AU.N: Thanks for the favs and comments and reviews, it's really great some of you are enjoying.
Also, if you don't like the way I write, then stop reading, because I always write like this and it's not going to change :p
A sharp tongue is no indication of a keen mind.
~Chapter 3: What lies beyond~
The next night...
Sarah was in a huff.
And she was in a huff with herself for being silly.
After sitting down at various points (since she had woken up) throughout the day, she'd tried to make herself write.
Now attempting a new novel, she struggled with writers block and comes to realise, all her romantic novels have a lead character that resembles a certain goblin king.
And it really aggravated her.
Because she could not only picture Jareth taunting her as she wrote it, getting inside her dreams and re-enacting certain moments and scenes from them, but knowing him, he would buy a copy of each one and read it over and over again whilst he lounged around on his throne.
Oh yes, there was that smug smile of his she always hated.
Being stuck inside was also making her grumpy.
It was raining heavily outside and the weather forecast had been unhelpful. It had just apparently come out of no where. And although she knew it was silly, the air felt strange. It smelled strange. The thunder that roared and the lightning that crackled seemed so artificial, it hurt her senses.
Even trying to find an excuse to visit the shop around the corner, the door literally had blown shut on her, preventing her from leaving. If she had suspected it was anything other than nature, she would have known.
It was as if the weather itself was urging her inside.
So it was another early night for her again. This time, a hot shower and making sure her windowsill was secure and locked (with the curtains shut for privacy) made her feel relaxed and safe.
She snuggled into her bed and tried to shut out the storm from the outside, but as she drifted off, it carried inside her dreams.
A storm was coming.
She could see it. Over the walls of the Labyrinth, a thick mass moved towards the castle beyond the goblin city.
And it didn't move like any cloud Sarah had ever seen before.
She could hear shouts from the goblins as a great battle commenced, Sarah spotting thick smoke and creatures flying through the air before plummeting back down to the ground.
'No, not this way.'
She shut her eyes tight and felt herself spinning around as if falling down a deep whirlpool. When she stopped, she found herself back in her garden. Everything was more distorted than before, the lights that Toby had made circling and illuminating the walls in shades of purple and brown.
'Sarah, turn back Sarah.'
'My lady, be cautious!'
'Sawah!'
She could hear her friends. But where were they?
Her gaze focused on the black gate and it was almost moving.
No, not moving.
Pulsating. As if the door itself was alive and the heart within was beating furiously, threatening to burst out.
'Help us!'
'Let us out!'
'Release us!'
Her friends.
Sarah' hands came to touch the door, by large vines suddenly burst out from the walls and wrapped themselves against the door.
'HELP!'
"TOBY!" She heard herself shout and she pulled at the vines. One by one, they fell like dust to her touch, until at last, her hand was on the handle.
'Help me, Sarah, help us!'
"I'm coming Toby!" She pulled and twisted the handle, until at least, she heard a click. Not wasting time, she pried the door open, but before she could do anything, a mass of black flowed out of the door surrounding her.
It began to smother the garden and Sarah struggled as it engulfed her also.
It was the sound of a frantic tapping on something glass that was pulling her out. Pulling her to safety.
'Wake up! WAKE UP STUPID GIRL!'
Sarah sat up in her bed just as a loud crack of thunder sounded and she took deep, steadying breaths to calm herself. Before she could, the tapping from her dream made her jump and she realised, it was coming from her window.
"Jareth, you have some damn explaining to do!" She kicked away her covers and made her way to the window, not caring she was only in her slim night dress. Throwing open the curtains, she unfastened the lock on the window and pried it open, welcoming in the elements that furiously fought side by side outside. She went to poke her head out to call him inside, but was immediately blinded as a black shape came straight at her. Instinctively putting her arms up to defend herself, she batted at the creature that seemed to relentlessly come at her. She had to keep taking steps back to get away and just when she nudged the corner of her vanity, a familiar screeching was heard and suddenly, the black was gone. Lowering her arms, she spotted iher/i owl know attacking the black shape, which Sarah recognised as a raven. A large raven at that.
It seemed Jareth was winning, but the next moment, the raven was swooping down and dodging the attacks, causing Jareth to fluster in front of Sarah to avoid digging his own talons into her.
She grabbed a large cushion and aimed it for the Raven, but it was too quick for her. Taking it's chance, it swooped again and Sarah jumped back in fright. Unfortunately, the jump had caused her to lose balance and she fell backwards into her vanity. Expecting a whole load of pain to explode in her back, she braced herself as she fell into the surface, but instead of shattering, the glass seemed to melt around her and welcomed her as she tumbled further down. The last sight she saw, was Jareth swooping straight in with her as the outside world vanished and blackness covered her vision.
The sound of glass breaking followed shortly after as she tumbled back into the other world.
Sarah didn't open her eyes at first.
She was wondering where next the dream would take her. But she could feel heat on her face, which was unusual, because it was a lot cooler when she had gone to bed.
"Come along Sarah, you snore like a sloth."
And she definitely had not gone to bed with anyone else.
Slowing opening her eyes, expecting to be in her darkened bedroom, she had to squint and allow her eyes adjust to the light of the sun above her.
'Sun?!'
Sitting up slowly, she groaned at the sore spot that was now on her bottom where she had landed.
