Chapter 2: The First Time
A/N: Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I wanted to finish "The Power to Charm" before publishing this chapter, but I don't feel like it's quite ready. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 2: The First Time
30 years later
She hated dancing, but it was often a focus of her dreams. A crowded ballroom. Costumes galore. Soft music. It was a familiar stranger to her, but every time she opened her eyes, she struggled to remember everything.
Sarah Davies woke up to the sound of rain outside of the Prospect Heights brownstone she shared with her boyfriend, Jack Hughes. Knowing she had a good twenty more minutes before her alarm went off at 6:25 to be exact, Sarah turned upon hearing the sound of the shower running.
Sitting up, Sarah began to stretch out her limbs and arms before grabbing a hair clip from her bedside drawer to pin her hair up. Walking into the kitchen, she put on the coffee pot before turning on the television to see how long the rain would last.
Catching up on the local news, Sarah didn't hear Jack walk in the kitchen.
"Good morning!" Jack said before kissing the top of Sarah's head.
"Good morning yourself. You're awfully chipper this morning."
"Well, that case I've been working on at the firm has been running much more smoothly now that Penelope Lancaster joined the case."
"Is she another lawyer?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, and she is as aggressive as a bulldog."
"If things are running so smoothly, then why are you going in so early?" Sarah asked.
"I didn't get in as much work last night as I need to on the Jules case. Plus, that rain kept me up. I figure it wouldn't hurt to just go in early and tackle it all." Jack said.
"You've already been pushing 60 hours a week." Sarah said concerned. "I just don't want you to burn yourself out."
"Don't worry about that. Imagine if I were a partner! I'd never see you. Don't forget about tonight."
"Wait, remind me. What's tonight?" Sarah asked.
"Penelope invited us over for dinner tonight at her apartment. Her boyfriend's going to be there too. Apparently he owns some sort of natural healing new agey type of shop around here."
"New agey?" Sarah asked, amused.
"You know all that hocus pocus crystal type stuff. At least, that's how Penelope describes it. I bet he reeks of patchouli." Jack jokingly said as he prepared two slices of toast.
"You need to be nice. I seem to recall when we first met you were just coming out of a Rastafarian phase."
"Yes, thank goodness it was just a phase. I went from international studies to international law, and don't lie, I cleaned up well." Jack said before he kissed Sarah's lips.
"Very well." Sarah said.
"So, how many pages of that draft do you have left to read?"
"I'm almost done with it. I'm probably going to finish it up on the subway ride to Manhattan."
Sarah had been an assistant editor for a publishing company for the last three years. She loved her job, but she wasn't too sure about whether or not it was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Right now it was perfect, but it still felt like something was missing.
Jack had been an attorney for Maximillian & Associates for the last two years, and there was a reliable comfort to their relationship that Sarah appreciated. He worked long hours, but not enough to where it put a damper on their relationship. Jack could separate his work life from his personal one, and it was something Sarah was thankful for. Most of his co-workers partners would say the opposite.
Writing a list of things she needed to get done that day, Sarah slightly jumped when she heard Jack's voice.
"So, maroon tie or grey sky tie?" Jack asked, holding two pieces of silk in his hands.
"The grey one." Sarah said, smiling as she saw him walk away.
Then suddenly she felt a sense of deja vu. All that she could see in front of her was a gloomy, grey sky. There was a chill in the air and a sadness weighed on her, but then as soon as it came over her, it was gone.
"Sarah, you okay?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of what I needed to do today."
"Well, I'm going to try and get home a little early tonight. The dinner at Penelope's is at 7."
"Am I going to have to dress up for this?"
"Just wear what you normally wear to work." Jack said.
"Oh, thank goodness for that." Sarah said, straightening out Jack's tie before he grabbed his briefcase.
"I love you." Jack said.
"I love you too." Sarah replied before kissing his lips.
"Yum, coffee breath." Jack said as he exited the room.
Sarah smiled as she returned to her to do list. She had a good ninety minutes before she needed to head out to work.
That night as Sarah and Jack took an elevator up to Penelope Lancaster's Williamsburg apartment, Sarah felt an anxiousness that bordered on nausea. She didn't understand why she felt that way; she met plenty of Jack's co-workers before, so why should this one be any different?
Taking in a breath and quietly exhaling it, she grabbed Jack's hand.
"Your hands are freezing. Why are you so nervous?" Jack asked.
"I don't know what's come over me."
"Tough day at the office?"
"Not particularly. Let's just forget about it. So, is Penelope an associate like you?"
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure she's going to shoot for partner one day."
"Oh, you know you'd gun for it too if Maximillian offered it."
"Hah, I don't need to be a full time partner. You're my partner." Jack said, clutching Sarah's hand a little tighter.
