Disclaimer: None of the authors involved in this story claim ownership of Labyrinth or any of the characters originally found within.

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Danika's Note: The day after the reunion...

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Danika: Okay, so…

Marti: Sarah goes home. On the way, in the car, she cries a little… What Jareth didn't know, when she was fiddling with his shirt, she was able to feel him, with her magic. His curiosity was still there, though muted – it seems inherent in his very being – and she now recognizes the strong love and desire he has for her in the mix… but abounding, all over, she could feel his sadness. She knows what he gave up, that he chose her and her life, throwing away his own… and it breaks her heart.

But, she knows that being sad around him is not going to help. What's done is done. She wants to make his life as wonderful as she can, and give him as much love as she possibly has.

First step – clean up his new home. Sarah is convinced that if she can make his living quarters a little less horrid, he'll feel a little bit better. Plus, it will give her the chance to spend hours with him… and she's really looking forward to that.

No, wait – first step… sleep. Then, wake and email Toby and Sue… then start to load her car with what all she's going to need.

But she can't sleep… she's too giddy. And 'drunk', still. So she takes a sleeping pill, to force herself to get some rest.

Danika: Jareth's pretty simple. He goes to sleep- it's not that hard for him, he's still completely exhausted- wakes up, and pretty much just kicks around the apartment, staring at the stain on the wall.

Marti: Okay, we'll say she leaves at 2:30am. She's home and in bed by three, knocked out via sleeping pill.

She wakes up at about ten, curses herself for taking the sleeping pill because now it means that she's been away from Jareth longer than she wanted to be, and hurries through her morning routine in, roughly fifteen minutes. By 11, she has, miraculously, managed to haul the supplies she needed (including her vacuum cleaner) to her car. She took thirty minutes at the store, then came and pulled up in front of Jareth's place at 11:30…

Danika: Did she write to anyone last night or this morning?

Marti: Ack… yes… We'll say that she wrote Sue that night, while everything was fresh on her mind and before she took the sleeping pill, and then she used her Blackberry to email Toby while in line at the store.

Danika: Nice, ok. So she arrives. She pulls into the parking lot and spots Jareth sitting on the small patch of grass between the parking and the building. He is sitting with his arms crossed on his knees and his chin resting against them, his eyes closed. He looks a little less worn now, with the sun shining on his face. She can also see a woman watching him from the window of one of the ground-floor apartments (Valarie!). She has a calculating look on her face.

Sarah pulls up in front of him and steps out of the car. She's grinning like an idiot. "Hey stranger," she says to him.

Without opening his eyes, he smiles. "Good morning, Precious. Would you do me a favor?"

Marti: (Just FYI… Sarah is wearing scruffy jeans with holes worn in bits of the pockets and knees, a rather loose fitted gray speckled T-shirt with paint smears on it in different places (her cleaning clothes) and has her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Duncan is perched on her scrunchi.)

Curious, and surprised that he hasn't stood yet – she'd been entertaining ideas of leaping into his arms all morning – she nods, "Anything."

Danika: (He is wearing an outfit very similar to the previous night. In fact, she's not entirely certain these are a fresh pair of jeans or not.)

Still without looking at her he says, "Do not look, but perhaps you have noticed the young lady staring at me from the window to our left?"

Sarah bites her lip – it's so hard not to look – and deliberately looks back at her car, instead. "Yes… creepy woman, eyeing my man. I see her. Why?"

His smile grows a bit, "She is my… what did she call it? Landing lady? I rent my room from her. I am afraid that she may have some intentions towards me that are completely unreturned. In fact, given my inability to adequately fill out her rental agreement, I might even believe that it is only due to these intentions that she allowed me in. Convenient at the time, but I believe that I would like to disabuse her of these notions. May I rely upon your help?"

Sarah frowns, then snickers, "What would you like me to do?"

In the same even tone he has been speaking to her since she arrived, he replies, "I would like to you sit down next to me. Then, I would like to kiss you so thoroughly that she will never even consider that I do not utterly belong to you. As an additional bonus, it may even ease some of the ache I have felt since you left, though only, I am sure, a fraction."

Sarah's stomach does a flip. "Ooh," she says, smiling a little and doing a few little side steps as she approaches him, "Sounds like fun… I'm in."

She closes the distance between then, walks around him once, plays with his hair a little, then sits down beside him, her knees pointed towards him .

As she sits, Jareth at last opens his eyes and looks at her. He gives her a tender smile. "Hello, Love."

She smiles back, touching his cheek. "Hello, my Heart," she says in a whisper.

Reaching up to lay a hand lightly on the back of her neck, he leans in to kiss her. It is a light kiss, just a barely-there brush of his lips against hers.

Sarah lets him kiss her, happily. She has no idea what he's wanting to do, exactly, to keep his Landlady at bay, but she's more than happy to play along. A quiet, barely audible, murmur of delight escapes her as his lips brush hers.

He smiles at her murmur and deepens the kiss, though it is still nothing like the desperate need of the previous night. This kiss is light, playful. His fingers curl into her hair (hopefully not upsetting any Mog Lions!) and his other hand moves forward to rest at her waist.

She begins to float and drift… this kiss may not have had the heat of the kiss he'd surprised her with the previous night, but Sarah was enjoying it immensely. She'd been so surprised last night, she had not been able to respond to her liking. His playful kiss was heaven… it made her giddy. She played back, reveling in the sweet, simple feelings he gave her. (her hair is in a ponytail, so if he's curling in the length, he won't disturb Duncan) She rests a hand on the forearm of the arm that is at her waist, and curls the other up to hold the elbow of the one in her hair.

