Chapter Two

Two and a Half Years after Sarah's Run…

Jareth's eyes narrowed on Sir Didymus, rage dripping from his voice. "What do you mean, she is attending a ball? Who is her escort?"

How is this even possible? The heart-bond should not allow anyone's courtship but mine… how is she able to accept the attention of another male?

"It is a formal occasion, hosted by her place of education," Sir Didymus replied. "My understanding is that every 'high school' as they call it hosts a similar event. It's called a 'prom'."

"And this male, her escort, is attempting to court her?" Jareth was practically growling. Any other of his subjects would have been cowering before him to see this display of anger, but Sir Didymus was made of far sterner stuff.

"No, Sire. Not exactly," he said pensively. "Sarah's parents, especially her mother-figure, have been bringing quite a lot of pressure to bear on My Lady. Apparently, she believes that My Lady should have any number of suitors now that she has come of age. She is insisting that she attend this ball."

Jareth paced around the study with growing agitation, "And the male? Who is he?"

"An acquaintance from My Lady's school. From what she has told me, he too is feeling pressure from his family to attend this ball. He proposed being Sarah's escort to satisfy both sets of parents, nothing more."

"A likely story," Jareth snarled.

"I don't think so, Sire. My Lady was quite clear that this 'David' was not a suitor, nor did he wish to be. I believe she mentioned that he preferred to court those of his own gender."

Jareth's rage abated by a fraction. Well, I still don't like the thought of another male escorting her to such a function, even if it is strictly platonic. "When is this event to take place? Where?" Jareth asked calmly, still pacing.

Relieved that his liege was in a slightly more tranquil frame of mind, Sir Didymus replied, "In the gymnasium of her place of education. This coming Saturday. 7 o'clock."

Jareth stopped pacing and grew thoughtful, "I think we should double her guard for the evening."

"As you command, Sire" said Sir Didymus as he bowed to his sovereign. "I will see to it immediately." He turned smartly and marched out of Jareth's study.

Jareth dropped into the chair behind his desk and let out a heavy sigh. His patience was getting thinner by the day. Two and a half years, and still, he was no closer to seeing her again. He knew Lily was right, knew it down to his bones, but it didn't stop him from feeling frustrated at the delay. He was no longer able to see into her dreams, although he knew he was in them… he could feel it. Yet, in all this time, not once had she mentioned his name. Not once had she mentioned him at all. She never said the words "I wish…", and to the best of his knowledge, never even allowed herself to think them.

For the past two and a half years, she'd been visited by her friends and guarded by the Ughlánas, and from what Sir Didymus had told him in his weekly reports, her primary concern was developing a better relationship with her family and getting through the trials of the human school system, both of which she was successful at. She never made any real Aboveground friends and certainly never entertained suitors. Yet, not once in the last two and a half years had she ever inquired about him, even indirectly. Sir Didymus made a point of mentioning some of the events at the castle and even vignettes about Jareth in particular. While Sarah listened to the stories with interest, she never solicited them. She certainly never referred to him by name, and at this point, Jareth wondered if she even knew what it was. Hoggle might have told her, but then again, he might not have wanted to. Sir Didymus would never have been so forward as to use his King's given name in casual conversation, so it was entirely possible that she just didn't know his name to begin with.

That aside, you would think that she'd at least mention him.

But she did not. Sir Didymus believed that her refusal to even acknowledge Jareth's existence stemmed from fear that to do so would restore some of his power over her. She was right… it would, at least over time and especially if she used his name. Hoggle had no doubt magnified and encouraged that fear into full blown paranoia.

If I had just thrown Hoggle into an oubliette two and a half years ago… No. Then she would hate him. At least Lily was right about Sir Didymus. He was certainly in Jareth's corner and actively worked to counter the vitriol that Hoggle spewed regarding their King. It was just taking so long…

He remembered the first year after she had returned Above. Scrying her with a crystal didn't work anymore, so he'd had to get more creative. Duties permitting, he would venture Above in owl form to perch at her tree, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of her, feeling like some kind of heartsick stalker (which was a truer picture than he cared to admit). Most times, he couldn't come to her until long after dark. He knew there was no chance of seeing her then, but just being in proximity to her was at least soothing to the jagged wounds he felt in his heart.

At first, he noted that every night that he watched over her, he would see the light in her bedroom come on for a few minutes, then turn off. This happened anywhere between 1 or 2 in the morning, without fail. After the first year, this lessened, then stopped altogether. It was curious.

