Chapter Three
Jareth
You flicker. I cannot touch you.
I put my hands among the flames. Nothing burns.
- Poppies in July, by Sylvia Plath.
September 19th, 2002. Day 2 of the quarantine.
"What's that?"
A slow smile stretched his lips, but he did not look up from his slow perusal of the black-and-white photographs in the album he found among Sarah's other books. Photos of her, of Toby, of Karen and her father Robert. Jareth knew all their names now, had learned them shortly after Sarah beat his labyrinth and left behind a broken city.
A city he rebuilt, and one which needed a queen.
"Jareth, that was a question."
He lifted his eyes to her. She was perched on one of the bar stools, cradling another mug of coffee. She went through three cups yesterday, and this was her second today. "A photo album," he said. "I missed out on a great deal in between my visits. I'm catching myself up."
A sweet red flush rose across her nose and cheekbones. Cheekbones which had grown more prominent and cuttingly beautiful with age. Everything about her had sweetened. Not unlike a cask of fine vintage. Yet she still blushed as prettily as the maid she had been when she ran the labyrinth. "Could you not?" She asked. "Some things should remain sacred."
He closed the book but kept a finger between the pages where he had been. "Sarah, are you afraid of me finding something in these pictures you'd rather keep hidden?"
That blush again, darkening this time. "There's a couple of pictures of me with old boyfriends."
"And why should my seeing those bother you?"
She took a long sip of her coffee, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know. I just—I get a queasy feeling when I think of you looking at them."
Curious. He removed his finger from between the pages of the album. "I'll respect your wishes." He rose and returned the book to its place on the very bottom shelf
"Jareth?"
He straightened, facing her. "Yes?"
"Could you get around the fae law if you wanted to? Could you break the quarantine?"
"No." He flashed a smile. "I will always tell you the truth, Sarah, even if it's counter to what you want to hear."
"But you'll keep your own counsel on some matters?"
"Indeed," he walked toward her and then slid into the barstool next to hers, his knee brushing against the outside of her thigh. She reddened again and moved her leg away. "Are you attracted to me, Sarah?"
She rubbed a hand over her face. "I'm surprised you waited so long to ask." Her eyes flicked to his and away. "Yes, I'm attracted to you. But physical attraction isn't everything. There must be something more."
He wanted to reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear. He wanted to tilt her head, so she looked at him. "And what," he said, his voice soft. "Would be enough, Sarah? What is the key to your heart?"
Her eyes slid closed and she pursed her lips. "I won't answer that."
"You know the penalty if you don't answer."
"Yes."
Jareth could not help his self-satisfied smirk. He leaned back against the low back of the barstool, his left elbow coming to rest on the counter behind him. Sarah was ignoring him, the color still high in her cheeks. "You could always tell me," he said in his quiet voice. "What would be the harm, Sarah? Are you afraid you'll succumb?"
A tic along the skin of her jawline. "Yes," she ground out between clenched teeth. "I've come too close before."
An image arose in his mind. Of Sarah, trembling like a frightened bird, her body soft and tender in his arms. He remembered how she had tucked against his chest, sliding against his body like a key slipping smooth into its lock. How full he had felt that night, how hopeful he had been of the future. Jareth knew she had almost said yes, almost gone with him. If it hadn't been for—
"If your brother had not called that night," he said. "Would you have gone with me?"
A tear slipped down one of her cheeks, though he was unsure if it was a tear of anger or pain. Her words were soft. "I don't know. I think I might have, but he's one of the many reasons I can't do it. I can't disappear into another world."
"You could visit here as often as you like," he said, and brushed the back of his gloved fingers against her forearm, making her jump. He pulled away. "Did you think I would keep you locked in a cage?"
Sarah huffed. "I feel like I've answered a million questions."
"One more, precious."
She shot him a poisonous glare. "We both know that's not your last question."
"It is for now."
Baring her teeth, Sarah ground out, "I don't know, again. From what I've read, the fae love to possess people, and I know you're fae. But I also know—I know you, to a degree. I think you want to keep me, but I don't think you'd keep me chained, literally or figuratively."
"The image does hold its appeal." Her mouth fell open, and he bit back his laugh and a simultaneous desire to run a fingertip along her plump bottom lip. His smile widened. "I believe you owe me something, precious. A kiss, if you recall? For not answering one of my questions." His gaze intensified on her. "Unless you forfeit."
Sarah gave a jerky shake of her head. "Never."
He let silence stretch between them for a long moment before rolling his wrist and lifting a single hand. "I believe this is where you come to me."
There was an exhalation of breath, smelling of sweet cream and coffee, and then she was sliding off the barstool. Her movements were stiff, the constant flickering of her eyes an indicator of her nerves.
Jareth forced himself to remain still. Relaxed. He sensed anything from him now might be misinterpreted.
Sarah hesitated, then slipped into the space between his spread knees, her hips bumping against his thighs. The crimson color never left her face, only deepened. She took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to his. "It's not like we haven't done this before."
He let his lips twitch upward. "No."
She leaned forward a little before making an exasperated sound and pulling back. "You're too far away."
"Brace yourself on me, Sarah," he murmured, still unwilling to move.
"You're such an insufferable ass," she muttered but leaned forward again. This time her hand connected with his chest, above the hard beat of his heart. Surely she could tell by his pulse what she was doing to him? Her eyes widened a little, but she did not slow her forward momentum, her mouth colliding with his.
Whatever Jareth had been expecting, it wasn't this. This forcefulness. Sarah's fingers curled in his shirt as she pressed her lips hard against his, her mouth opening a little so her teeth nipped his lower lip. His mouth fell open, and she used that moment to taste him.
But before he could return the favor, before he could chase that delicious tongue, she pulled back. Her eyes were heavy-lidded as she stepped away, though his arms lifted in a vain attempt to keep her there.
"There. That would have meant something between lovers, wouldn't it?" She was trying to be flippant, but he heard the faint breathiness to her voice and noted how she stalwartly refused to look at him.
He licked his lips, tasting the faint hint of her which remained. Coffee and cream, and a sweetness that was all her. He tasted it once before. "Yes," he said. "That mattered." He could sense the satisfied vibration along the spell wound between them both, signifying their compact fulfilled.
Sarah ran a hand through her hair. "I've got work to catch up on, but you can watch TV or something while I'm doing it."
Jareth stayed where he was as she went to her computer and fired it up, his eyes silently tracking her movements.
And so the games begin...
Author Note:
I do not own Labyrinth. I don't think I put in that disclaimer before, but I'm putting it in now. I don't own any of this material except for the fact that I wrote it. I just do this for fun, ya'll.
Okay, this chapter was much shorter but overall I think we're going to have 32 chapters (look at the title) and some of them are just going to be shorter than others.
Since I last wrote/spoke, some things have happened. Namely, my husband declared that we're getting a divorce. So… yeah. In the midst of a pandemic, I am also dealing with that.
Suffice it to say, the creative energy was not flowing for a while, but I am going to try to consistently update this story every week at least.
Thank you for reading.
xoxo,
CrimsonSympathy