DISCLAIMER - I don't own Sarah or Jareth or the Labyrinth (unfortunately) they belong to Jim Henson & Co, and I'm definitely not making a profit from this.
All other NPC's are a figment of my own imagination.
Thank you to everyone who has left reviews and comments over the last few chapters! I'm really glad you are all enjoying it!
Strangely having Jareth shadowing her gave Sarah more confidence to face the now very full gallery. When they stopped to chat to people he was congenial, even going so far to engage her clients in conversation, encouraging them to buy pieces he picked out hanging on the walls, flattering wives and talking business with husbands. Quietly impressed and relieved she handed him another glass of champagne as they headed over towards where Chris was stood enduring Cassandra muttering at him. On the balcony of the first floor above Sarah had noticed Ollie deeply involved in conversation with two young students, no doubt friends of Ambrose's.
"Chris, how are things going?" Sarah asked ignoring Cassandra who immediately turned to Jareth.
"Brilliantly, please make her go away!" He hissed from behind his champagne glass. "You'd better introduce me, I'm wildly jealous Anita got to him first." He continued pouting slightly as Sarah smiled and hugged him before turning back to Jareth who was looking down his nose at Cassandra.
"Jareth, this is Chris one of my main curators, Chris; this is Jareth, a very old friend." The lie slipped from her tongue easier now that she had said it dozens of times. She grinned as Chris shook hands with Jareth, both appraising each other before deciding all was good.
"It's about time she introduced you and I have to say, the real life version of you is not a disappointment! We were worried Sarah was making things up in her paintings." Chris laughed as Jareth smirked at the compliment.
"She has no need to need to embellish anything." Jareth said slyly. He moved closer to her as several people squeezed past behind them on the way to the buffet table using it as an excuse to place a hand on her exposed back wishing he had removed his gloves.
Cassandra also moved closer to him on the other side, clutching onto his arm with red spangled talons. She was already well on the way to being too drunk to be socially acceptable, but with Chris reluctantly babysitting her, he could at least keep an eye on how much she was drinking.
"Sarah knows such lovely men. One wonders how someone with her social skills manages to find them. That Ambrose is such a dish." Cassandra laughed snidely not realizing her comment had made both Chris and Jareth frown. Internally rolling her eyes Sarah ignored the jibe, concentrating instead on the fact that Jareths hand on her back was stroking her.
"I must go speak to Ambrose." Sarah said to relieve the tension catching sight of him speaking to Anita on the stairs. "Come and meet the star of the night." She said turning to Jareth and drawing him away from Cassandra.
"Insidious woman. I would like to dangle her over the Bog for a few days." He said as they escaped the crush and made their way up the stairs towards the first floor. Here the crowd was slightly thinner so it was harder to avoid Ollie who immediately approached them with a dangerous look in his eye.
"Sarah why am I having to do your job again?" He spat trying and failing to drag her away from Jareth.
"What job is that?" She sighed.
"Nothing." He growled as he stared at Jareth.
"Jareth this is Ollie."
"Charmed I'm sure." Jareth said shaking his hand briefly.
"Ouch stop it." Sarah gasped pulling her hand from Ollies as he caught her scar. "I have to go and speak to Ambrose. You'd better go and keep an eye on Cassandra, shes embarrassing herself and shes your client not Chris's." Sarah said pushing her way past him towards Anita. She missed the glare Ollie gave Jareth as he turned and walked off down the stairs. Holding back tears of pain from her hand she hugged Anita and Ambrose.
"Ambrose, you must be over the moon!" She said smiling as he took hold of her good hand and kissed the back of it.
"Eet ees all down to you mia cara. Zey are as enchanteed wiz your beauty as I am. Deed Aneeta tell you? I sell all my sculptures and half my drawings. Jareth my friend, thank you thank you!"
"Ahh you already met?"
"Ci ci! Jareth ees the one who buy my sculptures." Ambrose laughed at the shocked look on Sarah's face.
"You should have told me." She smiled trying to hide her shock turning to stare at Jareth.
"You didn't ask and its Ambrose's news to tell." He shrugged taking several canapés from a passing waitress with a smug expression on his face.
"Seems you are on quite a roll for buying art tonight. Let me know if you are going to buy more I'll give you my discount." Chris laughed walking up behind them with a half empty champagne bottle. "Catsknickers is all in a tizzy that shes being ignored. Shes taken to stalking me. Look here she comes up the stairs now. Hope nobody is looking up, she reliably informs me shes going commando tonight. Don't want anybody having a heart attack on seeing her shrubbery, trimmed or not." Chris chortled as he hastily refilled their glasses before scuttling away to hide.
"Has anybody seen Chris? I seem to have lost him." Cassandra said storming up to them then batting her eyelashes at Ambrose.
"Not seen him, but look, theres Ollie why don't you go and ask him?" Anita said with a straight face pointing back to the stairs to where Ollie was chatting up another group of students.
"Excellent idea."
"Eye 'ope you never leave me alone wiv 'er. She ees scary." Ambrose said watching the retreating back of Cassandra as she stomped off eyeing a new target. "Eye get zee feeling she want to eat me."
