Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, Jareth or Sarah. But I would happily snog Jareth within an inch of his unnaturally long life if ever given the chance. Just sayin!
I also don't own 'Skeep' the gender-confused goblin (he belongs to the most wonderful Lixxle) but he does get an honorable mention in this story.
Warning: This is a silly story. Please do not attempt anything you read here at home. The goblins are not professionals, but they are goblins, which is why they aren't dead from doing what they do.
The S'mores Incident (AKA: Flaming Marshmallows of Love)
An out of sequence chapter for "Life With the Goblin King: What Happened Before – Sarah, age 19)
Written as a gift fic/Halloween chapter for AutumnSwanO'Shea from the jdbfangirlharem. :)
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Chapter 6: Flaming Marshmallows of Love
Sarah gasped as her feet felt solid ground beneath them once more. Opening her eyes, she looked down, seeing the familiar dark stone of the castle beyond the Goblin City. Leaning back from Jareth, a rapt smile washing over her face as she took in the sight before her – they were standing on a parapet at the highest point of the castle and below them stretching out as far as the eye could see in all directions was the Goblin Kingdom.
She had been up here with him on the night of her 18th birthday. She knew that this was where he came to think, the only way to this particular parapet was to be transported or fly, so it was the really the only place in the kingdom where they would be completely and utterly alone and undisturbed – a thought that worried her inner-self and thrilled her libido no end.
"Now then," came the sultry purr from near her ear. "Before I collect on the debt you owe me, I want to make one thing clear to you, Precious. This Brad fellow from tonight…."
Sarah nodded as she looked up at him, her attention held fast by the soul-bearing look he gave her, his normally mismatched eyes twin onyx orbs that shimmered in the ethereal moonlight that shone over the Goblin City. He didn't need to hold her chin in his gloved fingers, because at that particular moment in time, she couldn't tear her gaze from his even if she wanted to – and she didn't. No. At this moment, her only wish was to lose herself in his eyes forever, because that wasn't very long at all.
"Brad was the last, Sarah. The last other than me to touch you. To kiss you. To be with you," Jareth explained, his voice low and deep, each word carefully crafted to drive home the meaning in such a way as to make it indisputable. "I have been more than generous over the years, letting you attempt relationships with these various louts. None of whom, I might add, are deserving of you. However my patience is at an end. No more, Sarah. I have waited too long and I am done with it."
Jareth ran his thumb lightly over her lower lip as he looked at her, his eyes wary as he waited for her reaction. For her part, Sarah was struck speechless.
Her libido was drooling happily in a corner, drowning thanks to the hormonal haze left over from Jareth's kiss at the party, and didn't mind the idea that he was effectively forbidding her to continue dating others. Sarah herself wasn't overly upset by the idea either, having experienced numerous failed 'relationships', relationships that she knew deep down failed because they were not him.
He's got some nerve, grumbled her inner-voice, before it was soundly thrashed by her libido who came out of its hormonal daze long enough to hog-tie the potentially troublesome inner-voice and hide it in a dusty, long forgotten corner of Sarah's mind.
Your inner-voice won't be bothering you anymore tonight, grinned her libido, with a lusty purr. So, rather than giving this another thought, I strongly suggest you wrap your fingers in his hair and seal the deal with a kiss.
Although Sarah wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers once more, she sighed, knowing that her inner-voice did have a point. Turning, Sarah extricated herself from his arms, to lean against the parapet wall, letting her gaze wash over the buildings dotted below them, as she tried to collect her thoughts. She felt him step toward her, his arms framing hers, the heavy folds of the cloak falling forward to drape around them as they stood, looking out over the kingdom.
Jareth remained silent, giving her time to process his edict, for that is what it was. He knew that she might balk, but in the end, he hoped she would see that it was for the best and more importantly, it was time.
"I'm not property, Jareth. You have no right to forbid me to date if I want to," she began, sliding her hand into his as it rested against the balustrade. "I have one question before I answer fully… why now?"
She felt his cheek come to rest against hers, his back pressing close to her in an intimate and warming embrace.
"Because, Precious, I will not run the risk of another hurting you as Brad surely would have done had I not intervened." Sarah turned toward him, her mouth open to object, when he silenced her with a gloved finger placed lightly across her lips. "No, Sarah. There is no arguing this point. And you are missing one important aspect of what I said at the party. While you are surely mine, I am also yours. So ask yourself, do you really want to continue to date oafs who don't make you feel the way I do?"
