Sarah's Choice

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sarah raced to her room and shut the door behind her. Breathing hard, she locked to door behind her. She laid down on the bed and kicked off her shoes. Why had she said it? Yes she had been calling him by his name in her mind, but to say it out loud. To him. She looked up at the canopy. Sarah didn't know the date anymore. So her wedding day may have come and gone. She closed her eyes. Jason. Did she love him or was she only marring him to get her father to notice her? Things had changed when Irene had come into the picture. She took control over ever thing. Oh, she pretended to care about Sarah and Toby. She hardly left anything for Toby to eat when she and their father went out. Toby. Toby liked it here, but they couldn't stay. They belonged… Did she really belong there or …?

Jareth sat in his throne surrounded by goblins. Around him they chatted and celebrated while he sat looking at a blank crystal. She'd run away to think. Hopefully she didn't regret calling him by his name. He glanced up as Toby came in. Toby stood in the doorway looking at the scene in front of him. Jareth rose out of his throne and walked to him. "Toby, I need to talk to you." Toby and Jareth walked out of the throne room and down to the garden.

Toby sat on the ground while Jareth sat on the bench. Toby played with a blade of grass. "I don't know." Jareth looked down at the young mortal. "Toby, do you trust Jason?" Toby looked up at him. "No. There's something about him. I don't like him, but I don't think it's my place to tell Sarah." Jareth placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tell her, Toby. She'll listen. Just don't tell her I'm the one who told you to." Toby smiled. "Thanks. I wish Sarah liked you. I prefer you Jason." Jareth smiled at him. "Me, too."

Sarah and Jareth sat in the dining Hall alone. Again. This time he sat beside her not across from her. Sarah kept her eyes on her plate and ate her meal. Why had she agreed to this? Toby. He'd come into her saying Jareth wanted to thank her properly and told her dinner would be at six. She entered the Dining hall to find it lit in candles and set with places side by side. Jareth had helped her into her seat. She needed to be alone to figure out her feelings about him.

Jareth sat beside her in quiet. Sarah hadn't said a word except for thank you when he'd helped her into her chair. He wanted her to say something. She was the light in his darkness and he was losing her. Was she thinking about Jason? Her Home? Or was she thinking about him? He glanced at her. She looked bored. The food on her plate was almost gone, but it looked like she was just pushing it around. He smiled. "Sarah." She looked at him. Her eyes were filled with turmoil.

Hearing him say her name made her skin tingle. Hopefully her eyes weren't telling him anything. She looked away from him. "Yes." Her voice sounded shaken. She'd been thinking things in her room she had best leave alone. They were fantasies. That was all. They wouldn't come true. This place wasn't for her. He wasn't …. He didn't love… Jareth reached for her hand. She looked into his mismatched eyes. There were the answers to her thoughts. In his eyes she saw them all, now she only had to discover her own answers to the same questions.

Sarah stood in the empty throne room. No goblins in sight. Much like the first time she had seen it. Jareth was dealing with something inside the labyrinth. At least that was what Hoggle had told her. Alone. Yet she could feel him. He wasn't too far way, but she wanted him with her. With her? Sarah looked around her. No one in sight. Did she just think that? She wanted him with her. He'd been hurt before so why didn't he stay in the castle? Sarah walked out of the throne room and on to a balcony overlooking the Goblin City. She looked out over the city and the labyrinth. She felt so alone. All of her friends were busy and Toby was with Jareth. Toby seemed to like him. He didn't hang around with Jason. It was like he couldn't stand him. Sarah leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. "Come back home, Jareth."

Jareth stood under Sarah's balcony smiling. She had said "home". As if this castle and what surrounded her was her home not the Aboveground. He walked inside the castle. His and Toby's mission had been successful. Each knew Jason's real self. He wasn't what Sarah thought, but both agreed not to tell anyone. Now to deal with the fact his queen had just asked him to come home. He stopped by the throne room. No goblins. Hmmm. Normally they filled the room. As he turned to leave the room, Sarah walked in. He stood watching her. Should he tell her or should he not?

Sarah stood looking at Jareth. There he was. Safe and home. Home? Her apartment wasn't home. The house she grew up in wasn't home. This was home. The Underground. She watched as he walked to her. She closed her eyes and opened them hoping to hide any of her feelings. He stood in front of her. Jareth took her right hand into his and pulled her closer. With his right hand he grabbed her chin. "Sarah." As he leaned forward, Sarah closed her eyes. When his lips touched hers, Sarah's legs went numb. Jareth caught her without ending the kiss before she fell. The ground seemed to be moving. Sarah sweared she heard a song. The song. The song that had haunted her dreams. The song he had sung to her ten years ago. He pulled away, but didn't let her go. As each looked into the others eyes, Sarah knew. This was it. No one else. "Jareth? Sarah?" Both turned to see Hoggle standing watching them. Sarah pushed Jareth away and walked out leaving Jareth with a problem.

Damn, Hoggle. If he hadn't shown up, Sarah and he could have… Now he would have to wait. At the least the dwarf hadn't said anything. Sometimes tights weren't the smartest thing. He paced in his room while Aurea looked for a pair of pants. With Sarah around pants made more sense. She did fight him. She'd let him kiss her. He closed his eyes as Aurea came in with a pair of black pants. "These will work. The seamstress is working on some more. About time you grew out those." Jareth watched as she walked out. She was right. He needed to dress with Sarah in mind now. No more outlandish clothes. No more tights. Simple. Like Sarah. His Sarah. His queen.