Okay, so this chapter is kind of lame and sort of meh-ish if you ask me, but I guess it serves its purpose. Um...yeah, so...anyway...yeah. I probably should flesh this chapter out some more before I publish it, but I'm too lazy to do that, not to mention too eager to get to what comes next, so yeah, lol. Um...bleh.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
The next day, Rory went and rode her bike in the park with her best friend Kasey, and as they rode, Rory told Kasey about her mother and Jareth King.
"Okay," Kasey said when Rory finished, "but what does any of this have to do with you or me?"
Rory stopped her bike, and Kasey skidded a bit as she quickly did the same, then backed up a little so she was next to Rory, who looked around as if to make sure nobody was listening before leaning across the space between them to whisper conspiratorally.
"I wanna go find him and bring him back," she said.
"What?! Are you crazy? What even gave you that idea?"
"Oh, come on, Kasey, it'll be fun! Just think of it, our very own adventure!"
"Wait, you mean you want me to come with you? No way! My parents would never—Your mom wouldn't, either!"
"You think this is something we're actually gonna tell them about?" Rory asked, quirking an eyebrow quizically.
"You don't even know where this guy is! How the heck would we even go about finding him, where would we look?"
"In Los Angeles! Duh! Mom said he always wanted to live there when he was younger!"
"How would we even get there? Because I'll tell you right now, we can't just ride our bikes to California!"
"We wouldn't ride our bikes, dummy, we'd take the bus. I think we've got enough saved up between the two of us."
"And once we got there, how would we find him, huh?"
"Um, hell-ooooooo, Earth to Kasey! Ever heard of YellowPages?"
"What if he doesn't remember your mom, huh? What then?"
"We'll take a picture to show him. Of the two of them together."
Kasey narrowed her eyes at Rory in a somewhat suspicious fashion.
"How is it possible that you've already got all this planned out to a T?" she asked.
"Never underestimate the power of my mind, Kasey. So? Are you in, or what?" Rory replied.
Kasey sighed. "Okay, fine, you win. But how are we gonna get away to do it?"
"Don't worry about that part. I've got an idea that I think will work. Now, listen closely, 'cause I'll only say this once..."
A few days later, Kasey packed a bag and told her parents she was going over to spend the night at Rory's house. Rory had already packed some things into her faded blue-and-white striped backpack and secretly snatched a picture of Sarah and Jareth out of a photo album. She had put the picture in her wallet, which then went into the zippered pouch on the front of her backpack. The girls went to bed at their usual time the same way they always did when one of them spent the night with the other, going through all their typical bedtime rituals and things. When Sarah came in to check on them before going to bed herself, they both feigned sleep, and Sarah fell for it, quietly shutting the door behind herself as she left. The girls lay there in the dark for the next twenty minutes or so, waiting until they were absolutely sure that Sarah would be asleep, then they got up, got dressed, grabbed their bags, and climbed out the window, then took off running down the street toward the nearest bus station.
Rory Williams and Kasey Anderson were on a mission, and nothing was going to stop them until they'd achieved their goal.
"Stop!" Tony shouted over the noise. Jareth couldn't help but let out a sigh and roll his eyes as he and the rest of the band stopped playing. He wondered vaguely what Tony was going to complain about now. It was always something with him; Jareth was hitting the chords wrong, Drew was banging his drums too loudly or too softly, somebody was in the wrong octave; it just went on and on and on...
"God, Tony, what the hell is it now?" Cody demanded.
"Don't blame me, blame Jareth!" Tony retorted. "He's the one who suddenly can't tell a sharp from a flat!"
"Aw, come on, dude, don't be like that!" Drew protested. "The guy just broke up with his girlfriend, give him a break!"
"Break-ups happen, Drew, they're part of life. Besides, it was like a whole week ago! Jareth, suck it up, man. Look, I feel for you, alright, honest, but we've got a gig in like two hours, we have to be ready!"
"Peyton leaving was no great loss for me," Jareth said in a monotone. "I don't know why I put up with her as long as I did, she was a despicable human being."
"Good, then—Wait, if you're so relieved to be rid of her, why the fuck are you so out of it today? Get it together, man! Snap the hell out of it, we need you to focus!"