As the elevator door opened up, Sarah felt a sense of pride at the thought of her boyfriend. He was still wearing his suit from work, but it worked well for him. Sarah remained in her wardrobe for the day: a pair of wide legged black slacks and a eggplant hued merino wool sweater. She thought about pinning her hair up, but she didn't have the time. She wasn't going to dinner to try and impress anyone. For now, she was content with everything in her world.
Jack knocked on the door and Sarah unintentionally kept her eyes downcast, wondering what type of wood was used in the hallway floors. Sarah could hear a female voice shouting, "Coming" as the footsteps kept getting closer and closer.
A sudden swoosh of sound happened as Sarah looked up and saw Penelope Lancaster. She was dressed in a well tailored dress that was more than likely a tailored part of her work wardrobe. Instead of shoes, she had on a pair of slippers.
She couldn't have been more than 35 years old, and her chin length blonde bob was sleek and stylish.
"Hey! Come on in!" Penelope said, holding the door open for Jack and Sarah.
"Thanks for inviting us over." Jack said.
"It's my pleasure." Penelope said before looking at Sarah and smiling. "Hi, I'm Penelope. You must be Sarah. Jack has said nothing but wonderful things about you. It's nice to finally meet you." She added before shaking Sarah's hand.
"It's so nice to meet you too." Sarah said before inhaling the intoxicating scent that could only come from Indian food.
"Please make yourselves comfortable. Remove the shoes if you want. I just need to set up the table."
Sarah looked around in the gorgeous apartment, reminding herself that being a lawyer has its financial perks. Both she and Jack lived within their means, using the surplus of money for a nice vacation every two or three years. Last year they spent two weeks touring Africa. She didn't need a vehicle to get around, but Jack drove a 2010 Honda Accord that was recently paid off. Mentally comparing her world with Jack to Penelope's, Sarah didn't feel the coziness that was felt at their own place.
She overheard Penelope mention something about how her boyfriend was out picking up wine because she forgot to purchase some earlier. The buzzing of Penelope's phone threw her off track as the lawyer grabbed her phone and read a text.
"He left his keys here!" Penelope said to no one in particular.
Jack offered to set the table up, and Sarah was about to pitch in to help when she heard the knock on the door. Penelope was double checking the basmati rice, so Sarah offered to help out however she could.
"I'll get the door." Sarah said as she walked towards the entrance.
She could hear Penelope thank her from the kitchen, but the only thing Sarah could focus on was the nervous tick of her heartbeat. She didn't know why she felt so overwhelmed all of a sudden. It felt like the room was closing in on her, and she was never claustrophobic. Why was she so nervous?
Sarah didn't think as she grabbed the door handle, turned it, and softly pulled it towards her. A voice in her head told her to look up, and it was then that every cell in her body froze. She could feel eyes on her. He was clutching a paper bag with one arm and a bottle of wine with the other.
The two stared at one another, both afraid to break the silence with words and movement.
"Is it really you?" He whispered, as if in a spell, completely dumbfounded.
"It's me." She whispered back, not realizing she uttered such words, knowing that she didn't understand the context of them.
The two continued to stare at one another for what felt like minutes. No taller than 5'10", his locks were perfectly tailored to his face. It was a style that reminded her of the mod days of the 1960s, but it was also modern. His eyes were truly what captured her attention. Where had she seen them before? Paralyzed by a feeling she couldn't explain, Sarah's eyes began to well up, and it appeared as if he was going to reach up and capture the tear before it could escape.
"There you are!" Penelope said as she walked towards Sarah and the familiar stranger.
The spell was broken and Sarah noticed the man slightly shaking his head, wondering what in the world just happened.
"Sarah, this is my boyfriend Jareth. Unusual name, I know, but he's British, so that makes it alright." Penelope jokingly said before pressing a kiss on Jareth's lips.
Sarah couldn't bear to see the man's lips meld into Penelope's, so she headed back to where Jack was. She wasn't aware of the fact that Jareth couldn't take his eyes off of her retreating form.
The dinner table appeared to be perfectly set up, but Sarah needed something to distract her now shaking hands. Grabbing the dinnerware and slightly moving them closer to the plates, Sarah slightly jumped when she felt Jack's hands on her shoulders.
"You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"No, it's stupid really. I don't know why I get so nervous about these kinds of things."
"What do you have to be nervous for?"
Sarah was mentally preparing an answer, but thank goodness Penelope came in at the right time.
"Who's ready to eat?" Penelope cheerily said.