Suddenly he surprises her again by sweeping her backwards to lie on the warm grass. He is propped on one elbow to hover over her, his forearm cushioning her head. His other hand remains on her waist. When her eyes pop open in surprise, he gives her a quick grin before kissing her again, more slowly and deeply this time.

Sarah makes a surprised noise as he sweeps her back, but when she opens her eyes, she gasps. Given the fact that they are technically out in public, her cheeks flame at the intimacy of their position. And then he kisses her… slowly… deeply… and she can feel the fire beginning.

He takes advantage of her gasp to dart his tongue forward to dance with hers. His free hand strokes her side softly, from the base of her ribcage to her hip. He loves the taste of her and the way she responds to him.

Yes, the fire is most definitely there, growing slowly, eating her alive. It's in her stomach, consuming the butterflies (and inhibitions) there. It rages at her side, where he touches her with his hand – she can feel his warmth through her old shirt. At the entrance of his tongue, as she almost squealed, there was a spike in the flames, sending the inferno up her body to settle in her neck and throat. Burning. Slowly roasting. Her leg curls, mostly to give her some way of expressing the squirming she feels inside, and she turns her ankle, rubbing her foot against the side of his calf through his jeans.

Gods, he's drowning in her again. How can she affect him so intimately, with just a touch or a sound? Before he loses himself completely, he forces his mouth from hers, trailing a line of light kisses to her ear. "What do you think, Precious? Have we convinced Valarie yet?"

She's melting inside. Absolutely. When he pulls away and whispers in her ear, she is breathing heavily and her head is foggy.

Thank goodness for sunlight. It's about noon, so the sun is high overhead. The piercing brightness helps to clear her thoughts… and remember that people can see them.

She turns her head and kisses his earlobe, her hands resting on his chest, between their bodies. Then she turns back and looks into his eyes, "I think she gets the idea… though, you are gorgeous enough that I won't honestly expect her to give up the fight any time soon." She sighs contentedly and strokes his shoulders, "And what of the ache?"

He grins and nuzzles her neck. "I doubt that I shall ever fully recover. I can only think of one adequate solution."

She smiles, "And what would that be?"

Jareth attempts to keep his voice light, but a note of true longing enters into it, "Never leave me again?"

"Oh… oh, my Heart," she says to him, hearing his longing loud and clear, and she brings her arms up to wrap them around his neck tightly. Speaking into his ear, she says softly, "My Love, my Everything… If I could, I never would. But… you know my heart is always with you, right? You know when… when we are apart, I won't make it any longer than I have to, right?"

He nods and quietly lies with her, his head resting on her shoulder. After a few minutes he asks, in a soft voice, "How did this happen? How did the entire focus of my being shift to you in such a short time? It seems… impossible."

"I don't know," she muses, stroking his hair, "Or why… It makes no sense. What miraculous good deed did I do, or life did I save, to deserve you? I'm not worth..." she trails off, not wanting to finish that thought. "But whatever it is, I love you all the same, and I always will."

He snorts, sitting up and pulling her up along with him. He stares seriously into her eyes and says, "Whatever you were going to say you are not worth, you are and more so. If anyone is not worthy, it is I." He waves a hand, "I am a lying, scheming, baby-snatching villain, remember?"

He smiles and, before she can protest, leans in to kiss her again. When he draws away, he says, "But I am afraid that you are stuck with me, Precious. I will follow you forever. Anywhere."

"No," she says, fervently, taking his face with her hands and pulling his forehead to rest against hers, "You are a kind, generous, inquisitive, loving," her voice takes on a raw tone, "Passionate man… the one I happen to be in love with. And you…" her voice cracks, and she drops it to a whisper (just in case Valerie had a window cracked and was listening in) and squeezes her eyes shut, "You gave it all up, for my sake… I can't ever make that up to you, and I know it… but I swear to you that I will spend the rest of my life, trying to, anyway I can."

Sarah's own frustration breaks, and, like a spring, her arms snap out and grab him tightly. She fiercely presses her face into his hair, her eyes still closed, a few tears leaking out at the corners, "I had better be stuck with you, mister. I don't want anyone else, ever, and I would die without you, now."

"Sarah," he coos, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap, "Do not think that way. You did not deem me unworthy of my position. You did not impose ridiculous demands upon me as punishment for that which I could not have prevented." He strokes her hair, "I made the choice. I could not accept the task they set me. I could not betray the one I loved."

His voice lowers to a barely audible level, "Besides… I know very well that you would have given up your current life to come be with me."

"I love you…" she says, burying her face down into his shoulder. "I love you so much."

They are quiet for a while. Then Sarah draws back from him, dries her eyes, sniffs, and smiles at him, "I don't know about you, but I didn't come here to cry today. Are we going to overhaul your place, or what?"

He's not entirely sure what she means by 'overhaul', but anything to see her smile. He brushes the tip of his nose against hers and says, "Anything you say, Beloved."

She lifts her self up and stands, brushing the grass off her jeans and starts to brush off her shirt, when she suddenly looks over her shoulder, and then gives him a half-annoyed, half-amused face. "You got grass stains on my shirt, didn't you?"

He grins up at her, "Are you complaining?"

She pretends to consider. "Well," she says, her face very serious, "This shirt is old, anyway, I suppose not…" she grins, deviously, "Besides… that was one thorough kissing you gave me…" she raises one eyebrow and sighs, "the stains are worth it."

He stands and takes her hand to lead her inside. "Good," he says, "I would hate to think that grass stains were a higher priority than a thorough kissing."

