Jareth closed his eyes and took in the moment. Sarah in his arms. Her warm breath on his chest, their rapidly beating hearts, and the fact that she apparently cared about him.
He opened his eyes, looked at Sarah, whose head was still on his chest and smiling. A gentle smile that touched not only his lips, but also his innermost being. He was happy and didn't want the moment to end.
But Sarah thwarted his plans. She broke away from the embrace and straightened up. She didn't look at him, but looked up at the sky, where the moon was in full splendour.
"I've often dreamed of you," she told him, her gaze wandering to him for a moment. "But you probably knew that," she added quietly and shyly.
Jareth giggled quietly and replied: "Of course I knew that, my dear. Whether you knew that I was able to appear in dreams is another question. But yes, I visited you in one of your dreams. But for you I was probably just a projection of your subconscious."
Sarah looked at him in horror. "What!? No, I didn't know that. And yes, for me you were always just a projection of my subconscious."
Jareth remembered the dream he had visited and a warm feeling ran through him. It was one of the most beautiful moments he had ever experienced – just him and Sarah, together in the gardens of his labyrinth. He smiled and looked at her.
"We had a wonderful time together in your dream. I enjoyed it so much and was devastated when you woke up and the dream was over. I actually wanted to visit you more often, but I couldn't bear to experience that feeling again. So I let it go."
Sarah looked at him and she saw a deep sadness in his eyes. "I know now that I broke your heart back then," she said quietly, then added, "I'm sorry." Her words were barely audible, but he heard them.
"Oh, Sarah, you don't have to be sorry," he whispered, pulling her into a tender embrace again. "It hurt so much, but I was proud of you. You showed such incredible willpower and didn't let me lull you into a false sense of security. Not everyone can do that. And you were so young back then."
The two of them sat there like that for a while, and neither of them dared to ruin the moment.
Suddenly Jareth heard a soft snore. He opened his eyes and looked at Sarah. Her head was resting on his shoulder and she was asleep. He carefully moved so that he could lift her into his arms and carried her back into the building.
As he walked down the corridor to Sarah's room, he saw Amber striding toward him with a smug smile.
"Jareth," she said in a tone that sounded almost like a challenge, "Now that's what I call a downgrade."
'Downgrade?' he thought. "Definitely not.' Then he looked up, raised an eyebrow and fixed Amber.
"Amber," he answered calmly, "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, nothing." Amber laughed softly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I just wonder how long it will take before you realize that you deserve far more than...that." Her gaze pointed to Sarah, who was still sleeping peacefully in his arms. "She's not exactly...the best."
Jareth looked at her coldly. "And what exactly are you trying to tell me?"
"Nothing you don't already know," Amber said with a sneer. "But I just wanted to make sure you didn't lose track. You have many admirers, Jareth. And it seems you've chosen the one who...how should I put it...just isn't right for you."
Jareth remained calm, his expression unimpressed. "Amber," he began, his voice slow and controlled, "I know you think very highly of yourself, but let me tell you: not every man in this world is interested in you. To me, you were nothing more than a distraction."
Amber snorted and tossed her hair back theatrically. "What a turn of events," she said mockingly. She paused and then shook her head. "Well, if you think you're going to settle for anyone that comes along..." She took a step back, not taking her eyes off him. "Have fun."
Then she turned on her heel and ran down the corridor in the opposite direction.
Jareth watched her go and shook his head. 'How can you be so sure of yourself?' he asked himself. Then he glanced at Sarah, who was still sleeping peacefully, and blew a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You are definitely not just anyone, Sarah," he whispered softly.
When he got to her room, he pressed the handle with his knee and opened the door, giving it a light kick with his foot.
He carefully laid Sarah down on her bed and went to close the door. Then he returned to Sarah, took off her shoes and jacket, and covered her up.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared thoughtfully at Sarah. He never thought he would ever be so close to her again. Or that a future together with her would be so tangible.
Jareth put a hand on Sarah's cheek, felt her warmth and the softness of her skin. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine. He gently ran his fingers over her forehead, leaned over her and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
Sarah twitched a little, made a quiet noise and slowly opened her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sarah. I didn't mean to wake you," Jareth breathed against her cheek and kissed it too. "Go back to sleep, my dear."
Then he got up and turned to leave the room. But suddenly he heard a quiet voice.
"Jareth. Please don't go," she whispered, and when he turned around, his gaze met Sarah's eyes, which were looking at him pleadingly.
A strong feeling ran through him, and he went back to her. Again he sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her head gently.
"I'm here, Sarah. I thought you would prefer to be alone."
The two looked at each other for a while, until Sarah finally shook her head.
"No," she said briefly. She didn't say anything else, but it was enough.
Jareth stood up again and Sarah grabbed his wrist.
"Please, Jareth." Sarah looked at him.
"Don't worry, my dear. I won't go," he said, and a small smile played on his lips. "But if I'm going to stay here, then I want to make myself as comfortable as possible."
With these words he sat down on the wing chair that was under one of the windows and began to take off his boots and jacket. He then walked over to Sarah's bed and smiled as he said, "Move over a bit."
He climbed under the covers next to Sarah, and the warmth emanating from her almost drove him crazy.
Sarah sat up and tried to take off her top. Jareth looked at her with a somewhat amused but also slightly confused look.
"What are you doing?" Jareth asked, surprised, but at the same time it turned him on just a little bit.
"I'm warm," Sarah answered, who was tangled in the collar of her shirt.
Jareth gently helped her pull the shirt over her head. Her hair, dishevelled from the struggle with the collar, fell in wild strands over her face. To Jareth's regret, she was wearing a black top under the long-sleeved shirt, and for a moment he almost forgot to control himself. He swallowed imperceptibly and banished the thoughts to the farthest corner of his mind as he sank into the soft pillows.
He indicated to Sarah that she should lie down as well and held out his left arm so that she could lie on it. She hesitated for a moment. "Sarah. Lie down. I don't bite," he said with a wry smile as he put his other arm around her waist and gently pulled her towards him. She resisted a little, but deep down she knew she liked it when he was like that.
Sarah had never been a dominant person. Except on that auspicious day when she had defeated Jareth and his labyrinth. She had been brimming with self-confidence. She had always been self-confident, but only to a small extent. Never dominant. She liked it when a man was more dominant than her. Like Jareth was now.
It was neither a fetish nor a kink. She simply felt safe and secure then.
Jareth continued to hold her in his arms, and Sarah slid a little closer to him. Her head finally rested on his chest, and she closed her eyes.
"See? It's not that bad," Jareth whispered as he tightened his grip a little more.
He really enjoyed having her so close to him. His thoughts drifted back to the subconscious plans that he had never consciously made. He had really tried to get over her, but his subconscious had other plans – to make Sarah jealous. But now he was sure - he wanted this closeness, this tenderness, more than anything else. He was sure - he was on his way to becoming the happiest man in the world.
'She cares about me,' he thought, and with this thought in his head he fell into a peaceful sleep.