He'd tried to perch near the front door of her home, hoping to catch a glimpse of her that way, but there were no nearby trees large enough to bear his weight (the one time he'd tried, the branch broke and he plummeted into an undignified heap of feathers on the ground) and he couldn't take the chance that she would see him and banish him in this form, too. Trying to see her at her school was just as impossible and, being that she never socialized outside of her Underground friends, he was never able to catch her outside, except for when she walked her dog in the park. Here too were the same problems as with her home. The trees nearest to the path were too small to bear his weight and the more mature trees too far away to satisfy his wish to look upon her properly.

Sighing again, Jareth put his feet up on his desk and crossed his ankles, feeling a sense of disquiet. He didn't like the idea of her attending a ball with another male, whatever his lack of intentions towards her. If only…

No. To keep revisiting my mistakes leads to madness. However…

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Upon experimentation, he'd discovered that the limit to how close he could appear to her in his owl form was about 50 feet or so. Any closer and he found himself transported against his will back to the castle. The gymnasium was bound to have some window or two that he could look through in the hopes of seeing her.

Yes. That would work nicely. He would follow her to this "prom", and may the Fates help that boy if his intentions were not true.

Thank God this is almost over, Sarah thought. It had seemed like a clever idea at the time, go to prom and get Karen off her back.

Oh, David was nice and all, and good company, but if she'd had her way, she'd be cuddled with Tippy and playing Scrabble with Hoggle and Sir Didymus tonight and not stuffed into a glittery poof of a dress, listening to music that was too loud and trying to ignore the pinch of those heels. As she sat at their table waiting for David to return with something to drink, Sarah had time to reflect on the years leading up to this.

18 years old. Grown up at last. Closing one door and opening another. Meh.

In truth, the last few years had been good. Ever since her time in the Labyrinth, in fact. She wasn't lonely anymore (it was impossible to be lonely with the Goblins hanging around), she had her best friends, her relationship with her family had improved drastically and she was on her way to college and a new life. She could say that the last few years had seen a lot of growing up on her part. She cringed sometimes when she looked back at her younger self. Was she really that much of a brat? Karen didn't think so, but then ever since Sarah had stopped pushing her away and instead started trying to meet her halfway, Karen had become her greatest advocate.

If only she'd stop pushing the boyfriend thing.

While Karen and Sarah had called a truce, and then later bonded as friends if not mother and daughter, the one thing that didn't change was Karen's insistence that Sarah should be going on dates and finding "someone special" to spend time with. No amount of begging, pleading or outright refusal would fend her off. She found herself dodging blind date setups with the sons of her father's colleagues that "just so happened" to be invited to the Williams home for a social event. She tried to tell Karen that with her studies, she simply didn't have time to devote to a relationship. That her grades earned her a partial scholarship to a prestigious university went a long way towards proving her point, and Karen eased up a bit, probably figuring that college would change Sarah's mind.

It wouldn't.

The thing was… she wanted to be with someone special. She wanted romance. It bothered her to see all the girls around her getting flowers, notes, attention. None for Sarah. And the kicker, what really got Sarah's goat and kept her up at night was that it was her own doing that she was alone.

Oh, she wasn't stupid. She knew that she was pretty. She looked just like her mother after all, which was probably why she took no pride in her looks in the slightest, although she did eventually start showing an interest in makeup and styling her hair, much to Karen's delight. Starting in her junior year of high school, she got asked out almost twice a week by just about every guy there. And every one of them got turned down. She told herself it was just that she wasn't ready… just that he wasn't her type… just that she wasn't looking for this, that or the other.

The truth was… none of them were him.

She hadn't noticed David's return to their table until he held out a can of soda to her. "Hey, you, you're looking a bit peaked. Did you want to go out back?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's getting a little hot in here," she replied. David was the perfect gentleman, taking her hand and leading her out to the back of the gymnasium, where the trees were decorated with white Christmas lights that gave it a magical air. He led her to a bench beneath a huge oak tree and they sat.

Neither of them saw the enormous white barn owl perched above them.

Jareth couldn't believe his luck. There she was. 10 feet away. Because she had come to him, he didn't violate her banishment and thus could stay here, that is unless he tried to move closer. He kept very still, feasting his eyes on his beloved, even if it was at a bad angle and from behind.