Jareth swatted Tony's hand away as the other man snapped his fingers in his face. Tony kept ranting at him, but Jareth autonomously tuned him out, letting his eyes wander to take in his surroundings.
They were in Drew's basement, where posters of various bands and solo artists from across the years were plastered all over the walls, along with pictures of the four of them performing and waiting backstage to go on. Small pieces of trash and things littered the floor, and half-empty bottles of beer sat on top of the trashy little coffee table that was down there. There was a fridge in one corner that made an incessant humming sound all the time, but Jareth was so used to it by that point that it was really nothing more than background noise to him. A couple years ago, when they had first started using the basement as their practice space, Cody and Drew had teamed up to spray paint the band's logo on one of the walls. It was done in a sort of grayish-blue color with the outlines in a crisp black. The "O" wasn't an "O" at all; it was a crudely done skull. And there was a lightning bolt in the middle of the "G."
The Underground.
That was what it said. Just those two words, the band's name. He didn't know what had compelled them to pick that, but for whatever reason, they had all agreed upon it, so that was what they were called. Oh, God, would Tony ever shut up?
'Fuck this,' Jareth thought. He lifted his guitar strap over his head, placing the instrument on its stand and heading for the stairs on the other side of the room.
"Dude, where the hell are you going?! We've gotta practice!" Tony exclaimed.
"I can't deal with this shit right now, Tony, I'm getting a headache," Jareth replied. "I'll be back later, alright? Just...practice without me for now."
"Jareth, what—Get your ass back here or you're out of the band, you hear me?! Jareth! Jareth!"
He ignored Tony's threats and protests as he made his way up the stairs and out of Drew's house. He was surprised at how late it was. Must have lost track of time while they were practicing. The sun was already beginning to set as he started making his way down the street with his hands shoved in his pockets. It was still incredibly hot, though. That was one thing he hated about living in California; the heat. Especially in the summer. It was part of why he had decided to wear a tank and faded denim vest today. (That, and because he hadn't worn one in a while and felt like showing off the tattoo on his arm.) He didn't know how long he walked for, but it was a while, he knew that. He'd decided that he didn't much care whether or not Tony made good on his threat to kick him out of the band. He just needed to get away from the guys and have some time to himself to think and clear his head.
He was snapped out of his thoughts and musings rather abruptly at the sound of a car horn blasting. He turned and saw two young teenage girls in the middle of the street—with a car headed straight for them. He acted without thinking, racing out into the street and grabbing each girl by the backpack she was wearing, pulling them both to safety just before the car went past.
"Are you out of your minds?!" he demanded. "You could have been killed! What were you thinking?!"
"We didn't realize—" the brunette began. "I mean...We thought we could make it before any cars came."
Jareth sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Next time," he said, "just...look for a crosswalk like normal people do."
He turned and began heading off, but had barely taken five steps when one of them said, "Wait. Are you...Are you Jareth King?"
He stopped in his tracks and let out another sigh before turning to face them. "Let me guess," he said, "you've seen my band play somewhere. Was it the hair that gave me away? I've been told I have very distinct hair."
"Um...yeah, we...we saw your band play. Actually..."
She slid her backpack down her arm and opened it up, pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper and holding it up for him to see. "We were thinking about going to tonight's show, too," she said. "So we could meet you."
"Yes, well, it seems that there's no need for you to go to it now, is there? Besides, I'm not sure I'll be permitted to perform tonight, anyway. Tony threatened to kick me out of the band for leaving in the middle of a rehearsal earlier."
He frowned thoughtfully. "What your names?" he asked.
"Rory Williams," the brunette said. "And this is my best friend, Kasey Anderson."
"What are you, thirteen? Fourteen?"
"Thirteen. We, um...we...we were..."
"No, wait, let me guess. You ran away from home or something and came to L.A. because you decided you wanted to be groupies, or backup singers, or some other sort of shit like that, and you'd heard about how there are all sorts of fledgling bands in this city, is that it?"
"Something like that..." Kasey said.
Jareth sighed and shook his head.