She giggles, then tugs him back, "Ooh, wait – we've got stuff in my car that we're going to need…" she looks at the car, looks at the building, back at the car, then frowns and stomps her foot a little. "Crap."

He arches a brow, "Problem?"

She winces and gives him a dry look, "I have a lot of stuff to take up to your place, you live on the fourth floor, and the elevator is out of order." She sighs and stomps to her car, opening the door to the backseat, "It's going to be a long afternoon. We probably ought to start with the food."

As she opens the back door to the car, he comes up behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist and taking her hand in the other. Into her ear he whispers, "Are you an Enchantress, or aren't you? This is a simple matter. Move the items with your power."

Her eyes closed, she turns her head toward him, "I don't know how… and won't people see?"

He smiles, "Not if you do it correctly. And do not paint your car purple."

She snorts and opens her eyes to glare at him, teasingly, "Oh, ha-ha." She sobers after a minute, and squeezes his hand, "Teach me?" she asks, quietly.

He lifts her hand, stroking the backs of her fingers. "Summon a crystal," he tells her.

She closes her eyes and breathes in and out slowly for a few moments. She flexes her fingers, once, then twice, and when she opens them the second time, there is a crystal resting in her hand. She opens her eyes and smiles, faintly.

He presses a kiss to her temple, "Good girl. Now turn the crystal. Focus your energy into the crystal. Separate it into the essential elements. Bring forth Air and Earth. Tie them together with Chaos. Spin those through the crystal."

This takes longer, more concentration. Sarah focuses her energy easily enough and brings forth Air and Earth, but getting them to spin through the crystal with the Chaos gives her a struggle. She bites her lip in concentration. Finally, the pieces come together as they should, and she is able to do as she'd been told. She exhales with a little puff of breath.

"Good, good," he murmurs, hypnotically. "Now take the energy in the crystal, spin it through the crystal. Wrap it around the things in your car. Cover them completely, on all sides. Draw the energy tightly around them."

This comes surprisingly easy. Sarah could feel it inside the crystal in her hand, and spinning it out seemed as natural as creating the crystal. Once it was out… it was ready to do with as she pleased. Closing her eyes, she could feel it split through the air, into the car, into the trunk. She wove it around this and that, it stretched willingly, covering all she could think of, coating it. Once she felt it was covered, she tightened it… drew it in. Tighter, she told herself, tighter… no gaps, no mistakes… tighter…

She felt it snag. Any tighter, and something would explode. She froze, holding it where it was. "Okay…" she breathed, daring not to move and make a mistake.

He grins and gives her waist a squeeze, impressed with the ease with which she accomplishes this. "Perfect," he breathes, "Now you have a cord of power extending from you, to the crystal, to the items. Do you feel it?"

"Uh-huh," she nods, her voice breathy and distant sounding. "It's… tight…"

"Good," he says, "It should be tight. That means they are secure. Now you need to pull. This is important, you need to pull the cord itself. Do not draw the energies tighter around the items. Pull them. Pull them to the crystal. Can you do that, Precious?"

"I can," she says, her voice still airy and far off. She pulls… at first, it feels like she's hitting the snag again, pulling it tighter, so she changes, pulling from the cord and ignoring the items themselves. If she thinks of them, they feel too heavy, but with her cord, they're just items, and the number of them isn't important. Slowly, but with increasing speed, she pulls…

He shifts his hands to her shoulders and braces, which is a good thing because the magic snaps like a rubber band. Sarah would have staggered back, had he not been holding her. He laughs, wrapping his arms fully around her shoulders and kissing her ear, "You did it! That was perfect."

The force of the magic snapping is jarring to her, but then Jareth's arms are around her. For a moment her head is fuzzy, but the kiss to her ear makes her blink. "I… whoa, I did it." She looks around, then turns and throws her arms around him, "I did it!" she squeals with absolute delight an, in her excitement (plus, being the affectionate thing that she is) she pulls back and kisses him on the mouth.

Then she draws back and sways a little. "Whoa… now I'm a tad light headed…"

Grinning, he takes the crystal from her hand, lest she drop it. He holds it up for her to see, still keeping his other arm around her. "Be careful, Love," he says, "All of those items are now in here." He does some sort of tricky thing flipping it around his hand, then holds it out for her.

She clings to him, but grins, "Show off," she says. She stands there for a minute, her head against him, until the stars in her vision fade. Then, she takes the crystal from him. "Now we go up to your place, right?"

He kisses her forehead. "Yes."

When they arrive on the fourth floor, just outside his apartment, Jareth hesitates. He stares at the door, a scowl on his face.

Sarah rubs his arm. "What is it?" she asks, seeing his hesitation. "C'mon, you can tell me."

"I accepted this place as my temporary home because it was the only place that would accept me." He glances at her, "But… I am ashamed for you to be here. You deserve better." He sighs and turns his eyes back to the door. "I am a burden for you, now. I know that." She opens her mouth to argue, but he holds up a finger, forestalling her. "It may be a burden you are good enough to readily accept, but that does not make it any less true. But, Sarah…" He jaw clenches, "I swear to you that it will not stay this way."

Sarah shakes her head and reaches out with her free hand (her other still holding the crystal) and gives his hand a squeeze. "You are never a burden to me, regardless of what you might say. These are hard times… for both of us. It's not you or me, it's us now, you see? I want to make it perfectly clear here that whatever goes wrong for you isn't just your problem that I'm meddling with… I know you would stand by me and work with me, were the situation reversed, wouldn't you? I see this as no different." She quietly approaches him, sliding her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. "You deserve better, too. I know this place is what it is – just temporary – and of course things will not stay as they are. They're only going to get better from here… I have faith in you."

