once more. Sliding out the door, she poked her head around to look at Jareth, a wicked smile playing over her full lips as she winked at him.
"Who says I have to settle for either or? What if my fantasy is to have both?"
In shutting the door she missed a sight that no one Aboveground or below had seen in…well…ever - the Goblin King's mouth agape in gob-smacked astonishment.
… Definitely my equal…. He thought with a devilish smirk as he began to think of all the different ways he would happily help her fantasy come true.
Mate, if you don't manage to keep that girl this time, I'll never speak to you again, snapped his libido. I don't care if you have to chain her to your bed, she stays this time. End of story. Period.
… She is surprising me often enough, I suspect she might actually enjoy that – not that it would be a bad thing.
The inner conversation ended there, as Jareth's libido was overwhelmed by the idea of Sarah willingly chained to his bed and all of the sultry fun that could be had with a warm and willing Champion in such a position.
Slipping back into the room, Sarah gave him a cheeky grin as she tucked the garishly colored toy under her pillow, "Whether you sent the dreams or not, it is probably best to keep this close at hand."
"The real thing would be much more satisfying, Sarah," he purred in promise, mismatched eyes darkening as he spoke, "…for everyone involved."
Sarah's libido took this moment to join the conversation once more by flashing mental images of just how a naked Jareth might compare to the toy, and there really was no comparison. The pictures were so good they made Sarah pause and blush hotly. Yet, for some odd reason, she found her stomach fluttered and her mouth began to water.
… What the hell is that about?
Seeing him start toward her, Sarah giggled coquettishly and backed toward her dresser.
"Oh no…you stay over there buster. I still want breakfast and if you have your way we'll never get out of this room," Sarah laughed, turning to pull clothes out of the dresser.
Ignoring her entreaty, Jareth closed in once more, his arms entwining around her and pulling her back firmly against his body as his lips found the sensitive flesh of her neck. He breathed deep, a purr rumbling from his chest at the scent of vanilla and citrus that seemed to glide over her ivory skin.
"Hmm…having my way…with you…. is exactly what I want. Besides, would staying in here, with me, be such a bad thing, Pet?"
Sarah allowed herself to lean into his embrace, basking in the warmth of his arms and chest as she considered his question. There were good reasons to give in and accept his clear offer. But, if she was honest with herself, there were just as many reasons not to, not the least of which was the question that had kept her in check so far – Just why is he here?
Ravish him already! Ordered her libido.
Hmm…judging from his words and actions, I'd be hard-pressed to say who would be ravishing whom, countered her inner-voice.
… Does it really matter?
Not a bit, drooled her libido, so long as someone is getting ravished and both of you are naked.
Grinning she shook her head at him, "Nope. There will be no distracting me with ballrooms, peaches, songs or gilded promises this time Goblin King. Breakfast before anything else. I'm not going to let you trick me with anymore loopholes."
"And after breakfast…?" he whispered, his sharp teeth tugging at her earlobe in a way that made her tremble delightfully against him.
"Dessert of course," she gasped softly. "But only if you are good."
Chuckling the Goblin King held a shining crystal before her eyes, and watched as she was transfixed by the shifting movement of flesh on flesh that shimmered in the depths of glittering orb.
"Precious, I would be only too glad to show you just how good I can be."