"Rory, Kasey," he said. "Let me tell you something. I've seen my fair share of girls like you. The story never ends well. You'll end up pregnant at a young age, or on drugs, or in a bad relationship you can't get out of, or on the streets, or you'll get AIDS, or some other kind of shit will happen, and then one day, you'll wake up, and you'll wonder what the absolute hell you were thinking when you decided to run away. And believe me when I tell you that it is never worth it in the end. You'll be full of regrets, you'll wonder where the hell you went wrong and how things got so bad so fast, and there won't be anything you can do to fix things. It'll be a lot better in the long run if you just turn around and go back to wherever it is you came from right now and save yourselves all the trouble, alright? Trust me on this."
"Is that what happened to you?" Kasey asked.
Jareth stared at them for a moment, then let out a quiet, humorless laugh and shook his head slightly.
"Look," he said, "just take my word for it. It's not worth it. Go home while you still can."
"Yeah, um, see...that's the thing, though," Rory said. "We kind of can't. Like, at all."
"What do you mean?"
"We spent all our money on bus fare getting here."
Jareth sighed and pinched bridge of his nose. "Of course you did," he muttered, then let out another sigh. "Alright," he said, "then tell me this, do you have anywhere safe to stay?"
"We didn't exactly plan that far ahead," Kasey replied.
"No, of course you didn't, why would you?" Jareth said.
Kasey frowned at this, but Jareth ignored it.
"Alright, fine," he said. "You can come with me and stay at my apartment for the night, but only for the night. Tomorrow morning, we're going to figure out a way to get you home, is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," the girls chorused.
"Good, then follow me."
He led them through the streets back to his apartment, and when they got to the door, he pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked it, then tossed the keychain on the coffee table as the girls followed him inside. "It's a mess right now," he said, "but everything functions as it should, so I don't complain."
"You think this is a mess?" Kasey said. "Ha! You should see my brother's room!"
"So you live here by yourself?" Rory asked.
"Yes," Jareth replied. "My ex just moved out recently, so I'm alone again."
The phone suddenly started ringing, and Jareth made a sound in the back of his throat that was something like a growl. "Great," he muttered. "Probably Tony. This is just what I need right now." He stalked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone off the table, rejecting the call without even bothering to check the caller I.D., then going back into the main room of the apartment and looking around for a moment before going over to the coffee table and pulling it out of its usual spot. He shoved it up against the wall, then went back over to the couch and started pulling all the cushions off, throwing them carelessly over his shoulder.
"Sheets and blankets are in the back of the bedroom closet," he said, pointing at the bedroom door. "Go get some, and bring a couple of the spare pillows that are in there, too."
The girls looked at each other, shrugged, then set their backpacks down and went off in the direction he had pointed. While they were doing that, Jareth pulled out the bed that was hidden inside the couch, and when the girls came back with what he had requested, he put everything on the bed, then stood up straight and pushed some hair out of his face.
"There you go," he said, then pointed at the other door in the room. "Bathroom's through there if you need it. And...I think that's everything. I tend to sleep pretty late, so on the very likely chance that you're up before me, help yourselves to whatever food you find in the kitchen. And, um...yeah. That's about it. So...I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll get everything figured out, get you both back home."
So saying, he turned and began heading for the bedroom.
"Jareth?" Rory said.
He stopped and turned around.
She stared at him for a moment.
"I just...I guess I just wanted to say thanks. For helping us out, I mean."
"...Right. Yeah, sure. No problem."
And with that, he went into his room and closed the door.
Jareth woke up the next day to the sound of the TV from the other side of the door and wondered for a moment what the hell was going on before he remembered Rory and Kasey. He groaned, then sighed and forced himself out of bed, grabbing a random pair of sweatpants off the floor and pulling them on before heading out of the bedroom. He ignored the girls' eyes on him as he walked across the main room and into the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a turkey wrap from a deli down the street. He bit into it and just savored the taste for a moment before closing the fridge and taking his food back into the main room.
"Alright," he said, "first thing's first. Where are you two from?"
The girls looked at each other, then back at Jareth, and Rory mumbled something incoherent.
"Beg pardon?" Jareth said.
"Virginia," Rory repeated.