Sarah felt her heart thump loudly in her chest at his words, while her libido went squealing ecstatically through her mind. Wrapping her arms around his back, Sarah let her head rest against the hard leather of his breastplate, drinking in his scent, a smell that spoke to both her heart and soul and had for as long as she had known him.
"No, I don't," she whispered, simply. "They can't hold a candle to you."
Chuckling, he held her closely, shaking his head as he looked down at her defiant green eyes. "If you knew that, then why did you insist upon wasting your time on them?"
"I needed to know for sure, so I had to try," she sighed, snuggling further into his embrace.
"And now, Precious?"
"There is only you," came the quiet reply. Sarah felt her very soul shiver at the admission and knew without a doubt it was true.
"As it should be," he smiled, tipping her lips upward. "And now I will collect the debt you owe me," Jareth purred, before his lips caressed hers once more.
Jareth's warm breath danced over her, as his lips lightly caressed hers, teasing her with hints of the depth of sensation they could unleash in her if he so chose. The ghost-like touch of his lips against hers made her arch toward him, desperately wanting more.
…Oh Gods…I could kiss him forever….
Not long at all, moaned her libido, for once having very little else to say.
Feeling her reaction against him, Jareth slid his lips away from hers, eliciting a yearning moan from her, as his lips trailed burning kisses along her neck, the heat of them searing her heart, until her very soul seemed to erupt in an exhilarating burst of white-hot flames. Just as suddenly as his lips were gone from hers, they were back, demanding in their intensity as his tongue thrust sharply against hers, sharp teeth grazing against her tongue as she returned the kiss with a fervor she had not know she harbored.
Breathless and panting they parted, arms still wound around each other in a tangled embrace, as their hearts pounded a syncopated rhythm of desire, restrained though it was. Leaning her head against his shoulder, Sarah gasped, the feeling of his lips still burning up hers as she tried to collect the myriad of thoughts that were racing through her head, while her rational mind threatened to shut down entirely, an idea that her libido supported whole-heartedly.
"So…what does this make us?" she gasped, trying to still the frantic pounding of her heart as it threatened to break free of her chest and throw itself from the parapet in a euphoric daze. The deep chuckle that erupted in his chest tickled her ear as it pressed against him.
"Friends…with benefits…" he drawled in a silkily teasing tone, laughing and gripping her tighter as she squirmed, swatting at his back.
"Jareth! You know I never…I can't…I…" she stammered, feeling her face flush hotter than she thought possible.
The chuckle rumbled around them upon the parapet, as he pulled her tighter into his embrace. No matter how many times he made her blush, he still relished having that effect upon her. Teasing her was always amusing and he planned to continue doing so for many years to come – forever in fact.
"Hush, Precious. I know what you meant and you forget one important thing. I am unable to take anything that is not freely offered and I do, in fact, mean anything."
WOOT! Squealed her libido sounding for all the world like a deranged piglet, but then again, at the moment, her libido was feeling more than a bit piggish, as it greedily wanted more of Jareth's kisses, touches, well…anything and everything, which was far more than Sarah herself wanted – yet.
"Oh," breathed Sarah, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she nestled closer to him.
Lightly brushing his lips over her forehead, Jareth smiled. "While I have lost my patience for watching you torture yourself with other men…" he said the word as if it pained him to do so. "I will wait patiently until you are fully ready and wanting to surrender all to me. As to what that makes us, I believe the term is 'courting', dearest."
"Oh," whispered Sarah again, cursing her lack of eloquence at such a crucial moment.
Sarah sighed contentedly, finally allowing herself to fully enjoy the warmth and comfort inherent in his embrace. Unfortunately, her contentment was cut short by a strange electric buzzing sensation that seemed to seep upward from the stones they stood on, until her whole body felt like it was vibrating.
Jareth groaned. "Trouble…"
"In the throne room," she finished, frowning.
Lifting her face upward toward his, Jareth gave her a puzzled look, a wicked grin teasing at the corners of his mouth. "How do you know that, Precious?"
"I…um…" Sarah shrugged, not really sure how she knew. "I don't know. I've been able to feel when there was goblin mischief afoot in the castle for awhile now. It has just never been so strong. I guess whatever it is they are up to, it must be horrific this time."
Jareth raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a mysterious smirk, knowing full well that her sensing the goblin's antics had little to do with the level of mayhem they were creating, and more to do with the fact that she was accepting that she belonged to him and the kingdom.