He sighs and strokes the back of her neck with his fingertips, staring into space over her head. "I will. I simply do not know how. I was…" he hesitates, as if the words are painful for him, "I was born and raised to be the Goblin King. I doubt those skills are particularly sought after in the Aboveground job market."

She snickers and looks up at him, "Well, I'm certain you have other qualities that would make you valuable as an employee. And, don't underestimate my connections. I make friends very easily… and therefore I know people. But, come on, lets get your place looking nicer, and then we'll talk job options."

He nods and reaches in his pocket. He pulls out a key ring with a single key on it and holds it out to her.

She looks at the key and then the door. She blinks a little perplexedly, but takes it from him and starts to unlock the door.

He waits for her to enter.

She opens the door, enters, then hands the key back to him.

He rolls his eyes. "Precious, that one is yours."

Her eyes widen and she looks at him, a surprised smile on her face, "Really? I get the spare key?"

He arcs a brow at her. "Who else would I give it to? Valarie?"

She scowls, "Oh, HECK no. I swear if she even thinks about coming in here…" she lowers her voice to a growl and looks to the side, at no one, "She's the Landlady, she probably has her own copy anyway… ick…" Shaking her head as if to clear it from her dark thoughts, she smiles brightly to him, "I just meant that I'm flattered you trust me with it…" she bites her lip and looks at him playfully, "I might use the key to sneak in."

He smirks, closing the door. "Oh dear, you might steal my silver." He turns to face her, mock surprise on his face, "Oh wait. I do not have any silver."

"Oh dear, no silver?" she asks, looking at him with an overly-innocent expression. "Well, if I break in, I'll have to steal a kiss instead."

He shakes his head, "I am afraid that would be quite impossible."

She raises her eyebrows, "Oh? And why is that?"

He leans back against the door and crosses his arms. "For you, they would always be given freely, of course, Precious."

She smirks at him, "Still might be fun to steal them, from time to time." She holds up the crystal. "Okay, time to help me get my stuff out."

"Tsk, you Williams children. You always expect me to simply hand you the answers." He indicates the large amount of empty space in the center of the room. "Simply toss it there and cut the spell."

She gives him a look, "Well, it's not like I know these things, you know." she eyes the crystal warily, "All I have to do is toss it? That's it?"

"And cut the spell. You must do it quickly and all at once or there could be… awkward consequences." He averts his eyes from her own, his cheeks coloring.

She eyes him closely, "Okay, first, how do I cut the spell, and second," she hesitates, a smile tugging at her lips, "What do you mean by 'awkward consequences'?"

He makes a cutting motion in the air with his hand, "You just… cut it. Sever the flow of power that maintains it. But if you unravel the elements, rather than simply cutting them, you would reverse the spell, instead of ending it. You see?" He shifts, uncomfortably.

She shakes her head, confused, "I'm not sure I get it… I just…" she looks at him, "Cut off the power that I am putting into it? Oy… I'll try…" her look grows more stern, "What are you not telling me? What would be so 'awkward' here, that you aren't telling me?"

He sighs. "And she calls me inquisitive. Precious, the spell you cast pulled those items into the crystal. If you were to reverse it, instead of simply ending it, the items would come out but…" He flushes, "You would go in. I spent a very uncomfortable two days in one of those things once, before Father found the crystal in my room and figured out what had happened. I was in quite a lot of trouble for that. I was not supposed to be doing spells of that level, at that age."

Sarah looked taken aback – this was not the answer she had thought to hear, though what she had been expecting, she wasn't sure – but then started to snicker, "Well, that's an interesting image… a tiny Jareth, in a crystal…" seeing him frown, she coughs and sobers, "Okay, so toss and cut."

She holds the crystal in her hand and closes her eyes, recalling the feeling of her powers and the cord that had pulled her things into the crystal. She could feel it, faintly, but still there.

It made her nervous, and for a split second, she didn't think she would make it. The more she thought of it, the more afraid she was that it would unravel and pull her in. But, then…

If she got sucked in, Jareth would have to use his magic. And, sure, he would he happy to get her out, but undoubtedly broody at having had to use his magic at all. That was not something she really wanted to bring up… right now, at least.

She pictured a guillotine in her mind, her lips pressed into a firm, resolved line. Tossing the crystal, she let the blade fly down, cutting the connection.

The crystal explodes in a silent burst of purple glitter. It fills the room, blowing about as if in a snowstorm, blinding them both momentarily. Jareth immediately reaches for Sarah amongst the chaos and pulls her back against him. The sparkles fade relatively quickly and the items are sitting in a pile in the middle of the yellow carpet. Sarah and Jareth stand very still for a moment, both taken slightly aback by it all. At last, Jareth blinks and says, "Very good, Precious, but we really need to work on your control. You use enough magic to cause an earthquake, for something very small."

She's slightly shaken. Just a bit. "Whoa…" she says, then clears her throat, "Okay, yeah… probably coated the stuff too thickly. I, apparently," she flicks the purple band on his wrist, "Have problems with using too much magic." She moves to her pile of stuff and begins to sift through it. "Do you have an appetite today?"

He glances at the off-white walls, yellowing near the ceiling, and murmurs, "Pity, they would probably look better in purple." He watches her searching through the pile, "A bit…"

She grins up at him, holding up two bags she managed to locate, "Good. I brought supplies!" One bag has the deli symbol on it from the local grocery store, the other (and a few more amid her things) have simply the grocery store name on it. "And a few treats, too."

Jareth, of course, does not recognize the symbol, but recognizes the name. Smothering the immediate wave of guilt he feels that she is purchasing food supplies for him, he kneels in front of her. "Oh?"