"I promise we won't." Anita laughed.
"Interesting clientele you have." Jareth said still watching Cassandra.
"Not mine, Ollies. Nuff said." Sarah muttered taking a swig of her now full champagne glass. "Must stop drinking else I'm going to be asleep in a corner before long." She stared as Jareth removed the glass from her hand and replaced it with a canapé.
"Problem solved." He shrugged. "Unless you want to have a hangover tomorrow..."
"No. Thats tomorrow night. We have an after-party party. To celebrate the party. At Sarah's. Pizza is on her." Anita grinned saluting Sarah with her own glass.
"I see." Jareth responded a little puzzled.
"Are we all eenvited?" Ambrose asked hopefully.
"Of course!" Anita nodded, it wouldn't be an after-party party without the main artist we are partying for!"
"Perhaps you've had enough to drink too." Jareth said amusement colouring his voice.
"No! Not enough, I have no need to be getting out of bed in the morning, I'm on the late shift." She laughed. "Ambrose, lets go circulate, people are starting to hover deliberately." She turned and grinned in triumph as Ambrose linked her arm in his and moved off into the crowd.
"Hes far too young for her." Sarah said laughing.
"I know the feeling. I'm far too young for you too." Jareth replied sighing. He shrugged as Sarah stared at him.
"Not sure if thats deliberate denial or genuine lack of understanding of "age" Your Majesty." She replied.
"Deliberate denial. Humans are an excellent example of not acting their age, I simply follow suit. You also have a ridiculously poor reaction to alcohol."
"Our inferior breeding. We don't have immortality and glitter for blood."
"How little you know us. Immortality is a figment of the over active human imagination and my blood is as red, and as hot as yours."
"So the glitter and sparkles are?" She queried as they wandered around the first floor looking at the artwork.
"Bonus special effects."
"I feel flattered."
"Don't be, everyone gets them. They are free."
"Free? Doesn't everything have a price Your Majesty?" She turned and raised an eyebrow at him.
"They are free if I say they are free. I am after all a most lenient monarch." He half bowed to her as she laughed.
"You. Lenient. Theres a statement I never thought I'd hear."
"Never let it be said I do not provide you with education."
"Of course not!" She smiled and turned away to speak to some of Ambrose's tutors.
Across the other side of the room Jareth spied Ollie leading Cassandra up the back stairs towards the offices and ground his teeth. The boy should be fighting tooth and nail for her yet here he was not only completely ignoring her but screwing around under her nose. Jareth did not even see what he himself was doing was tantamount to the same thing. Instead he turned back to Sarah and smiled at her as he caught her eye.
"Miss Williams, I must say, the faculty are extremely impressed with the collection you are showcasing for young Ambrose. I'm given the impression from him that you've already sold some of his pieces?" Professor Forbes said smiling through his teeth. "Perhaps we need to get our students out like this more often."
"Real world experiences are very beneficial. I had the same opportunity when I was in England, it's certainly eye opening." Sarah replied knowing exactly what the Professor was aiming at.
"Are you also an artist Ser?" He asked turning to Jareth.
"No, merely somebody who likes looking at beautiful things."
"Ahh a fellow connoisseur." The Professor said sagely as he clapped Jareth on the arm.
"Indeed."
"Sarah?" Sebastian called from behind them.
"Please excuse me a moment." She said as Seb reached the group.
"Sorry to bother you, we've run out of catalogues on the front desk. Chris said you might still have some in your office?"
"Oh, yes of course. Let me go get them for you. Just a sec."
"Perhaps Sebastian should go get them for you?" Jareth said quietly as she made her apologies again to the faculty.
"No its fine I think I know where they are. It will only take me a moment." She smiled and headed off towards the stairs. Despite the sense of dread he suddenly felt he still had time to admire her as she walked away and quickly ran up the stairs, flashing her slim ankles as she lifted her dress.
Wasting no time he motioned to Anita.
"Sarah needs you in her office."
"OK I'll go in a second."
"No. Go now." She stared at him then nodded and went.
"Something up? I came to see about those catalogues." Chris said as he joined Jareth and Seb a moment later.
"Sarah went to get them. She wanted a quick meeting, you should go up as well." Jareth said staring directly at Chris who frowned then shrugged and headed to the stairs.
"I think I missed something." Seb sighed. "I didn't think getting some extra catalogues would be that much of a bother." He said apologetically.
"Not you, just making sure we avoid any problems." Jareth said putting the young salesman at ease. "You look parched have you even had a drink yet?" Jareth asked summoning a waitress and taking a glass of champagne off her tray to hand to Seb.
"No. Thank you. Sales are excellent, I've never seen so many people wanting to buy artwork like this." He said taking a few swift swigs.
"Let me go and find the rest of them then, perhaps you should head back downstairs in case anybody needs to speak to you." Jareth mentally urged Seb back down the stairs.
"You're right. Thanks!"
As soon as he left Jareth headed straight up the back stairs towards Sarah's office.