Sarah normally loved Indian food, but for the first time, her appetite was completely gone. She wanted to enjoy the spices and flavors, but everything she put in her mouth was tasteless. Even the wine had no flavor. She didn't have to look across the table from her to know that Jareth was looking at her, but it didn't disturb her because it was all she wanted to do too. Every now and again she would focus her vision on him, but as soon as his eyes caught hers, she would quickly look away. If someone were to ask her what the conversation was about before then, she wouldn't have been able to save herself. She somehow knew that the same would be said for the man sitting across from her.
"So Penelope tells me you own a shop around here?" Jack asked, digging into his butter chicken.
"Yes, it's an apothecary in Prospect Heights."
"We live in that area." Sarah said, not realizing how awkward it sounded as it rolled off of her tongue.
"It's a gorgeous area." Jareth said, his eyes glued to hers.
"The way Penelope described it, it sounded like a type of shop that sells tarot cards and incense. Not that there's anything wrong with that." Jack said.
Jareth laughed a bit before adding, "Penny thought the same thing when we first met last year."
"So you make and sell your own products?" Sarah softly asked.
"I stock products for some things. I prefer to stick to perfume oils, personally. I also grow my own herbs and use them in some of the soaps and lotions that we sell."
"Wait, the 'h' is silent in 'herbs.'" Jack said.
"In England, we sound the 'h' because the word begins with 'h'." Jareth said, no hint of annoyance in his voice.
Sarah stifled the laughter, but not without seeing Jareth notice it. He smiled at her, and in that moment, she could have swore her heart stopped beating.
"You'll have to excuse Jareth. We've had the 'herb' discussion many times before." Penelope added.
"Penny appreciates my dry humor." Jareth said.
"Jareth, I told you I'm trying to get used to Penelope. Apparently it's seen as more professional at our firm." Penelope said, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of it. "So Sarah, Jack tells me you work a publishing company."
"Oh yes, I'm an assistant editor."
"Imagine if you hated reading!" Penelope joked.
"Then I'd be in a lot of trouble." Sarah said.
"Any specific type of literature your company focuses on?" Jareth asked, genuinely interested.
"It's a bit of a mix really. Right now I'm getting a lot of submissions that border on fairy tales reimagined."
"I was always curious about that kind of a job. What if you absolutely hate what you're being forced to read. Am I correct to assume that by the time the work gets to you, the author already has a deal in ink?"
Sarah smiled at the intuitiveness of the man across from her. She felt her cheeks reddening a bit and hoped that no one else at the table noticed, but when she overheard Jack and Penelope talking about the Jules case, she didn't feel as guilty.
"Well, a lot of what I do involves finding errors in the mechanics of language. I can spot a comma splice from a mile away." Sarah said, smiling while looking down at her half eaten plate of food.
"Do you use red ink? It's a stupid question, but I once had a professor that never used red ink because she believed it was too negative for us young chaps."
"I use whatever is in front of me as long as it's not black ink."
"Hey, Sarah," Jack gently interrupted, "would you mind if me and Penelope talked shop a bit with the Jules case?"
It took Sarah a few seconds before she answered, "No, of course not."
"I'm going to start cleaning up." Jareth said, standing up before grabbing his plate.
"I'll help you." Sarah quickly added, not sure if it was smart to do such a thing.
"I would appreciate your help." Jareth said, smiling at Sarah.
Minutes later, Sarah was helping Jareth wash off the dishes and place them in the dishwasher. Sarah normally just threw the dishes in the washer back at home, but seeing him pre-wash the dishes before putting them in the machine was a bit odd. The two stood close to each other, and Sarah hoped that her nerves didn't get the better of her.
"I must admit that I don't wash the dishes before I actually wash the dishes." Sarah said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Is that actually what you wish to talk about?" Jareth asked.
Sarah strangely felt at ease and laughed a bit to herself.
"Well, what should we talk about?" Sarah posed, know full well what question she really wanted to ask.
Why do I feel like I know you? Why does it feel like you feel the exact same thing?
But she didn't ask those questions.
"The food was great." Sarah said limply.
"Well, you hardly touched yours. If it's any consolation, the butter chicken was a mix Penny purchased at a Whole Foods Market a few weeks ago. I won't tell if you won't tell." Jareth whispered the last sentence, moving in a little closer.
Sarah knew she should back away, but she couldn't. It was as if the universe was preventing her from stepping away. He didn't appear to have an issue with invading her space, but they were washing and rinsing dishes together.
"It really wasn't the food. I love Indian food, but I guess I wasn't very hungry." Sarah said as she reached for a dish to load in the washer, but instead her hand brushed his and she felt something akin to the cliched spark so many wrote about. By her sharp inhale, she could tell that he felt it too.
Then an image planted itself in her mind. She was walking through a large ballroom, searching for something, no someone. She was lost and confused, but then suddenly she was dancing with a faceless man. It was one that filled her with joy and comfort. It felt like home.