She nods, noticing the strange look in his eyes. She gives him a stern expression, "This is just for now, okay? Just until you get your feet under you, and can repay me." She pushes the brown, plain grocery store bags to the side, "These go either in your fridge or in a cupboard, but these," she pulls the deli bag over, "Are for us to share today. A few sandwiches, some other deli stuff and… well, I saw these and thought you might enjoy them later…" she holds up a box with a clear lid. Inside are chocolate donuts with colorful frosting drizzled across the top.

Under his breath, he mutters, "Great stars I do not deserve you…" He drops down to sit next to her, leaning his head against her shoulder. More loudly, he says, "Thank you, Beloved."

She sighs and rests her head on his, "I love it when you say that…" she says, softly. Then she pulls her head up and looks at him, "So what do you say? If you're hungry, we can eat some now, or we can get started on the cleaning up."

He eyes the bags distantly. "I am not particularly hungry now, Precious. However, if you are, please eat." He closes his eyes and snakes an arm around her waist. "I am happy to wait right here."

She smiles and leans over to kiss his cheek, warmly. "No, I'm fine. Let's get going here, see if we can't make this place a little perkier."

With a small smile, he dips his head to kiss her collarbone, just at the neck of her shirt. "I can't think of anything that would improve the room more than your presence."

She gasps and a red hue spreads up her chest. "Well," she says, a little breathlessly, "I'm here, and I'm certain we could still improve it…"

He raises a hand to her hair, gently tilting her head back so that he can nuzzle the skin at the base of her throat, laying soft kisses against her pulse. "Mmm, but I find that I really don't mind it all that much right now…"

She giggles as a tremble shoots down her spine. "You, sir, are stalling," her eyes drift close, "I can tell. We'll never get anything done, at this rate…"

His only response is a pleased hum as he pulls her earlobe between his teeth. She can feel his warm breath playing across her ear. His free hand caresses her outer thigh from hip to knee where she sits cross-legged next to him.

She lets out a high-pitched noise, something between another giggle and a sigh. At first she tries to pull away from him – they really do have work to do – but she quickly gives up the idea. She lets her hands roam, one wrapping around the back of his neck, for something to hold on to, and the other slowly entwining in the front of his shirt.

With one hand, Jareth teases the fine hairs at the back of her neck, his other dancing up to her waist, dipping beneath her shirt to roam lightly over her skin there. Giving her neck, just below the ear, a light nip, he purrs, "My precious, precious Sarah…"

Her breath hitches at the touch of his hand at her waist. Her head is becoming fuzzy. "J…Jareth…" she manages, the hand behind his neck now pulling him closer. The other hand clenches tightly at the fabric of his shirt. "Oh my…"

"Oh yes, yours," he says, sliding his hand up her side, all the way to the base of her ribcage, where he delicately brushes her bare skin with the tips of his fingers in slow, nearly tickling, sweeps. "Forever and ever and ever…" with each word he places a light kiss along her jaw line until the last is punctuated by a gentle nip at her lower lip.

Goose bumps rise on her arms and another tremble vibrates through her. She nips right back at him, without thinking, and then pulls his head a fraction of an inch closer, kissing him hard.

A pleased growl rises in Jareth's throat and the hand at her side sweeps around to the small of her back, swiftly pulling her into his lap as he meets her kiss with equal fervor. The hand at her neck rises to tug the ponytail holder from her hair, tossing it carelessly aside as he tangles his fingers in the dark cascade.

Her lips move with his, a groan emerging from deep in her throat. Her hand that had been holding a fistful of his shirt, slides around him as he pulls her into his lap, her hand sliding up and beneath it, her palm caressing the smoothness of his side and back.

The hand at her neck drops to join the other, encircling her waist beneath her shirt and pulling her tight against him. He releases her mouth, though not without pulling her lip between his teeth again. "Sarah," he breathes, "How is it you consume my mind so completely in your flames?" His fingers trail slowly down her spine until they meet the barrier of her jeans.

"Dunno," she mutters, her head tilting to the opposite side of his neck as her hand, "'S only fair… you're the one who sets me on fire…" she lightly chews on the corner of his jaw, then kisses his neck. The hand resting on his back slides higher beneath his shirt, running over his flexing muscles…

There is an odd, tiny, growling sound, and a flick at her shoulder. "Not now, Duncan…" she mutters, keeping her attentions on Jareth's neck.

He sighs happily, his eyes drifting closed as his fingers continue to brush, feather-light, across her back and sides. "How could I have possibly existed without you?" he murmurs, fuzzily.

"Mmm…." she murmurs, her mouth slowly moving down to his shoulder, "It was fate, you know…" she kisses him there, "It brought us together almost as soon as I came into existence… we were..."

Sarah is interrupted again, by Duncan. "Urgh, what do you want?" she says, drawing her head up to look at the Mog Lion, who had swooped down to land on her shoulder. He had jumped off to go hunt in Jareth's apartment once she had come in the door, and she knows that he never bothers her unless…

Duncan's ears twitch upward in delight at her recognition. He looks at her, almost a question in his eyes. He's waiting for her to tell him what to do with his latest find…

… the still twitching cockroach, caught in his teeth.

"GYAAAAAHH!" she screams, throwing herself backwards. Duncan merely leaps off her shoulder and glides to the floor.

"Ahhh, ewww! Put it down, put it down!" she shrieks, looking ready to gag. Duncan obeys, though reluctant to let it go.

The roach twitches, Sarah screams, and, as they always do, it runs towards her. She screams again and, without thinking, she throws her hand at it, as if to throw a heavy object at it. The roach flips over, as if it shocked, before it swells and explodes in a small, gooey heap.

