For once in her life Sarah woke early despite the absence of an alarm clock. Although her eyes were still bleary she looked at the open window just in time to see a pale barn owl hop out of the window. Looking at Alana's bed she found it empty.
Turning to Jareth's bed she found him still asleep. Outside the sun was rising, painting the room in warm orange light and bathing him in a warm glow. She tiptoed her way past him. Holding her breath she opened the door, which thankfully opened without a single sound.
"Sarah?"
She startled so badly that she accidentally slammed the door closed. "Ah! Uh, good morning."
He gracefully raised from the bed, taking a moment to stretch the sleep out of his arms and shoulders.
"I was going to make us some breakfast, but since you're up… Is there any chance we could perhaps get me some of my… normal clothes? No offense."
"None taken. I have already provided you with some in the bathroom. I'd prefer to leave in an hour, so that I can offer you as much time as possible to say goodbye. Go freshen up and we'll have breakfast afterwards."
"Thank you."
A little while later Sarah had washed up, dressed and had breakfast. It was a little strange to be dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and sweater again. While she waited for Jareth to return from a morning checkup with the regiment she sat on the couch, mulling over what exactly she was going to say to her family. Was she going to make something up? She couldn't possibly tell them the truth. What sort of situation would warrant her leaving indefinitely? Could she still contact them? She didn't figure the Underground had cell reception. Would Jareth be able to deliver letters for her? If she'd ask him for the possibilities, would he see that as leverage to talk her out of staying here? While she didn't regret her decision, she couldn't help herself but tread to find possibilities.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Sarah jumped, a hand coming to rest on her chest. Jareth was lounging across the room, smirking. "For God's sake, Jareth!" He simply stood there, looking rather pleased with himself. "I was just going over the story I'm going to tell my parents. Are you done with your things?"
"For now. Are you ready to be dropped off?"
"You're not staying?"
His eyebrows rose. "With you and your family? Do you need me to? I presumed you might enjoy some time with them alone."
Sarah shrugged quietly. "I… I don't know. Wouldn't you conserve more energy if you'd like… hang around?"
The Goblin King chuckled. "If you'd like me there with you just say so, Sarah."
"If you have important things to do I don't want to keep you."
"Eager to introduce me to your parents, are you?" Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "I would be happy and honored to be there for you, Sarah. What do you plan on telling them?"
"I figured the truth might not be the best idea, so going with the concept that you're dealing with personal issues seems like the easiest option."
"What about the few days you've been gone already?"
There wasn't really a good way to talk herself out of that one. "I don't suppose you could…" She fell silent.
A strangely pleased grin appeared on his face. "Could what, pray tell?"
"You know, make them forget?"
"You wish for me to bring you, stay with you and have them forget about you?"
"No," Sarah gasped, sitting up on the couch. "I don't want them to forget me. I'm not planning on kicking the bucket. I meant that perhaps you could make them forget I just got up and left without notice the past few days."
"Sarah," he said. The tone he used already caused a sense of rejection. "I have no issues bringing you to the Above to bid farewell to your family, but erasing memory is not as easy as you make it sound. Let alone erase the memory of three or more people."
Her eyes lowered, her posture deflated a little. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I can't imagine altering someone's mind is easy."
"I can, however, make it so that you never left."
She looked up at him, confused. "How is erasing time any easier than erasing a few memories?"
"It's not… technically." He pushed himself from his position against the wall to walk over to her. "I am a master of time, not a master of mind. Magic has many branches of which I have walked several. But manipulation of the mind is not one of them. Not by the use of magic, that is." Gracefully he sat down next to her. "Don't misunderstand, rearranging time is still no easy feat. But it would ensure success and save you more convoluted stories than the alternative."
The woman looked up at him. "You would do this for me?"
"For you? Yes, I would. Though it's not too late to-"
Sarah put her fingertips against his lips. "No, Jareth. No more feeble attempts to talk me out of this. I made my choice."
He grinned. A reaction that caused her to pull back her hand as if his lips had burned them. "And what a delicious choice it was." His arm came to rest on the back of the couch and he moved closer. His hand raised to her face, gloved fingertips lamenting the inability to feel the soft and warming skin as they brushed towards her neck, his palm cupping her face.
They both startled as they heard the front door open, a familiar voice announcing her presence. Jareth's smile fell. Sarah, on the other hand, was grinning. "Wow, Alana is a professional cockblock," she whispered.