"Come, Love. Let us see what the little cretins are up to now," he purred, his lips grazing hers once more as he released a crystal and transported them into the throne room.
Sarah and Jareth materialized in front of the throne, just as a rotund goblin by the name of Belch lept from the top of the throne bellowing - "Fire!"
As Belch hit the floor on his stomach, he thrust his hands hands over his head, holding onto his striped sock hat, while a volley of flaming white balls filled the air. Sarah watched, horrified by the sight of flaming marshmallows being fired from multiple directions at once, all seemingly aimed at the throne.
Then they hit.
A series of sickeningly wet smacks heralded the arrival of the flaming marshmallows as they struck home. Unfortunately, the targets they hit were not the targets they had been aiming for. Instead of landing upon the groups of goblins firing from opposing sides of the room, every last volley landed upon either Jareth or Sarah as they stood at the base of the throne.
"CEASE AND DESIST AT ONCE YOU IMBECILES!" roared Jareth, his face contorting in rage.
Sarah was nearly beside herself trying to keep from laughing as a sticky glob of melting marshmallow slid down the side of the king's face, landing with a damp 'plop' on his shoulder.
The goblins froze, staring at their king and 'The Lady' who were now covered in sticky mounds of molten marshmallow.
"King want firey food too?" asked Runt, bravely poking his head out of the empty ale barrel in which he sought cover from the flaming onslaught.
"What are you cretins doing?" the king demanded, the steel edge of his voice making clear that he would brook no insolence or resistance to his command.
"Making firey food like Lady," explained Squint, who appeared to be smearing a charred marshmallow that was more a candidate for carbon-dating than food, onto what looked suspiciously like part of a broken roofing tile.
Frowning in confusion, Jareth pinned Sarah in place with an icy glare. "Like the Lady?" he asked, his jaw twitching. "Care to explain why you thought it a good idea to suggest that my goblins fling flaming food in my throne room, Sarah," he demanded, stressing her name in a way that not only said he meant business, but clearly stated that her answer had better be good.
Sarah looked at him blankly, her mind whirling as she tried to figure out a way to explain.
"Hmm…flaming sugar pillows," commented Skeep, scooping some of the sticky goo from Sarah's dress and happily licking his finger. "Furry," he added, looking at the purple velvet fluff that was coating his finger and the sugar, before sticking his finger back in his mouth, much to Sarah's amusement.
Seeing Jareth dotted with globs of sticky marshmallow, Sarah peeked around the room and noticed clumps of marshmallow creeping lazily down the walls and even dripping from the ceiling. She tried desperately to keep from smiling, and failed miserably. The flicker of a smile led to a giggle and pretty soon, Sarah was holding her sides, leaning against the throne and howling with laughter, much to Jareth's annoyance.
Jareth glared at her as she laughed, her emerald eyes watering as she looked at him, before dissolving into another gale of giggles. Raising his eyebrow, his lips curled into a fierce smirk, he waited for her to get control of herself. Gasping, she finally calmed down enough to speak, her voice cracking and shaking as she continued to fight the giggles. Not that it mattered any, her explanation didn't make much sense.
"It isn't my fault. Patty ate all of the Halloween candy, so I let the trick-or-treaters make 'smores instead. The goblins must have seen us and decided flaming food looked like fun."
"They what?" he growled, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation as another blob of half-melted marshmallow dropped from the ceiling and landed with a soft splat against his other shoulder.
Leaning toward him, Sarah ran her finger through the marshmallow on his shoulder. With a cheeky grin she slipped the finger into her mouth and sucked at the marshmallow.
"Hmm….sweet," she purred, her emerald eyes sparkling impishly at him.
"You'll keep, Pet," came the darkly teasing threat.
Laughing, Sarah winked at him. "Let me handle this." Sarah turned and bellowed – "NO MORE FLAMING FOOD! UNDERSTOOD?"
Her order was greeted with a chorus of 'Yes, Lady's and protests. Turning back to Jareth she grinned broadly at him, a wicked smile dancing in her eyes. "Satisfied?"
Jareth surveyed her through hooded eyes grown instantly dark as a series of thoughts fought for dominance in his mind, "Hardly, Precious….unless you have more to offer."
Sarah rolled her eyes, shoving his shoulder lightly as she blushed at his meaning. "Be good. You know what I meant."
