Inspired by Rascal Flatts 'What Hurts the Most'.
Disclaimer: Movie and song does not belong to me
With that said, enjoy.
Jareth walked aimlessly throughout his kingdom. The remains of his castle was still under major construction as well as several parts of the city walls. When she solved the Escher Room and left him with her words binding his powers, he was subject to living in his humble home-away-from-castle, but it never helped that, day in and day out, it was empty. No one, but Jareth lived in the home leaving him to ponder about things that he could have done differently with Sarah. He regretted doing this and saying that and wished that he chose his last words to her more carefully.
The sky began to darken with ominous clouds, the sun whispering goodbye to Jareth. Rain made him solemn. It was one of her favorite things about the world around her, the soft fall of the rain and the sudden clash of lightning followed by the booming roll of the thunder. Jareth began his way home wanting to avoid the oncoming rain though the wind was starting to pick up and lift his golden mane of hair. It felt like gentle hands running through his hair, her hands. He could still recall her innocent scent. His heart lurched in his chest. He missed being able to even see her in his owl form.
When his home appeared in the horizon, he noticed that the candles were lit. Someone was there, waiting for him. His hopes raised, he picked up his pace, nearly running to the door. He took a moment to catch his breath before he opened the door. Jareth looked about the house only to find his hopes burning in the fire made by the visitor.
"Hello, Hoggle." Jareth flatly spoke, shutting the door behind him.
"'Ello, Your Majesty."
"What do I owe to your presence?"
"I just wanted to see if you're alright. No one has seen ya for more than a few minutes ever since-."
"Speak her name and I shall have you bogged!"
Hoggle wisely stopped. He knew that Sarah had something to do with the Royal Rat's mood as of late. And he also knew that the storm outside was going to prove harsh on the king. Hoggle had been talking to Sarah and with her being in the human world, time passes faster there. She was sixteen when she ran the labyrinth and the last time he spoke to her, she was celebrating her twenty-seventh birthday. She told him that she realized what Jareth was truly offering years ago to her, but she wasn't sure if Jareth would listen to her because of her past thoughtlessness, so she remained quiet.
Hoggle chanced a word to the king who was now slumped on his bed. The rain was heavily dripping and dropping. "Jareth, I know what's goin' on with ya and I want to know what goin' on inside of ya."
Jareth turned his head to face the dwarf with a sigh. "I can take the rain off the roof of this empty house. It doesn't bother me. I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out. I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while even though going on with her gone still upsets me." The battered king sighed. "There are days every now and again I pretend that I'm okay, but... that's not what gets me."
Hoggle cocked his head. "What is it?"
Jareth sat up, seeming to have made a big effort in order to do that, but kept his head hung. "What hurts the most... was being so close and having so much to say and... watching her walk away." Jareth's bright eyes clouded over with tears. "And... never knowing... what could have been and not seeing that loving her is what I was trying to do."
Hoggle slightly smiled. "Well, she may feel the same for ya. Have ya ever listened closely to the wind?"
"Should I?" Jareth lifted his head.
Hoggle nodded.
Jareth scoffed. "What's the point?!" He snapped, he talks mainly to himself now. "It's hard to deal with the pain of losing her everywhere I go, but I'm doing it. It's hard... to force that smile when I see her old friends and I'm alone." He motioned at Hoggle, the dwarf knowing that the king meant Ludo and Sir Didymus, too. "Still harder getting up, getting dressed, living with this... regret, but I know if I could do it over, I would trade - give away- all the words that I saved in my heart that I left unspoken."
The dwarf looked at the king with pity. "Ya can still say all that to her."
"No. I can't. She won, I lost. My powers are bound by her will."
Hoggle couldn't help but lightly chuckle. "Maybe, but she can still call ya."
Jareth eyed the dwarf with bitterness. "What are you getting at?"
"Listen to the rain, Jareth." Hoggle shifted himself to his feet. "Well, I've got to get goin'. Night, Your Majesty."
Before Jareth could speak, Hoggle had gone out through the door and disappeared with the curtain of rain and wind. Curious to the advice he was given, Jareth listened to the rain. It made him want to cry, but he listened. After a while, he was lulled by the patter and relaxed into his bed. He wasn't sleeping, but he was fully awake. He could still hear the storm brewing outside as he remained between states of being awake and being asleep.
He must have been really tired, seeing as how he could start to hear her voice call his name. She couldn't possibly know his name, he never told her. Then, he felt a tug in his abdomen. Shocked, he sat up. He was being called and he knew who.
"What hurts the most was being so close. And having so much to say and watching you walk away." Jareth whispered to himself as if he was speaking to her. "And never knowing what could have been and... not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do."
She called again and the tug began to hurt. He couldn't ignore it any longer. Jareth gave in to her beckoning even though he wasn't sure if he wanted to see her at all. The magical dust settled around him allowing him to see the humble little place her room had become, but then he realized that this wasn't her house at all. He saw her. For the first time in a while for both of them, he saw her. The years have provided her a well built form and wiser emerald eyes. All sense of childish innocence was gone, replaced by the glow of her personal innocence. The only thing unsettling was that she had a look of pain and fatigue about her, but when she fully processed that the Goblin King was actually standing before her, it was all switched with inner exuberance and energy.
"Jareth." She smiled from her little writer's desk.
"Sarah." Jareth replied, returning a grin.
"It's been years for me, Jareth. From Hoggle, I learned that it has only been a few months for you. You can't imagine how hard it's been, realizing too late what you meant to say to me." She sadly smiled. "Do you... do you remember what you said that day? How everything you did, you did for me? I... I can only say that I'm sorry. I was too young to see that I was asking for too much in little time."
"Yes, but then I said that you could love me, you could fear me and do as I say. I would have been your slave, Sarah. I truly would have, just for you." He politely took a step forward, but then took it back.
"I know, but I didn't want a slave. I don't want a slave. I just want you, Jareth. I realized years ago that I wanted you." She quickly stood up. "Jareth... I... I love you."
Jareth was taken aback. He knew that he loved her as well, but how could he tell her?
"Jareth? What's wrong?" Sarah suddenly looked staid. "Are you hurt?"
"Sarah." Jareth started. How could he tell her? Then it came into his head. "What hurts the most... was being so close. And having so much to say. And watching you... walk away."
She smiled, knowingly. "Never knowing what could have been." She grabbed one of his hands and slid the glove off. "And not seeing that loving me-" She kissed his hand. "-is all you were trying to do."
Jareth embraced the woman, nearly crying in elated joy. "Not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do." He felt her look up at him. He stared back into those sparkling emerald eyes.
He leaned in a lightly kissed her full lips. "I love you, Ms. Sarah Anne Williams." She giggled in his arms making him smile. "Will you allow me to court you, my dear?"
"Yes, please." She grinned before standing on her tip-toes to kiss him again.
Both Sarah and Jareth have become the happiest that they have ever been in a long time. The chance that they have been given was something they did not want to waste. Now together like they should have, they can live again and cast away the hurt that caused them both grief. Love conquers all, one just has to give it time to settle into the problem. Though there are no true happily ever after's, there can be joy while life unveils the light of the world that Sarah and Jareth haven't been able to see in a long time.
With a puff of magic dust, the couple left to go on a celebratory ball at the labyrinth and to thank the friend that helped the union to be possible. It seems that a certain dwarf will earn something worthy of a prince. Of course, it will have nothing to do with the Bog. The storm that clouded the sun was gone, leaving the Underground renewed with life. Sarah and Jareth kissed once more upon arriving to the grand maze. Love blossomed into the air leaving them with a great start of the ball. What used to hurt the most now lives the most.