The moment he grinned back her expression fell. Jareth leaned in closer. "Perhaps we should bring her up to speed with the latest developments. I'm sure she'll be thrilled."
The brunette started pushing him away. The front door closed and Sarah rallied her mind to use more offensive means to get him to back off. Meanwhile he had closed in far enough that he had boxed her in on the couch. His steely positioning kept her from both getting him off or finding a way out herself. She could push and pull on his arm all she wanted but he wasn't budging. Squeezing her eyes closed she held her breath.
Then gravity dropped, like the couch had simply vanished from below her. Her hands fished for something to hold on to. Her system urged her to take a breath, like it was running out of oxygen. Her eyes flew open and she felt herself tumble backwards.
Sarah could see everything around her shift into shape, like paint splattered on a canvas. Colors sucked onto planar surfaces as the world around her narrowed down to a pinprick before it exploded outwards to something completely different. The seconds ticked by while her eyes regained focus. She could almost feel her pupils dilate and contract confusedly in an attempt to stabilize light and to make sense of what happened. Her entire skin rippled and tiny pinpricks scattered across her skin. Still wheezing for air the world around her started to settle.
She looked up at Jareth. His familiar mismatched eyes offered comfort through the strange sensation. The warm brown and icy blue akin to a cozy fireplace and a summer sky all wrapped into one.
But something was missing when she looked up at him. It wasn't until ten seconds later that it clicked. The trademark sweep of his eyebrows had changed to a more humanlike shape and the markings by his eyes were gone. Looking down she saw her hands knotted in a black turtleneck sweater. It was then that she became aware of how he was holding her against him, his arms firmly locked around her waist and their bodies aligned snuggly from knees to chest. Still a little dizzy she pushed away from him, taking a calming breath, swaying on her feet. "Geez Jareth, leave some room for Jesus."
He laughed. One of his hands reached out to hold her elbow. She blinked a few times. "Are you alright, Sarah?"
"Peachy," she said with a wave of her hand.
"I apologize for the upsetting transportation, it slipped my mind that with inexperienced travelers shifting positions during travel causes dizziness. I probably should have warned you to close your eyes as well."
"I'll keep it in mind for the way home," she said distractedly. It was nightfall. Familiar streets were quiet and the temperature was pleasant. She was standing by the large tree in the front garden of her childhood home. Distantly she could hear Toby yelling and a moment later her dad and Karen burst out the door looking worried. Toby followed.
In record time Sarah's mind caught up to the timeline and she shot Jareth a dirty look. "You couldn't have brought me back like ten minutes earlier?"
"I preferred not to interfere with timelines of two different worlds. Plus, Alana would be very upset." The woman sighed. "There's still the alternative," he hinted quietly.
"Princess," a familiar voice said. Robert hurried down the porch and jogged towards her. "Sarah, are you okay? Toby came running in scared out of his mind. What happened?"
Karen joined them, a worried hand over her heart. "Oh Robert, do you see now why I don't like them going to the park at night? It's dangerous!"
Sarah opened her mouth to speak but Robert bristled once spotting the tall stranger standing next to her. Protectively he grabbed Sarah's arm, pulling her back towards him and standing in between them. "Did this creep follow you?" Karen walked up to Sarah protectively. Sarah tried to talk again but her father beat her to it. "Sir, I ask you to leave my property at once or I'll be forced to alert authorities."
This definitely wasn't going the way she'd imagined. "Dad! Just calm down for a second. Jareth wasn't following us, it's okay."
Robert still regarded the man in front of him sternly and turned towards his family. "Inside. Everyone. Now. No more evening walks."
Sarah resisted, twisting out of his grasp. She walked back over to Jareth. "No, dad, he's a friend. Can we just go inside and talk like adults, please? It's important."
The older man looked from her to the man and back. The stranger simply shifted his gaze between the members of the family with an unimpressed expression. "Okay then, let's head inside."
They headed inside. Sarah, her dad and Jareth walked into the living room where they sat down. As usual Jareth sank down gracefully, applying the near liquid slouch on one of the leather chairs. He didn't seem surprised or bothered by what had just happened. Her father kept shooting distrusting glares to the blonde. "So, what happened?"
While Sarah was busy weaving an elaborate story to calm her father Jareth saw something from the corner of his eye. A young boy peeking around the corner of the hallway. As soon as their eyes met the boy ducked from view. He grinned before looking back to Sarah and her father.