Sarah quickly brushed it aside as she quickly carried on in her task. The two were silent for the next few seconds; Sarah wanted to look anywhere but in the general direction of Jareth. As the last dish was loaded in the washer, Sarah meant to quickly turn around and search for Jack, but instead, she bumped directly into Jareth's chest.
"I'm, I'm sorry." Sarah whispered, afraid to have any more of her body accidentally brush against his. "I need to dry my hands."
He didn't move and she felt the unavoidable tug of her water ducts acting up. Something wasn't right, but it hadn't been right all night. What was wrong with her? Looking up, she felt the penetrating stare of the man in front of her. He looked as if he wanted to breathe her in, and Sarah wouldn't have denied him.
"I don't know why," Jareth began, as if under another spell, gently grabbing Sarah's hand to rub with the towel, "but I feel…"
"Yes," Sarah said, "I feel it too."
"Sarah, ready to go?" Jack spoke from across the apartment.
Jareth dropped Sarah's hand as if it was on fire. The two quickly separated from one another, not understanding what just happened. Both knew it was best to keep a distance in that moment.
"We're in the kitchen finishing up the dishes." Jareth said, regret in his eyes.
"Hey, there you two are!" Penelope said before adding, "Sorry about that. I swear, I try not to let work get in the way of dinner with friends, but…"
"The Jules case is a big one." Sarah finished.
"Yeah. I wish Jareth was as understanding as you are Sarah." Penelope replied.
"Oh, it's not so bad." Sarah said, trying everything in her power to avoid looking at one person in particular.
"Ready?" Jack asked, placing his arm around Sarah's shoulder.
Sarah glanced at Jareth and noticed his grip on the dishtowel slightly tighten. She felt her stomach clinch, but she didn't know if it was because of her boyfriend's gesture or the familiar stranger's.
"Yes." Sarah said, eager to get out of the building.
"Thanks for inviting us over." Jack said as they all, with the exception of Jareth, walked towards the entrance.
"We'll have to do this again some time." Penelope said, but not before pulling Sarah in for a hug. "I'm so glad that I finally got to meet you."
Sarah, not expecting a hug, did her best to reciprocate, but all she could focus on was the man in the kitchen, still looking at her.
"Thanks so much. I had a lovely time." Sarah said.
As Jack drove them home that night, the feeling Sarah hoped would dissipate upon the exit of the apartment complex was still there. She felt unsettled, like she couldn't truly relax. She could hear Jack talking, but she assumed that he was on the phone with his boss.
"Hey, Sarah! I really am sorry." Jack said.
"What?" Sarah asked.
"I really am sorry." He said solemnly.
"About what?"
"I know you don't care for me getting wrapped up in work related stuff over dinner. I mean, that's why I'm getting the cold shoulder, right?"
"You think I'm mad at you?"
"Well, yes. You haven't said a word since we left Penelope's apartment."
Sarah laughed a bit before placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it.
"I'm not mad at you. I guess today just took a lot out of me."
"You seemed to get along well with her boyfriend, Jared."
"Jareth." Sarah quickly corrected him.
"He doesn't seem like the type Penelope would date. It's strange, but you got on real well with him."
"Oh, I don't know if I would call it that. We were just having a chat is all." Sarah said, feeling her stomach twist and turn.
"Well, I am sorry that it became a two way conversation about work."
"I do appreciate that, you know." Sarah said, smiling at Jack.
The rest of the drive home was silent.
Later on that night as Sarah lay in bed, she tried to quiet the calm chaos that ran circles in her mind. She was tired, but she couldn't get the previous hours out of her head. Who was Jareth? Sure, she got a brief picture, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she knew who he was. What scared her even more was that she somehow understood that he knew her too.
Was he up like she was reliving and analyzing every second of their introduction? Was he confused by the sense of deja vu?
What really confused Sarah was the lack of guilt she felt whenever she saw Jack. There he was, sleeping beside, her, but she didn't feel anything. No, she felt something, wonder and all of it was directed towards a man she hardly knew.
Sighing in frustration, Sarah moved next to Jack, hoping his warmth would steer her thoughts away from a man she would probably never see again. But the thought of never seeing him again scared her more than she cared to admit.
Meanwhile, miles away in an apartment just upstairs from his shop, Jareth King lie in bed wondering what was it that drew him to Sarah. He couldn't explain it, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. It was as if she was a ghost that ran circles around him; she felt so familiar, but he didn't know why.
Turning his head to the side, Jareth was alone in his bed, but he strangely didn't feel alone. Somehow he knew that he would see her again. He had to, for he felt a part of his existence depended on it.