Sarah looks mortified. Her mouth hanging open, she looks at Jareth, "I killed it."

Jareth stares at it for a moment, then gives her a droll look. "Well at least its innards seem to match my carpet."

"Oh gosh," she hides her face beneath her hands, "We need to clean, badly…" then there's a strange noise in her throat and she peeks from between her fingers. Her voice is small, frightened, "I killed something with magic, Jareth."

He stands and moves to her, wrapping her comfortingly in his arms. "What would you have done, had you no access to your magic, Precious?"

"Stomped it," she says to his chest, "But with magic… it feels more dangerous. I zap them with magic, I don't kill them. I never wanted to…" she trails off, just hugging him.

He strokes her hair, "You must learn to control the strength you put into your casting, but even more so, you must stop fearing your magic. It obeys you, Beloved. When you take control of it, it will only do what you wish." He glances at the mess and makes a face, "Besides, if you had not popped it, I would have stomped it myself."

"I'm trying…" she says, then sighs and snuggles against his chest, "It's easier when you're around. I feel safe with you. Ever since you showed up, that night, when I got home from the hospital. The moment I saw your face," she sighs and squeezes him tightly, "I knew you would never let me get hurt. There was nothing more to fear."

He sighs, content to hold her. "You must know that I would lay my life before anything that tried to touch you." Dipping his head, he kisses her temple, "And I will teach you, so that you will have no fear of that which comes from within."

"I know, and I trust you," she pulls a wry face, "Unfortunately, I'm not so trusting of your apartment." She looks up at him, "Come on, its time we got started. Once we get this place in better condition, you can kiss me all you want."

He grins, "Promise?"

She rolls her eyes at him, but still smiles. "Yes, yes. Let's just get started, okay?"

Sarah moves to the bags she brought. Standing beside the bags is a pile of items that had been in her trunk, one of which is a black vacuum cleaner, on its side. She directs Jareth towards the bags of groceries, instructing him to put them away in his kitchen, cold things in the fridge, boxed things in the cupboard. She also gives him specific instructions – since this is his stuff, and he needs to know what it is and all that – that if he does not know what something is or has any sort of question, to ask her.

While Jareth gets to the task she asked of him, Sarah approaches the couch with a large can of extra-strength Woollight.

Jareth quickly deposits the food items as she directed then turns to watch her.

Sarah first plugs in a small black device and turns it on, filling the room with music. It definitely makes it easier to clean when she can dance around as she does so.

She pulls the cushions off the couch and begins spraying the foam everywhere. Seeing that he's finished with the food, she rummages in her items and retrieves another can, showing him how to use it, and instructing him to cover his carpet with it.

(That reminds her that there is still a smushy roach on the carpet. She quickly cleans that up and moves on)

She covers the couch, then uses the remainder of the can on the carpet with Jareth. After the stuff has set in (and I know nothing much of woollight cleaner, I'm so guessing) she plugs in the vacuum and cleans it up. Then she starts on the carpet.

Once that is taken care of, she hands Jareth a spray bottle of Fabreeze, instructing him to spray it anywhere that is 'smelly', including his carpet. She has another bottle that she uses on the couch.

Once she finishes with the couch, she moves back to her items. She has brought with her a floral picture in a thin frame, which she hangs over the stain on the wall, a potted fern (a live one. If she's going to be there any length of time, Duncan will need it) which she puts on his table for now, and a cheap, but effective sleeping bag.

This, she unrolls and zips up, felt side out, around the couch cushions. She places them back on the couch, then brings out her finishing touch for now – a throw. Designed to cover ugly couches completely, she opens the package and throws it over the top of the couch and tucks it under the edges.

Once done, she turns to Jareth and smiles.

He straightens from the ancient stove he had been attempting to scrub while she worked on the couch. He stares at her wordlessly for a moment, a tiny smile playing at his lips.

She's also brought a mop and some Lysol cleaner for the kitchen floor, but at the moment, the music is in her ears and she's got other ideas. She leans the mop against the wall and approaches Jareth, her hips swaying to the music a little bit. Sitting the bottle of cleaner on the stove, she takes his hands and pulls him away from his cleaning. "Dance with me?" she asks, softly.

Jareth's smile turns to a toothy grin as he allows her to draw him after her. "Are you sure, Precious? You seemed awfully eager to get away, the last time I danced with you."

"I had a deadline," she shrugs, "I was running late. And the other faces were bothering me. Now," she reaches out and hooks two fingers in the belt loops of his jeans, pulling him closer and swaying to the music, "I've got no other pressing appointments, we have loads of time, and it's just you and me…"

"You and me," he agrees, his voice low. "I like the sound of that…" He wraps his arms around her hips, placing his hands perhaps a bit lower than strictly necessary, and matches her movements as he leans in close.

Sarah blushes at his touch. She lifts her hands up and deposits them on his shoulders, her fingers twisting in his hair a little as she does so. She says nothing, just stares up into his eyes as they make small movements about the kitchen.

Jareth, being Jareth, is not content with this and quickly turns their simple dance into something more elaborate. He guides her around the kitchen and living room, more and more quickly until Sarah is certain they will run into something. Somehow, though, he is always in control, his body pressed close to hers, though their movement borders on rhythmic chaos. It is sensual and exhilarating and his eyes dance with pleasure as he stares into hers.

She grins at him, smiling a little. Of course he would want to make even their dance more interesting. "Like I once said," she says, "Happiness suits you." They are quiet for a few more erratic turns, then a question occurs to her, "Hm. Mind if I ask you something?"