He hadn't missed the more than apprehensive looks in her father's eyes. Jareth couldn't exactly blame him. Magical beings, even in disguise, emitted a certain aura that most mortals didn't trust. In quick passing the Earthen race wouldn't notice much but pleasant moods would shift to hostility within a few seconds with longer exposure. It was only one of the reasons why, while he enjoyed watching them, he didn't spend time among mortal folk in this world.
From the corner of his eye he spotted a tray being held out to him carrying a selection of cookies. Looking up he saw the blonde woman look down at the floor uncomfortably. Grabbing a cookie he smiled politely. "Thank you, my fair hostess." She quickly turned to the others, avoiding eye contact. The boy, already munching on a cookie, sneakily slipped around his mother's back and grabbed another one while she wasn't looking. Jareth grinned once their eyes met. The boy stuck out his tongue, which was still covered by crumbs of his most recent sugary victim. Feeling mischievous, Jareth summoned a second cookie, letting the child believe he wasn't the only one sneaking for seconds. The little boy grinned approvingly. Dropping his smile, Jareth turned back to the conversation.
Sarah was still trying to reassure her father, too occupied to have noticed Toby and Jareth.
"This whole ordeal seems suspiciously coincidental," Robert commented.
"I have known him for a while, dad. Years, in fact. He has some issues back at home that he's dealing with." Meanwhile Karen set some glasses on the table, quietly pouring everybody some tea.
"And why exactly are you the only person that can help him with these… issues?"
"I was wondering that myself," Jareth interjected.
"Ah, so you can speak." The father clearly made no effort to be pleasant even though his daughter was trying to diffuse the situation.
Jareth proverbially bit his tongue. Were it not for the fact that this man was Sarah's father, who she deeply cared for, he would have made the man regret those words.
Sarah hadn't missed the flexing of muscles in Jareth's jaw, his eyes slightly narrowing. "Dad," Sarah said, pulling the two men out of their glaring contest. "I am not the only person that can help. He has others that are also helping. But I can help. More than anyone you know I'm loyal to family and friends. Jareth is a good friend and thus I am willing to do what I can to help him. Besides, I'm currently unemployed, making it the perfect time to lend a helping hand."
Robert rubbed his brow. "Sarah, sometimes I worry you'll never grow out of that naivety you had as a child."
Sarah opened her mouth to speak but found herself unsure of what to say. Jareth gave her a smug grin.
"So what exactly does this mystery guy need help with?"
Jareth grabbed his tea and sat back, letting the warmth seep through his gloves. Over the rim of his glass he settled to simply observe. Karen quietly shooed Toby when he was moving in to grab a cookie again. Amused, Jareth took one, making eye contact with the boy and briefly gesturing to his left. The boy quietly walked off. Karen's attention had already returned to her husband and stepdaughter. Jareth leaned back with the cookie and draped his arm over the back of the chair. Repressing a smile he felt the cookie being snagged away a second later. He tried to focus on the conversation again but could see the boy moving about nearby curiously.
"Your eyes are funny."
The Goblin King jumped, the boy was suddenly standing by the other side of his chair. "I take that as a compliment," he replied quietly. While he didn't want to disturb Sarah and her father, the boy didn't seem to hold back in volume.
"Are you Sarah's boyfriend?"
Jareth could hear the conversation falling silent when the child spoke up. He looked back at Sarah blushing and shooting daggers at Toby. Distrust and hostility was clearly etched on Robert's aging face. "Is that what this is about, Sarah?"
Sarah felt her cheeks flush uncomfortably. "No," she snapped sharply. "That's not why I'm doing this. He's not my boyfriend."
At least she didn't think so. Jareth was many things, but definitely not a 'boy'.
Karen seemed all too happy with the possibility. "Oh, darling! Why so upset? Wouldn't it be great for Sarah to finally start dating? This is the first time she's bringing someone home!"
"He's not -" Sarah started.
"Yes, and it's only to tell me she's running off with him."
"I'm not -" she tried again.
"How romantic," the older woman sighed.
"I am not running off with anyone," Sarah snapped defensively. "And he is not my boyfriend." Her father seemed relieved. Karen was giving her and her father an unfailing and eager smile.
"Romantic escapade or no, I am not okay with you heading off with some stranger out of the blue."
Sarah started to get agitated. "Well then get to know him, for fuck's sake," she lashed out.
"Sarah, language," Karen chastised softly.
"Are you alright, Sarah?" Sarah looked at Jareth, his brows drawn in concern.