"Good God, you're a long way from home!" Jareth exclaimed.
"Yeah, and, um...we might not have been totally honest with you yesterday."
"...What do you mean?"
"We didn't run away from home to be groupies or whatever. We've also never seen your band play."
"...Then why did you run away? And how the hell did you know who I was if you've never—"
"Do you remember the girl you dated like fifteen years ago and then had to break up with when your family moved away? Sarah Williams?"
"...What do you know about Sarah Williams?"
"She's my mom."
"...I'm sorry...what?"
"Yeah, she, um...she—"
"She can't possibly have a thirteen-year-old daughter," he interrupted. "That would have to mean that you were born when she was only—"
"Seventeen, yeah. Um...Yeah, my dad broke up with her when she told him, and then he moved away before I was born. She says he was a prick, so...yeah."
"What...I don't...Wait. How do I even know you're telling the truth?"
"Would I make up shit like that? Besides, what reason do I have to lie?"
"I...Point taken, I suppose."
The phone rang. Jareth stood there with his turkey wrap in his hand, all but forgotten, staring at Rory in disbelief.
"Aren't you gonna answer that?" Kasey asked, pointing at the phone.
"No," Jareth replied shortly. "Let it ring for all I care. Listen to me, I have questions for you, and I want answers, understand? What are you doing here? What's the real reason you came?"
"To find you," Rory said. "Mom misses you. Like, a lot. I thought that...Well...I thought that maybe you could come back to Virginia with us to see her. I have—Here, wait, I wanna show you something."
She grabbed her backpack and opened the pouch on the front, pulling out a wallet. She opened that and produced a photograph, which she held out to him. He frowned quizically and hesitantly reached out to take it, turning it so he was looking at it rightside-up. As soon as he saw what it was a picture of, his face softened and he dropped the turkey wrap. The photograph showed him sitting on the ground beneath the tree he'd carved his and Sarah's initials into. He had his guitar, and he was smiling at Sarah, who was sitting beside him with her knees drawn up to her chest and a big smile on her face.
"My God," he whispered. "She really is your mother, isn't she? I can see it now, you look just like her in the face. You mean you came all the way out here to—to find me for her?"
Rory nodded.
"All the way from...from where in Virginia, exactly?"
"Belle Haven. It's really small, the population's only in triple digits."
"I know, it...it's the same town where we lived when she and I dated. She's still there after all this time, I...I can't belive it..."
"It got a little hard for her to get out of there after I came along. Honestly, I feel kind of guilty for it. I mean...You know?"
Jareth didn't answer. He was too caught up in staring at the picture. Finally, he took a few deep, ragged breaths and held the picture out to Rory, who took it from him with a confused expression on her face.
"Alright, that settles it," he said.
"Settles what?" Kasey asked.
"I'm taking the two of you back to Belle Haven."
"Seriously?" Rory asked. "As in...like...you're coming with us?"
"As in I'm coming with you, yes. We're going back to Virginia, and...we'll see how things play out when we get there, shall we? Get ready, I'm going to get dressed and then we're leaving. Before I do, though, I have a phone call to make."
"To who?" Rory asked as Jareth picked up the phone.
He flashed a smile at her, his mismatched eyes flashing.
"Well," he said, "can't have my bandmates expecting me to show up when I'm not even in town, now, can we?"
"So you don't mind just up and leaving them?"
"Tony threatened to kick me out, remember? My time with them is as good as over either way, so what should it matter?"
"Jareth?"
"Yes?"
"You are one awesome guy."
"I certainly like to think so. Now start getting ready, both of you. We'll leave soon."
...Yeah. Um, originally, the story was going to be about Kasey and Rory's trip cross-country to find Jareth and everything, but then I was talking to Billy about it, and she was like, "What if we reunite them early in the story and make it about them building their relationship back up to where it was fifteen years ago?" And I was like, "Yeah, I like your idea better, let's do that." So that's what we're doing here. Um...yeah, so...bleh. That's all I have to say about that.
I won't update again until I've gotten a couple of reviews, so if you like this story so far, please review so I can give you an update. Also, I will try to flesh out the next chapter some more so it's not as lame, I promise.