She was wearing a blue ballgown, nothing as ornate as the gown in the Peach Dream, but it was still a nice color on her. To his amusement, as soon as she sat down, she kicked off her shoes.

"Damn. These things are killing me. I think they were invented by someone who goes in for torture," she said.

Jareth felt a shiver at hearing her voice, so close to him.

Her date laughed. "Then why did you wear them?"

She gave him a mock frown, "Prom. Duh. Karen insisted."

He laughed again, "Well, at least you only have another 3 months before you go off to college and don't have to worry about it anymore. Come to think of it, both of us will be free in 3 months." He took a drink of his soda. "By the way Sarah… thanks for doing this. I was going crazy trying to get out of going to prom but… you know how my parents are."

"I hear you. I had the same problem, remember?"

"I remember," he replied. "What I don't get is why you didn't have a date. I mean, don't take this wrong but, you are a pretty girl. Straight guys should be falling all over themselves to be taking you to prom."

I should be the one taking her to prom, Jareth thought.

Sarah sighed, "I guess I just wasn't interested."

"Are you just not into guys?" he asked.

"No… I like guys. Or should I say… oh hell… I don't know. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. No, I'm not into girls. And I used to think guys were cute… once," she said quietly. "It's almost like a switch was flipped in me. I can't dredge up any attraction for any of the guys I meet, not even for a movie star or singer that I see. I mean, I can tell objectively if a guy is attractive, but there's no… spark. No interest. It's just gone."

David looked at her with compassion, "Sarah, did something happen to you?"

For a moment, she was silent. Her reply, when it came, was almost too soft to hear, "Yeah, you could say that." She looked up at him, "Not what you're thinking. I wasn't… assaulted or anything like that. I just… a couple of years ago, I met someone. Someone a lot older than me. A hell of a lot older than me. He was gorgeous. More than gorgeous, really… he was… indescribable, and I don't mean just in looks. And let's just say, no one has ever been able to measure up to him since, on any level." She gave a bitter laugh, "He's ruined me for any other guy, in a lot of ways."

Jareth almost fell out of the tree upon hearing this. Lily was right! Then he thought to himself in wonder, she thinks I'm gorgeous?

"So, what happened? Did he make a move on you? He wasn't interested?"

"None of those things. We'd only spent about an hour in each other's company all told. We danced together for half a song. That was it. But… I have the feeling that he wanted it to be more. I know I did, on some level, but I was just too young at the time. And now, I'm cursed with never being able to forget him. I've tried everything." She looked at him with a crooked grin, "You know, this is the first time in years that I've spoken of him. I wouldn't even let myself think about him in the privacy of my own head… it hurt too much."

So, that was why she had never even mentioned me. She was trying to avoid the pain of the heart bond. Damn, Lily was right again… she does feel it.

David chewed on her words for a moment, "But what about now?" At her inquiring look, he said "You're an adult now. Even if he is older, you're legal. You can pursue a relationship with him if you want to."

Jareth found himself nodding vigorously in agreement. I am going to have to send this 'David' something special for his help. I'll ask Lily what she thinks would be appropriate…

"Can I? Or would there always be this imbalance of power between us? Believe me, it isn't just that he's heart-stopping in the looks department. This guy is… powerful, and probably one of the craftiest, smartest people you will ever have the chance to meet. I'm just… me."

And to me you are just… everything.

She sighed, looking off towards the gymnasium, "I've thought about it… getting in touch with him and seeing how it would go. But I'm afraid. Even if he did remember me after all this time, I'm scared to death that I will be opening the door to an ocean of pain. I could never trust that he wasn't just trying to get some kind of advantage over me."

Jareth's thoughts chased each other around his mind.

She thinks I'm gorgeous.

She feared him.

No other man could compare to me.

She really feared him.

She thought about contacting me but was afraid to.

She really, truly feared him.

David nodded in understanding, "That may be true, and I'm not saying it isn't, but… you also might gain something from it. Don't pass up something that might make you happy just because you're afraid. You'll only look back later and wish you'd taken the chance." He noticed that the air had turned a little colder and Sarah didn't have her wrap. "Let's go back inside, it's getting a little chilly out here."

Sarah smiled and allowed him to pull her up. "Only another hour of hell to go…" and they both laughed as they walked away. Jareth sat in the tree, stunned, but elated. Then the reality of her words washed over him. "I could never trust that he wasn't just trying to get some kind of advantage over me."

Now, what was he to do?