"Oh Precious, you have no idea how good I can be, but I would be more than happy to show you," he purred, a seductively smug smile playing over his lips.
She giggled, trying to reconcile the Goblin King trying to flirt with her while covered in half-melted marshmallow goo. Looking around the room, she surprised him when she suddenly yelled, "Clean this mess up. NOW!" She grinned as the goblins sprung to life, beginning to scrape molten marshmallow from the walls and dismantling the mini-trebuchets they had been using to fling the marshmallows around the throne room.
"Hm…you do have a way with my subjects," he chuckled.
Sarah opened her mouth to fire back – I'd rather have my way with their king – but the words refused to come out. Jareth smirked at her, raising a questioning eyebrow at her, a look that suggested he knew what she wanted to say, and was merely waiting to see if she had the courage to follow through with it. She didn't, (much to her libido's dismay).
Lightly fingering a blot of marshmallow clinging to the ends of his hair, Sarah chuckled, "I wish I could fix this for you."
- SPLASH! -
Blinking rapidly, it took Sarah a moment to register that they were no longer in the throne room. Looking down she moaned, Oh shit!
Instead of standing in the throne room, she and Jareth were now chest deep in a bathtub full of hot water and bubbles. Blushing, she soon realized that the pleasantly warm sensation she felt was due not only to the water, but the fact that she was naked in the water. More specifically, upon looking around, she realized she was naked in Jareth's bathtub. Sarah blushed further when it occurred to her that if she was now naked in the water, chances were very good that Jareth was too.
Her libido for once was speechless, having collapsed in a shocked hormonal heap at the mere idea of being naked in the same place as Jareth – something her libido has been hoping for and encouraging since she first ended up in his bathroom on her 16th birthday. Although she and Jareth had ended up in his bathtub twice before, they were always clothed, so being naked anywhere around Jareth was both exciting and horrendously disturbing at the same time.
"You did this on purpose," Sarah muttered, crossing her legs beneath the bubbles as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Jareth, having quickly recovered from the shock of being deposited in his own bathtub, with Sarah, naked, reclined casually against the edge of the tub with a supercilious smirk as he watched her reaction.
"I'm afraid not, Precious. This was all your doing."
Wrapping her arms tighter about herself, Sarah glared at him, her eyes snapping in irritation. "I most certainly did not wish myself into your bath, with you, sans clothing!" she snapped with an indignant sniff.
"And I quote – 'I wish I could fix this for you'," chuckled Jareth, his eyes dancing mischievously as he smiled at her. "Ringing any bells, Sarah Dearest?"
Sarah gawped at him, her mouth opening and closing as she processed this.
…Damn…it is my fault! She moaned inwardly.
"Do me a favor," she grumbled, "Teach your pet Labyrinth not to take liberties with my wishes."
Jareth clucked his tongue at her, winking. "Well perhaps if you would be more specific, these things would stop happening to you. This is what… the third time you have managed to wish us both into my bath? I'm starting to think you have some unresolved or suppressed issues involving you, me, lots of bubbles and this particular bathtub," he teased, letting his gaze wash over her shoulders, down to where the bubbles licked enticingly at her chest.
Catching his gaze, Sarah blushed, shrinking further into the water, while her libido gave a seductive shimmy of absolute joy, complete with a come hither look that said, "Get it here" – much to Sarah's chagrin.
"I do not," she protested weakly, a sheepish look crossing her face as her libido loudly screamed, "She does so!"
Smirking, Jareth flicked his tongue over pointy teeth, something that always made Sarah shiver and her libido melt – and today was no exception.
"So, I suppose you are going to demand that I turn around so you can get out or send you home immediately, as per usual?" he huffed in mock annoyance. Seeing her hesitate, emerald eyes darting from the bubbles in front of her, to his face and back again, a flash of hopefulness crept into his pale eyes.
"Think again glitter-boy," she teased, grinning impishly at the brief look of surprise that flickered in his eyes, before he schooled it back into his usual taunting display. "I'll stay. But only if you at least poof in my own swimsuit from home," she added, wanting to keep some semblance of modesty.
With a flourish Jareth conjured a crystal and lobbed it at her, clothing her in her favorite bikini. Of course, she didn't say anything about what he had to wear, and if she insisted in calling him a boy, he would happily prove to her how wrong it was.
Jareth smirked knowingly.
Someday he would learn not to underestimate her - and she would learn not to be vague.
…Until then, let the games continue, grinned his inner-self.
Indeed.