"Obviously not a dream." She carefully stood up, assessing herself of any further damage.
"If this was your dream, there's be a lot more of you and me and less trouble."
She turned to the silken voice of Jareth, seeing him lounging against a large rock with his arms folded, cold eyes appraising her as she dusted off her hips and bottom.
"Well thank you for checking if I was alive Goblin king," she refused to cover herself, knowing it wouldn't matter now he had seen her in her night dress for a while, "now would you care to explain what that was about?"
Jareth sighed and walked over to stand before her, all threatening and handsome and oh so kissable-
'Focus.'
"That my dear Sarah, was you saying 'the right words' all over again." Jareth stared her down accusingly, looking non too pleased at her, now that she noticed.
"Come again? Are you blaming me?! What did I do?!" Sarah stomped forward and came face to face with him, angry that he'd accuse her of doing something she didn't remember doing.
"You my dear girl are so damn," he grit his teeth and then cupped her chin in one hand, looking down at her with that same fire in his eyes she always detested and loved at the same time, "infuriating. You should know by now that your dreams are far from normal. You and I both know what happened in your dream, little girl."
She smacked his hand away but still blushed at him.
"Well, why didn't you TELL me when I was awake last night? Or did you think you had kissed me so senseless that I'd merely forgotten?"
Jareth' hand came back up to her chin again, this time, stroking tenderly with the pad of his gloved thumb.
"There are certain rules here that prevent me from telling you EVERYTHING Sarah," his eyes flashed with something familiar to Sarah, almost as if he was suffering with an internal pain, before it left and was replaced by his usual cold teasing, "not everything is as it seems."
"Jareth," she warned him a tone that was definitely not friendly, "you could have sent Hoggle, or Ludo or Didymus or even a damn fiery for all I cared, but don't tell me you're not completely blameless in this."
"YOU opened the door dearest Sarah," Jareth leant forward and the grip he know had on her chin was definitely not that gentle any longer, "and precious, you always need help on your journey. Unfortunately, my magic does not work...that well here at the moment. I cannot simply fix things with a toss of my wrist and...Sarah, my dear are you giggling?"
Sarah' slapped a hand over her mouth and turned away.
She honestly hadn't meant to, but it was Jareth being so serious and sulky and threatening and he just HAD to put his sentence that way, she felt like an immature teenager all over again, admiring the way his breeches had clung to his thighs and-
'NO. BAD SARAH. TRAIN OF THOUGHT SOMEWHERE ELSE PLEASE. RIGHT NOW.'
She turned back around and cleared her throat, as if trying to make out her giggle was merely a cough.
"As I was saying," Jareth arched his brow at her, this time his gaze seemed a little less threatening and all the more teasing, "I cannot flick my wrist and bring your friends here. Sarah, it is you and I who need to sort out this mess. Together."
"What mess Jareth?" Sarah looked briefly around and found them both outside the walls of the Labyrinth, the same place she had been before.
"We begin here at the wastelands for a reason," Jareth sighed and turned to face his castle, "I can explain it all on the way but...there is a dark magic surrounding the place. If I tell you too much then...Sarah."
Jareth turned back to her and Sarah saw something in Jareth' expression she had only seen once before.
Pain.
She had never wanted to see it on his face again, and was only thankful she was not the one who had caused it this time.
Jareth' hand slowly picked hers up and held on as if she were to bolt.
"Sarah, I need your help," he looked at her so earnestly, she would have said yes right then and there if it hadn't been for wanting to hear more, "everything is in danger. My kingdom, my throne...my followers and your dearest friends and companions. We have to go through the Labyrinth the same way before but...you have to trust me in this Sarah."
Jareth pulled one hand away and slipped off his glove to place his bare skin against hers.
Sarah felt like fainting a little.
"Trust me, Sarah? Precious?" He grinned at her again, the pain still lingering in his eyes lightly and Sarah realised he was trying to make her feel strong and comfortable.
"Yes. Just...do me a favour," she looked down at herself and then at his attire, "is there anyway I can go home and get dressed?"
Jareth chuckled and shook his head.
"Women and their wardrobe."
He turned away from her and for a second, Sarah hoped he would click his fingers and whisk her back home and then she remembered, he couldn't.
But he was.
He clicked his fingers and she felt a tingle all over her body. Looking down, she was shocked to see a normal blouse and Jeans, so familiar to her previous trip and yet, accustomed to her now womanly figure.
"I thought you couldn't-" Sarah was checking there were no mysterious eyes lurking within, even a small crystal or two, just encase.
"My magic is limited," he looked over his shoulder at her, "I can use it sparsely and in desperate situations. And Sarah darling."
Sarah arched her brow when he gave her a cheeky wink before looking away.
"It was a desperate situation. I've been controlling myself from ravaging you on the spot as soon as I saw you in that little night dress of yours. Remind me to give it back to you before I return you home, I'd like to see you in again."
He walked away saying something else, and Sarah rolled her eyes, guessing it was something along the lines of, 'and see it off you also.'
"Well, come on feet," Sarah huffed as she walked slowly to her doom, "let's not displease his majesty...at least the view is nice."
'And by that I mean the Labyrinth, not his-...trousers.'
She scolded herself quietly as she caught up with the man, wanting to be at his side rather than behind him. And he slowed down his pace so she could be.