"No! I'm sick and tired of people telling me what to do or what not to do. Why does everyone just presume that feeble little Sarah can't think or make decisions for herself? I'm not a child anymore! I'm heading for my thirties, in case you haven't noticed!"
Everyone fell silent. Robert and Karen exchanged looks. "I'm sorry, Sarah," Robert sighed. "But please try to understand. How about we put a few breaks on this whole ordeal and instead of everyone getting worked up, enjoy some lighter conversation to start." He looked at his wife. "Darling, could you perhaps make all of us some of your delicious hot cocoa while we get situated at the dining table? Sarah, can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?"
"I'll leave you two for a moment," Jareth offered, getting up from his seat. Walking to the hallway he folded his hands behind his back, patiently standing by a flight of stairs while seeing the older woman at work in the kitchen. The boy followed.
It was refreshing to see that the young Toby wasn't adverse to his presence. He actually seemed compelled by it, eyeing the tall man with curiosity.
Smiling, he looked at the child bouncing around in the kitchen, asking things to his mother. Karen hurried towards him when he jumped to reach the mugs in the kitchen cabinet. Warning the boy to leave it to her.
A sigh pricked his ears and he turned to the doorway leading to the living room. Sarah approached him. "Are you doing alright, Sarah?"
She sighed. "Well, I'd definitely hoped this whole ordeal would go a little smoother. But I think we're through the worst of it. Sorry that my dad is being defensive. He just wanted to speak to me alone for a moment to make sure you weren't being controlling and stuff."
He could see the disappointment in her eyes. Jareth pressed a kiss to her forehead comfortingly. "Come on, let's get back to your family. We can get through this smoothly, I am sure."
They approached Toby at the dining table while he was busy preparing a board game. "Ah Tobes, I don't know if we have time for a board game this evening…"
"What? Why not?" Toby looked up and gave her his best puppy dog eyes.
Sarah sighed and looked at Jareth, who grinned. "Well, I can't say no to a face like that."
—-
One board game later Sarah was happy to call herself the winner.
While her competitive streak carried her a large part of the way, it was also due to the motivations of half the other participants. Robert kept trying to sabotage Jareth, blocking him every which way he could but ruining his own progress in the meantime. Karen wasn't too eager to play to begin with, so she did the bare minimum to keep the others happy. Toby had been trying, but had trouble thinking ahead. Jareth had definitely been competitive, picking up on the rules swiftly and each turn tried to twist the rules to get what he wanted. It had given the brunette a glimpse of the Jareth she'd experienced when they first met, many years ago.
Robert had been on edge the entire time still. When the game allowed it he would ask Jareth all sorts of questions, probing and prodding him. While Jareth had remained completely civil and polite he was getting agitated. Probably a good deal of his annoyance could be attributed to the fact that he couldn't tell anything considered out of the 'ordinary' and he had to tiptoe around each question. His wording had been so vague and sometimes almost bizarre that Sarah wondered if he was trying not to lie, even about small things. Gracefully but restlessly he would twirl cards from the game in between his fingers, deftly passing it from between two digits to the next without ever creasing or even bending the cards. Sarah did feel somewhat bad for him. As a seasoned lawyer Robert was pretty damn good getting under people's skin when he wanted to. Besides, Jareth had the tendency to be a little touchy, especially to things he deemed disrespectful.
When the game was over, Jareth had gotten rather attached to the card he'd been keeping his hands busy with. While Toby was cleaning up the game and Sarah tried to take it from him it vanished in thin air.
Oh yeah, the Goblin King was definitely upset.
"Where did the rule card go?" Toby looked around and under the table. Sarah elbowed Jareth and with a flourish he summoned it again. He put the card close to his mouth, blew and caused the rule card to twirl perfectly into the box. Toby's mouth dropped. "Wow, cool! How did you do that?"
Sarah caught Karen smiling a little and the older woman quickly got up. "Okay Toby, time for school. Grab your things. Robert, could you put the board game back in Toby's room? Sarah, could you please do the dishes for me?"
"Sure." Sarah put everything down in the kitchen by the sink and smiled to herself. Despite the rough start this evening, the board game had been fun.
After washing up she walked back to the living room where Toby was setting up his things for school. Her dad had been talking to Jareth and quickly cleared his throat. "So, Sarah, do you want to tell everybody?"
Karen looked up, her expression somewhere between excitement and confusion. Toby had already sat down at the table and seemed rather disinterested in grown-up talk. "Are you breaking up with Jareth?"