He spins her around once, then pauses long enough to say, "Anything, Beloved," before swinging into motion again.

"What's your last name?" He looks perplexed for a moment, and she smiles and clarifies, "Your family name. Do you have one? I'm just curious. I've never seen you use one, and neither did your mother… if you don't have one, we'll have to create one for you, I'm thinking."

He frowns a little, his movements slowing. "We do not use family names Underground. Our lives are so long and families so small that it is not really necessary. In formal situations, I might be announced as Jareth, son of Baldrik and Amara, but nothing beyond that." He scowls slightly, "I suppose I will have to take one for myself, while I am here."

The scowl fades and he shrugs indifferently, "You chose."

She rubs his neck and shoulders, comfortingly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you with that. But," she shrugs, "It is something we need to think about it. People here are so numerous… too many of the same names. Admittedly," she smiles at him, lovingly, "I would guess that there is only one 'Jareth', but the tradition is the same. Not to mention the fact that if you want a job, you'll need a last name for their records."

She thinks about it for a few minutes, "I won't call you Smith – too plain, too ordinary. What else… hmm…"

He represses a sigh, hiding his irritation. He knew that he would be creating a new identity here, he supposes that he should have considered before that he would need a new name for it. Still, it feels as if he is marring the one thing he has taken from the Underground unsoiled by the High King's idiotic demands. But it is for her.

"Your father's name was Baldrik?" she asks, thoughtfully. "Interesting. Not a name you hear everyday, for sure. You know… there was a girl I went to school with. I knew her all through my school years, because her last name was so close to mine. Athena Williamson. I still remember her. We never became much of friends, though, despite always being next to each other in line, when students were arranged by their last names."

He hesitates a moment, stopping their dancing altogether. Slowly, he raises a hand to run a finger down her cheek. "Couldn't I simply take your name?"

"Well," she says before really considering his words, "Might be a tad awkward…" a thicker meaning runs over mind and she looks at him, her eyes round, "Wait, what?"

"I know that it is traditional for the woman to take the man's name, but would it be considered too improper for me to take yours?"

"Take mine? Traditional…? You… do you mean…?" she swallows, blinking her eyes, "Are you… are you asking… What are you saying here?"

He stares at her, baffled. "When we marry," he says, slowly, "Could I not take your name? Perhaps I misunderstand how it works Above…"

"No,no," she says absently, her eyes growing distant. "That's how it… works…" she swallows and licks her lips, "Marry?"

His grip on her loosens, his eyes shifting from confusion to fear, "Do you not wish to be wed?"

She closes her eyes and smiles a little. "You misunderstand," she says, softly, trembling, "I have always wished it…" she bites her lip, her eyes still closed. "Marriage is an important thing. A good thing. I always hoped… dreamed… but never thought…" she trails off, a little choked up. She opens her eyes, and looks up at him, her eyes shining, "Are you… asking me?"

He gives her a slightly embarrassed, lopsided smile. "Sarah," he says, "You are… everything, now. I cannot even conceive of my life without you. I suppose that… it did not occur to me that I should ask. I assumed it was a given."

"Well," she says while looking downward, her cheeks pink, "There's a… a sort of... traditionally romantic thing about the asking. I guess I kinda assumed it was a given, too. It's a pity you missed the end of that last movie we watched," she says, quietly, "You would have seen his proposal to her…" she blushes again. "It's more ceremony, I would suppose. Some men make big productions of asking women to marry them, with lots of people around to see, some just make it simple and sweet, whispering it quietly when the two are alone. I…" she looks up at him, worriedly, "I certainly don't mean to pressure you or anything… I most definitely wasn't going to even bring it up. Yet, at least. Though," she gives him a wry look, her blush going scarlet, "At the rate you and I seem to be going, it was bound to come up sooner or later."

He lowers his eyes for a moment and, when his gaze returns to hers again, there is frustration there. He mutters, "I do not know how to do this correctly… for you… However, in the Underground…"

He steps back from her, his hands coming up to catch her own and gently untangle them from around his neck. Gazing at her with a solemn intensity, he places both of her hands against his chest, palms to his heart. He slowly slides his hands up her arms to cup her cheeks, his thumbs brushing softly under her eyes. Drawing her a step closer, he speaks in a quiet murmur, "My heart beats for you, my Sarah. Will you be my…" he fumbles for a moment as his mouth begins to form one word, then stops abruptly. With a rough shake of the head, he tries again, "Will you be my wife?"

Tears instantly spring to her eyes, her heart pounding mercilessly against her ribcage. "Yes," she says breathlessly, "Heavens and earth, oh Jareth," she's shaking all over. She pulls her hands from his chest and cups his face, "Yes, I will," she pulls him close and kisses him heatedly.

His fingers slide from her cheeks to the sides of her neck as he returns her kiss, keeping it soft and tender. He draws back just enough to breathe, "My Sarah…"

"Yes," she whispers, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, tears clinging to her lashes, "Always yours… forever… my Jareth…"

He wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close and leaning his cheek against her forehead. He holds her silently, time losing all meaning.

Sarah wraps her arms around his middle, holding on to him tightly. How did she get him? Things feel so impossible, but at the same time… she is loving every moment of it. I'm going to marry Jareth… he and I, together… starting a family… Mr. and Mrs… um…

She pulls back a little, "What about… Baldrikson?"

He blinks at her, his mind somewhere else completely. "Baldrikson?"

