Chapter Six
Third Person POV
Lily followed the crystal for what felt like hours. I was more like 15 minutes, but being alone in the dark made it seem like much more. She thought she kept hearing whooshing noises from up above, but every time she looked up, all she could see was darkness. It was starting to freak her out.

The pathway was still completely dark, with the exception of the lighted area given off by the crystal she was following. Lily sighed to herself, tucked her hands into her pockets to warm them up and continued following the crystal.

She knew she shouldn't have left Aliessa behind, but she was curious and didn't know why her curiosity seemed to take over her actions.

After what felt like even longer than before, the crystal stopped abruptly. Lily stopped also, eying the crystal suspiciously. She didn't know why, but now that it stopped, she felt uncomfortable around it. There was something in the back of her mind telling her to turn back. To run back to Aliessa.

Just as she started to back away, she felt something wrap around her waist. When she went to scream, a hand wrapped around her mouth. The grip wasn't tight, but it was demanding and powerful.

"Now, now, love. No need to panic. I made a promise, didn't I?" came a low, smooth, authoritative voice in her ear. Lily struggled against his hold, but soon realized that her efforts were worthless and she wasn't going anywhere.

Jareth chuckled and started rubbing smooth circles into her hip. "Why don't you trust me, love. I don't want to hurt you. All I want is your happiness." he whispered into her ear. He felt a sense of pride when she shivered against him. He pulled her closer to his chest and slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

"Now, no screaming, dear. I'd like to keep my eardrums intact." he told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Without warning, the crystal that laid forgotten on the ground floated up from said ground and floated towards them.

Just as Lily was about to ask what was going on, both of them were absorbed in flash of bright light.

'Jareth, I need you...Please.'

A twelve year old Lily lay on her bed, crying. There was a sudden gush of wind through her open window and she looked up to see Jareth standing by her window. She got up from her bed and ran into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and cried.

Jareth had been surprised when she had called for him. He hadn't seen her in months. He had been trying to keep away from her and give her a chance to live a normal life. He just couldn't find it in himself to deny her request for him to come. He was even more surprised when he arrived in her room to find her so distraught. Wanting to comfort her, he wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

A while later, she pulled away and wiped the tears away with her sleeve. "What has you so upset, my Lily Pad?" he asked quietly, wiping away a few tears she had missed. Before she could answer his question, he lifted her up bridal style and carried her to a chair in the corner of the room.

Sitting down, he set her in his lap and let her curl into him. He waited patiently for her to calm down and tell him why she had called for him. They sat like that for a while and Jareth didn't want it to end, even though he knew it would have to eventually.

He couldn't help the way his heart swelled just by having her so close to him and her taking comfort in just by being close to him.

"Why are people so cruel?" Lily whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Jareth was taken aback by her question. "Lily, what's brought this on? What happened?" he asked, his arms tightening around her protectively.

Lily shuddered and the grip she had around his neck became tighter. "They keep saying I'm a freak. You don't think I'm a freak, do you?" she asked quietly, refusing to lift her head from his shoulder. Jareth felt a surge of anger flood through him.

He lightly took hold of her chin and lifted her head so that she was looking at him. "I would never think of you as a freak, love. You mean the world to me. I would never do or say anything that would hurt you, emotionally or physically." he told her softly.

He watched as tears began forming again and she buried her face in his shoulder again. "Thank you, Jareth. You don't know how much that means to me." she whispered.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours to Jareth. Not that he minded. He enjoyed holding her. He had felt her breathing even out a while ago. Smiling softly, he lifted up bridal style again and carried her to her bed.

Her arms were easy to unwrap from around his neck as he laid her down. After he covered her with the light blanket, he brushed a few strands of auburn hair from her face as she slept. He felt his heart swell at how peaceful and innocent she looked in her sleep.

Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss to her forehead and backed away towards the window. With one last look at the girl, he vanished with a gush of wind and appeared back in his throne room.

He sat down in his throne with a sigh. Conjuring up a crystal, he watched his Lily sleeping peacefully in her bed, curled up in a ball underneath the covers. He knew at the moment he would do anything she asked of him. He also knew it was pointless trying to stay away from her. He knew she would never have a normal life, not with being a half of two realms.

Jareth's grip around Lily tightened as she lost consciousness. He lifted her up bridal style and even after all these years, she still felt weightless to him. The crystal had released a special magical dust that only put elves to sleep and with her being half elf, she went out like a light.

Now Jareth could put his plan to the test.

A/N: I know I haven't updated in a while and I feel terrible about it, but I've had a hard time writing anything. I hate to do this, but I'm putting this (and all my other stories) on hiatus until I can get back into the swing of writing. Thank you for sticking with me for this long and I know how much it bugs me when people don't update. I'm sorry and I hope you all can forgive me. Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews help me write faster.