The brunette narrowed her eyes at him. After that she fell quiet, looking down to search for the words while the others remained quiet, looking at her expectantly. Jareth walked up to her, subtly putting a hand on her back in silent support. "I… uh… I'm… I'm leaving for a while."
Toby's head shot up. "What," he yelped as he dropped his pen. "But I just got you back!"
Karen gently shushed Toby. "What for, Sarah?"
"Jareth is dealing with some problems. Issues that I offered to help with. He doesn't leave closeby, so we arranged that I could stay with him while I help."
"Well, how long will you be gone for? Will you be back before summer? Where will you be staying?"
"I'm not sure yet as to when. However long it takes for things to be sorted, I guess. I'll be staying with Jareth in the meantime."
"Robert - darling," the older woman pleaded with her husband, reaching out to him.
"Sweetheart, you know as well as I do that once Sarah makes up her mind, there's no changing it." He smiled rather humorlessly and looked at his daughter. "I've already tried talking her out of this one."
"Well… will you be visiting? Or at least call every once in a while? Where does Jareth live? We can definitely visit."
Sarah was a little surprised to see Karen's tearful eyes and before she knew it her vision started to get a little cloudy too. Jareth rubbed her back gently, providing a comforting distraction. "I, uh…" Her eyes shifted to Jareth's.
"We can visit every now and then. Though I'm afraid I won't be able to give exact dates. Perhaps we can arrange correspondence as well."
"Where will you guys be headed?" Robert wrapped an arm around his wife while Toby was still sulking.
"England," Sarah said quickly, figuring that with Jareth's accent that was the most logical answer.
"You live in England? Where?"
"I own a generous stretch of land. While Sarah is in my care I ensure she will want for nothing."
"Do they not have reception in England?" Robert's voice was a little stiff and perhaps a little mocking.
"Dad, everything will be fine, I promise. I'll be in touch."
"I still don't like this," Robert stated.
Sarah sighed. "Yeah, Jareth doesn't either." She looked up at Jareth but he didn't meet her gaze.
"Well," Karen said carefully. "When will you be leaving?"
"Uh… Tonight…"
"What?!" Toby jumped up. "No, Sarah!" Sarah chuckled as the boy ran over to her. With the vigor of a petulant child he went limp, his entire body weight pulling on her waist in an attempt to physically stop her.
Robert walked over to the boy and peeled him off of her, pushing him to Karen. He was not amused. "Princess, I don't trust this one bit. Toby came home in a panic, which according to you wasn't anything to worry about. You conveniently run into some stranger..." He held up his hand when she attempted to interject. "He needs help with something we're not privy to and to this moment is shrouded in mystery. Now you tell us that you want to uproot your entire life and leave tonight? What are we supposed to make of all this?"
"Dad, I know this is a lot. But can you please just… trust me? Please."
His daughter looked up at him tearfully, begging him to understand. "Well," he sighed, looking back at Jareth. "Princess, if you say you need and want to do this… I can't tell you otherwise. Despite still being my little girl, you are legally an adult. While you currently live under my roof, I let you do so without any strings attached and I can't force you to stay."
Sarah smiled shakily and moved forward. Robert hugged her tightly.
"No fair, I couldn't hug her," Toby said sourly. Sarah chuckled and dragged him into the hug. Karen joined with a sad smile, resting her head against Robert's shoulder.
The realization of it all finally crashed down on her. The fact that this just might be the last time she saw her father, stepmother and halfbrother. While she wanted to be able to say a proper goodbye, she knew she couldn't. Not only would her father definitely not let her go but if she treated this like a final goodbye Sarah would definitely become an unflattering, sniveling mess. Ugly crying and all. Not only upsetting herself but also her family and probably Jareth. She nuzzled against her father's sweater, basking in their presence as tears started pooling in her eyes.
Were it not for the fact that her dad had Karen and Toby, Sarah would never have left him. Even though she had been very young when her father lost Sarah's biological mother, she could still picture Robert's face after all those years. The utter heartbreak, the pain, the frustration. Even thinking about it made a lump form in her throat.
But despite the sadness she felt now, it still felt like the right choice. Rather than fumbling her way through life here, she would have a purpose. She'd be useful, she'd make sure of it. Opening her eyes she slightly turned her head, looking back at Jareth. He smiled encouragingly at her, more than patient.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah squeezed a little before letting go. The couple and child looked at her sadly. "I love you, guys. Don't worry about me okay? I'll be fine." She moved to hug her father, snuggling up to him one more time. "I promise, dad. We'll be in touch."
