Not Long At All

Chapter Thirteen

Sarah's POV:

      I layed in the dark room on the couch, fighting sleep as I tried to remember more of my dream. But my thoughts only drifted back to David. I heard him rustling around in his bedroom and I pulled a pillow close to my chest, my chin nestling over the top of it. 

      I kept feeling that one moment over and over again- my arm across his chest, hand resting at his hip. It had been embarrassing to say the least, but in the privacy of my own thoughts it was something worth replaying. I readjusted my Peter Pan pajamas and pursed my lips, it was probably time I got my clothes back. Or just any other clothes that fit me for that matter.

       I could feel the sleep pulling at my eyes and sighed, knowing that nothing would come to me now. Wiggling in my spot, I pulled a blanket over me and yawned. We'd figure it out in the morning...

----------------------------------------------------------------

The pain hit me and my breath was labored as I frantically searched my surroundings.  What was my last challenge? I shook my head at Jareth and my eyes filled with tears, "I don't know. I can't remember. We only have five minutes and I don't know."

Jareth slid to a sitting position next to me looking almost as pained as I felt.

Tick. Four more minutes left.

I felt his long fingers wrap around mine. It seemed like forever. But there we sat, fingers entwined as we waited.

Tick. Three minutes.

The pain had spread to my neck and I felt a tear roll down my face.

Tick. Two minutes.

Jareth's head shot up, " There's another way. I can get you home. Safely."

"How?"

Jareth smiled as he knelt on his knees, "Magic. I'll just send you home."

The idea sounded perfect but I stopped, "But, you're not allowed to use magic. What will happen to you?"

He didn't answer but instead looked at me, "I don't matter. You're all I've ever cared about. Right now, I have the ability to send you home."

I shook my head, "No, you can't do this. I don't want to go back home. You can't do this. I won't let you. "

"Oh Sarah, you don't have a choice." Jareth smiled sadly. His eyes were teary and he bent his forehead to rest against mine. And then quietly, I heard the words that I had never been able to remember.

"There's such a sad-"

      I shot awake, eyes frantically pacing my surroundings. Clutching the pillow against me, I called into the dark, "Jareth?"

      I quickly tried to corrected myself, "Uh, I- um. David?"

      The apartment sat in an eery silence and I stood, pillow firmly pulled to my chest. My steps through the dark were clumsy and I hit the coffee table on my first try. Grunting, I rubbed my knee and continued along, one arm slightly in front of me. 

     The hallway to the bedroom seemed suffocating all of the sudden and I hesitated before stepping forward, quietly calling out, "David?"

      My hand found the doorknob and I rested my pillow against a wall. The door opened smoothly and I glanced into the room. David laid on his back, limbs sprawled across the bed, occasionally disappearing under a pillow. I gave a small smile, reassured that nothing horrible had happened to him.