Not Long At All

Chapter One

My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the tall man's angular face. I shook my head with wide eyes, "How did you get here? What happened?"

Jareth frowned at me before squinting into the rain, "My car, I think I hit something or... I don't know. It was raining so hard. Do you have a phone I could borrow?"

Shock was still dredged into my mind, "Your car? Jareth, what happened after I left?"

The young man took a step back, "I think you have me confused with someone else."

"No, you're Jareth, the Goblin King. From the labyrinth. I was just there!"

I searched his face for recognition and a pallid coldness slipped through me when I saw none. Jareth put a hand out, "Listen, I... are you okay? Are your parents home?"

My parents! I ran a hand through my hair, glancing into the house. Shaking my head, I turned back to him, "No, it's just you and me. Jareth," I took a step closer and took in the short blond hair and rugged jeans, "do you not remember me?"

He cautiously backed away from me, "Look lady, I'm not whoever you think I am. I just want to know if you have a phone. My car..."

Jareth gestured helplessly to beyond the porch. I followed his motion and stared numbly into the angry sheets of rain. A crack of lightning shattered the sky into fragments and he ducked. I blinked, feeling dizzy but opened the door wider, "Yeah... there's a phone. Inside. Come in."

He hesitantly stepped past me and into the living room. Closing the door behind us, I pointed to the house phone on one of the side tables. The man left a soggy trail behind him as he made for the phone. I watched him pick up the phone before quietly locking the door behind us. My mind was racing, after all that we had went through, I was not letting him go that easily. But what if this man wasn't actually Jareth? What if I was really just loosing it? I listened to him patiently relay where his car was, his membership info, and some other things that I didn't catch.

There was an occasional side glance towards me and I'd catch a glimpse of his one striking blue eye. I fiddled with the end of my pajama shirt, deep in thought. This just wasn't fair. You say that so often. I smiled at the mildewing memory of my days in the Labyrinth. Suddenly, Jareth was in front of me. Or at least this stranger version. He looked at me with a forced smile, lips tucked inward, "Thank you. For the phone. A tow guy should be coming soon. Do you mind if..."

I nodded quickly, "Yes, of course. Please, sit."

He looked at the suede white couch and loveseat before gesturing to himself, "I'm already soaking, I don't want to mess up your stuff."

"Oh. Yeah." A silence hung itself in the room, fought only be the rain and the urge to say something. I took a few steps, "Why don't you sit in the kitchen? We have some stools at the island that you can sit on. And I can get you something to drink?"

Jareth shifted his weight but gave in, "Okay. Um, water's fine. Thank you."

They were odd words out of his mouth- thank you. I led him into the kitchen and he sat on one of the stools as I reached for a glass in the cabinets. Silently, I filled it with water before taking a seat opposite of him and setting down the cup. We sat, unspeaking, as he fiddled with the water. I tucked some wet hair behind my ear, "So..."

The man looked up but shifted his gaze around the kitchen when it became apparent that I had no follow up. I tried again, "So what's your name?"

Jareth reached across the island with an outstretched hand, "David."

I shook his hand before lapsing back into silence. Tracing a pattern on the counter, I looked up when he cleared his voice, "And you are?"

"Oh..." The sound escaped my throat as my eyes trailed back to my figure eight on the table. He didn't know me. I fell back into the same thought of, what happened to Jareth? Or more importantly, what happened to me? What if my mind was warped and every blond guy I saw sent me into some sort of psychological shock? Or maybe I was just lying on my floor mumbling to myself while paramedics surrounded my cold, shivering body.

I realized that my fingers had stopped moving and that quiet was swinging between us, an uncomfortable stretch between us. I swept imaginary dust from the island, "Sarah. I'm Sarah."

Jareth, or David, took a sip from his water and pursed his lips. I studied him from the corner of my eye, his slender build and the curve of his cheekbones. I never really noticed his face behind the wild frame of hair. But now, every detail was as clear as seeing yourself in the mirror. Finely groomed eyebrows, long fingers, an almost bird-like nose. My eyes trailed his jaw, venturing towards his thin lips. He was handsome, more than I had ever given him credit for. A sharp knock at the door woke me from my thoughts, sending me in the direction of the door, David trailing behind.

The door opened to reveal a greasy man with graying stubble and drooping eyes. Tucked under his potbelly was a tool belt, adorned with wrenches and other things unidentifiable to me. Rain splatters darkened the shoulders of his navy blue work uniform. He signaled down the road, "So who's car?"

David raised two fingers from behind me, "Mine."

"Uh huh." The man reached into his pocket, breathing heavily as he pulled out a small notebook. After sloppily scribbling something in it, he looked to David, "Woul' you mind showing me what the problem is? Rain's just abou' stopped so we can jus' walk it."

I stepped sideways, allowing room for the young man to push past me and onto the porch. Without invitation, I begin following them down the stairs and past the lavender field that grew beside my home. We pushed over the gravel road, eventually reaching the car. It was an old looking truck, red except for the rust vining up at the bottom. One of the silver hubcaps was missing, leaving the wheel unprotected.

David opened the driver's door, closely pursued by the repair man. Hopping into the seat with one hand on the wheel, David turned the key in the ignition. He shook his head when nothing happened, "See? I don't know what's going on. I've never really had a problem but..."

He trailed off and rested both hands on the wheel. The repair man said nothing but stared straight ahead, pudgy lips stapled in a smile. Setting down the worn tool box, he pulled a pipe from his belt, "You're one lucky son of a bitch."

Brow creased in a frown, David glanced from me back to him, "Pardon?"

"You've had this coming you little cheat."

I saw it before Jareth did- the repair man raised the lead pipe above his head and in one powerful movement, smashed it down on David's hand. The crackle of smashed bones rang in my ears before giving way to a wrangled cry of pain. My brain shot awake, one thought wracking my brain. Our adventure hadn't ended in the Labyrinth, it was continuing in my world.

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Hello my lovelies! ^-^

So here's the first chapter! I hope it holds up to expectations.

I will be posting as soon as I finish each chapter as was decided by majority vote.

I am so excited to be back on the horse and hopefully will have the second chapter within a week or two.

There is a possibility that I could cram it in by tomorrow if we get enough reads and votes -_^

But who knows!

So as always

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HAVE A GREAT FORTH OF JULY! :D