She smiles up at him. "For your name. The Williamson thing reminded me of it, and I started to bring it up, but…" she snuggles against his chest, "You thoroughly distracted me." She holds him close for a second, then pulls back again, "But, what do think? Baldrikson, after your father? I mean, if you really wanted, you could take my name, but you'll need a job soon and any sort of wedding would be a little ways off at least…" she smiles softly, lowering her eyes, "But I'd much rather tie myself to you, anyway I can."

"Hmm, Baldrikson," he says, as if tasting the word. "Well, if Mumsie weren't so furious with me that she could flay me alive, I am certain that she would approve." He smirks at her, "And you would make a lovely Mrs. Baldrikson."

Her eyes get a little wider with wonder and she smiles at him, her throat a bit tight. "I…" she laughs slightly, "Is it too silly to say that I can't wait to be your wife? After such short a time? Because… it's true," she leans up to him, still not relinquishing her hold on his waist, inching her mouth to his, "It will… be an honor to be Mrs. Baldrikson…"

He runs his fingers through her (still loose?) hair, leaning into her as well. "If I could, I would marry you today." He blinks and backs up a little, "Can I?"

An absolute shock goes through her, an intense tingling sensation rocketing up her spine. Marry Jareth? Today?? She bites her lip, pondering… she, personally, had nothing against it… and then, hey, they wouldn't have to worry about his apartment at all, would they? He could just move in with her…

Shoot. She knows they can't. At the very least, if they went to City Hall, he would still need paperwork, wouldn't he? She highly doubts that anyone would let them marry, without some sort of documentation. At the most, her parents will skin her alive. So will Toby. And she doesn't want to even think about what his mother would do…

She grimaces and frowns, "We can't… my family doesn't even know you and I are together, much less in love, much less engaged…" she looks up at him slowly, "And you know Mumsie would never forgive you if you married me and did not even tell her about it beforehand." She sighs, a little down – it had been such a wonderful high, to think of being his wife, so quickly, "There are a lot of motions we'll have to go through, first… unfortunately."

He looks frustrated, "How long?"

She winces, afraid to tell him. "Well…" she begins, uncertainly, "Courtships and engagements Aboveground vary in length… as for courtship, dating, that would, typically, last six months to a year at the least. As for an engagement… I've seen people be as short as two months and as long as two years, depending on their relationship…"

She sees the look on his face and smiles, reassuringly, her hands coming up to rub across his chest and collar bone, "I won't wait that long – my family can just swallow it down – but… I do need a little time. Time for them to know for sure that I do love you, that this isn't an infatuation that will fade in a few weeks, and time to prepare for a wedding."

He sighs and forces the impatient look from his face. Leaning his forehead against hers, he mutters, "I suppose I should not complain. Courtship in the Underground is expected to last much longer than that. Especially for royalty."

He gives her a dramatic pout. "It's not fair."

She smiles, stroking the sides of his face, "I know it's not fair… but it won't be too long. D'you think you could wait…" she thinks about it, wondering what length of time will save her from as much wrath from her family and friends as possible, "… Two or three months?"

With a playful scowl, he replies, "I suppose. I have waited over 2500 years for you. What's a few more months?"

She makes a pleased noise, kissing the end of his nose, "That's the spirit. Only a few more months. I'm sure I can survive my father's and brother's wraths over that one. Besides," she runs her hands down his front, slowly, "I don't think I could resist you for much longer than that…"

He growls low in his throat, giving her a predatory look. "You keep touching me like that and I doubt I will be able to resist that long."

She giggles at his growl, meeting his gaze and blushing under the intensity. "Sorry…" she breathes, "Its not easy to… to…" she swallows hard, "To keep my hands off you… You said yourself, I was an affectionate thing."

"I suppose I can't blame you," Jareth replies, running his hands slowly up her sides. "I have most certainly never considered myself an…" He smirks, "'Affectionate thing', and yet I cannot resist you, either…" He trails off, laying a line of soft kisses across her right eyebrow.

"I'm flattered, then," she says, closing her eyes, reveling in the feel of his soft breath on his face. One hand slides back up and begins playing idly with a strand of his hair. She opens her eyes and frowns a little, "You don't… uh… mind, do you?"

He frowns, confused, "Mind what?"

She looks suddenly a little nervous, and her face goes red. "… Waiting?"

He chuckles, "It's killing me." With a finger on her chin, he tilts her head up to meet her eyes, "But some things are worth waiting for." He gives her a quick kiss, "And you are definitely one of them."

She smiles, still red in the face, and buries her face in his shirt, sliding her hands around his torso again and hugging him tightly. "Well, it had better not kill you," she mutters against him, "But thank you. I love you so much…" she looks up, her face happy but firm, "A few months, then, and I'm yours. But… until then…" she bites her lip, "You can kiss me, hug me, hold me, and romance the absolute tar out of me… all you want."

He laughs, spinning her around once and then dipping her low. Still holding her in the dip, he purrs, "I do believe that I will take you up on that," and presses his lips to hers.

She grips him tightly, feeling the need to hold on, and pulls her lips back just a fraction to murmur, "I am counting on it …" before kissing him back, deeply.

xXx

Danika's Note: So here's the deal... We're not trying to be review whores here, but FaeMail: Behind the Scenes and FaeMail: Outtakes are posted completely for the benefit of y'all. They're not related to the main story and they take time away from our concentration on the main story. Your reviews show us that you are interested and that that time is not wasted. As it is, between work, school and FaeMail (there is NOTHING else), Danika is getting about four hours of sleep a night. Thus wasted time is not to be tolerated.

So unless we see a bit more interest shown in FM:BtS and FM:OT, we'll probably stop updating these until F:F:FM is completely finished. Let us know what you think. (Or don't. Which does. That only makes sense because it's after midnight.)