"We love you too, princess. We'll talk soon, okay?"
"For sure," Sarah insisted and turned to Karen. "Karen, maybe pick up dad's offer to get a housekeeper or a governess, okay? Take some time for yourself."
The woman smiled reluctantly, exchanging a look with Robert before she chuckled. "I'll think about it. We'll talk soon, Sarah. Be safe."
"Tobes," Sarah sighed as she turned to the kid. "Take good care of mom and dad, okay? And try to snack more healthy. Candy is not going to get you a girlfriend, it's only going to get you cavities and a belly like mister Hensworth from down the street."
"Sar, it is literally impossible to get a gut like mister Hensworth." Karen chastised both of them for making fun of the large man. Sarah pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek and he chuckled. "I'll miss you, Sarah."
"I'll miss you too, squirt. Study hard, okay? And help your mother with chores." Toby nodded and Sarah smiled. Turning to Jareth and out of view of her family her smile dropped and she avoided eye contact with him. "I'm going to grab a few things, I'll be right back."
A few minutes later Sarah walked down with a duffel bag. Jareth was talking to Robert in the living room, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Once she walked in she smiled and patted her luggage. "I'm ready."
Jareth got up and walked over to her. "It's not too late to change your mind, Sarah. You're absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," Sarah said resolutely, lifting her chin.
Robert walked over to her and gave her a tight hug. "Good luck, princess." He turned to the blonde. "Take good care of my daughter. Should you need any further documentation to cross borders you both will know where to find me. If I even suspect that she might be unhappy, I will not hesitate to take the first plane to the United Kingdom and beat you to a pulp."
"If I find that she is unhappy, I will gladly present myself to you here and save you the trip," Jareth said with a grin, not at all bothered by the threat.
"You men and your violence," Sarah sighed. "If I get upset, I'll be perfectly capable of kicking his ass myself, thank you very much."
"I'm sure you will be," Robert said with a smile. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and lovingly petted her hair. "We'll talk soon. I love you, Princess."
"Bye, daddy," she said softly, smiling. Quickly she ran over to Toby and Karen and gave them both a firm hug, saying goodbye before she walked out of the door. Jareth followed quietly.
They walked outside, the warmth inside quickly dissipated and Sarah huddled into herself. After their visit it had cooled off quite significantly. The contrast was almost symbolic. Jareth wrapped an arm around her and she looked up at him. He looked ahead quietly while they walked down the street. He led her into an alleyway and turned to her.
"Are you ready?"
"Did you mean it? Can we come back for visits?"
He looked down at her. "Yes. While I cannot guarantee when or how often, we can visit every now and then. Though only when we're free of conflict and provided I will be able to take us here and back. I can probably work to arrange correspondence as well."
Sarah was still trying to fight back tears and she looked at him with a watery smile. "Thank you, Jareth."
"It's the least I can do for your dedication to the cause," the man said somewhat bitterly. The woman let out a slow breath before wrapping her arms around him, hugging him close. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," she stated, closing her eyes. A short moment later she felt a weird shift in gravity despite her feet remaining planted on the floor. She stayed still, awaiting something like a signal from Jareth to open her eyes again.
About a minute later Sarah got confused, wondering if maybe he was having difficulty. "Is… is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything is fine. Truthfully, I am rather enjoying myself. You?"
Her eyes flew open and she was met with the familiar house they'd been staying in. Lifting her head she looked around, then back up at Jareth. The man grinned down at her gleefully, tightening his arms around her. "God," Sarah grumbled as she pushed away from him. "You're insufferable."
"You should have thought of that before you decided to stay here." He walked towards the hall. "I have to get back to my troops and take care of some matters. You are free to roam the town in the meantime. Don't stray out of its boundaries. I will reactivate the binding charm before sunset, so find me before then." He stopped at the door opening, looking back at her. "I trust you will be a good girl and not get yourself into trouble?"
Sarah grinned. "Aren't I always?" His lips thinned in quiet warning. "Yes, drill sergeant Jareth, I will be a good girl. I'll see if I can make myself useful somewhere."
"Wonderful," he said. "I advise you to look for me before sundown, lest you will be dragged across rooftops and break every limb in your body within ten hours of your first day as a resident." While he had been turning to leave he halted when a realization dawned on him. "Which reminds me that I also have to file your paperwork and writ of residence as an official civilian. We'll do that once we head for either of the capitals." He waved a hand dismissively before walking out the hallway and leaving the house.